The finer details are what separates 'just a meal' from memorable. For this, you need excellence in every step, from sourcing to serving. With our appliances and your skills, we can make even the toughest cuts fall-off-the-bone tender and turn chocolate cakes into melt-in-your mouth morsels.
By understanding and focussing on the source of your food, you can discover some of the tastiest, healthiest and most sustainable ways to take taste further. We're looking beyond the kitchen and starting at the true source. From the soils and climates that nourish your fruits and vegetables. And the lifestyles of the animals that produce your meat and dairy.
Extraordinary taste begins long before you start cooking.
When choosing your ingredients, prioritise quality over quantity for better tasting, healthier dishes. For instance, tomatoes grown outdoors have twice as much Vitamin C as ones grown in greenhouses. And they have far higher levels of the antioxidants responsible for flavour and aroma. So to make your dishes taste their best, select quality ingredients.
Even a few decades ago our food tasted completely different. Especially with the growth of artificial flavours. Source, our first Tasteology episode, investigates this phenomenon. We asked Mark Schatzker, a prominent author on the subject. His insights will help you learn how to appreciate the true flavour of your food - important to consider when sourcing your ingredients.
They say we are what we eat, and the same goes for our food. For example, high quality soils produce more longer-lasting, nutritious berries than over-farmed soil. The lifestyle of our meat and dairy animals also impacts flavour. Whether a cow is grass or grain-fed affects the taste of your beef. The two steaks will also have distinct marbling and different levels of vitamins, minerals and acids.
More than 75% of households don't set their refrigerators to the correct temperature. This causes your food to lose its taste and texture before you've even started cooking.
Most refrigerators circulate the same air between the fridge and freezer compartments, which creates poor temperature and humidity conditions in each compartment.
Proper refrigeration improves the taste of your dishes before you've even started cooking. Fruit tastes fresh-off-the-vine, meat is always tender and leftovers taste just as delicious as a freshly prepared meal. Understanding food storage can ensure every ingredient is as delicious as possible. So you can take taste further both before and after you cook.
Fresh fruit and vegetables contain mostly water, with cell walls that hold in moisture and flavour. When temperatures aren’t cool enough these cell walls burst, resulting in a loss of taste and texture. Some types of produce stay fresher at lower temperatures than others. Ingredients such as leafy greens and root vegetables retain optimal freshness at 0°C, other produce needs to be kept between 2°C and 5°C.
Learn how to waste less and find inventive and delicious ways to deal with your leftovers. Chill, our second Tasteology episode, explores the forgotten step of storage. Because better refrigeration means better tasting food. Our experts can help you discover the best tips for longer lasting freshness.
Proper food storage also reduces unnecessary waste. 61% of food waste could be prevented by proper food storage. A simple way to reduce this waste is to optimise where you store each ingredient. The exact temperature of your fridge's shelves can vary. So storing each ingredient in its ideal position can drastically reduce the amount of food you throw away.
Proper food storage also reduces unnecessary waste. 61% of food waste could be prevented by proper food storage. A simple way to reduce this waste is to optimise where you store each ingredient. The exact temperature of your fridge's shelves can vary. So storing each ingredient in its ideal position can drastically reduce the amount of food you throw away.
Ludwig Maurer
Waygu cow farmer and chef
Understanding why heat creates taste and texture allows you to explore the potential of every ingredient. Cooking creates taste by breaking down large molecules into smaller ones, releasing flavour locked inside them. Discover how different heating methods, from induction heating to steam and sous vide, unlock delicious flavours and take taste further in every dish.
For results that truly take taste further you need to appreciate heat at the molecular level. The perfect steak tastes delicious because of the reaction between amino acids and sugars at 130°C. But any higher and the molecules start to escape, taking taste and texture with them. The best accompanying vegetables require enough heat to burst the cell walls that contain the flavour, without letting it evaporate into the air.
Mastering heat is key to creating better tasting food, but what does that mean for you and your cooking methods? Our Tasteology expert Catalina Vélez explores the historical roots of steam and low-temperature cooking. And how it's vital to protecting the flavour and nutrients of the food you cook at home.
Induction hobs give you the precise control and heat distribution to transform taste. As steak cooks, its protein fibres contract and release moisture, nutrients and flavour. Moving it from high to low heats allows these fibres to relax, sealing in the tasty juices. For the best results, flip it every 15 seconds, not every few minutes. The steak's internal heat does more cooking than the heat surrounding it.
Fuel your creativity with the flexibility and precision of the MaxiSense®. It uses induction technology to heat faster than gas or electric hobs. And the precise heat control lets you instantly switch from searing to simmering during cooking.
Steam cooking has become popular because its gentleness protects food's molecules. Your food doesn't overheat, locking in the taste. The extra humidity also prevents moisture from evaporating, giving you a crisp exterior without over or undercooking the interior. This causes dough to rise quicker and more evenly too. Plus better caramelisation on the dough's surface gives you deliciously thick crusts every time.
Catalina Vélez
TV Chef
Possibly the best technique for mastering heat is sous vide cooking. This uses vacuum-sealed plastic bags and water baths to seal in the moisture, aroma, nutrients and flavour of every ingredient. By controlling the temperature to the degree, you have unrivalled control of doneness and almost perfect reproducability.
Sous vide uses vacuum sealed bags to infuse ingredients with flavour and preserve moisture. The temperature is maintained to a half-degree range for reproducible precision. With ProCombi® Plus sous vide is simple. So you can guarantee mouthwatering results every time.
Water molecules conduct heat much faster than air, so much so that 100°C of steam distributes heat at the same level as 600°C of hot air.
Boiling vegetables results in a 70% loss of vitamin C, steaming them only reduces vitamin C by 40%.
Protect all the nutrients and flavour of your ingredients and enjoy healthier, tastier food by cooking with steam.
When every degree and every second matter, the precision of induction heat makes all the difference to your dish.
All of our senses can complement taste. So even when you've finished cooking, understanding how sights, sounds and tactile sensations affect flavour can help you continue taking taste further all the way to the table.
Food tastes better in its ideal colour. That's why we love a perfectly pink steak and bread with a golden brown crust. The gentle heat of steam protects your food, so these vibrant colours aren't lost. The way food's plated can also elevate taste. Use round, white plates for enhancing sweet flavours and black, angular plates for savouriness. And always serve it in the centre of your plate for better tasting dishes.
Food is a multi-sensory experience. To help you create dishes that hit the spot, our Tasteology expert Charles Spence explores the sense of sight. How colour and shape affect the taste of our food. And why Instagram has got our tastebuds tingling.
The background sounds and music in your kitchen can make all the difference to how meals taste. High tones enhance sweet or sour flavours, while low tones elevate bitter or umami tastes. Playing music at the same volume as conversation can also make food more enjoyable. With quiet extraction in your kitchen, you can experience the true effect of sound on your taste buds.
Prof. Charles Spence
University of Oxford
Taking taste further all comes down to passion, commitment and an understanding of every step of the cooking process. Of how to source the best ingredients, preserve them perfectly, heat them for optimal taste and make the presentation an experience in itself.
Now you know how to master the details, it's time to enjoy the results.
