CONCEPT 35: GLUTAMATES, NUCLEOTIDES ADD MEATY FLAVOR

Question 1

Who discovered umami?

Answer 1

Japanese physical chemistry professor Kikunae Ikeda in 1909.

Question 2

How did Professor Kikunae Ikeda test for umami?

Answer 2

He extracted a white compound from giant sea kelp used to give Japanese broths a savory and meaty flavor.

Question 3

Ikeda identified the substance from the giant sea kelp as what?

Answer 3

Glutamate

Question 4

Do foods containing umami stimulate different protein receptors in the mouth?

Answer 4

Yes

Question 5

How was umami confirmed as one of the 5 basic tastes?

Answer 5

Molecular biologist discovered the receptor for glutamate around 2000.

Question 6

Are glutamates a type of amino acid?

Answer 6

Yes

Question 7

Do amino acids play a larger role in browning of meat or the flavor of food that contain glutamates?

Answer 7

Flavor of foods that contain glutamates.

Question 8

Full, meaty and robust soups describe what taste sensation?

Answer 8

Umami

Question 9

What is MSG compared to glutamate?

Answer 9

The sodium salt form or naturally occurring glutamate, produced by growing bacteria on cane molasses and ammonia.

Question 10

What form of glutamic acid produces the sensation of umami?

Answer 10

Only the salt form of the amino acid will.

Question 11

Why does MSG have a bad rap?

Answer 11

In part because of “Chinese restaurant syndrome.”

Question 12

What is Chinese restaurant syndrome?

Answer 12

Term coined in the late 1960s when people complained of headaches and digestive upset after eating Chinese food and suspected MSG the cause; various studies failed to find a link.

Question 13

As a pure substance, do glutamates, including MSG, produce a relatively weak umami taste?

Answer 13

Yes

Question 14

The sensation of glutamates was greatly enhanced when naturally occurring substances called _________ were introduced.

Answer 14

Nucleotides, especially inosinate and guanylate.

Question 15

When glutamates and nucleotides are present at equal levels in food strength what happens?

Answer 15

The strenght of umami is as much as 20 to 30 times greater than for glutamates alone.

Question 16

How do nucleotides affect glutamates? Is it a chemical reaction?

Answer 16

When combined, there’s no reaction between the two. Instead, the nucleotides affect the taste receptors on the human tongue, altering the shape of the glutamate receptors and allowing them to send stronger signals to the brain - think of tetris.

Question 17

Two pure form of sodium glutamates and nucleotides

Answer 17

MSG powder and inosinate powder.

Question 18

TEST KITCHEN: 4 CUPS OF WATER FILLED WITH NOTHING, NUCLEOTIDES, MSG ADN BOTH NUCLEOTIDES AND MSG.

Answer 18

Savoriness on a scale of 1 to 10: plain water 0, nucleotide 5, msg 5, both msg and nucleotides 10.

Question 19

We’ve often added glutamate-rich ingredients like what to food?

Answer 19

Soy sauce and Parmesan cheese.

Question 20

What is readily found in chicken, pork and anchovies?

Answer 20

Inosinate - it plays well with glutamates.

Question 21

Classic example of inosinate and glutamates paired together?

Answer 21

Anchovies and Parmesan cheese in Caesar dressing.

Question 22

Does test kitchen recommend buying powdered forms of glutamates or insinuate?

Answer 22

No

Question 23

Tomatoes, aged cheese and cured meats are rich in what?

Answer 23

Glutamates

Question 24

Beef, sardines and mushrooms are rich in what?

Answer 24

Nucleotides

Question 25

Food containing glutamates and their amount.

Answer 25

Milligrams per 100 grams (3.5 ounces):

Kombu (kelp): 2240
Marmite: 1900
Parmigiano-Reggiano: 1680
Vegemite: 1400
Nori (seaweed): 1378
Soy Sauce: 1100
Fish sauce: 950
Oyster Sauce: 900
Tomato Paste: 556
Cured Ham: 340
Tomatoes: 246
Garlic: 246
Onions: 102
Green Tea Extract: 32
Red Wine: 12.2

Question 26

Food containing nucleotides and their amount.

Answer 26

Milligrams per 100 grams (3.5 ounces):

Dried Bonito Flakes: 700
Anchovies: 300 (+4300 mg glutamates)
Chicken : 288
Pork: 262
Sardines: 193 (+300 mg glutamates)
Tune: 188
Dried Shiitake Mushrooms: 150
Beef: 94 (+100 mg glutamates)
Shrimp: 92 (+45 mg glutamates)
Dried Morel Mushrooms: 40
Nori: 13
Dried Oyster Mushrooms: 10
Dried Porcini Mushrooms: 10
Snow Crab: 9
Sea Urchin: 2

Question 27

What is Vegemite?

