This is the first video lecture in a series I shot at an in person culinary boot camp while I was still at Stella Restaurant. The culinary boot camp is a five day intensive course, that takes one day each to cover the five building blocks of recipe and dish creation; Flavor, Sauce, Technique, Execution & Preparation. Also known as F-STEP.
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Video Time Stamps and Links
00:00:00 - Introduction
* A little story about how a coconut macaroon changed my life. * Why Technique is King. * What is the F-STEP Curriculum and why was it created? * The F-STEP Formula – (Flavor + Technique) X Execution =?
00:05:35 - Flavor Structure & F-STEP Formula
* Introduction to Flavor Structure and the F-STEP Formula * The importance of execution, intuition and how to make decisions on the fly
* Understanding the five basic flavors * Balancing the 5 major flavors
00:11:00 – Flavor #1 | Salt
* How does salt enhance flavors? * Seasoning thresholds and ratios explained. * How much salt do you need to properly season food? * What’s the difference between expensive & cheap salt? * Various types of salts & their uses explained; Iodide Salt, Kosher Salt, Finishing Salts, Fleur de Sel, Sea Salt, Maldon Salt, Smoked Sea Salt, Lava Salt, Himalayan Pink Salt
* How does iodide salt affect flavor, and should you use it? * Why is Kosher salt is great for cooking? * What is the difference between kosher salt & sea salt?
00:29:14 – Flavor #2 | Sour (Acids)
* How to take your food’s flavor and seasoning to the next level using acids.
* Understanding the difference between cooking vinegars and finishing vinegars.
* How acid interacts with fat. * The importance of acid as a seasoning. * Using acid to balance your flavor structure.
00:36:00 – Strawberry Sorbet Intermezzo
* How walnut oil and salt enhance a sorbet. * The importance of fat, flavor, and aroma molecules.
00:38:57 – Flavor #3 | Sweet
* Sweet (sugar) as a seasoning. * Ratios of sugar used in various dishes. * Use of sugar (sweet) in various savory applications. * How to use sugar to balance the 5 major flavors. * Piquancy & how sweet balances spicy food. * Discussion on Scoville Units and the measurement of heat.
00:46:00 – Flavor #4 | Bitter
* The importance of bitter and balancing flavors. * Contrasting flavors to create complex flavors.
00:51:20 – Flavor #5 | Umami (Savory)
* The story of umami and the creation of MSG. * The Four Major Flavors. * The tongue map of flavor (the 4 basic flavors). * The discovery of umami (glutamic acids & free form glutamates). * Ingredients that contain glutamic acids, umami, and savory flavors. * The formation of Aji-no-moto Company (essence of taste). * What is Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG)? * How the MSG craze was formed. * CRS – Chinese Restaurant Syndrome * Synergistic relationship of Inosine Monophosphate, Guanosine * Monophosphate, and Mono Sodium Glutamate. * Dashi broth and why it is so delicious. * Savory ingredients you should stock in your kitchen. * Is the tongue map correct?
01:08:12 – Palate Fatigue & Flavor X Factor
* What is palate fatigue and how do you avoid it? * Adding flavor complexity through crunch and tactile sensation. * Why restaurants serve small portions and tasting menus. * Leveraging the olfactory system to make a memorable meal or dish. * Duck Breast Reuben
01:21:17 – Flavor Punch & Interruptions
* How to create bold, powerful, flavors. * Albacore Tuna Dish with Coconut Red Curry. * How to make a complex curry sauce. * Beef Bourguignon Dish
01:30:04 – Questions on Flavor Structure
* What does salt and pepper to taste mean in a recipe? * What is a duck press?
