Smell-emitting fork lets chefs and amateurs play with molecular gastronomy

AROMAFORK is an aroma-emitting device that enables chefs to serve up more complicated flavors than they can get from food alone.

Although we think of taste as a separate sense to smell, the two are closely intertwined when it comes to food, and most of the subtle flavors we experience when we eat are detected by the nose. Taking this onboard, the AROMAFORK is an aroma-emitting device that enables chefs to serve up more complicated flavors than they can get from food alone.

Created by Canada-based MOLECULE-R, the device is part of a kit that aims to make molecular gastronomy experiments easy for both professional chefs and home cooks. The AROMA R-EVOLUTION kit includes four of the specially-designed forks and 21 different aromas to trial, including chocolate, lychee, basil, wasabi and smoke. Each fork features a small indent located behind the tines where a diffusing paper that soaks up aromas is placed. Using a dropper, chefs can add one of the smells to the fork to add to whatever dish they’ve cooked. So, for example, diners eating a piece of steak could also get a waft of ginger, or even strawberry. The AROMA R-EVOLUTION pack is available for CAD 58.95.

The innovation enables cooks to experiment with matching different foods without actually wasting a perfectly good banana to see if it tastes good mixed with mashed potato. If their experiment works however, they can then go on to try the real thing. For professional chefs, experiments with the AROMAFORK could even be combined with the smell-transmitting Ophone device to send their creation to fellow chefs and friends. Are there ways that this kind of technology could make its way into restaurants to give diners a new experience, perhaps even enabling them to make their own additions to the menu?