The six-volume, 2,438-page tome was the result of three and a half years work and shows in detail many of the science-inspired techniques for preparing food that are used in some of the world's greatest commercial kitchens today.
Earlier this week, BigHospitality's editor Emma Eversham caught up with its authors, former Microsoft chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold and chef Maxime Bilet, at The Restaurant Show 2011, where they were invited to talk on the Centre Stage about their work to hundreds of visitors.
Here, in our exclusive interview, the pair discuss what makes a top chef, what vital equipment the modernist chef needs in the kitchen, predict the next winning gadget for chefs and whether modernist cuisine still has a place in the food scene.