Flavor

Aromatics - By definition, aromatics are typically herbs or vegetables that you will add to a dish to impart their flavor and scent. Think of the word aroma. Oxford Languages defines it as a distinctive and typically pleasant smell. A classic example of this would be mirepoix, the mixture of onions, carrots, and celery found in the first steps of many savory recipes. Do you know that scent when the vegetables start sizzling in the heat and fat in the pan? Probably my favorite of all would be garlic! Just seconds after it makes contact with heat, its aroma permeates the space like no other.

Caramelize or Caramelization - This term refers to a cooking technique (caramelizing onions) and a scientific process (when sugars heat to a specific temperature and break down, becoming darker and richer in flavor). You can caramelize all sorts of foods besides onions. Potatoes, apples, bananas, and mushrooms all work well. Basically, foods low in moisture and high in sugar.

Deglazing - This is a cooking technique used to retain all the best flavors in a pan-cooked recipe. For example, when you sear and brown a piece of meat in a pan, eventually, brown bits and evaporated juices will cook and stick to the pan. By adding a small amount of a liquid like wine, broth, or butter, you can save all that flavor by scraping them off the base of the pan and redistributing the flavors throughout the dish.

Dredging - This is a cooking technique that involves lightly coating food with flour or sugar to create a crispy exterior. For instance, coating raw chicken in seasoned flour and frying it will yield a flavorful, crunchy surface. The leftover flour and cooking fat can be deglazed with broth to make a tasty pan sauce.

Flavor Profile - The term refers to the overall taste and sensory qualities of a dish. It includes different flavors like sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. This includes aromas like earthy, fresh, citrus, and pungent as well as textures like creamy, juicy, crunchy, or greasy.

Taste buds - The sensory organs scattered all over our tongues and mouths. They process the flavor information through a nerve to the brain, telling us what we're tasting whether its sweet, salty, sour, or bitter.

Umami - More recently added to the five basic tastes or flavors, sweet, salty, bitter, and sour, umami is a Japanese word that represents savoriness. Some examples are meat or meaty broths, miso, mushrooms, parmesan, anchovies, and MSG.

Unsalted Butter - Most of my recipes call for unsalted butter. I often hear people don't want to keep both kinds around and will substitute with salted butter. Here's why you shouldn't do that (and a helpful idea to keep both kinds on hand easily):

First, using unsalted butter in cooking and baking gives you total flavor control. When I cook, I will salt at each step of the process. I find it keeps the salt level accurate the first time, prevents oversalting, and brings out all the flavors of the dish rather than it tasting one note. Sometimes, recipes will use butter for the sweet cream flavor, and salt can change or dull that flavor. Also, unsalted butter has less water than salted butter, so it has a richer flavor, helps with baked goods, and results in a better final texture.

So what do you do if you don't need to use it that often? Freeze it! Grab a box of 4 butter sticks and pop them into the freezer. When it's time to use, you can grate it frozen, melt it over low heat on the stove, or defrost it in the refrigerator or on the counter for 4-5 hours. Keep the butter very well wrapped for up to 1 year in the freezer.