Flavor – Why do things smell good while cooking but have little flavour when finished

flavorfood-science

While cooking, particularly things that cook slowly on the hob, it smells really good while cooking but when finished it never seems to have as much flavour as I hoped.

Am I doing something wrong or does this happen to everyone?

Best Answer

There are two components to flavor: aroma and taste. The wonderful smells you get are the volatiles of the ingredients you have been cooking, and while they add a lot to dishes, aromas are just part of what makes food enjoyable. One also needs to worry about taste, and that may be the missing part. When I decided to improve my cooking three years ago I was mystified by flavors. I wanted to know how spices worked and how to use them better, but all the reading and experimenting did not help my cooking.

Then I learned the Remick Maxim (lower the temperature when possible) and the quality of what I made went up more than in the entire previous year. I then heard Thomas Keller speak about salting and things clicked. One has to get the salt, acid, and sweetness of the dish right or everything else amounts to nothing. Once I learned to pay attention to taste, spices became easier.

The next steps have been:

  • Understand caramelization (the Maillard process or reaction), it is a great source of flavor.
  • The main ingredient needs to be rich in flavor. Even something as simple as rice will make a difference. Try making rice with Basmati from India or Pakistan, where they age the rice before selling.
  • There are a lot of underdeveloped recipes out there. Beware.
  • Use spices in groups that traditionally grow in the same region. Cumin and coriander, basil and thyme.
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