The usefulness of kitchen appliances is a matter of debate. We barbecuers, in particular, are often caught in a dilemma. On the one hand, we love the simplicity and simplicity of cooking with fire and gas, but on the other hand, kitchen gadgets can be a real blessing – for example, at championships, large parties, or professional BBQ catering. As is so often the case in life, for most of us, it's all about finding the right balance.
Anyone who regularly makes room on their menu for a perfectly grilled steak is more likely to be enthusiastic about a high-performance grill à la Beefer than the occasional steak connoisseur. Sous-vide cooking is also a niche product, meeting with both enthusiastic approval and strong rejection. The espuma bottle, also known as a cream dispenser, also falls into this category. Soda machines for sparkling drinking water were already being produced under the Austrian brand "iSi" in the early 19th century. In the 1960s, the company added the production of N2O capsules to its range, thus ensuring the triumph of cream dispensers – in the catering industry and in private households. The principle is child's play: whatever you want to froth up goes into the bottle. Then the spray head or capsule holder with the inserted gas capsule is screwed on and the device is shaken vigorously. Then you turn the device upside down and press the lever – and the food comes out of the spout. Today, a so-called cream whipper is not only used to perfectly froth sweet cream, but also to give soups and sauces the perfect "espuma" finish. Generally speaking, anything that is liquid and finely pureed can be transformed into cold or warm espumas in this way. Espuma is the Spanish word for foam and was popularized by molecular gastronomy, pioneered by top Spanish chef Ferran Adrià. It is said that he came up with the idea of molecularizing food to reinterpret its flavor after seeing a fruit foam. Today, many kitchens around the world froth whatever food can provide – and Giuseppe Messina has adopted this technique for our favorite culinary discipline, demonstrating in his recipes for FIRE&FOOD 02/2023 the possibilities these frothers offer for grilling and barbecuing. He uses exclusively iSi products, which is partly due to the fact that all parts of these appliances – including the containers – are made of stainless steel and not aluminum.
