Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor of other
items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to give the ol' sodium
taste buds a jolt?

--
Andy

Andy wrote:
> Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor of other
> items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to give the ol' sodium
> taste buds a jolt?
>
Oh, this is a BIG subject. Salt does many, many things. If you're
really interested, check out this webpage for a list of books and
references to what it calls "Molecular Gastronomy." It has the
classics like Harold McGee's books and a bunch more, some popular and
some esoteric. Could lead to a lot of fun browsing, for those who
enjoy this sort of thing.

http://folk.uio.no/lersch/mat/index.e.html

One of the books in the first list on that page is "The New Kitchen
Science" by Howard Hillman. There are 23 entries for salt in the index
to that book, including two pages on "effect on taste perceptions" and
four entries on "seasoning with." -aem

Andy wrote:

> Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor of other
> items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to give the ol' sodium
> taste buds a jolt?

We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami. In addition to
it being one of the basic tastes, salt acts to enhance flavours by amplifying
the response in other taste receptors. A little salt added to a sugar solution
can act to make it taste sweeter.

aem wrote:

> Andy wrote:
>> Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor of
>> other items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to give
>> the ol' sodium taste buds a jolt?
>>
> Oh, this is a BIG subject. Salt does many, many things. If you're
> really interested


aem,

BIG subject, SMALL question.

Thanks,

--
Andy

Andy wrote:
> aem wrote:
>
> > Andy wrote:
> >> Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor of
> >> other items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to give
> >> the ol' sodium taste buds a jolt?
> >>
> > Oh, this is a BIG subject. Salt does many, many things. If you're
> > really interested
>
>
> aem,
>
> BIG subject, SMALL question.
>
Okay, smaller answer. Salt does more than stimulate taste buds. It
may affect, in various ways, how things cook, which in turn may affect
how they taste. If that "brings out the flavor" then the remark is
true. -aem

Dave Smith wrote:

> Andy wrote:
>
>> Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor of
>> other items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to give
>> the ol' sodium taste buds a jolt?
>
> We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami. In
> addition to it being one of the basic tastes, salt acts to enhance
> flavours by amplifying the response in other taste receptors. A
> little salt added to a sugar solution can act to make it taste
> sweeter.


Dave,

Nice answer. Short and sweet.

Thanks,

--
Andy

aem wrote:

>
> Andy wrote:
>> aem wrote:
>>
>> > Andy wrote:
>> >> Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor of
>> >> other items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to give
>> >> the ol' sodium taste buds a jolt?
>> >>
>> > Oh, this is a BIG subject. Salt does many, many things. If you're
>> > really interested
>>
>>
>> aem,
>>
>> BIG subject, SMALL question.
>>
> Okay, smaller answer. Salt does more than stimulate taste buds. It
> may affect, in various ways, how things cook, which in turn may affect
> how they taste. If that "brings out the flavor" then the remark is
> true. -aem


aem,

Thanks,

--
Andy

Interesting topic! We were out to dinner at friends the other night.
Deborah is a superb cook. Lived in Hong Kong for 20 years. A real
foodie (like me). But, she doesn't salt the food - we were discussing
it with her. No reason, (maybe thinks it is healthier). I found I had
to apply a little salt to my plate, plain rice etc. We had gado gado (I
think cold vegetables need to be cooked with a little condiment), a
lovely tofu/vegetable stir fry, rendeng curry, chicken curry in
coconut.
I agree with Dave, it enhances the flavours without making it 'salty'.
Many many cakes, sweet pastries have a pinch of salt.
Adding salt to a finished dish (like the gado gado) is not the same as
salting the water to cook the veg. I found I was grinding fresh
peppercorns over it to 'get the flavour' LOL.
Pasta really needs to be cooked in salted water IMHO.
Cheers
Bronwyn
Oz

Dave Smith wrote:

> We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami.


I've heard that too and have probably repeated it on occasion, but now
I'm wondering. If there are only 5 basic tastes, then how do I know the
difference between a pear and a pineapple? They're both sweet and tart,
but a pear tastes distinctly like a pear, and a pineapple distinctly
like a pineapple. What is that difference if it is not taste?


