Ultimate Flavor: What It Is, How to Get It
 
If there's a Holy Grail in cooking, the quest of every chef---professional or amateur---it's certainly the mastery of great flavor. We spoke to six of our instructors and graduates to get their expert insights on palate development, ingredient combination and flavor advice in general.

Chef-Instructor Michael Schwartz, an alumnus of such top restaurants as Le Cirque and Osterio del Circo, spoke about how the Institute's professional culinary program teaches palate development to young chefs: "The program is set up so that we start out by tasting a lot of different things straight up: herbs, spices, oils, vinegars, meats.… It can be a weird experience, to taste something like turmeric on its own, and sometimes it's not that fun." But Schwartz believes that this emersion from the beginning helps students get up to speed quickly. "It's not long before they can harness and control flavors, and the intensity of flavors, and 'visualize' the tastes of different combinations."

A self-described "slave to flavor," Institute alum and Le Madri Executive Chef Pippa Calland sees her 20 years development as a chef in terms of the pursuit of pure, clean flavors. Calland suggests that cooking the elements of a dish separately, can keep flavors interesting and bright, distinct rather than muddled. "I'm serving a succotash today, and I've cooked seven different ingredients individually---I've roasted the onions on their own, cooked the beans separately. They'll be combined just at the last minute." Calland's other advice on developing great flavor in your dishes is refreshingly simple: "Always cook like a Sicilian grandmother, spoon in hand: taste, taste, taste. Taste and correct."

Institute graduate David Bonom has spent more than six years developing recipes for restaurants, magazines like Cooking Light and Weight Watchers, and corporate clients that include OXO International and Unilever Best Foods. His clients' varied guidelines have led him to a deep understanding of flavor, and tricks for getting the most of it in hassle-free ways. "Be really aware of what each ingredient brings to your dish," advises Bonom. "If you're making a tagine, and you use preserved lemons and olives, you're getting a really sharp, tangy flavor. That'll need to be tempered by something else. Maybe you add a sweet element, something like dried apricots. Think about the flavor profile of all your ingredients as you contemplate what to add." Because many of his clients request recipes low in fat, Bonom knows how to coax out maximum taste without adding richness. "Think about deep spices, essences like lemon or orange zest, and use ingredients that have rich flavors, like light coconut milk."

Richard Ruben, who teaches such palate-specific courses as "On the Spice Trail" and "How to Build Dynamic Flavor" in our recreational division, advises students to "take a leap of faith" when experimenting with flavor blends. "Once you establish a great spice combination," says Ruben, "change just one ingredient every time you use it. You'll start building a vocabulary of flavor that way."

Institute alumnus Ed Behr, creator and editor of The Art of Eating magazine and author of the book The Artful Eater, feels a conservative approach to flavor development isn't a bad idea. "Some things are known to work, but as a consequence they're familiar. And this can make chefs feel compelled to plunge off and do crazy things," observes Behr. "Recently I had a dessert that was a blue cheese custard served with a Sauterne jelly. It was revolting. Maybe another chef could have made it better, but basically I think it was a failed concept." Despite a reputation as a culinary expert and flavor maven, Behr admits to relying on simple flavor combinations, even when cooking for guests: "Toasted breadcrumbs on top of baked tomatoes, it's one of my standard combinations. It's so obvious, but people love it."

Finally, graduate Juventino Avila, Executive Chef of the Cuban restaurant Isla, concurred with Behr about the appeal of simple, familiar combinations. "I think the limit should be about three flavors in any one dish," says Avila. "Don't think you have to get everything into one recipe, don't shock the palate." But, adds Avila with a chuckle, "There can be some pleasant shocks!"

Taste Bud Facts:

· The average adult has a few thousand taste buds. Scientists identify a small minority (about 10 %) as "Supertasters"---those with a higher concentration of taste buds and heightened flavor sensitivity.
· Children, too, have a higher number of taste buds than the average adult, and so taste flavors more strongly. Perhaps this---and not pickiness!---explains their preference for blander foods.
· Humans are sensitive to five distinct flavors: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and (most recently discovered) "unami," the meaty flavor associated with MSG.
· The sensory cells that make up the taste buds are regenerated about every 10 days.
· Some insects have taste receptors on their feet; fish have taste receptors all over their skin.
· Scientists say that we lose taste buds as we age---so let's do our best to enjoy them.