Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with flavor

Pancake notes with a hint of beans

emelenjr — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:49:16 -0800

When a wine is described as having flavor "notes" is there any science behind that? When a wine is described as having flavor "notes" is there any science behind that, or is it a bit of pretention coupled with the power of suggestion? For example, if a wine is described as having "blackberry notes", is that ever because the same components that combine to create the flavor of a blackberry can be found in that wine, or is it purely psychological--you read the description of the flavor, and that influences the taste buds?

I've been grating a le~mon~, all the live long day~

wiretap — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:48:05 -0800

Fresh Lemon Zest - so yummy yet so annoying to grate. There must be an easier solution! My first experience with using fresh lemon zest is in a lemon sugar cookie recipe which asks for 2T of it, in a doubled recipe (4T total. egads). After carefully grating away the skin of a couple lemons and having my hands become tender and sore from the lemon oils and still not having enough lemon zest, I'm starting to feel like avoiding dessert recipes that include lemon zest at all.

Googling "lemon zest substitute" suggests a spice aisle product known as "dried lemon peel" which is similar but apparently is not as good as fresh lemon zest (I'm guessing it is less flavorful?).

My questions:

1. Is there a *better* lemon zest substitute that I can easily purchase at a grocery store?

2. If not, and dried lemon peel is the only close choice, should I add a little lemon flavoring to the reconstituted peel? And how much flavoring per t/T of peel should I include?

3. Could I just use lemon flavoring and fake the color in the recipe with yellow food dye? And again, how much flavoring would equal 1t or 1T of fresh lemon zest?

Pimp my fudge!

Bardolph — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:23:42 -0800

Looking to jazz up my plain-jane homemade chocolate fudge. What are some creative and delicious ideas for fudge flavors and additives? Lately, I've been getting into fudge-- or at least, getting as far as the Never Fail Fudge recipe from the back of the marshmallow fluff container. While I'm a fan of the nice easy, reliable chocolate version that produces, though, I'd like to start using the plain chocolate as a base for some more creative flavors, more like the sort of thing you'd find at a specialty fudge shop. I've done the classic chocolate-walnut, but so far haven't had the guts to try any other fruit/nut/candy additions.

So I'm looking for nominations for your most mouth-watering and/or unusual flavors of fudge. Ideally, I'd like to stick with chocolate-and-X types of flavors, but I guess I could be interested in other base flavors if there's anything particularly delectable out there. Also, bonus points if anyone can provide any hints on the logistics of adding stuff to fudge (e.g. what items are too wet/too dry/too melty, how and when to mix things in, etc.). Thanks!!

Food alchemy...what's changing exactly?

edjusted — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:48:03 -0800

I like almonds (the nut) and cherries (the fruit), but once they're "processed" in any way, the flavor changes and I dislike it to the point where it'll almost make me queasy. Even baked almond slices on a croissant, for example (to a lesser extent) or something like a Yoplait natural yogurt (which I just tried and was what prompted me to write this) which actually has little bits of cherry has a component to the taste that I find really distasteful. And don't even get me started on almond or cherry "flavor". I found this link which talks about flavors and may be related. But what changes with almonds and cherries that account for this? I know this is kind of vague, and if it helps, the "something" about the flavor change that really gets to me seems similar between processed cherries and almonds.

Upon preview, this is still vague...what I'm trying to get at is, is there maybe a chemical aspect or component that I can point to and say "oh! I don't like processed/cooked almonds and cherries because processing these items releases x compound which tastes y, which is what I don't like." And sorry, I can't even describe the "y" that makes me wince.

Unique flavor combinations

tr0ubley — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:39:53 -0800

Ridiculous and rad combinations of 2 or 3 flavors. The weirder the better. I would like some ideas of flavors or spices that provide an interesting counterpoint to each other, but that are not well known. Mild examples that spring to mind: chocolate and chili, mint and strawberry, peanut butter and pickles. Even if 9 out of 10 people dislike it, but you really love it, I’d try it.

What makes Tazo Zen green tea so pleasantly bitter?

hamsterdam — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:09:41 -0800

What ingredient(s) cause the "tangy" astringent aftertaste of Tazo brand Zen green tea? I have been drinking the Tazo "Zen" green tea at work lately. The tea has a very specific aftertaste which I haven't experienced from any other teas or beverages -- I guess I would describe it as pleasantly bitter. The aftertaste seems to hit especially strongly on the sides of my tongue, which if I remember correctly from pre-school is where most of the "sour" taste buds are located, although I've also heard that that's all BS. Anyway, it's an incredibly strong sensation and I can't for the life of me figure out what might be causing it.

