Begins with concrete experience
Follows a precisely defined trial: observing one ingredient, one technique or one variable.
LAB
The Lab does not present finished knowledge. It shows knowledge taking shape.
The Lab is an open, documented space for experimentation. It presents not only the result, but also the questions, trials and decisions through which an observation becomes useful culinary knowledge.
What makes a post part of the Lab?
Looks for connections
It does not stop at what happened. It also asks why it happened and what principle may lie behind the observed change.
Makes development visible
It shows not only the final result, but also the intermediate trials, adjustments and decisions.
Builds transferable knowledge
It turns observation into insight that can also be used with other ingredients, techniques or dishes.
Types of Lab content
Experiment
Begins with a clearly formulated question and a concrete trial. It records variables, conditions and observable results so the process can be followed and repeated.
Role: creates an experiential basis for understanding.
Explanation
Examines the relationships behind a culinary phenomenon. It shows how and why an ingredient or process changes under different influences.
Role: turns observation into knowledge that can be understood and applied elsewhere.
Development step
Follows the evolution of a recipe or technique. It compares successive versions and shows how experience leads to further decisions.
Role: makes the iterative process of creation visible.
Ingredient knowledge
Focuses on the inherent properties of a plant ingredient: its structure, water content, aromas, texture and possibilities for transformation.
Role: builds knowledge from which several culinary solutions can emerge.
Documentation
Lab notes
Lab notes will appear here soon.
WORKING TOOLS
Field Notes
A result becomes comparable when the question, conditions, changes and sensory experiences are all recorded. The downloadable worksheets provide a useful structure for observation, documenting experiments and comparing successive versions.
Each template shows what it is for, which workflow it suits and the format in which it can be downloaded.
Observation and Evaluation
FN-01 · PDF
Observation Sheet
FN-02 · PDF
Tasting Sheet
FN-05 · PDF
Comparison Sheet
FN-06 · PDF
Flavour Map
Experiment and Documentation
FN-03 · PDF
Experiment Sheet
FN-04 · PDF
Process Log
FN-08 · PDF
Notes
FERM-01 · PDF
Fermentation Log
Creation and Development
FN-07 · PDF
Creation Sheet
FN-09 · PDF
Recipe Development Sheet
Understanding → Testing
Connection to the Method
In Botanique’s six-step model, the Lab makes the stages of Understanding and Testing visible. Here, an observation becomes an interpretable connection, and that connection becomes verifiable culinary experience. The lab notes are living, public documents of this process.
The Botanique method →