As soon as self described "controversial journalists" pull their heads out of their own asses because they think they understand gastronomy while having a complete lack of basic knowledge in...
As soon as self described "controversial journalists" pull their heads out of their own asses because they think they understand gastronomy while having a complete lack of basic knowledge in chemistry and realize that the main difference between natural and artificial flavors is the source from which they are derived, the molecules themselves are, more often than not, the exact same.
Do flavorings (natural or otherwise) miss some of the nuance of the "real" thing? Sure. Vanilla is a well known example; 80% of vanilla's flavor comes from the vanillin molecule, which is what vanilla flavoring focuses on and the vast majority of people wouldn't know the difference vs real vanilla bean and as a result the manufacturers aren't going to chase down the other 199+ compounds that make up that last 20%.
I won't be one to say that truffle oil captures everything that a real, high dollar, truffle can have, but the author probably couldn't tell the difference between artificial truffle oil, natural truffle oil, or truffle oil extract in a true blind test either, nor do I think they actually detect any "petroleum/gas" in the flavor. They've just convinced themselves that they can to further an elitist mindset they've built their otherwise vacuous personality around.
Not many chefs and cooks are knowledgeable about chemistry. They usually have a trained palate and know what makes good food. Many of their assumptions are not substantiated by science, which...
Not many chefs and cooks are knowledgeable about chemistry. They usually have a trained palate and know what makes good food. Many of their assumptions are not substantiated by science, which doesn't mean they're wrong in a culinary sense.
In other words, they often arrive at the desired result, but their understanding of what contributed to that effect can be misguided or incomplete.
According to Adam Ragusea, there are lots of research on industrial food production and on the relationship between food and health, but not so much on what happens in a kitchen in regards to what makes food delicious.
Ultimately, products should be advertised in a way that makes their provenance unmistakable so everyone knows what they're buying. Some people do notice subtle differences between ingredients, and that is not necessarily an elitist performance.
I mean, I get your point, but the overall grumpiness of your comment leads to some weak generalization :P
Valid points culinarily, but less so in regards to this article as the author isn't a chef, cook, or anything more than a blogger calling himself a journalist and I expect a journalist...
Valid points culinarily, but less so in regards to this article as the author isn't a chef, cook, or anything more than a blogger calling himself a journalist and I expect a journalist (self-described or not) to have a minimum level of knowledge or at least done some base level research on a subject they're choosing to cover. I don't think it's too much to ask someone that wants to act like an authority on something to actually be one.
The article has points, specifically in reference to the whole truffles (I assume and am giving the benefit of the doubt since I don't buy food that has a $5,000 per kilo garnish), but my comment...
The article has points, specifically in reference to the whole truffles (I assume and am giving the benefit of the doubt since I don't buy food that has a $5,000 per kilo garnish), but my comment was in relation to Loire's about the damning of "award winning garbage" because the author has some axe to grind.
I’ve not tried truffles or truffle oil but if the synthesised stuff is the same or sufficiently similar to the real deal, I really don’t think it matters. Quite a lot of mass produced flavourings...
I’ve not tried truffles or truffle oil but if the synthesised stuff is the same or sufficiently similar to the real deal, I really don’t think it matters. Quite a lot of mass produced flavourings are not sourced from their traditional origins. I’ve seen truffle oil sold in stores and it didn’t seem to be outrageously priced.
Much like vanilla, it's not the same but is good enough. Given its price most people would rarely eat the real thing anyway. It's just a case of misleading advertising. Just make it clear what is...
Much like vanilla, it's not the same but is good enough. Given its price most people would rarely eat the real thing anyway. It's just a case of misleading advertising. Just make it clear what is being sold so people know what they're actually buying.
I’ve read it but I don’t necessarily believe it. There are plenty of other reports acknowledging it’s synthetic but basically the same taste. But it’s not super easy to verify myself.
I’ve read it but I don’t necessarily believe it. There are plenty of other reports acknowledging it’s synthetic but basically the same taste. But it’s not super easy to verify myself.
As soon as self described "controversial journalists" pull their heads out of their own asses because they think they understand gastronomy while having a complete lack of basic knowledge in chemistry and realize that the main difference between natural and artificial flavors is the source from which they are derived, the molecules themselves are, more often than not, the exact same.
Do flavorings (natural or otherwise) miss some of the nuance of the "real" thing? Sure. Vanilla is a well known example; 80% of vanilla's flavor comes from the vanillin molecule, which is what vanilla flavoring focuses on and the vast majority of people wouldn't know the difference vs real vanilla bean and as a result the manufacturers aren't going to chase down the other 199+ compounds that make up that last 20%.
I won't be one to say that truffle oil captures everything that a real, high dollar, truffle can have, but the author probably couldn't tell the difference between artificial truffle oil, natural truffle oil, or truffle oil extract in a true blind test either, nor do I think they actually detect any "petroleum/gas" in the flavor. They've just convinced themselves that they can to further an elitist mindset they've built their otherwise vacuous personality around.
Not many chefs and cooks are knowledgeable about chemistry. They usually have a trained palate and know what makes good food. Many of their assumptions are not substantiated by science, which doesn't mean they're wrong in a culinary sense.
In other words, they often arrive at the desired result, but their understanding of what contributed to that effect can be misguided or incomplete.
According to Adam Ragusea, there are lots of research on industrial food production and on the relationship between food and health, but not so much on what happens in a kitchen in regards to what makes food delicious.
Ultimately, products should be advertised in a way that makes their provenance unmistakable so everyone knows what they're buying. Some people do notice subtle differences between ingredients, and that is not necessarily an elitist performance.
I mean, I get your point, but the overall grumpiness of your comment leads to some weak generalization :P
Valid points culinarily, but less so in regards to this article as the author isn't a chef, cook, or anything more than a blogger calling himself a journalist and I expect a journalist (self-described or not) to have a minimum level of knowledge or at least done some base level research on a subject they're choosing to cover. I don't think it's too much to ask someone that wants to act like an authority on something to actually be one.
I mean the article does have a point. The author would benefit from using fewer categoricals though. And "scam" is a strong word.
The article has points, specifically in reference to the whole truffles (I assume and am giving the benefit of the doubt since I don't buy food that has a $5,000 per kilo garnish), but my comment was in relation to Loire's about the damning of "award winning garbage" because the author has some axe to grind.
Yes the rhetoric is not good on this article.
I’ve not tried truffles or truffle oil but if the synthesised stuff is the same or sufficiently similar to the real deal, I really don’t think it matters. Quite a lot of mass produced flavourings are not sourced from their traditional origins. I’ve seen truffle oil sold in stores and it didn’t seem to be outrageously priced.
Much like vanilla, it's not the same but is good enough. Given its price most people would rarely eat the real thing anyway. It's just a case of misleading advertising. Just make it clear what is being sold so people know what they're actually buying.
Unsurprisingly, Adam Ragusea has a good video on that.
Please do take the time to read the article. As it makes clear, the flavor is NOT the same.
I’ve read it but I don’t necessarily believe it. There are plenty of other reports acknowledging it’s synthetic but basically the same taste. But it’s not super easy to verify myself.