Does fat as opposed to oil distribute flavour better?
I was eating a chicken stew and a beef stew both with the same ingredients. What I noticed was the beef stew had better and more distributed flavour whereas the chicken stew didn't taste as well distributed. The beef stew liquid definately tasted superior to the chicken stew liquid.
I wondered why this may have been the case and what I noticed was the beef stew had a lot more fat(saturated) then the chicken. Suspecting this may have been the cause I googled this and found the following in an article:
"We all know that fat affects flavor thanks to the mouth-coating richness that butter or olive oil can impart to a dish. But fats do more than add textural nuance. Many of the flavor compounds that make herbs and aromatics such compelling seasonings are what we call fat-soluble, meaning they'll actually spread and coat your tongue better when they're immersed in lipids. Using fat in anything from marinades to braises helps coax out, layer, and evenly distribute flavors."
So it seems the fat may be giving the differences I am noticing. However the article also mentions olive oil. Issue is when cooking the chicken we used oil(I think sunflower or vegetable) yet it didn't distribute flavors like the meat stew which had a lot of saturated fat. That being the case I would not expect olive oil to distribute flavors like the saturated fat from meat so why is it mentioned in the article alongside fat. I think it olive oil has no solid fat. Or is the article saying anything with some fat e.g. olive oil or sunflower oil will distribute flavor but more solid fat will distribute even better(hence the fatty meat stew tasting more distributed)?
Best Answer
Saturation doesn't effect the extraction or distribution of flavors, your beef stew was just more flavorful than your chicken stew. Any fat (and that includes oil) will do the job, the difference is in the flavor of the fat and texture differences you would get from the different oils. Beef fat will be richer than olive oil, giving the impression of flavor distribution when it's actually the amount of flavor that is different.
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Does fat carry flavor?
Simply put, fat carries flavor. Which fats you use primarily affect flavor, but how you use them will determine texture, which is just as important. Varied textures excited our palates, and fat makes five distinct textures possible: Crisp, Creamy, Flaky, Tender, and Light.Does fat add flavor to meat?
Fat is the major contributor to the flavor development in meat. There is variation among species in flavor development. Different flavors of breeds result from the fatty components. Fatty tissues give the meat specific flavor attributes.The $100 Billion Dollar Ingredient making your Food Toxic
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