The Flavor Matrix: The Art and Science of Pairing Common Ingredients to Create Extraordinary Dishes

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Every bite of food contains hundreds if not thousands of volatile compounds, which I will refer to as aromatic compounds. And as that name suggests, it is the smell of these compounds that dictates flavor." There are five - or six, depending on who you ask - basic tastes: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, umami, and fat. "

The Flavor Matrix by James Briscione, Brooke Parkhurst

We may be decades away from unraveling exactly how flavor works, but in the meantime, Briscione has given anyone who cooks an approachable source of vivid inspiration and delightful recipes." p. 255 - "Texture has been proven to alter the way the brain perceives taste and flavor, and thus plays an overall role in the enjoyment of a meal." I think this book has a lot of interesting information but as a professional Food Scientist who specializes in the sensory properties of food, I wish the author had gone about this differently. A revolutionary new guide to pairing ingredients, based on a famous chef's groundbreaking research into the chemical basis of flavorA fascinating collection of matrices that break down the best flavor combinations to make main ingredients shine...Visually, this book is stunning, like a science text for foodies, with a particularly helpful introduction...[ The Flavor Matrix]is a treat for gourmands and food science geeks." As an instructor at one of the world's top culinary schools, James Briscione thought he knew how to mix and match ingredients. Then he met IBM Watson. Working with the supercomputer to turn big data into delicious recipes, Briscione realized that he (like most chefs) knew next to nothing about why different foods taste good together. That epiphany launched him on a quest to understand the molecular basis of flavor--and it led, in time, to The Flavor Matrix. A revolutionary new guide to pairing ingredients, based on a celebrity chef's groundbreaking research into the chemical basis of flavor The next time you’re in creative mode be sure to pull this book off the shelf and read it for inspiration. A gifted and creative chef, James Briscione puts the algorithms of taste to use in this wonderfully researched new book. The Flavor Matrix uses science to expand our universe of possible ingredient combinations, and in the process points the way to the future of cooking.”

The Flavor Matrix: a case study on the UX of cooking The Flavor Matrix: a case study on the UX of cooking

This comprehensive book is a great tool for any student looking to strengthen his or her knowledge of ingredients, flavors, and textures. The opportunity to study and understand the science of these elements is a great advantage to today’s generation of cooks. They should all make use of it!" As an instructor at one of the world’s top culinary schools, James Briscione thought he knew how to mix and match ingredients. Then he met IBM Watson. Working with the supercomputer to turn big data into delicious recipes, Briscione realized that he (like most chefs) knew next to nothing about why different foods taste good together. That epiphany launched him on a quest to understand the molecular basis of flavor—and it led, in time, to The Flavor Matrix . The Flavor Matrix isn’t just a high quality cookbook filled with delicious recipes and insights. It is that. But more importantly, it’s sure to be a requirement for the professional and passionate home cook alike.” The project was simple: The chefs at ICE created dishes based on uncommon food combinations Watson predicted would taste good. Many experiments later, this work led the science-curious Briscione to further investigate how rarely paired foods—with complementary aromatic compounds—can create fantastic flavor. The result is The Flavor Matrix.

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As an instructor at one of the world’s top culinary schools, James Briscione thought he knew how to mix and match ingredients. Then he met IBMWatson. Working with the supercomputer to turn big data into delicious recipes, Briscionerealized that he (like most chefs)knew next to nothing about why different foods taste good together. That epiphany launched him on a quest to understand the molecular basis of flavor—and it led, in time, to The Flavor Matrix. The Flavor Matrix is full of interesting insights into the way chefs build dynamic relationships between ingredients. Whether professional chefs or home cooks, we can all use these diagrams as a starting point for endless creativity.”

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p. 253 - Talks to the idea that fat is controversial as a taste, even though specific receptors have been found that specifically notice fattiness.As an instructor at one of the world’s top culinary schools, James Briscione thought he knew how to mix and match ingredients. Then he met IBM Watson. Working with the supercomputer to turn big data into delicious recipes, Briscione realized that he (like most chefs) knew next to nothing about why different foods taste good together. That epiphany launched him on a quest to understand the molecular basis of flavor—and it led, in time, to The Flavor Matrix. I think that the 150 food matrices that IBM's Watson used to group based on the compounds found within each food is interesting. It shows us good pairings and also substitutes. The author, James Briscione, also describes many of the scientific portions of this book well and will remind you that he is not a scientist but a chef. He also includes interesting recipes after each food matrix.

The Flavor Matrix: The Art and Science of Pairing Common

The major reason I removed a star is that I don't think it goes into texture as much as it should other than to say it's important. I think there's not as great an understanding of texture mixes. Also, I didn't find the recipes (upon reading them) by the AI to be earth shattering. Interesting for sure, but I just think the better skill is to take what's left in your pantry and make that taste good. In Flavor Matrix, the team of authors, James Briscione and Brooke Parkhurst have fashioned a visually stunning book that suggests flavor pairings of fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, and other protein sources with other fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, etc., and also with herbs and spices, liquids, etc. Crafted for ambitious home cooks, chefs-in-training and food writers, a wealth of food data fits into a graphic image which I think of as a flavor wheel. The wheel displays at a glance the top choices for numerous variations or possibilities on a single ingredient. Eggs have many flavor compounds in common with the dairy products, brown butter, coffee, and—uh—fish. Yum. Jan Willem Tulp/Houghton Mufflin Harcourt p. 13 - He talks about complimentary vs balancing tastes. every person should know this if they plan on just being a great cook (not a chef, which is a different thing). While The Flavor Matrix boasts a pleasing aesthetic and provides some creative insight into the science of flavor pairing, I found that it does not provide an easily understood explanation for how exactly to use the book and interpreting the matrix itself is not intuitive. After reading through the introduction several times, trying to construct a few dishes by using the matrix and coming up frustrated each time, I decided to analyze the shortcomings of the book through the lens of information architecture and user experience research. ProblemOnce the food enters your mouth, chewing it releases yet more aromatic compounds, over a thousand individual compounds may be found in a single bite." Salty - it's just complementary to everything but sour and bitter (seems wrong to me) (no balancing)