The ingredients per their website: green tea, lemon verbena, spearmint, lemongrass and "natural flavors". I can taste all of the listed flavors in the tea itself but this aftertaste is something altogether different.

Anyone with a sharper tongue than mine have any ideas? I would love to be able to cook with this flavor or incorporate it into other (mixed?) drinks.

In a nutshell: Why doesn't Hazelnut/Almond flavoring taste like their namesakes?

for_serious — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:03:49 -0800

Vanilla extract tastes of vanilla bean... Mint extract is minty... Why are hazelnut and almond extracts so unlike hazelnuts and almonds? Snacking on almonds in the kitchen. Love almonds. Sniffing almond extract. Smells fantastic. Not seeing (smelling or tasting) the connection. Is it a different variety of almond? (And if so, why don't they sell those?)

Love hazelnut flavor (yum Frangelico), but it doesn't taste much like hazelnuts either. Sorry if this is silly, but I'm not so creative with the Google keywords. But you guys are smart! Please help!

no accounting for taste?

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:12:47 -0800

A question about a change in the way a woman tastes during oral sex. NSFW, obviously after a nice long jaunt of going down on my beautiful girlfriend, right before she comes she tastes different, sort of salty, tangier. i think it's awesome, but i'm curious about it too. does anyone know why this would be? my google-fu is not helping at all; i just keep finding erotic stories.

I don't need an irish breakfast.

Gneisskate — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:03:21 -0800

Is there a coffee syrup that tastes like Cointeau? I absolutely love the flavor of Cointreau in my coffee, but I certainly don't need to have alcohol first thing in the morning. Is there a flavor syrup that would fill my needs? It reminds me a little of the valencia flavor Starbucks used to have. Also, 'orange' flavor syrup is not the same. That tends to much sweeter and less complex than what I'm looking for.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Coffee taste out of plastic?

klangklangston — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:05:41 -0800

Coffee taste stain? My travel mug's lid is plastic, and has picked up the taste of old, bad coffee (from, no doubt, the new good coffee I drink each morning). How do I get it out? I have tried:
Soaking it in very hot water; scrubbing with dish soap; leaving it in a baking soda solution overnight.

I have found many, many webpages about taking the plastic taste out of the coffee—help me take the coffee taste out of the plastic.

Putting jasmine into baked goods?

simplethings — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:28:26 -0800

Is there an easy solution to getting jasmine flavor into baked goods? I love jasmine tea so the first idea that hit me was substituting brewed jasmine tea for the liquids in a baking recipe.
I tried adding a very strong brewed tea to cupcakes and could barely taste jasmine but got a decent green tea flavor.

Then I thought I could make a simple syrup with equal parts green tea and sugar and use that syrup as a sugar substitute... but then I realized I'd be adding a whole lot more liquid and I'm not sure how to figure out a compensation... and who knows if that would be effective in adding flavor.

I've been to the grocery stores in the area, a specialty spice store, a specialty baking/cooking store, and 2 florists and could not find a jasmine spice, extract, artificial flavor, or even the flower.

I'd prefer to completely eliminate the green tea and get straight up jasmine, but, I'm willing to experiment with easy-to-find ingredients.

Any ideas?

Flavored iced tea suggestions?

amyms — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:04:47 -0800

Iced tea is my main summertime beverage. I usually drink it completely plain. I am not a fan of "sweet tea," but I'd like to experiment with adding different flavors, the more unusual the better. Any suggestions?

What are the alcohol content(s) for different extracts?

jammnrose — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:30:07 -0800

I'm looking into producing some of my own extracts for baking. Specifically I am trying to find the FDA recommended alcohol content for different flavors (so if I make a lot, it doesn't spoil). Vanilla seems to be 35%, Peppermint 89%. I can't seem to find all the data in one area though. Is there some site that can give me what I need without hours of googling?

Long Lasting Gum - How?

bigmusic — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:22:22 -0800

What has changed chemically in the process of these "long lasting gums?" Before a piece of gum would be flavorful for like 10 minutes tops. Now, I can chew on these newer gums like an hour before they are not flavorful. What happened?

Give my steak some flavor

timelord — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:29:25 -0800

How do you jazz up a tender (but bland) steak? I recently got a good deal on some New York (cut) steak. After grilling a few (seasoned w/ salt + pepper), I'm less impressed w/ the flavor than I am w/ the texture. I understand that the tender cuts tend to be the bland ones, but I'd like to do something w/ this steak.