In learning about wine, we learn about all sorts of different tastes.
Off the top of my head, there's sweet, acid, fruit, tanin, everything
from cassis to shoe leather. When you get good, you can taste the
different varietals. What gives?


--Lia

Julia Altshuler wrote:
> Dave Smith wrote:
>
>> We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami.
>
>
>
> I've heard that too and have probably repeated it on occasion, but now
> I'm wondering. If there are only 5 basic tastes, then how do I know the
> difference between a pear and a pineapple? They're both sweet and tart,
> but a pear tastes distinctly like a pear, and a pineapple distinctly
> like a pineapple. What is that difference if it is not taste?

According to my chemistry teacher, it's scent. There are things called
"esters", apparently, and other things (this class was a long time ago)
that tell your brain that one sweet thing tastes different from another
sweet thing, for instance.

serene

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> Andy wrote:
>
>> Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor of other
>> items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to give the ol'
>> sodium
>> taste buds a jolt?
>
> We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami. In addition
> to
> it being one of the basic tastes, salt acts to enhance flavours by
> amplifying
> the response in other taste receptors. A little salt added to a sugar
> solution
> can act to make it taste sweeter.
>
>

This "5 taste" idea is old and completely discredited. Actually it was 4
taste for a long time, but the facts remain. I do not mean to say that taste
has been completely explained, but the idea that the vast universe of subtle
taste differences can be explained by 5 tastes is just plain silly. Try to
explain the taste differences between morels, cepes, and shitake with your 5
tastes. Between pork, beef, and lamb. Between mackerel, salmon, and bass.
Between chicken, turkey, and duck. See what I mean? A lot more is going on
but we do not know the details.

--
Peter Aitken

Peter Aitken wrote:

> This "5 taste" idea is old and completely discredited. Actually it was
> 4 taste for a long time, but the facts remain. I do not mean to say
> that taste has been completely explained, but the idea that the vast
> universe of subtle taste differences can be explained by 5 tastes is
> just plain silly. Try to explain the taste differences between morels,
> cepes, and shitake with your 5 tastes. Between pork, beef, and lamb.
> Between mackerel, salmon, and bass. Between chicken, turkey, and duck.
> See what I mean? A lot more is going on but we do not know the
> details.
>

You're way off subject. You're talking about taste overall. So rename it
if you wish.

--
Andy
http://tinyurl.com/dzl7h

Peter Aitken wrote:

>
> >
> > We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami. In addition
> > to
> > it being one of the basic tastes, salt acts to enhance flavours by
> > amplifying
> > the response in other taste receptors. A little salt added to a sugar
> > solution
> > can act to make it taste sweeter.
> >
> >
>
> This "5 taste" idea is old and completely discredited

Where was it discredited? I did some web searching and there seems to be a lot
of support for it. Unimi was more of an asian thing but recent research has
revealed receptors that are specific to glutamate.

> . Actually it was 4
> taste for a long time, but the facts remain. I do not mean to say that taste
> has been completely explained, but the idea that the vast universe of subtle
> taste differences can be explained by 5 tastes is just plain silly. Try to
> explain the taste differences between morels, cepes, and shitake with your 5
> tastes. Between pork, beef, and lamb. Between mackerel, salmon, and bass.
> Between chicken, turkey, and duck. See what I mean? A lot more is going on
> but we do not know the details.

The best I can suggest is that it is combinations of stimulation of the specific
receptors. You might have the same problem explaining why we can perceive so
many tints and hues of colours when the visual receptor cells respond only to
black and white or to three primary colours, or how we learn to distinguish the
sounds of musical instruments when our audio receptor cells pick up only
specific ranges of sound frequencies.

