How to master the art of flavour
What’s one of the fastest ways to learn? It’s to learn by ‘doing’. Or better still, learn by experimentation. Because experimenting means ‘doing’ and ‘noticing’ or observing.
To start getting your head around how we can influence the flavour of food, we suggest you follow these steps.
You’ll need:
a frying pan
1 tsp oil
1 tsp butter butter
a slice of bread
salt
pepper
vinegar (any kind, but balsamic is good if you have it)
a small side plate
OK, we’re going to focus on changing the flavour of one single piece of bread!
1. Pour about 1 tsp oil into your pan
2. Put it on medium to high heat
3. Rip a small piece of bread off (about the size of a crouton or a dice) and add it to the pan
4. Turn the heat up and knock it around so it’s slightly changing colour
5. Take it out the pan, cut a small piece off, and taste it.
6. How’s the taste? Nice? Lacking something? Is it knocking your socks off? The big test is, is it hard to control yourself from wanting to eat the whole thing?!
7. Put it back in the pan (no more oil!) Brown it up a bit. We’re aiming for a darker colour. This is the maillard effect happening. You’re enhancing the flavour!
8. Take it out, cut a slither off, and taste it (don’t burn yourself – give it a moment to cool!) How’s the taste? Nice? Better? Still lacking something? The big test: is it hard to control yourself from wanting to eat the whole thing?! (I’d wait because we’re going up some levels here..)
9. Put it back in the pan, and maybe add a second piece of bread the same size. Add your butter. Knock it around in the butter a bit.
10. Repeat the taste tests above. How’s the flavour changing?
11. Put it back (OK, if you’ve overcooked it, add a new piece of bread). Get it browned up in the butter. Now add a pinch of salt. You’re not coating it! A pinch means a pinch between your fingers.
12. Repeat your taste test. Is it hard to stop yourself eating the whole thing now? If you’ve managed to hold back (if you haven’t, get another piece of bread and cook that up to this stage) add a splash of vinegar.
13. Repeat your taste test. What has the addition of acid (vinegar) done to the flavour?
14. Repeat this process again, adding a decent amount of black pepper to the bread for your final taste test. What did adding black pepper do?
15. Think about each stage of flavouring. Which one did you prefer? And do you think a bit more or a bit less of what you added would work better?
You can do this test with a piece of steak, or even chicken or pork the next time you’re cooking some (obviously don’t eat the chicken or pork if it’s not cooked through first!)
