Consistency??

[SlowCook66]

Hi,

I mastered pretty much making my fudge. And I swear I can detect a difference in taste at practically the gram level. 20g of butter just isn’t the same as 18g of butter.

I don’t know if I should micromanage the quantities to this precision but one thing I have noticed is my fudge tastes one way after setting overnight in the fridge and tastes even better after 4 days in the fridge???? Is this normal???


Thanks

 

[pictonguy]

Depends, but yep, it can be. As a chef this is quite normal, not for all, but many. Also about 25% of the population, mostly women are what's referred to as super-tasters it's genetic and has to do with the amount of actual taste buds a person has and how sensitive they are to the nuances of bitter for example and other tastes as well. Also repetition can result in acute observations as well. imo

 

[dragnlaw]

Is that what makes a sommelier?
LOL - so why are there more men sommelier than women?

 

[pictonguy]

Is that what makes a sommelier?
LOL - so why are there more men sommelier than women?

That's an interesting question which is probably multifaceted. First of all the wine industry has been male dominated from the beginning. Also the restaurant and wine industry is probably slower than most in change and possibly the perception that a women sommelier is not as socially perceived as qualified and of course slow in changing hiring practices, but expect more women will be penetrating that position going forward, much like kitchens in restaurants, hopefully anyway, skilled people are always wanted and needed.

Personally I have no problem whatsoever and have worked with more than one that were more than qualified, so it doesn't make sense to me. Saying that and this might sound counterintuitive but using DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) is not a good foundation and ultimately the person that is the best qualified for the job should be the choice.

EDIT: I also have a hypothesis why women are genetically more adapted to being super-tasters. One of my other lifelong interests has been paleoanthropology and digging into the literature it comes down to the tasting abilities in early hominins, it is known that the ability to taste certain bitter compounds is influenced by genetic variations, and these taste receptors could have played a role in survival. It basically comes down to the division of labor millions of years ago where men generally were the hunters and the women where the nurturers and gathered plant material and kept close to a home base simply because the men could be gone for days and children for example need to be kept safe etc. This is not to say that some societies where women were also principle participants or occasionally took part in hunting didn't exist, because it probably did and like i said just an hypothesis and there is some theories on this as well.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I find that with things like pound cake, banana bread, lasagna, Christmas cookies, yeast dough, etc…

IMO some foods are better if given a chance to ripen or allow the flavors to ‘marry’

Other folks prefer foods that are as fresh as possible.

“Normal isn’t normal, it’s just what you’re used to.” - Marty Rubin ​

 

[Silversage]

Is that what makes a sommelier?
LOL - so why are there more men sommelier than women?

No. A super taster often is seen as a “picky eater”. They have many more taste buds per sq inch in their tongue, and they are usually extremely sensitive to heat, sweet, sour, etc. they often prefer their food on the bland side. They rarely make good sommeliers.

Super in this case is not qualitative. - they are not “better” tasters. It is strictly quantitative - they are more sensitive.

The dominance of men in the field is social and cultural. There is also a history of misogyny and abuse in the Court of Master Sommeliers. It’s easy to google it. Historically women were discouraged and even prevented from achieving certifications.

I’m a Level 3 Somm - and a woman.

 

[dragnlaw]

LOL, well I'm certainly glad I asked the question. Truth be told, I actually knew most of that but picton and silver certainly took it to the next level.

Thank you both! it was very informative!

 

[dcSaute]

wine aside, I'd bet very very few people here have not experienced the 'it tastes better the next day!'
thing . . .
there are dishes - mostly stews/chili/shredded beef/pork/chicken - that I intentionally make a day ahead and refrigerate / age / mature.

fish - fish is done a fresh as possible. we have a local super fish monger - and from growing up around the water I am quite able to pick out the really fresh stuff from something that's been on ice for too long . . .

no generalities apply, imho.

 

[Silversage]

Stew Science: Is It Really Better the Next Day?

It's a phrase you hear all the time: "This [stew] [soup] [long-cooked-thing-X] will be even better the next day!" It's an appealing prospect. Most foods are best when they're at their freshest, but a dish you can make in one large batch that doesn't just hold up, but actually improves with time...

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