Transcript Slide 1

Seasonings and Flavorings
Seasoning – substances that enhance
flavor of food, not usually detected
themselves
Flavoring – substances added for their
own flavor
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1. Salt (NaCl)-health issues, kosher,
pickling, iodized, sea salt, flavored
2. Pepper
- black = dried unripe berry
- white = dried ripe kernel of ripe berry
- red = dried pods e.g. cayenne
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3. MSG – monosodium glutamate
• “flavor enhancer” – may also add own
flavor in high amounts (umami)
• Used in processed veg, meat, poultry,
fish
• Considered safe, but some are people
sensitive: “Chinese restaurant
syndrome”
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4. 5’ Riboncleotides
• flavor enhancers  umami
-yeast autolysates
-disodium guanylate
-inosinate
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5. Spices and herbs
Spice – dried aromatic plant products
“true spice” = bark, roots, buds, flowers,
fruits and seeds of plants grown in
tropics
e.g. allspice, caraway, cinnamon, cloves,
cumin, ginger, paprika
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Herbs – leaves, stems, seeds of plants
from temperate climates
e.g. leaves and stems = bay leaves,
oregano, sage, tarragon,
thyme
seeds = caraway, sesame, dill (both
tropical and temperate)
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Spice Blends - e.g. curry powder,
chili powder (chili pepper,
cumin, garlic, oregano),
poultry seasoning, mixed
pickling spice, Cajun spice
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Spices and herbs generally added as
“flavor builders” (contribute to total
flavor)
Some, however, have distinctive
flavors: e.g. basil, oregano,
tarragon, sage
Tables 3-1 & 3-2 on pp 46-48 in
Dummies lists some spices and herbs
and their uses
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Some spice and herb tips…
 Purchase in small quantities
 Store in cool, dry, dark place—use within 1 yr
 Crush dried herbs b/w fingers b/f using
 Grind your own from whole spices for more flavor
 Dried spices & herbs more concentrated than fresh,
so use only 1/3-1/2 as much when using dried for
fresh
Interesting research…
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 Spices get odors from small molecules that
evaporate easily (they’re volatile)
 Some spices can easily penetrate the cell
membranes in the brains of insects making them
get hyper or fly away
 People don’t have the same receptors in their
brains, so they are safe for humans
 Combinations of spice extracts, like rosemary,
peppermint, cinnamon and thyme, may soon be
used as organic pesticides in crops!
American Chemical Society Annual Meeting, 2009
6. Flavor extracts
extracts and essential oils (volatile)
from aromatic plants usually dissolved
in alcohol
e.g. vanilla, lemon, orange, almond
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7. Vegetables, fruit, flowers
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 Hot peppers—capsicum genus
 Fruits—lemon, lime, oranges, acai
 Vegetables—”mirepoix”: 50% onion, 25% carrots,
25% celery
 Edible flowers—pansies, violas, marigolds, tulips,
squash blossoms, carnations
8. Alcohol
• wine, liqueurs, distilled spirits
• low boiling point
• 4-85% retained w/ cooking
depends on time and type of
cooking method
9. Flavored oils and vinegars—often
used for marinating
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