Memorizing Flavors
by Ron Kule
December 3rd 2011
I never would have thought of it, but my research led me to this fact: top chefs often memorize flavors; not just recipes — flavors!
Some chefs have a palate so fine they can discern the minute differences among spices and foods and their combinations. One doesn't have to be a chef to do that but to be able to remember flavors in order to be able to combine them and know ahead of time what the resulting food preparation will taste like ... WOW!
Four Tastes To Balance
There are four basic definable tastes: sweet, sour, bitter and salt. And there are literally thousands of edible ingredients. A properly prepared plate of food ought to have an element of each of these flavor factors from any combination of edible foods. Balancing tastes enhances enjoyment of the meal; it also separates the flavors for the palate. A wrong combination destroys the palate and masks tastes. Much can be missed in this way.
A Natural Affinity Required
The thing about chefs — much like writers with words — is that they have a natural affinity for working with the elements of their craft or art. While I am not a chef except in my own kitchen, as a writer I know how hard it is to craft a good story, let alone a book; there are so many elements to consider and balance. One has to be able to literally memorize word passages and make decisions about where to place them, edit or eliminate them ... like chefs must do preparing dishes and entire multi-course meals. Without a natural affinity for words I would not sit still long enough to write a book, which takes months; without such an affinity for foods neither would a chef cook commercially for hundreds of people, which daily extracts at least 12-14 hours of his time.
Introducing Chef Tell
TV's Chef Tell Erhardt, a Master Chef, once quipped, "The difference between a cook and a chef is that a cook cooks 3- 10 meals a day while a chef cooks 150 meals a day, three times a day, every day." That's a lot of food choices, tastes and flavor combinations to have to memorize and utilize properly!
Master Chefs Are Rare
Within the realm of chefs there are rankings. There are only actually only 320 Master Chefs in the world today. Only 100 in America. Back in Chef Tell's time there were far fewer, and he was the youngest Master Chef in German history when, after a completed apprenticeship, he took and passed the exams to become a Master Chef in 1970.
The Executive Chef
Within the four walls of a restaurant there is a master of the house: the Executive Chef. The executive is the team leader; all other chefs cooking there fall below him, which means that his executive responsibilities go well beyond food.
An Executive Chef runs the kitchen and its personnel. He, or she, ensures that the different elements of food — from purchasing the freshest ingredients possible daily, to storing and prepping them for later use, to cooking and plating appearances — under his domain are handled skillfully. Additionally, he must manage the staff people and their attitudes, abilities and willingness to work for the main product of the house: satisfied customers. He must manage front room personnel, like waiters, bartenders, hostesses, maitre d's, especially where they connect and contact the kitchen to ensure the desired end result is achieved in a viable and profitable condition.
In the world of commercial food memorization and management truly are domains of the Executive Chef and Master Chef.
Finding these bits of data came by researching my latest book which is the authorized biography of the late Chef Tell Erhardt — the earliest TV showman chef who was also a certified Master Chef. His TV segments were both popular and entertaining. His fan base was widespread across the globe, since he was a best-selling author of recipe books.
Chef Tell's authorized biography will release early in 2012. Further information is available through the author. ###
About The Author
Artist, poet, screenwriter, novelist, and creative writer. You can read more of my work at http://coolman.qondio.com/
Syndicate This Content
<p>I never would have thought of it, but my research led me to this fact: top chefs often memorize flavors; not just recipes — flavors!<br />
<br />
Some chefs have a palate so fine they can discern the minute differences among spices and foods and their combinations. One doesn't have to be a chef to do that but to be able to remember flavors in order to be able to combine them and know ahead of time what the resulting food preparation will taste like ... WOW!</p><h2>Four Tastes To Balance</h2><p>There are four basic definable tastes: sweet, sour, bitter and salt. And there are literally thousands of edible ingredients. A properly prepared plate of food ought to have an element of each of these flavor factors from any combination of edible foods. Balancing tastes enhances enjoyment of the meal; it also separates the flavors for the palate. A wrong combination destroys the palate and masks tastes. Much can be missed in this way.<br />
<h2>A Natural Affinity Required</h2>
The thing about chefs — much like writers with words — is that they have a natural affinity for working with the elements of their craft or art. While I am not a chef except in my own kitchen, as a writer I know how hard it is to craft a good story, let alone a book; there are so many elements to consider and balance. One has to be able to literally memorize word passages and make decisions about where to place them, edit or eliminate them ... like chefs must do preparing dishes and entire multi-course meals. Without a natural affinity for words I would not sit still long enough to write a book, which takes months; without such an affinity for foods neither would a chef cook commercially for hundreds of people, which daily extracts at least 12-14 hours of his time.<br />
<h2>Introducing Chef Tell</h2>
TV's Chef Tell Erhardt, a Master Chef, once quipped, "The difference between a cook and a chef is that a cook cooks 3- 10 meals a day while a chef cooks 150 meals a day, three times a day, every day." That's a lot of food choices, tastes and flavor combinations to have to memorize and utilize properly!<br />
<h2>Master Chefs Are Rare</h2>
Within the realm of chefs there are rankings. There are only actually only 320 Master Chefs in the world today. Only 100 in America. Back in Chef Tell's time there were far fewer, and he was the youngest Master Chef in German history when, after a completed apprenticeship, he took and passed the exams to become a Master Chef in 1970.<br />
<h2>The Executive Chef</h2>
Within the four walls of a restaurant there is a master of the house: the Executive Chef. The executive is the team leader; all other chefs cooking there fall below him, which means that his executive responsibilities go well beyond food.<br />
<br />
An Executive Chef runs the kitchen and its personnel. He, or she, ensures that the different elements of food — from purchasing the freshest ingredients possible daily, to storing and prepping them for later use, to cooking and plating appearances — under his domain are handled skillfully. Additionally, he must manage the staff people and their attitudes, abilities and willingness to work for the main product of the house: satisfied customers. He must manage front room personnel, like waiters, bartenders, hostesses, maitre d's, especially where they connect and contact the kitchen to ensure the desired end result is achieved in a viable and profitable condition.<br />
<br />
In the world of commercial food memorization and management truly are domains of the Executive Chef and Master Chef.<br />
<br />
Finding these bits of data came by researching my latest book which is the authorized biography of the late Chef Tell Erhardt — the earliest TV showman chef who was also a certified Master Chef. His TV segments were both popular and entertaining. His fan base was widespread across the globe, since he was a best-selling author of recipe books.<br />
<br />
Chef Tell's authorized biography will release early in 2012. Further information is available through the author. ###</p><p> </p><p><strong>About the Author</strong></p><p>(CityNext.Content #93)</p><p>Article Source: <a href="http://citynext.com/">http://citynext.com/</a> - <a href="http://citynext.com/food-and-beverage-articles/memorizing-flavors">Memorizing Flavors</a></p>