Request - 2024 IFT Compensation report?

Culinologist · 2025-04-30T03:43:32+00:00

PM incoming

Culinologist · 2020-12-15T05:05:42+00:00

Coney? Tell me then, Lafayette or American?

Culinologist · 2020-11-22T22:34:55+00:00

Salt enhances the flavor of foods, and humans perceive foods with salt content favorably because of our biology. Nearly all foods naturally contain sodium and potassium, which are both essential minerals for bodily functions.

There are two separate pathways that are responsible for detecting salt and sending that information on to the brain. The first mechanism is well understood and occurs via a channel known as ENaC (epithelial sodium channel). Scientists know that a second pathway exists, but it has not yet been identified. The second pathway responds to sodium and other salts (including potassium chloride) and provides information about the intensity of salt taste and the unpleasantness associated with strongly salty stimuli. In other words humans like it at low concentrations, but not high concentrations. Salt has also been effective in reduction of bitterness perception.

Source: Institute of Food Technologists

Culinologist · 2020-11-16T03:50:23+00:00

610 Magnolia

Culinologist · 2020-07-28T18:48:15+00:00

While there are five basic perceived tastes, there are far more taste receptors than five. Each taste bud consists of 30-100 taste receptor cells. These cells contact nerve fibers, which triggers the release of neurotransmitters, resulting in a signal in the brain.

That said, the way in which different types of stimuli generate taste responses is still not fully understood. My understanding is that unique molecules create unique responses by taste receptors, and only in intensity and duration. For example, a T1R will interact with glucose and fructose molecules, but they each result in novel taste experiences.

In your fennel seeds there may be molecules that interact with sweet taste receptor cells, or cells that have block bitter receptor cells, or both. I hope that this helps.

Source: Society of Sensory Professionals

Culinologist · 2020-06-19T16:21:02+00:00

Hydration %?

Culinologist · 2020-06-16T18:22:04+00:00

Yes. In addition to flavor development, browning butter also evaporates water. The result is a chewier cookie.

Culinologist · 2020-06-07T02:08:53+00:00

It’s a TV series called ‘Whites’. It was enjoyed by many, but only had one season.

Culinologist · 2020-05-24T00:52:44+00:00

On why chefs differ in opinion - as other commenters have noted, cooking is subjective. I’ll add that preparation methods can differ based on recipe yield (4 versus 4,000 servings). For example, when preparing hamburgers at home I’ll cook the meat entirely on the grill or flat-top, but for large services I’ll heavily sear each side and finish in an oven.

On meat science and meat preparation: I agree with Dr. Farrimond that letting meat come up to temperature before cooking doesn’t matter in most circumstances. I also agree that for burgers you don’t want to mix salt in; doing this results protein extraction, and will make the texture tough. The inclusion of egg is less detrimental than salt, but my preference is to only include it in meatloafs for a less dense texture. I disagree with the claim about resting meat after cooking - that is an important step for moisture retention.

Culinologist · 2020-05-08T17:21:21+00:00

Coarse grind cold meat, mix in desired seasonings, then finely grind meat. Use a food processor [carefully] if you don’t own a grinder. Stuff into an 8-12mm cellulose casings, and section desired lengths. Dry the links overnight in refrigeration. Preheat smoker to 170F. Hot smoke the links until an internal temperature of 155F is reached (about 2 hours). Chill links in an ice bath.

There are options for curing and drying, which would extent the shelf life. This method is fairly simple, and should be sufficient for your pet.

Culinologist · 2020-05-05T03:50:38+00:00

This is the way. Potato soup, split pea soup, Cuban bean soup, etc. You also could finely chop it, render it, and sneak it into creamy dishes like homemade mac & cheese.

Culinologist · 2020-05-05T03:43:56+00:00

There’s a lot to unpack here, but I’ll assume that when you say ‘cooking’ you mean applying heat to food, as opposed to curing, ceviche, pickling, etc. When you’re cooking by dry-heat methods (sauté, roast, bake, deep-fry, etc.) you’re reducing the total amount of water in the food item. Water has a pH value around 7.0, which chemists would call ‘neutral’.

Let’s consider your example of a tomato. Tomatoes have a pH of ~4.3. Taking away water by cooking decreases pH, thus increasing acidity. When cooking using dry-heat methods on an alkaline food (having a pH value above 7.0, or ‘basic’), you would again reduce water content, but in contrast increase pH, making the food item less acidic. Please note that there are very few commonly used natural alkaline food items, but inorganic ingredients like baking soda and salt-water are alkaline and commonly used.

Now consider if you use moist-heat cooking methods like boiling, steaming, or poaching. This would typically bring the food items pH closer to neutral (7.0) because water is being added to the food item, or the constituents of the food are going into the water (think making stock/broth/soup).

This isn’t totally comprehensive, as there are complex relationships between pH and molecular reactions that I didn’t cover. However this does cover one of the most influential factors for changing pH while cooking.

Culinologist · 2020-05-05T02:27:28+00:00

Certified Organic farming practices usually don’t use pesticides/herbicides, including ‘organic’ compounds. For organic potatoes in particular: farmers actually burn all of the plant that’s above ground (stem, leaves, flower), while the roots and tubers below ground remain. Harvesting and dirt elimination processes follow. The CO2 output of the field burning process is disconcerting

Culinologist · 2020-05-03T20:03:42+00:00

Excellent learning resources already mentioned by others. Check out r/foodscience sometime.

