[jester king]

hello, before i seriously got into food and cooking i would just scarf my food down but now that i'm taking food more seriously, how can i train my pallet per say, i've been taking more time to taste my food and to try and pick out certian flavors, but is there anything else i could do?

thank you

 

[jbd]

Taste each ingredient on its own. Cook things without using any seasoning. For example, cook a very small amount of pasta in plain water then cook the same amount of pasta in salted water. Cook meats and fish with no seasoning or flavoring agent. Compare vegetables by eating them raw, cooked properly and overcooked.

Taste seasonings, spices and herbs individually. As appropriate compare fresh to dried.

When tasting fish try to compare lean to oily or fatty fish.

 

[food-macro]

Thanks for those tips i should also try that one time.

 

[jester king]

thanks m8, very good info here, i will deffinitly try these things,

thank you

 

[mezzaluna]

A palate can be a challenge to train, but it's worth sticking with it. Keep an open mind with foods you don't like (or think you don't like). I read somewhere that your taste buds change every few years or so in terms of sensitivity and preferences.

Training your palate can be a lot of fun, too. For instance, I won't forget my first bite of a truffle (the fungus, not the chocolate); I began to understand why some people describe them in vivid terms. I'll have to explore that a bit more. Then there was my first taste of foie gras, which led to many more enjoyable moments. I keep trying to get my palate to like beets, but I'm giving up after 50+ years!

Enjoy the ride,
Mezzaluna

 

[jester king]

ya m8, i've been trying alot of things that i wouldnt have before, like bell peppers, i tried those but just dont like them , mmmm i love pickled beats though those are delicious

 

[boar_d_laze]

Your palate is a part of your body. It's where olfactory (smell) nerves access the inside of your mouth. We refer to "palate" as the sense you make out of the sensations you get from your palate and taste buds.

You can make your palate more sensitive by discontinuing or limiting behaviors that dull it. These include smoking and hard liquors. Also, extremely spicy food can dull your palate for other, less intense flavors. Mine recently recovered from a chillies pakora related incident. On the other hand, small amounts of liquors, very spicy foods occasionally and in moderation, etc., actually sensitize your palate. Other than treating it with respect you can't do much to improve it. What you can do is train yourself to recognize the messages it's sending your brain.

As Mezzaluna said, eat a lot of different types of foods. Don't be squeamish. Force yourself to eat with your senses and not with your prejudices. The more unfamiliar and challenging foods you try, the more you'll taste them. jbd brought a lot of wisdom to the subject as well. Bottom line, he told you to taste what you eat -- really think about it and taste it -- don't just rely on your memory of what it should taste like or what it used to taste like. Taste it fresh everytime. Finally, I'd recommend doing blind and blindfolded testing. Makes a good game with friends. Good drinking game, too. At least until your palate falls off its bar stool.

BDL

 

[bazza]

I noticed a big development in training my pallate when I first started making stocks and sauces. If you are reducing a chicken stock for example, taste it every 15 or 30 minutes and see how the flavour is developing, after a few weeks of doing this you will be amazed at your ability to pick out the sweetness of carrot, fragrace of herbs etc. Smell is also very important, I nearly always smell something before I eat or drink it, it is a bit like an introduction to the tasting, telling your brain what to expect. And always try and keep an open mind, how was your first beer, or glass of wine? Mine was horrible, like most people I was very young and had not acquired the taste yet but perseverance taught me to like them. My wife hates olives and trying them simply is not an option, I am forever telling her that she is missing out on one of the greatest fruits that mother nature has given us and if olives were truly nasty then why do millions of people eat them every day? Finally, stay away from processed foods, always (where practical) buy natural foods, free range etc. You will not taste real chicken from a cheap plastic wrapped rubbery supermarket bird.

 

[oregonyeti]

For food that you didn't make yourself, try to find out the ingredients that went into it. Maybe you can guess from tasting, then compare and see how you "scored".

 

[lostpsyche]

I know what you mean, Bazza. I too used to disdain the taste of olive. Though they always looked like they'd be delicious, I couldn't stand their taste. So, with a friend's suggestion and help, I trained myself to eventually like and appreciate olives. Now I can enjoy my favorite foods without the handicap of olives.