Dave Smith wrote:

> Peter Aitken wrote:
>
>>
>> >
>> > We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami. In
>> > addition to
>> > it being one of the basic tastes, salt acts to enhance flavours by
>> > amplifying
>> > the response in other taste receptors. A little salt added to a
>> > sugar solution
>> > can act to make it taste sweeter.
>> >
>> >
>>
>> This "5 taste" idea is old and completely discredited
>
> Where was it discredited? I did some web searching and there seems to
> be a lot of support for it. Unimi was more of an asian thing but
> recent research has revealed receptors that are specific to glutamate.
>
>> . Actually it was 4
>> taste for a long time, but the facts remain. I do not mean to say
>> that taste has been completely explained, but the idea that the vast
>> universe of subtle taste differences can be explained by 5 tastes is
>> just plain silly. Try to explain the taste differences between
>> morels, cepes, and shitake with your 5 tastes. Between pork, beef,
>> and lamb. Between mackerel, salmon, and bass. Between chicken,
>> turkey, and duck. See what I mean? A lot more is going on but we do
>> not know the details.
>
> The best I can suggest is that it is combinations of stimulation of
> the specific receptors. You might have the same problem explaining
> why we can perceive so many tints and hues of colours when the visual
> receptor cells respond only to black and white or to three primary
> colours, or how we learn to distinguish the sounds of musical
> instruments when our audio receptor cells pick up only specific ranges
> of sound frequencies.


Dave,

You really should shift this tangent to a subject line of "Taste"? It
would better serve others, myself included, so it doesn't hide under
"salt" in the search engines.


--
Andy
http://tinyurl.com/dzl7h

Peter Aitken wrote:
> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Andy wrote:
> >
> >> Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor of other
> >> items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to give the ol'
> >> sodium
> >> taste buds a jolt?
> >
> > We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami. In addition
> > to
> > it being one of the basic tastes, salt acts to enhance flavours by
> > amplifying
> > the response in other taste receptors. A little salt added to a sugar
> > solution
> > can act to make it taste sweeter.
> >
> >
>
> This "5 taste" idea is old and completely discredited.

Bull.

> Actually it was 4 taste for a long time

Still is in most western scientific circles.

, but the facts remain. I do not mean to say that taste
> has been completely explained, but the idea that the vast universe of subtle
> taste differences can be explained by 5 tastes is just plain silly. Try to
> explain the taste differences between morels, cepes, and shitake with your 5
> tastes. Between pork, beef, and lamb. Between mackerel, salmon, and bass.
> Between chicken, turkey, and duck. See what I mean?
>
> A lot more is going on but we do not know the details.

Ooo, the twilight zone.

You need to learn that how humans perceive nuances of taste has mostly
to do with olfactory perception.

Sheldon

Peter Aitken wrote:
> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>> Andy wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor
>>> of other items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to
>>> give the ol' sodium taste buds a jolt?
>>
>> We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami. In
>> addition to it being one of the basic tastes, salt acts to enhance
>> flavours by amplifying the response in other taste receptors. A
>> little salt added to a sugar solution can act to make it taste
>> sweeter.
>>
>>
> This "5 taste" idea is old and completely discredited. Actually it
> was 4 taste for a long time, but the facts remain. I do not mean to
> say that taste has been completely explained, but the idea that the
> vast universe of subtle taste differences can be explained by 5
> tastes is just plain silly. Try to explain the taste differences
> between morels, cepes, and shitake with your 5 tastes. Between pork,
> beef, and lamb. Between mackerel, salmon, and bass. Between chicken,
> turkey, and duck. See what I mean? A lot more is going on but we do
> not know the details.

Not discredited. In fact, some researchers are suggesting adding "soapy"
to that list of 5.

But what we "taste" is actually a combination of more than just what
taste buds indicate. Smell is absolutely integral to our perception of
what things "taste" like and how we differentiate between ostensibly
similar things. Secondary information components like fattiness,
moistness, etc. feed into that perception package.

Pastorio

In article >,
serene > wrote:

> Julia Altshuler wrote:
> > Dave Smith wrote:
> >
> >> We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami.
> >
> >
> >
> > I've heard that too and have probably repeated it on occasion, but now
> > I'm wondering. If there are only 5 basic tastes, then how do I know the
> > difference between a pear and a pineapple? They're both sweet and tart,
> > but a pear tastes distinctly like a pear, and a pineapple distinctly
> > like a pineapple. What is that difference if it is not taste?
>
> According to my chemistry teacher, it's scent. There are things called
> "esters", apparently, and other things (this class was a long time ago)
> that tell your brain that one sweet thing tastes different from another
> sweet thing, for instance.
>
> serene

That is an interesting thought...

