Ottolenghi Flavor summary

Imagine sitting down to eat a head of raw cauliflower. Not a very appealing thought, is it? At most, you might be able to dutifully munch through a couple of florets. But what if that same head of cauliflower were soaked in some good olive oil and slow-roasted in the oven? Chances are, you’d find that you couldn’t stop eating it. 

The deliciousness of that cauliflower is a testament to the power of browning, another key cooking method. Browning is what makes everything from a good piece of toast to a perfectly roasted bean so delicious. You can use an oven or a grill pan to brown ingredients; the important thing is to heat them to temperatures above the boiling point. Whereas with charring you’re intending to actually burn ingredients slightly, browning should give them a golden hue. 

Do you enjoy a good cup of tea in the morning? Then you’re already an expert at practicing our next cooking method: infusion. When a tea bag is placed in its mug, the water becomes infused with the flavor of the tea leaves.

Any liquid can be infused with flavor in this way. It's a remarkably effective and affordable method for introducing complex flavors into your dishes. For example, oils can be infused with all kinds of herbs; ice creams can be infused with vanilla pods or fruit flavors; and broths can be infused with citrus rinds or garlic.

These days, we're used to the luxury of being able to stuff things into the fridge, confident that they’ll be safely preserved for days or even weeks. But before modern refrigeration systems were invented, preserving food was a continual struggle. 

To make ingredients last longer, they were often “cured” by being fermented, pickled, or wrapped in salt. That's where such wonders as wine, cheese, and miso come from. Unlike the other methods we've discussed, aging enhances flavor without needing any cooking at all. Instead, over time, aged foods are transformed from within. 

Think about your favorite sandwich. Is it peanut butter and jelly? Cheese with mayonnaise, or with mustard and pickles? The fact is, an almost infinite amount of different flavor combinations are possible between two slices of bread. But not all combinations are created equal. 

The best sandwiches, like all flavorful dishes, are created by carefully pairing different tastes. We need to learn how to balance key elements like sweetness, fat, acid, and chili heat in our dishes. Sweetness, for one, is key to flavoring both savory dishes and desserts. Sweetness is found naturally in many ingredients, such as fruit, honey, vanilla, and star anise. It tastes different in each ingredient, and it rarely tastes better than when other kinds of flavor balance it out.

If there’s one food group that gets a bad rap, it’s fat. But without fat, we wouldn't have some of our tastiest cooking methods. Think of delicious crispy fritters deep-fried in sunflower oil, or of a roasted potato basted in butter. 

There’s also fat in dairy products like yogurt, cream, and cheese, which are a vital element of any number of decadent dishes. Just think of the intense pleasure of crumbly feta combined with olives and tomatoes in a Greek salad, or the creamy goodness of a mozzarella in a Caprese salad. But just like sweetness, fat also needs balance. The cheeses in these salads are so delicious because their creaminess sharply contrasts with the acidity of the tomatoes and vinegar.

Think of the joy of eating a delicious Thai meal. A lot of elements go into making the food unique, but two of the most important are – without a doubt – lime juice and chili. These contribute the elements of acidity and chili heat, respectively, which are both vital elements in creating bold, delicious flavors in Thai cuisine and beyond. 

The key message here is: Acidity and chili heat pack a punch in the kitchen. 

Imagine a farm stall bursting with fresh vegetables like plump red tomatoes, gleaming eggplants, and crunchy cucumbers. It’s a pretty image, certainly. But it’s more than that, too – the most important element of any meal is the produce itself. 

The quality of the vegetables you cook with can make or break your meals. A vine-ripened tomato bought straight from the farm is vastly more flavorful than a hothouse tomato flushed red under artificial lights. Sure, the mediocre tomato might be redeemed by a well-flavored sauce. But in a simple dish like a salad, there’s no place to hide.