cchiu,
I am a very picky eater. So is there anything that I cook that I really do not like? Yes! Do I make dishes that I would not eat? Yeah sure, so how do I know if it taste good? I taste to see if the product is palitable, then let someone else taste the product and watch there reaction and then hear what they have to say. 99 out 100 times I get it right.
You also asked if ..."are you trained to know what something is supposed to taste like and learn to appreciate it in your training? How does this work?"... I remember in school there were vegans that refuse to taste any non vegan products. You can imagine what there products taste like. School can't teach you what everything is going to taste like. They do introduce you to the high end products like truffle, foie gras, caviar... things you dont get in everyday life.
I personally took the "I will try anything once" attitude. That is how I developed my palate.
If I am trying to cook something that I have never tried before, I will research what the product is, what it should taste like and what are the cooking methods. Then I will cook the product and it should taste reasonably well. After awhile you will know when something is simply "no good".
D.Lee  |