Seasonings and Flavorings. Sensory Perception Herbs, Spices, and Aromatics

Transcription

1 Seasonings and Flavorings Sensory Perception Herbs, Spices, and Aromatics

2 The Five Senses Human beings have five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing ALL PLAY A ROLE IN COOKING!

3 The Five Senses Taste: Food that comes in contact with our tongue Taste buds detect flavors Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami (savory) Umami is often described as meaty or brothy and is found in meats, some vegetables, and fermented foods such as soy sauce Umami = MSG (monosodium glutamate)

4 The Five Senses Sight: What our eyes see Typically this is the first sense we experience with food We prefer foods that look good People eat with their eyes. If it looks gross, typically people won t try it!

5 The Five Senses Smell: Another very powerful sense We use smell to monitor ripeness and cooking process Humans distinguish between thousands of different aromas Foods that are especially strong smelling = aromatic Taste and smell work together If there is no smell it is often harder to taste! Example: eating when you have a cold Smell can also help us determine difference between foods that look and taste similar! Orange vs. tangerine

6 The Five Senses Touch: How we experience a foods texture and temperature Another way to determine ripeness Texture can impact how a food tastes Thick/chewy foods stay in our mouths longer than thin foods Fatty, oily, or rich foods coat out mouths for a fuller flavor We also experience sensations through touch Examples: burn of a pepper, cooling of a mint, puckering of a lemon, fizz of carbonation

7 The Five Senses Hearing: Important in the overall food experience Crisp foods are expected to make a crunch sound A hot platter is expected to sizzle Chefs use sound to communicate how quickly a food is cooking Fast boil vs. simmer Garlic sautéing in a pan Baked dish sizzling vs. silent

8 Changing a Food s Flavor Ripening and aging flavor of most food changes as it ripens or get older Not ripe = bitter/bland (because it is not fully developed) Ripe = richest flavor Overripe = spoiled/rotten Example: green tomatoes are tart, ripe tomatoes are sweet, overripe tomatoes tastes fermented

9 Changing a Food s Flavor Temperature cold foods tend to be less flavorful than warm/hot foods Example: a cold tomato from the fridge tastes more mild than a tomato sitting at room temperature Preparation and cooking how we prepare foods impacts their flavor Example: cutting a tomato subtly changes the way it tastes Example: cooking that tomato until it d browned will change the taste more drastically

10 Describing Flavor Can use the five types: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami but we want/need more than that! The way a flavor looks: You can predict based on appearance Fresh? Unblemished? Good color? Other ways to describe flavor based on appearance: Opaque, translucent, transparent, clear, specific colors

11 Describing Flavor The way a flavor smells: The way something smells before you eat it may be very different than how it smells once you put it into your mouth Common ways to describe the way a food smells that invoke a taste: Perfumed Pungent Earthy Stale Musty Fresh Strong Intense

12 Describing Flavor The way flavor feels: Texture is the way it feels when you touch, cut, or bite it Common ways to describe the way a food feels that invoke a taste: Firm, hard Soft Melting Crisp, crunchy, crumbly Airy, frothy, foamy Watery, thin Thick, heavy, dense Warm, hot Cold, cool

13 Describing Flavor The way flavor sounds: The sounds a food makes gives us a clue as to how it will taste Common ways to describe the way a food sounds that invoke a taste: Snap Sizzle Pop Crackle Crunch Fizz

14 Herbs Leaves and stems of certain plants Used to flavor dishes Certain herbs (or herb combinations) are associated with certain cultural groups: Basil and oregano = Italian foods Tarragon and chives = Chinese foods Oregano and mint = Greek foods

15 Herbs Selecting fresh herbs: Fresh herbs should have a pleasant aroma Fresh herbs should be a vivid color with leaves in tact Stems should be firm and not split As herbs age their flavors become weaker Yellow/pale or wilted herbs will not have good flavor Storing fresh herbs: Should be kept in the refrigerator Wrapped loosely in damp paper toweling Kept in a loosely closed plastic bag Last several days

16 Herbs Many herbs are sol dried, ground, or as a powder Moisture is removed which concentrated the herb s flavor Dried herbs should have a pleasant smell Musty smell or no smell means they are old and should be discarded Most last about six months Should be stored in a cool, dry, airtight space away from sunlight For MOST herbs you can substitute 1 teaspoon of dried herb for every 1 tablespoon of fresh herb

17 Spices Aromatic ingredients added in small amounts to foods them a specific flavor Seeds, roots, bark, stalks, or fruits from a wide variety of plants Whole spices last longer than ground spices Example: whole peppercorns can last several years vs. ground pepper will lose some of it s flavor after 6 months Some spices are blended meaning they have more than one spice/herb mixed Examples: curry powder, chili powder, pumpkin spice, and dry meat rubs

18 Additional Aromatic Ingredients Aromatic vegetables/fruits add flavor and aroma Plants in the onion family (onions, leeks, garlic, etc.) are most common Additional examples include celery and mushrooms Citrus fruits such as lemons, limes, and oranges Dried fruits like raisins or apricots Aromatic liquids add aroma to a dish Broths/stocks, spirits (brandy/liqueurs), flavored oils, extracts Cured foods foods preserved by drying, salting, pickling, or smoking Examples: ham, bacon, olives, salted anchovies Add a savory flavor/aroma along with saltiness

19 Aromatic Combinations Any time you use more than one flavoring or aromatic ingredient in a dish Examples: mirepoix, sachet d epices, bouquet garni Mirepoix: combination of vegetables used as an aromatic flavoring Cut veggies into large or small pieced (depends on cooking time) Common types: Standard 2 parts onion, 1 part carrot, 1 part celery (sometimes a tomato paste is included) used for soups, stocks, gravy White 2 parts onion/leeks, 1 part parsnips, 1 part celery used in white stock and soups Cajun combination of onion, celery, green pepper used in Creole and Cajun dishes Matignon combination of onion, carrots, celery, ham Battuto cooking fat, garlic, onion, parsley, carrots, celery used in Italian soups, stews and meat dishes

20 Aromatic Combinations Sachet d epices: (bag of spices) Mixture of fresh and dried herbs and dried spices that are tied into a cheesecloth Standard includes peppercorns, dried thyme, fresh parsley Bouquet garni: Mixtures of fresh herbs that are tied together Usually includes an aromatic vegetable such as garlic or scallions Standard includes fresh thyme, fresh parsley, rosemary, citrus peels

21 Herbs and Spices Identifying Herbs Worksheet Investigation of Spices Worksheet See Introduction to Culinary Arts textbook/handout.