Wylie Dufresne & Eric Ripert Talk Molecular Gastronomy

In the latest episode of chef Eric Ripert's YouTube show On the Table, Wylie Dufresne drops in to make some poached eggs in a sherry consommé. They also talk about everything from becoming a cook to opening Alder to the tension between traditional and molecular gastronomy. Some biographical fun facts: Dufresne has a degree in philosophy and would have liked to have been a professional athlete. (Ripert encouragingly points out that anyone can be an athlete given the "wide range in between a tennis man and sumo.") Dufresne also says he's grateful for TV opportunities, which helped wd-50 through "some quiet years," and explains why he thinks kitchens are kind of like sports teams.

But mostly the two men talk about the differences in the way that they cook. Ripert explains that he never got into modernist cuisine because, "I'm always afraid if I go into the direction where you went, I'm going to lose that pleasure of touching the food, being connected to the food." Dufresne replies, "I think that's a misconception that people think we're taking the romance out of it. We're just trying to understand things a little bit better so we can make better decisions when we cook something." Here, go watch:

Video: Wylie Dufresne Joins Eric Ripert | On The Table Ep. 11

· Wylie Dufresne Joins Eric Ripert | On The Table Ep. 11 [YouTube]
· All Wylie Dufresne Coverage on Eater [-E-]
· All Eric Ripert Coverage on Eater [-E-]