I get why sugar makes things taste better since it tastes good by itself but why does something like cooking oil which doesn’t taste good on its own make food taste better than it otherwise would be?
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Whenever this comes up nobody ever mentions that fat has been confirmed to be a fundamental taste like salt and sour. And just like those other two tastes, it’s not good in its pure state but it is delicious when balanced with other tastes.
https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2015/Q3/research-confirms-fat-is-sixth-taste-names-it-oleogustus.html#:~:text=%22The%20taste%20component%20of%20fat,%2C%20salty%2C%20bitter%20and%20umami.
Cooking oil is a neutral tasting oil so it doesn’t really affect the taste of the food it just cooks it. Canola, grape, and corn oils are neutral flavour oils too.
Some essenses are not as soluble in water as in oil. With both oil and water those essenses are brought ie spread to the remainder of the mix.
If you just pour oil over your food at the table it tastes like oil and is gross. When you add oil in the cooking process, a lot of chemicals (flavors) are fat soluble and dissolve into the cooking oil. That’s why beef with a bit of fat content tastes better than lean beef, the beefy flavors dissolve into the fat which carries them to your tongue.
Salt does something similar. If you add salt at the table you just have salty food, but if you add salt in the cooking process it dissolves into the food. Sodium ions interact with a lot of the flavor molecules in your food and make them more available to taste.
If you just pour oil over your food at the table it tastes like oil and is gross. When you add oil in the cooking process, a lot of chemicals (flavors) are fat soluble and dissolve into the cooking oil. That’s why beef with a bit of fat content tastes better than lean beef, the beefy flavors dissolve into the fat which carries them to your tongue.
Salt does something similar. If you add salt at the table you just have salty food, but if you add salt in the cooking process it dissolves into the food. Sodium ions interact with a lot of the flavor molecules in your food and make them more available to taste.
Oil/fats are a better carrier of flavor. You can test this yourself with some bread, olive oil, and whatever spices (salt, oregano, minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, etc) you want to add to the oil. Also make another saucer with water instead and the same spices. Dip the bread in the oil and taste it. Dip the bread in the spiced water and taste it. You will definitely notice the difference.
Oil/fats are a better carrier of flavor. You can test this yourself with some bread, olive oil, and whatever spices (salt, oregano, minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, etc) you want to add to the oil. Also make another saucer with water instead and the same spices. Dip the bread in the oil and taste it. Dip the bread in the spiced water and taste it. You will definitely notice the difference.
You should try tasting different olive oils. They definitely have distinct flavours and many taste very good on their own. There is tons of variation in tasting profiles depending on the olive, region, blend and processing.
https://www.oliveoilandbeyond.com/sensory-olive-oil-tasting-s/1864.htm
I don’t use the same olive oil for cooking that I’d use for a salad dressing.
You should try tasting different olive oils. They definitely have distinct flavours and many taste very good on their own. There is tons of variation in tasting profiles depending on the olive, region, blend and processing.
https://www.oliveoilandbeyond.com/sensory-olive-oil-tasting-s/1864.htm
I don’t use the same olive oil for cooking that I’d use for a salad dressing.
1. Oil can be heated far more than your foods own water content, which means Maillard reaction (a chemical reaction that makes food delicious) can happen faster and better.
2. Many spices have compounds that are more soluble in fat than in water. The oil carries the aroma into the food.
In short, oil doesn’t make the food delicious by itself. It is the physical and chemical properties of oil that bring deliciousness to the food.
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