Juggling Flavours

The greater the complexity of dishes, the more flavors and other properties that must be juggled and juxtaposed against one another, providing plenty of challenge tor a chef. “You often think up dishes in your head,” says Jimmy Schmidt. “And with ingredients, some people think, ‘Well, if one’s good, two’s better, three s great, four’s terrific, and five is fantastic!’ And I don’t necessarily agree. I think that the flavors between the ingredients have to tie together. I don't think your palate tastes them all individually. When you drink a glass of wine, you’re tasting all the wine. You’re tasting one flavor, even though it’s made up of multiple components. Likewise, with a dish, the flavors should come together to create one image, that hybrid image. So you need to use supporting flavors to make that work.”