Topic: Great tip for Tikka marinade.

[RobbieC]

So. Stumbled upon this yesterday while making my Tikka marinade for the chicken.

After combining all the ingredients into the yogurt, your pataks pastes, ginger and garlic, methi, lemon juice ect.

Blend it! Not only does this combine all the ingredients much better than by whisking, it also lighten ups the yogurt. Giving a wonderful light texture. By lightning it up you add more oxygen, oxygen = more flavour, just as if you eat something outside it tastes that much better!

Give it ago, I couldn't believe the difference in smell. I'm cooking my tikka chicken today on the BBQ. Will post results

[Edwin Catflap]

cheers robbiec sounds like a plan for the next batch

Ed

[Garp]

Don't use yogurt or Pataks in my marinade, so will probably give it a miss, mate. But thanks.

Not so sure about the oxygen = more flavour theory either. Maybe have to consult our scientist in residence, Goolie

[RobbieC]

Don't use yogurt or Pataks in my marinade, so will probably give it a miss, mate. But thanks.

Not so sure about the oxygen = more flavour theory either. Maybe have to consult our scientist in residence, Goolie

You don't need a scientist. You can do it yourself

Eat something flavourful (tinned mackerel in tomato sauce is a great example). Before you swallow it, step outside and finish chewing then swallow it.

It's a crazy difference, and I'm not the only one who's tried it haha

[Ghoulie]

By blending, you are breaking down the constituents into even smaller particle size, this will give more surface area of the spices and the smaller size enable greater penetration of spices in the marinade into the meat - hence sharper, deeper flavour.  The blend being 'lighter' means you have entrained air (20% of which is O2) - this may enable a thinner more even coating of the marinade - thereby preventing the waste of flavour in a thick coating where your spices are held in suspension above the meat it is meant to be getting into.  That's my application of surface chemistry via logic into Indian cooking.

O2 ?  - doubt it.  There was an interesting survey publicised on FB asking what made you decide a certain  meal tasted better.  The answer - when you took a photo of it to show off on media - proving no doubt - most of it is in your head !!

My home grown chillies are certainly very potent - I dry them at 50 deg C for 5 hours - then blitz them in a grinder to a powder - back to surface area effects.

[Piscator]

By blending the marinade you are creating a homogenous mix of the acids contributed from the yoghurt, pataks paste and lemon juice which will help to get the flavours into the meat (as opposed to a poorly blended mix which might not result in uniform flavours).
Atmospheric air contains 21% oxygen whether you are indooor or outdoors - the role of retronasal olfaction in flavour perception is a much more in depth conversation however.

[RobbieC]

By blending, you are breaking down the constituents into even smaller particle size, this will give more surface area of the spices and the smaller size enable greater penetration of spices in the marinade into the meat - hence sharper, deeper flavour.  The blend being 'lighter' means you have entrained air (20% of which is O2) - this may enable a thinner more even coating of the marinade - thereby preventing the waste of flavour in a thick coating where your spices are held in suspension above the meat it is meant to be getting into.  That's my application of surface chemistry via logic into Indian cooking.

O2 ?  - doubt it.  There was an interesting survey publicised on FB asking what made you decide a certain  meal tasted better.  The answer - when you took a photo of it to show off on media - proving no doubt - most of it is in your head !!

My home grown chillies are certainly very potent - I dry them at 50 deg C for 5 hours - then blitz them in a grinder to a powder - back to surface area effects.

Well the proof is in the pudding as one may say. Interesting to see it make sense of a more even distribution of flavour, just like finely whizzing up your base.

Perhaps its not 02. Is it down to the fact that indoors, the air quality is tainted with various odours, by this hampering the ability to taste what we're eating? For outdoors, considering there is little odour, is fresher and we are able to 'taste' more?

[Piscator]

Hi Robbie,

In a nutshell yes -the best way to illustrate the importance of air in relation to taste (posh terminology = retronasal olfaction) is to hold you nose and eat something.

[RobbieC]

Hi Robbie,

In a nutshell yes -the best way to illustrate the importance of air in relation to taste (posh terminology = retronasal olfaction) is to hold you nose and eat something.

Aye, exactly what I'm thinking.

I bet this also has something do with the fact that when you order a TA you're not exposed to the cooking aromas. This making it seem more flavourful.

[Invisible Mike]

Here's your "missing 5%" 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olfactory_fatigue