Plug your nose, blindfold yourself, then have someone let you taste a
series of things with similar textures.

I think that smell provides a lot of the food "experience".
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

In article >,
OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:
> Plug your nose, blindfold yourself, then have someone let you taste a
> series of things with similar textures.
>
> I think that smell provides a lot of the food "experience".

Well known to be true. It's why nothing tastes like much when you've
got a head cold and stuffed up nose.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 11-19-05 - Shiksa Varnishkes.

In article >,
Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> In article >,
> OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:
> > Plug your nose, blindfold yourself, then have someone let you taste a
> > series of things with similar textures.
> >
> > I think that smell provides a lot of the food "experience".
>
> Well known to be true. It's why nothing tastes like much when you've
> got a head cold and stuffed up nose.

Yep.

And why you lose weight when you are ill. ;-)
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

Andy wrote:
> Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor of
> other items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to give
> the ol' sodium taste buds a jolt?

Salt does sure bring out flavours. As a chicklet and even as an adult I
crave salt. See, I don't cook with a lot of salt but mom's food was always
very bland... think Ohio. Think Scottish. Dull, boring, bland. Okay, we
lived in Bangkok for a couple of years but I don't really like Asian cuisine
which is mostly peppery-spicy, not salty. So yes, add some salt to your
food.

Think about this. Brined = salt. Brined turkey, brined corned beef
brisket; brined corned beef & cabbage (oooh, now I'm craving that!). Brined
or salted artichoke hearts. Brined jarred bamboo shoots or hearts of palm.
Oh YUM!

But then again, I also love pepper. Just made some buttermilk biscuits and
cream gravy with lots of ground black pepper. Gonna add a dash of cayenne,
too.

Jill

jmcquown wrote:

> But then again, I also love pepper. Just made some buttermilk
> biscuits and cream gravy with lots of ground black pepper. Gonna add
> a dash of cayenne, too.
>
> Jill


Ya had to mention biscuits and gravy?!!! Talk about rubbing salt in
wounds...

--
Andy

"Bob (this one)" > wrote in message
...
> Peter Aitken wrote:
>> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>> Andy wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor
>>>> of other items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to
>>>> give the ol' sodium taste buds a jolt?
>>>
>>> We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami. In
>>> addition to it being one of the basic tastes, salt acts to enhance
>>> flavours by amplifying the response in other taste receptors. A
>>> little salt added to a sugar solution can act to make it taste
>>> sweeter.
>>>
>>>
>> This "5 taste" idea is old and completely discredited. Actually it
>> was 4 taste for a long time, but the facts remain. I do not mean to
>> say that taste has been completely explained, but the idea that the
>> vast universe of subtle taste differences can be explained by 5
>> tastes is just plain silly. Try to explain the taste differences
>> between morels, cepes, and shitake with your 5 tastes. Between pork,
>> beef, and lamb. Between mackerel, salmon, and bass. Between chicken,
>> turkey, and duck. See what I mean? A lot more is going on but we do
>> not know the details.
>
> Not discredited. In fact, some researchers are suggesting adding "soapy"
> to that list of 5.
>

So you say it is "not discredited" and then you discredit it with the
addition of soapy? We do of course taste those 5 things - or maybe 6 - but
not only those. My point is that there is a lot more going on than is
understood.


--
Peter Aitken

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 13:58:10 -0600, Andy wrote:

> Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor of other
> items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to give the ol' sodium
> taste buds a jolt?

In my experience, when I've done everything right but the dish still
lacks zing... all I need to do is add a little salt and viola. Yum!
It doesn't take much, but you may need some. No one is advocating
over salting, just enough to bring out the flavor.
--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.

