Topic: Do bir chefs know where the 'taste' comes from?

[joshallen2k]

Bod68 - if the locals like it, then it sounds to me there's a gap in the market! Open one up yourself. Doesn't need to be 100% BIR, you can call it a FIR 

[Graeme]

I still think we should consider that our
sense of smell could be destroyed when we cook,
this would be for a period of time.

Taking the foil lid off or walking into a bir from
the fresh air could make our sense of smell go into over
drive.

So could this walking in effect or the removal of the lid
when added to a good bir's cooking play a big part in what our
brain see as a new stimuli, even if we had it yesterday?

Consider how many times have we been tempted by the fish and chip
smell alone. Only to be so disappointed with the goods we are
given to eat from the same shop.

I know we are missing something, but I do think the effect of us
cooking and the resulting overload stops us from enjoying our home
cooked grub, be it Indian or what ever and should be considered.

After cooking for hours on end I often buy a takeaway as long
as its diffrent from what i am cooking.

[joshallen2k]

I would agree. For those that haven't tried the clothespeg-on-the-nose-while-cooking, give it a go. You actually feel hungrier and anticipate it more during the prep before eating. That may be similar to the anticipation on the drive home from the takeaway.

Try it. Is it the last 5%? No. But its at least 2 or 3%

[Derek Dansak]

Hi bobby, i think we could all do with a 'bobby bhuna's bir' opening at the bottom of the road! lol

[JerryM]

not exactly to do with the posted question but i guess very much related - why don't the chef's taste the food. i know it's been said that they are not keen on the taste but just relying on sight seems to be sailing close to the wind unless the qty's don't really need to be that exact (and we with our measuring spoons are well wrong) or they do and sight is a better/quicker method.

[Cory Ander]

the best chefs (as i understand) are brought in from India

As I understand it, BIR chefs are predominantly Bengali/Bangladeshi/Pakistani and not Indian

[JerryM]

Quite right CA. Bangladeshi are the best for me by a long way. I almost now ask the chef's origin as it's only recently that i've realised that the sign "Indian" TA or Restaurant is very misleading.

But why don't they taste or is sight the better way. Knowing this for me might just open up a bit more of an insight into where the taste comes from.

[Bod68]

But why don't they taste or is sight the better way. Knowing this for me might just open up a bit more of an insight into where the taste comes from.

Why would they NEED to taste it if they have made over 10000 all the same way? Its a base with several different ingrediants for the different curries?

Like riding a bike after the first 5000 surely?

[Derek Dansak]

It would be really interesting to know all the details of mass producing curry in a busy bir. For example vindaloo includes a few pre cooked potatoes. these potatoes are pre cooked with spices, in bulk, and then stored in the fridge ready to drop into the vindaloo during dish preperation. There must be lots of other similar bulk preperation happening which we dont know about. for example making chicken tikka in bulk. perhaps the leftover sauces are somehow fed back into the base, or final dish to increase flavor. If anyone has friends who work in bir restaurants, maybe they could get some insider info on this, and report back. I know 2 bir waiters who mentioned the importance of bulk cooking to getting that bir taste. both stated thats why you can't do it at home! not sure i believe that, but hey, its worth pursueing.

[JerryM]

i'd go along with the bulk cooking a bit. for admin's jalfrezi i always pre fry the onion and green pepper. i've tried cooking them as the dish proceeds (ie the traditional way) but it's way off the mark comapared to pre frying.

on the taste v sight front my interest is based on conventional cooks the "Michelin's" who taste everything compared to BIR's who don't. the BIR practise suggest's the cooking must be easy peasy which it is in terms of putting ingredients in a pan for sure but as we all know it's critical to getting consistent taste. for me not tasting even the 1st of the night is just crazy yet they pull it off. why? surely it's not down to getting 1000's wrong before getting it right. does it for example account for the inconsistencies across BIR's with some very good and a lot rubbish.