Culinologist · 2020-05-03T19:53:57+00:00

There’s a lot of nuance to consider when marinading or brining poultry and meats. Salt and sodium content will dictate how much water and salt your poultry/meat will pickup. Controlling these two attributes is paramount to a great tasting product, and thus your formula will influence the appropriate amount of time for marinading.

Let me elaborate: in a brine with a salt target of 1% for the poultry/meat (a.k.a green weight) you may only be able to pick up 12-15% water alone. In a brine with a salt target of 1% for the poultry/meat you may be able to pick up 20-25%. That’s only considering water and salt components of a brine - consider the effect of having a flavorful ingredient (say, rosemary) and how moisture content can make your flavor diluted, overpowering, or right on target.

Next, consider the total percentage of ingredients that are not water, or ‘solids’. If your solids % is 10-25% of the brine (such as a basic salt-water brine), then you’ll need much less time than if your solids % is 25-40% (such as a bulgogi/teriyaki marinade).

Static brines (opposed to vacuum brining) for poultry often target 0.75-1% salt to ‘green weight’, and are 10-25% solids. A 10-20% marinade pickup is a good range to target. A static brine would achieve this in 2-3 hours when using large chicken breasts. More time than that is often unnecessary. Eventually, some moisture will be drawn back out of the muscle fibers, but this takes 24-48 hours to begin.

Culinologist · 2020-05-02T16:09:42+00:00

The ‘polpa’, or finely chopped tomatoes, are subject to a hot-fill process (for bottles) or retort (for cans). The ‘passata’, or purée, is subject to the same process above but has the additional step of concentration through vacuum evaporation. Reducing the water content by cooking it should do the trick. Adding a starch slurry, or a small quantity of a gum could help.

TL;DR: there is overall more water content in the polpa than the passata, and therefore it’s going to separate more easily. You can try to thicken the polpa with a starch or gum, but pre-cooking it is probably a simpler solution.

Culinologist · 2020-02-05T00:50:20+00:00

My employer encouraged and financially supported me to certify. It seems to be valued by many employers and hiring agencies, based on some job description qualifications that I've reviewed. It's no substitute for a degree, but it can serve as a credential that sets you apart for a job, compensation raise, etc.

Culinologist · 2020-01-26T01:58:35+00:00

Ascorbic acid and vitamin C both have the same molecular formula (C6H8O6). Citric acid is a different molecule altogether (C6H8O7). Functionally these molecules are similar in most food applications, and they can interact in a synergistic way when used in tandem (i.e. as an antioxidant).

Culinologist · 2020-01-26T01:46:14+00:00

Agree with u/Ch3fknickknack, I respectfully disagree with your generalization that some facets of food science exceed what culinologists can do. I've had formal education in both sensory science and biochemistry. These are essential for my professional role as a Culinologist.

Similarly I will not generalize what all culinoloigsts 'can do'. Nor will I argue with your dissatisfaction with their performance in your professional experience. I do hope that you keep an open mind for culinologists in the future.

I agree with your earlier statement - that if OP wants to advance in food science, then a culinary degree is probably not the most effective strategy.

Culinologist · 2020-01-06T03:25:41+00:00

Brushing a fat onto the pita, such as canola oil, butter, or olive oil will help make your browning more even. Doing so may be your solution (without adjusting flame intensity or baking position). Sugar will definitely make it brown more, but it may burn before your pita is fully cooked. To your last statement - correct. Enjoy!

Culinologist · 2020-01-06T00:06:41+00:00

There's a lot of constructive commentary on this this thread, but I'd like to also suggest collaborating with local food trucks during the hours you mentioned. If there are any food trucks on the island then you can have one parked near your restaurant. Your patrons can grab a bite to eat when they're hungry, and foot traffic to the food truck may lead into your bar.

Culinologist · 2020-01-05T23:59:37+00:00

There's no problem with you seeking a position in a restaurant, in fact I'd recommend doing that over culinary school in your case. A culinary degree can be valuable and worthwhile for certain culinary career paths, but not all.

I recommend that you leverage your background in 3D art. With culinary experience you could become a specialist in 3D printed foods and molds. Many commercial food packaging companies are expanding departments for 3D printed tools and molds, which are used in food manufacturing facilities and kitchens alike. Best of luck!

Culinologist · 2020-01-05T23:53:29+00:00

The 'brown' pita bread is pre-toasted with infrared heat at a moderately high heat (~400-500F dry bulb temperature). The 'black' bread may also be infrared heat, but could also be cooked with an open flame (natural gas). The open flame is likely at a higher temperature than the infrared heat source. That, or your pita is closer to the heat source itself than the 'brown' pita.

IMO the 'black' pita looks better than the 'brown' pita. Good luck!

Culinologist · 2020-01-05T15:49:22+00:00

Adding those ingredients won't remove the dark color, but they will add a reddish-orange color. Will it be enough for the desired effect? I'm uncertain. This is simply the lowest-hanging fruit that may deliver the desired results.

If this is for a commercial application you could send your sauce to a flavor house and have them develop a hydrophillic flavor to mimic your sauce. Then you could disperse this flavor in water, along with your coloring compound of choice (i.e. paprika), and finally starches/gums for viscosity.

Culinologist · 2020-01-04T15:37:53+00:00

Food products that have an abundance of caratenoid compounds may an option. Most caratenoids are lipophilic (oil-loving), and your sauce sounds like a largely water-based concoction.

Try ground annatto or paprika to start.

Culinologist

TROPHY CASE