Answer 27

A dark brown Australian food paste made from leftover brewers’ yeast extract (a by-product of beer manufacture) and various vegetable and spice additives.

Question 28

One of the cheapest, beefiest cuts of beef you can buy.

Answer 28

Chuck-eye roast.

Question 29

Why are Yukon Gold a better for soup than russets?

Answer 29

They won’t break down so easily and turn the stew grainy.

Question 30

With a quick cooking stew, how can you recreate the body given by a long simmering process?

Answer 30

Bloom gelatin and add it in.

Question 31

Why are cuts with a loose open grade good for quick cooking stews?

Answer 31

They have a shredded texture that fools people into thinking it has been cooked for hours.

Question 32

Name some loose open grain cuts of meat.

Answer 32

Hangar steak, flank steak, sirloin steak tips and blade steak; sirloin steak tips offer the best balance of tenderness and meatiness.

Question 33

Why should you be careful when cutting meat for a soup?

Answer 33

If it’s too big the product will resemble stew, too small will resemble chili.

Question 34

Challenge with creamy tomato sauce.

Answer 34

Ramp up enough savory, meaty notes to stand up to the richness and sweetness imparted by the cream.

Question 35

What can provide a welcome brightness and helps balance sweetness of tomato sauce?

Answer 35

Wine - remember, letting it reduce works.

Question 36

Can cream makes sauces heavy?

Answer 36

Yes

Question 37

What should you avoid when buying crushed tomatoes?

Answer 37

Look for brands that list fresh tomatoes, not tomato puree, as the first ingredient.

Question 38

For the tomato sauce, was crushing the tomatoes enough to provide the right consistency?

Answer 38

Yes, they didn’t need to puree.

Question 39

Should you cook the cream or just add at the end?

Answer 39

Cooking can bring out the sauces sweet notes and throw off the balance of a sauce; stir in at the end.

Question 40

Unlike most kinds of canned produce, which pale in comparison to their fresh counterparts, a great can of tomatoes offer?

Answer 40

Offers flavor almost as intense as ripe, in-season fruit.

Question 41

What can canned tomatoes be used for?

Answer 41

Anything from pasta sauce, stews, chili and soups to salsa.

Question 42

What should you buy when looking for bright big chunks of tomato?

Answer 42

Canned whole.

Question 43

Test kitchen two favorite brands of canned tomatoes.

Answer 43

Muir Glen Organic Whole Peeled Tomatoes and Hunt’s Whole Plum Tomatoes.

Question 44

How do companies pick diced tomatoes?

Answer 44

Some grow firm walls that will stand up to dicing and others choose thin-walled tomatoes and cook them longer for a soft consistency.

Question 45

What happens after canned tomatoes are peeled?

Answer 45

After peeling, tomatoes are machine diced and canned. The juice is handled separately, heated and treated will calcium chloride, salt and citric acid (boost flavor and lower pH). The juice is then added to some cans, sealed, heat sterilized, and rapidly cooled to prevent overcooking.

Question 46

Preferred brands of diced tomatoes.

Answer 46

Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes

Question 47

What do you want to see in canned crushed tomatoes?

Answer 47

A fair amount of liquid and actual tomato pieces.

Question 48

What makes a differences in canned crushed tomato flavor?

Answer 48

How tomatoes are processed (either at low temperatures for a longer time or a high temp for a shorter time) makes a difference and how they’re topped; puree is cooked - the more puree, the less tomato flavor.

Question 49

Favorite canned crushed tomato brands.

Answer 49

Tuttorosso Crushed Tomatoes in Thick Puree with Basil and Muir Glen Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Basil came in a close second.

Question 50

Why is tomato puree often overlook by whole peeled or diced tomatoes?

Answer 50

Whole and diced offer a passable substitute for fresh, puree is cooked and strained, removing all seeds and illusions of freshness; puree is more suited for long-cooked dishes where thick even texture is more important than flavor.

Question 51

This paste is backbone of many recipes.

Answer 51

Tomato paste provides deep, rich tomato flavor, even in non-tomato based recipes.

Question 52

Why is tomato paste so effective?

Answer 52

It’s naturally full of glutamates, which stimulate tastebuds like salt and sugar.

Question 53

Preferred brand of tomato paste?

Answer 53

Goya Tomato Paste.