Instructions: Americans have developed a love affair with bold, aggressive flavors. Through the doubling of spice consumption over the last two decades, the growing interest in ethnic tastes as people eat out and travel more, and the explosion of food television programs, its clear to see-flavor is here to stay. How does one go about creating exciting flavor easily? The answer is "flavor essentials"-pairing foods with complementary flavors and using simple techniques to pack more flavor into every bite.

As the worlds largest spice company, were proud to present this

"Flavor Essentials" guide to illustrate how to create flavor with little effort. With this guide, we welcome everyone to experience the world of flavors made simple and satisfying. With some basic tips, ideas, and building blocks for creating and pairing flavors, well demonstrate how easy it is to unlock the culinary secret behind great-tasting food thats simple to prepare.

To understand the basics behind creating flavor, we must first understand how we perceive flavor in every "sense" of the word. Creating the perfect flavor engages all the senses and is achieved only when aroma, appearance, temperature, texture, mouthfeel, and overall taste come together in exactly the right way. Now, lets take a closer look-well use sumptuous apple pie to illustrate the different sensory experiences.

Understanding Flavor

Aroma:
Believe it or not, 75-80 percent of what is perceived as flavor comes from aroma. Even before we walk into the kitchen, apple pie in the oven sends out a warm welcome.

Appearance:
Food must please the palate as well as the eye. Appearance can prepare the senses as to what to expect in that first bite. The sight alone of a flaky crust, surrounding a bubbly filling of baked apples and flecks of cinnamon, makes mouths water.

Temperature:
As one might guess, temperature can also affect how the foods overall flavor is perceived. Warm apple pie is just that much better than when served cold. Of course, some slightly melted "a la mode" does wonders-need we say more?

Texture & Mouthfeel:
Texture is an essential part of the eating experience because it affects the perception of food. One expects a good apple pie to have a delicate, slightly crisp crust, while the filling should be full of tender yet somewhat firm, juicy apples. Matching the right texture to food makes flavor even more satisfying.

Taste:
Finally, to achieve extraordinary flavor, there must be a balance of tastes.

There are five basic tastes that can be found in foods. Any one particular taste on its own can be overpowering-imagine the taste of pure salt. When tastes are blended creatively, foods can satisfy the palate and soul-think about chocolate covered pretzels, which combines sweet, bitter and salty. In the apple pie example, some of the best apple pie recipes call for a hint of orange zest or lemon extract. The addition of slightly sour and bitter flavors enhances the sweetness of apples.

The 5 Basic Tastes Are:
salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami*

*A fifth taste recently added to the basic repertoire; some describe the experience of umami as a mouth-watering sensation, slightly meaty and brothy.

Creating Flavor
So now that it is understood how flavor is perceived, its time to start creating it. Contrary to popular myth, flavor actually is quite easy to create.

McCormick Flavor Council chefs were asked where they begin when it comes to cooking and creating great flavor: Many chefs agree with Chef Suzanne Goins approach: "First I choose the freshest ingredients, then I think about how to combine those flavors together."

As part of McCormick "Flavor Essentials" guide, weve broken down this culinary philosophy into four simple levels: Main Ingredients, Essential Flavors, Layering Flavors, and Cooking Techniques. By putting all these levels together, creating satisfying flavors is quite easy.

Main Ingredients
First start with the basics: whats on the menu for dinner? Is it chicken, beef, fish, or a vegetarian dish? As with all ingredients, use the highest quality components and the meal will shine. Chef Paul Kahan recommends visiting a local farmers market, if one is accessible. He, like many chefs, makes frequent trips to the market to find the best ingredients in season for his menu.

Essential Flavors - Herbs and Spices
Now that the main ingredients have been chosen, it is time to start thinking flavor. To begin, match complementary herbs, spices and seasoning blends with key ingredients. Spices have an exciting way of maximizing the flavor experience. When paired with the right foods, spices can tease the senses with an inviting aroma, tickle the palate with a newly discovered taste and linger pleasantly after a satiating bite. Chef Suzanne Goin says, "Everyones palates have become more sophisticated-its all about flavor."

Layering Flavors
Layering flavors adds many dimensions to the palate at the same time (e.g., bitter, sour, sweet), according to Chef Paul Kahan. When layering flavors, we can look at it in three different ways:
Pairing main ingredients and essential flavors with kitchen basics Combining regional or worldly flavors and ingredients to create an ethnic dish
Creating unexpected flavor combinations such as "sweet-heat" or

"role-reversal"

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