Tasting with your eyes first
At Artful Chefs, tasting with your eyes first is a principle we believe to be true.
Let me explain the principle of tasting with your eyes. We all have four senses and each one plays a part in our enjoyment of food. When we are presented with something to eat, most of us, see it first. If it looks like something we have experienced before, we associate it with a memory and a flavor. We expect to taste a certain flavor, whether good or bad.
Because we are tasting with our eyes first, if we are not familiar with the dish, our brain makes a judgement call. If it looks appealing, we anticipate a pleasant experience. If it looks like an orange we expect it to taste like an orange. If it looks like slop or poop, well you get the idea.
The next sense to be involved is our sense of smell. Is it familiar? What flavor is associated with that smell and did I enjoy it? And if we can’t recall that aroma, we will remember the new aroma and associate it with the flavor.
So next we place the food on our mouth. We feel the texture. Is it smooth, crunchy, slimy, soft, hard, etc. Some people dislike slimy foods, simply because of the texture. If an apple is not crunchy, as I expect it to be, my mind says, “This does not taste good”. If pasta is mushy, my mind says, “This was overcooked, don’t like it.”
The final sense is our taste. Is it salty, sweet, savory or bland? Does the flavor linger, are there different layers of flavor? What does the flavor remind me of. Our sense of taste is the first one to go, by the way. Many things can affect our sense of taste. Medications, stress, illness, age, all of these factors can impact our sense of taste.
As a personal chef, we want to prepare food which is delicious. Whether we are cooking for a dinner party or preparing healing food for our clients, we keep all of these principles in mind.
For information about our personal chef services, call 760-419-4609
