I hear and read lots of suggestions to let food cook to “let the flavors come together.” Can you explain what exactly this means, and what actually happens when this process occurs? (Or perhaps more directly: How do I know when I’ve gotten there?)
This was a question that came up during our weekly live chat, where we help you level-up your skills in the kitchen. Here’s what it means to let flavors come together and how to know when it has happened.
Our recipes usually use the phrasing let “the flavors meld,” but the meaning is the same. (This is also the implied reasoning if you are instructed to let something cook for a certain amount of time without some sort of sensory clue, such as until an ingredient is tender.) Typically applied to soups, stews and other saucy dishes, the gist of it is that it takes time for the flavors from different ingredients to interact with and transfer between one another. That time can also allow different flavors to mellow out a little bit so they aren’t competing with each other. Think of it like a music group: When bandmates listen to one another and adjust their volume accordingly, they play together more harmoniously than when each member is playing loudly at full force all at once.
There isn’t really an exact science to this, so the best tool to know when it happens is your taste buds. The next time you make a soup, stew, chili or any other dish that cooks for a while, taste it as soon as everything is in the pot and then taste it again after the recipe’s directed cooking time. The difference may not be stark, but the latter stage should be at least a little more unified and round.
For information about how the taste of food changes over time, read my article on why certain foods taste better the next day.
Recipes that let the flavors meld
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiXGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9mb29kLzIwMjMvMTIvMDgvbGV0LWZsYXZvcnMtY29tZS10b2dldGhlci1jb29raW5nLWRlZmluaXRpb24v0gEA?oc=5
2023-12-08 15:32:01Z
CBMiXGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9mb29kLzIwMjMvMTIvMDgvbGV0LWZsYXZvcnMtY29tZS10b2dldGhlci1jb29raW5nLWRlZmluaXRpb24v0gEA
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