"sf" > wrote in message
news
> On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 13:58:10 -0600, Andy wrote:
>
>> Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor of other
>> items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to give the ol'
>> sodium
>> taste buds a jolt?
>
> In my experience, when I've done everything right but the dish still
> lacks zing... all I need to do is add a little salt and viola. Yum!
> It doesn't take much, but you may need some. No one is advocating
> over salting, just enough to bring out the flavor.
> --

There are some chefs (on foodnetwork) that have a heavy hand with pepper,
too. One thing I forget to do many times is add salt to the water for
dried pasta; it makes a world of difference in the taste. It seems that no
amount of salt can make up for that which one didn't add at the time it was
boiling. The taste is just not the same; but if I forget, I do seem to add
a bit of salt at the table.
Dee Dee

Peter Aitken wrote:
> "Bob (this one)" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Peter Aitken wrote:
>>
>>>"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
>>>
>>>
>>>>Andy wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor
>>>>>of other items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to
>>>>>give the ol' sodium taste buds a jolt?
>>>>
>>>>We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami. In
>>>>addition to it being one of the basic tastes, salt acts to enhance
>>>>flavours by amplifying the response in other taste receptors. A
>>>>little salt added to a sugar solution can act to make it taste
>>>>sweeter.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>This "5 taste" idea is old and completely discredited. Actually it
>>>was 4 taste for a long time, but the facts remain. I do not mean to
>>>say that taste has been completely explained, but the idea that the
>>>vast universe of subtle taste differences can be explained by 5
>>>tastes is just plain silly. Try to explain the taste differences
>>>between morels, cepes, and shitake with your 5 tastes. Between pork,
>>>beef, and lamb. Between mackerel, salmon, and bass. Between chicken,
>>>turkey, and duck. See what I mean? A lot more is going on but we do
>>>not know the details.
>>
>>Not discredited. In fact, some researchers are suggesting adding "soapy"
>>to that list of 5.
>>
> So you say it is "not discredited" and then you discredit it with the
> addition of soapy?

Peter, this is simply silly. Adding to then list while preserving the
old is hardly discrediting.

> We do of course taste those 5 things - or maybe 6 - but
> not only those. My point is that there is a lot more going on than is
> understood.

And explained in another post of mine.

Pastorio

"Bob (this one)" > wrote in message
...
> Peter Aitken wrote:
>> "Bob (this one)" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>>Peter Aitken wrote:
>>>
>>>>"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Andy wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor
>>>>>>of other items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to
>>>>>>give the ol' sodium taste buds a jolt?
>>>>>
>>>>>We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami. In
>>>>>addition to it being one of the basic tastes, salt acts to enhance
>>>>>flavours by amplifying the response in other taste receptors. A
>>>>>little salt added to a sugar solution can act to make it taste
>>>>>sweeter.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>This "5 taste" idea is old and completely discredited. Actually it
>>>>was 4 taste for a long time, but the facts remain. I do not mean to
>>>>say that taste has been completely explained, but the idea that the
>>>>vast universe of subtle taste differences can be explained by 5
>>>>tastes is just plain silly. Try to explain the taste differences
>>>>between morels, cepes, and shitake with your 5 tastes. Between pork,
>>>>beef, and lamb. Between mackerel, salmon, and bass. Between chicken,
>>>>turkey, and duck. See what I mean? A lot more is going on but we do
>>>>not know the details.
>>>
>>>Not discredited. In fact, some researchers are suggesting adding "soapy"
>>>to that list of 5.
>>>
>> So you say it is "not discredited" and then you discredit it with the
>> addition of soapy?
>
> Peter, this is simply silly. Adding to then list while preserving the old
> is hardly discrediting.
>
>> We do of course taste those 5 things - or maybe 6 - but not only those.
>> My point is that there is a lot more going on than is understood.
>
> And explained in another post of mine.
>
> Pastorio

Give it up, Bob. My whole point was that we are not limited to 5 tastes, NOT
that those 5 tastes are not present. By adding a 6th you do in fact
discredit the idea that we are limited to 5 tastes. Geez, this is high
school stuff.

