A crucial part of good cooking and gastronomic skills is an experienced and sensitive sense of taste. The problem is that only a few people have it or are aware that they have it, so we have prepared this guide that will help you develop your taste buds by allowing you to perceive more flavors.
Steps
Step 1. Get to know the tastes
There are many "formal" ones, but just as many informal ones, some of which are listed below.
- Savory
- Sour or sour
- Sweet
- Bitter
- fat
- Savory or Umami (it indicates the glutamate flavor to be precise)
- Earthy or moldy
- Burnt or caramelized
Step 2. You can create as many groups as you can find
Trying to limit yourself to a few formal groups is acceptable, but when you sense blends of flavors forming new ones you can expand your sensitivity. (See warnings.)
Step 3. First of all calculate your current sensitivity
Which foods do you feel particularly attracted to, a basic preference could be between sweet or salty foods. For instance:
- Do you prefer a sour apple or a sweet one?
- Would you prefer a salty or chocolate snack? And so on.
Step 4. The goal is to show the characteristics of your sensitivity
You may prefer a sweet apple because sour apple may be too strong to your taste. Note that this tends to change according to the natural needs of your body, whose sole purpose is to receive the necessary nutrients in a balanced way. In general, however, it is possible to recognize a generic taste preference.
Step 5. Test your sensitivity by comparing it to that of other people, preferably by choosing subjects experienced in both cooking and eating
For example, tasting a soup at a restaurant your guest may find it too salty while you are looking for the salt shaker. This would reveal that your sensitivity has faded. Don't worry though, every person has different tastes, so there is no perfect standard, and you are therefore free to choose how to enjoy your meals
Step 6. Try to regain your sensitivity
For a two-week period, cut back on all snacks, instant meals, fizzy drinks, and spirits, and remove all seasonings from the table. Avoid overly complex recipes that can hide individual flavors. The point is not to put yourself on a diet, but to give your tongue a period of rest, avoiding it coming into contact with ingredients that can reduce its sensitivity. If you also lose weight in the meantime, you will enjoy a double benefit.
Step 7. Start a taste test
It is nothing complicated. Take a raisin and put it on the tongue. Notice the taste and texture as it melts in your mouth. When it has softened, rub it against the roof of the mouth for a burst of flavor. Breathe in, and find out if the air affects the taste
Step 8. Note every detail
You may discover added flavors that you didn't know were present before, such as a subtle flavor, or the tones of other fruit. You may feel the preservatives, and in that case it would be better to opt for organic raisins. Also take note of your preferences, such as excessive sweetness, delicacy or the right balance.
Step 9. Take into account the scent of the food and the efficiency of your olfactory capacity
Often many flavors come from the fragrance, which is easily verified by closing your nose while eating or when you have a stuffy nose caused by a cold or flu.
Step 10. During the biweekly experiment, voluntarily choose delicate foods, and try to recognize their taste and then move on to something more intense later on
This is a great way to discover hidden tastes and develop sensitivity. After the two weeks have passed, you may learn to find even a salad or any ingredient that you previously considered flat and boring to taste tastier.
Step 11. Expand the method to your next meal
Try focusing on simple foods and simple cooking methods (such as boiling, steaming, etc.), then experiment with the same food with more complex cooking (e.g. barbecue, frying, baking, microwave, etc).
Step 12. Expand the experimentation to drinks, such as juices, water, wines, beers, etc
Be careful, however, excessive alcohol use or hard alcohol consumption will reduce your sensitivity.
Step 13. Try to enjoy all flavors, both individual and complex
Eating will become even more enjoyable.
Advice
- The two week period is not going to be much fun. You will most likely crave certain foods and be tempted by gravy bowls and salt shakers. Don't give in, consider it an experiment or a healing rather than a diet to make it more tolerable.
- After the two-week period, bring the flavors back into your diet and taste them in small quantities (like the taste test) to discover your new current needs.
Warnings
- Try not to get obsessed with groups, some schools of thought want to limit the number of flavors, while others don't. In general, the danger is that of wanting to exaggerate in terms of scientific precision. All the fun and taste of food exploration would be lost. By obsessively restricting groups, you will effectively limit your learning potential.
- As with any change in your diet, discuss it with your doctor to avoid compromising your health.
