The Chemistry of Flavor Extraction

[OliverN]

So much of cooking is based on the extraction of flavours from its source into a 'container' substance that we can do with as we please.

'Seasoning the oil', the staple technique found in indian and asian cuisine is based on heating the oil, adding your arromatics 'ginger, garlic, chilli, spices'. In principle, you're 'drawing' the flavours out of the arromatics and into your oil, which will then coat the ingredients you add afterwards.

Making broth is all about drawing flavour out, but in this case you're doing it by simmering in water.

What I'm curious about is, we use the same techniques for so many different flavours, but there must be thousands of different chemicals moving around. As one of the few things i remember from undergrad chemistry is that like dissolves like. Oil-based chemicals will happily jump out into oil and will stay huddled inside in water. Water based chemicals are vice-versa, right?

So how come we use the same techniques for such a wide variety of flavours?

Take Garlic for example. Classical technique is to heat the oil REALLY hot, add the garlic, stir fry for 10-20 seconds and then continue. But is that really more effective than heating the oil really low for 20 minues with the garlic... or even soaking garlic in the oil for 24 hours beforehand? Don't the specific chemicals break down at a certain temperature?

So many questions... and just for garlic! How come we do the same thing for chilles, ginger, and spices?

[jvalentino]

When I make red sauce I was taught to ALWAYS start the garlic, and red pepper in cold oil then add tomatoes later for the very reason you mentioned. The oil picks up more flavor from the garlic, and chili flakes I was told.

Now that I think about it I suppose there is a finite amount of flavor in a slice of garlic, and maybe a quick hot fry gets it all out-my grandma would knock me in the head with a wooden spoon if she saw me do it though.

Jeff

[paulraphael]

Some good sources of info on this are On Food and Cooking, by Harold McGee, who goes into the science of soluble flavor compounds, and any Indian cookbook that delves into technique, like the ones by Madhur Jaffrey and Camilia Panjabi. The Indians are the herb and spice rocket scientists of the food world. They've figured out the different flavor profiles of any given spice when cooked dry, in oil, in water-based liquid, and for varying amounts of time when cooked all these ways.

[markk]

Take Garlic for example. Classical technique is to heat the oil REALLY hot, add the garlic, stir fry for 10-20 seconds and then continue. But is that really more effective than heating the oil really low for 20 minues with the garlic...

My experiences with people adding garlic to REALLY hot oil are all burned garlic.

So I cook mine low and slow. I have a very narrow thing that I cook it in on the stove, but I don't know the name of it - I think it's either for warming maple syrup or something to do with some exotic kind of coffee - anyway, the pot itself is only about 2.5 inches in diameter and maybe 3.5 or 4 inches tall, so that I can peel the cloves from an entire head of garlic and put them in and then cover them with oil completely.

I cover it with tin foil crimped around it and bring it to a slow simmer, checking carefully for when it reaches the simmer, and then covered tightly, I move it partly off the burner (on low) and let it simmer for about 20 minutes - ideally, the garlic cloves barely even get a little brown.

But they become soft and take on the flavor of roasted garlic, as does the intensely flavored oil !!

[MattJohnson]

Not sure if I'm being paranoid, but I was told that leaving garlic submerged in oil can lead to botulism. That may be the reason for not doing that. But I think Markk is right. It is quite easy to burn the garlic when using really hot garlic.

[rooftop1000]

Not sure if I'm being paranoid, but I was told that leaving garlic submerged in oil can lead to botulism.  That may be the reason for not doing that.  But I think Markk is right.  It is quite easy to burn the garlic when using really hot garlic.

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putting raw garlic in a bottle of oil and putting it in the cabinet for a month ...yes botulism

roasted garlic can be kelt covered with oil in the fridge though

t

Edited December 23, 2007 by rooftop1000 (log)