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Andoni Luis Aduriz
Aduriz, 33, is delving into the "physiochemistry" of vegetables—fusing chemistry, physics and botany into dishes like garbanzo broth tinted a shocking green with chlorophyll extracted from herbs. He often retreats to the woods to gather plants for his legendary salad of dozens of vegetables, flowers and herbs—raw, cooked, bitter and sweet—for his Basque restaurant, Mugaritz. DETAILS Caserio Otzazuleta, Aldura Aldea 20, Errenteria; 011-34-943-522-455.

Josean Martínez Alija
Experimenting with rennet and the milk protein casein, which tastes like clotted cream from another dimension, Alija, 26, prepares such austerely elegant dishes as Parmesan rennet cream with white truffles and shiso, served at his Restaurante Guggenheim in Bilbao. His signature dessert teams casein with a pink-white milk sorbet infused with strawberries for 24 hours. DETAILS Abandoibarra Et. 2 Bilbao; 011-34-944-239-333.

Enrique Dacosta
At his restaurant, El Poblet, Dacosta, 32, favors strong, Mediterranean flavors offset with unexpected grace notes, pairing sea urchin with liquefied sweet nougat and topping oysters with gin and pepper froth. Recently, Dacosta has collaborated with a rice scientist on a book questioning classic grain-cooking methods—heresy in Valencia, which worships paella. His techniques, like chilling rice halfway through cooking, assure perfectly separate, flavor-suffused grains. DETAILS Carretera Las Marinas, km 3, Dénia; 011-34-965-787-662.

Dani Garcia
Recently, Garcia, 29, has become addicted to the freezing agent liquid nitrogen, working with a university science professor to employ it in dishes like olive oil carpaccio (flash-frozen oil that melts in the mouth) or a frozen-meringue-like foam of poached quail eggs with a smoky infusion of Jabugo ham. Despite science-fiction techniques, Garcia, who's opening a restaurant in Marbella, relies on Andalusian ingredients and traditional flavors to keep his food grounded. DETAILS Hotel Gran Meliá Don Pepe; Calle Jose Meliá s/n, Marbella; 011-34-952-770-300.

Joan Roca
Roca, 40, combines cutting-edge methods with cooking that has deep emotional resonance. He's the chef who got Spain hooked on sous vide (vacuum-packed) cooking, using a device originally employed by biologists to heat vaccines. At his Catalan restaurant, El Cellar de Can Roca, Roca's scientific approach and creativity show in dishes like porcini ice cream with vine cuttings smoke; it's trapped in an ephemeral caramel bubble, blown with the aid of an infrared light. DETAILS Carretera Taiala 40, Girona; 011-34-972-222-157.