What would you recommend? I find that simpler is usually better w/ steak, but I'm open to all suggestions (marinades, seasonings, etc).

Where's that flavor hiding?

2bucksplus — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 09:43:54 -0800

What's the original of the phrase "that's where the flavor is hiding"? The first time I remember hearing the verb "to hide" used to describe "flavor" was in the episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force (Oct. 2003):

http://www.tv.com/aqua-teen-hunger-force/revenge-of-the-trees/episode/271074/summary.html

What's the first known usage of this phrase, or more acurately when did "flavor" first "hide"?

Can I make my own delicious Aquafina water at home?

redteam — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 07:52:16 -0800

I love Aquafina bottled water. There's something in it that makes it taste much different than other bottled waters. Still, it gets expensive. What's in it that makes it taste so nice and can I make my own at home? BTW, I'm in California. I've had Aquafina in Vancouver, Canada and it was awful. It tasted very plain. Maybe there are regional differences?

The ones here in California taste very smooth, almost sweet. If you open an empty bottle that's been sitting for a while, it will have a nice smell that's similar to the nice taste.

Do they sell low-flavor drink mixes to add to water?

y0mbo — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 19:58:42 -0800

Do they sell low-flavor drink mixes to add to water? I love Aquafina's Flavor Splash water, but they don't have it in the vending machine at work. I can't stand the plain bottled water they do sell. Does anyone sell powder mix that can be added to water that doesn't turn it into a super sweet, heavily flavored drink? Stuff like Crystal Lite is too strong of a flavor.

Help me with my nuts.

ikkyu2 — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 18:09:35 -0800

Shelled nuts taste like disinfectant? Every so often, I'll be eating shelled nuts - often cashews - out of a can or a bag, and out of nowhere there will be the strong flavor of disinfectant. I can best describe it as the flavor you'd get if you took a Band-Aid™ brand adhesive bandage from the 1970s, stuck it in your mouth, and chewed vigorously. It is one of the nastiest things to occur regularly in my life.

I can guess what it is - a fungicide sprayed on the nuts to preserve them? A fungus that likes to grow on nuts? A nut-handler wearing a Band-Aid™?

Has this happened to anyone else, and particularly, does anyone know why? Any recommendation for a way to avoid this would be especially welcome, as it's really vile and disgusting.

Where do fake flavors come from?

cosmicbandito — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 18:47:04 -0800

How do they make fake flavors? I was enjoying a box of RUNTS brand candy today, and it occured to me that the bananas actually only taste a little like a real banana. Then I started to wonder how these "fake" flavors get developed. How do they go about chemically synthesizing a taste?

Making water taste better

Fezboy! — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 12:49:53 -0800

Why does water taste so bad? And more to the point, do you have tips for making it taste better? The background:
I presently drink plenty of fluids, but mostly of the wrong sort (coffee & soda). I am now in the process of eliminating these bad habits and trying to make the switch to water. Unfortunately, water tastes horrible to me and this is not just commentary on the local well. Whether it springs from the tap, the [brand name] water filter, or from a commercially available bottle, I find water to taste tinny/metallic in a wholly unpleasant way. I've tried different brands of bottled water. I've tried different brands of water filtration devices. I've tried adding a slice of lemon and/or lime but none of this eliminates the crap taste I get from drinking water.

Am I alone on this? Do you have any tried and true ways of making water more palatable short of carbonating it while loading it with high-fructose corn syrup and caffeine?

Why is mint the premier flavour for dental hygiene?

i_am_joe's_spleen — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 23:49:09 -0800

A question from the young 'un I couldn't answer. There are lots of clean crisp flavours out there: why are toothpaste, floss and other dental/oral products stereotypically mint-flavoured, and not, say, clove or cinnamon? Is it simple popularity, or is there a technical reason?

Side Dish for Roast Duck

bondcliff — Tue, 16 Dec 2003 13:39:16 -0800

I'm cooking roast duck for my family on Christmas (actually Dysfunctional Family Christmas on the 21st.) I like to serve a wild rice/kashi mixture on the side. However, every time I make the dish it lacks flavor. It has a nice bite to it, what with the wild rice and other grains, but it's missing something. I usually toss some garlic cloves in, I've used broth instead of water, etc. Still, it comes out bland. How can I zip it up? How does Uncle Ben get that flavor into his Long Grain and Wild Rice mixture? MSG and other fun stuff, I'm sure, but there must be a slightly healthier combination of herbs and spices I can use.

I suppose I could add bacon drippings. They make everything taste good.