--
Peter Aitken

Peter Aitken wrote:
> "Bob (this one)" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Peter Aitken wrote:
>>
>>>"Bob (this one)" > wrote in message
...
>>>
>>>
>>>>Peter Aitken wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>Andy wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Some TV chefs remark that they add salt to bring out the flavor
>>>>>>>of other items in a recipe. Is this really true or is it just to
>>>>>>>give the ol' sodium taste buds a jolt?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami. In
>>>>>>addition to it being one of the basic tastes, salt acts to enhance
>>>>>>flavours by amplifying the response in other taste receptors. A
>>>>>>little salt added to a sugar solution can act to make it taste
>>>>>>sweeter.
>>>>>>
>>>>>This "5 taste" idea is old and completely discredited. Actually it
>>>>>was 4 taste for a long time, but the facts remain. I do not mean to
>>>>>say that taste has been completely explained, but the idea that the
>>>>>vast universe of subtle taste differences can be explained by 5
>>>>>tastes is just plain silly. Try to explain the taste differences
>>>>>between morels, cepes, and shitake with your 5 tastes. Between pork,
>>>>>beef, and lamb. Between mackerel, salmon, and bass. Between chicken,
>>>>>turkey, and duck. See what I mean? A lot more is going on but we do
>>>>>not know the details.
>>>>
>>>>Not discredited. In fact, some researchers are suggesting adding "soapy"
>>>>to that list of 5.
>>>>
>>>So you say it is "not discredited" and then you discredit it with the
>>>addition of soapy?
>>
>>Peter, this is simply silly. Adding to then list while preserving the old
>>is hardly discrediting.
>>
>>>We do of course taste those 5 things - or maybe 6 - but not only those.
>>>My point is that there is a lot more going on than is understood.
>>
>>And explained in another post of mine.
>>
>>Pastorio
>
> Give it up, Bob. My whole point was that we are not limited to 5 tastes, NOT
> that those 5 tastes are not present. By adding a 6th you do in fact
> discredit the idea that we are limited to 5 tastes. Geez, this is high
> school stuff.

Peter, adding one more doesn't discredit the 5 already recognized. And
it's word games rather than substantive discussion.

We don't taste "turkey" as such; we taste the flavor components *and* we
sense the scent components. Do a bit of research about gustation before
showing this level of unawareness. I'm a bit surprised at your not being
more up on the subject given your predilection for good explanation with
a scientific background.

Pastorio

Julia Altshuler > wrote:
> Dave Smith wrote:
> > We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami.

> I've heard that too and have probably repeated it on occasion, but now
> I'm wondering. If there are only 5 basic tastes, then how do I know the
> difference between a pear and a pineapple? They're both sweet and tart,

Think of the computer monitor you are looking at right now. It has
only three colors -- red, green, and blue. Yet by combining these
three colors in different combinations, at different levels, you get
thousands and thousands of perceptibly different colors.

Alternatively, look at all the different colors that a color printer
can generate using only cyan, magenta, and yellow.

J

J wrote:

> Julia Altshuler > wrote:
>> Dave Smith wrote:
>> > We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami.
>
>> I've heard that too and have probably repeated it on occasion, but
>> now I'm wondering. If there are only 5 basic tastes, then how do I
>> know the difference between a pear and a pineapple? They're both
>> sweet and tart,
>
> Think of the computer monitor you are looking at right now. It has
> only three colors -- red, green, and blue. Yet by combining these
> three colors in different combinations, at different levels, you get
> thousands and thousands of perceptibly different colors.
>
> Alternatively, look at all the different colors that a color printer
> can generate using only cyan, magenta, and yellow.
>
> J
>
>

I want what it's smokin'.

--
Andy
http://tinyurl.com/dzl7h

Julia Altshuler wrote:
> I'm wondering. If there are only 5 basic tastes, then how do I know the
> difference between a pear and a pineapple? They're both sweet and tart,
> but a pear tastes distinctly like a pear, and a pineapple distinctly
> like a pineapple. What is that difference if it is not taste?

