. >> reporter: his name is nathan mervel, and cutting things in half to understand, for example, whatally does to a pot full of broccoli is just the beginning. the recipe in this ideal lab for food includes a dash of exquisite art mixed with a whole lot of science, all wrapped together with a passion for cooking. the result? "modernist cuisine," a $625, 2,400-page waterproof bible of food. a collection already sold out of its first printing despite its enormous size and price tag. >> we had a goal to show people a vision of food that they just hadn't seen before. >> reporter: take the simple bonbon for example. not so simple here. bananas are spun in a centrifuge, turning them to juice, which is frozen in liquid nitrogen, before being drowned in hot syrup. trust me, there's nothing complicated about the results. oh, wow. >> this is about 20 to 25 pounds of just this. >> reporter: the lead chef whipped up something he calls pea butter, by spinning peas in a jar at speeds that pull more gs than an astronaut on liftoff. >> are they making pea butter anywhere else on the planet right now?