Your smeller busted? Aroma prepares the brain for the tastes to come
well before anything enters the mouth, and even before that folks eat
with their eyes. Tastebuds in fact play only a very small roll in
distinguishing tastes. And in fact by the age 30 most tastebuds humans
are born with have long ago disappeared... which is why the eldery have
problems with appetite... not only don't they have many taste buds
intact their smeller is shot all to hell, and they don't really see too
gud either... the elderly tend to return to eating with their fingers
just like infants, they actually perceive taste by tactile perception
combined with memory. Have you never entered a strange place and have
distant memories triggered by a very faint odor... deje vous. Somehow
the aroma of oatmeal cooking invokes the memory of my mother's breasts.

Sheldon

there is one easy way of working this out for yourself
take 2 potato's
and boil both in separate saucepans with water
add salt to one pan about 1/2 teaspoon and leave the other without
when the potato's are tender try them with no butter i might add just eat them on their own. now which has the better flavour...???

J wrote:

> Think of the computer monitor you are looking at right now. It has
> only three colors -- red, green, and blue. Yet by combining these
> three colors in different combinations, at different levels, you get
> thousands and thousands of perceptibly different colors.
>
> Alternatively, look at all the different colors that a color printer
> can generate using only cyan, magenta, and yellow.


But when I play around with combining and recombining salt, white
vinegar, sugar and something bitter (can't think of anything that's
edible and pure bitter), I don't get thousands and thousands of
perceptively different tastes. I don't get something that's
recognizeably pear or pineapple. I just get salty, sweet, tart and
bitter in different strengths and amounts. It's not like color really
at all. I realize you were only trying to explain by analogy, but this
one isn't working for me.


--Lia

Julia Altshuler wrote:
> J wrote:
>
>> Think of the computer monitor you are looking at right now. It has
>> only three colors -- red, green, and blue. Yet by combining these
>> three colors in different combinations, at different levels, you get
>> thousands and thousands of perceptibly different colors.
>>
>> Alternatively, look at all the different colors that a color printer
>> can generate using only cyan, magenta, and yellow.

....and black.

> But when I play around with combining and recombining salt, white
> vinegar, sugar and something bitter (can't think of anything that's
> edible and pure bitter), I don't get thousands and thousands of
> perceptively different tastes. I don't get something that's
> recognizeably pear or pineapple.

And that would be because you don't have any of the elements that
provide the scent of pineapple.

> I just get salty, sweet, tart and
> bitter in different strengths and amounts. It's not like color really
> at all. I realize you were only trying to explain by analogy, but this
> one isn't working for me.

It actually is very much like color as in printing. It's additive, where
one color is added to another. Same for the perception of taste, it's
all the tastes *and* the smells combined.

The problem with your notion is that it doesn't factor in smell. Put a
few drops of any kind of wine on your tongue and hold your nose so you
can't smell it. The likelihood is that you can't tell if it's red or
white. Very, very few people can do that.

Pastorio

"johannap73" > wrote in message
...
>
> there is one easy way of working this out for yourself
> take 2 potato's

<snipped>

It's "potatoes." An apostrophe does not mean "here comes an "s".


--
Peter Aitken

On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 02:02:07 -0500, Bob (this one) wrote:

> The problem with your notion is that it doesn't factor in smell. Put a
> few drops of any kind of wine on your tongue and hold your nose so you
> can't smell it. The likelihood is that you can't tell if it's red or
> white. Very, very few people can do that.

Yes, smell is a very important component of taste.... just as your
nose is a very important component of sound. If you question this:
Pinch your nose to block off air and make the sound /n/, and don't say
"nuh".... say /n/ as in "needle". Now hold your nose and say /ng/ and
in "song/long". No sound (if you're doing it properly).... no matter
how hard you try.

Conclusiion: Catuions about cutting off your nose even have deeper
meanings.


--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.

Dave Smith > wrote in
:


>
> We only detect 5 tastes; salt, sour, sweet. bitter and umami.
>
>


And this was recently updated to add fat to the list - ain't science
wonderful

http://news.inq7.net/lifestyle/index...=57822&col=130


K