F is for Flavor | Culinary Boot Camp Day 1 | Stella Culinary School

This is the first video lecture in a series I shot at an in person culinary boot camp while I was still at Stella Restaurant. The culinary boot camp is a five day intensive course, that takes one day each to cover the five building blocks of recipe and dish creation; Flavor, Sauce, Technique, Execution & Preparation. Also known as F-STEP.

Video Time Stamps and Links

00:00:00 - Introduction

* A little story about how a coconut macaroon changed my life.
* Why Technique is King.
* What is the F-STEP Curriculum and why was it created?
* The F-STEP Formula – (Flavor + Technique) X Execution =?

00:05:35 - Flavor Structure & F-STEP Formula

* Introduction to Flavor Structure and the F-STEP Formula
* The importance of execution, intuition and how to make decisions on the fly

* Understanding the five basic flavors
* Balancing the 5 major flavors

00:11:00 – Flavor #1 | Salt

* How does salt enhance flavors?
* Seasoning thresholds and ratios explained.
* How much salt do you need to properly season food?
* What’s the difference between expensive & cheap salt?
* Various types of salts & their uses explained; Iodide Salt, Kosher Salt, Finishing Salts, Fleur de Sel, Sea Salt, Maldon Salt, Smoked Sea
Salt, Lava Salt, Himalayan Pink Salt

* How does iodide salt affect flavor, and should you use it?
* Why is Kosher salt is great for cooking?
* What is the difference between kosher salt & sea salt?

00:29:14 – Flavor #2 | Sour (Acids)

* How to take your food’s flavor and seasoning to the next level using acids.

* Understanding the difference between cooking vinegars and finishing vinegars.

* How acid interacts with fat.
* The importance of acid as a seasoning.
* Using acid to balance your flavor structure.

00:36:00 – Strawberry Sorbet Intermezzo

* How walnut oil and salt enhance a sorbet.
* The importance of fat, flavor, and aroma molecules.

00:38:57 – Flavor #3 | Sweet

* Sweet (sugar) as a seasoning.
* Ratios of sugar used in various dishes.
* Use of sugar (sweet) in various savory applications.
* How to use sugar to balance the 5 major flavors.
* Piquancy & how sweet balances spicy food.
* Discussion on Scoville Units and the measurement of heat.

00:46:00 – Flavor #4 | Bitter

* The importance of bitter and balancing flavors.
* Contrasting flavors to create complex flavors.

00:51:20 – Flavor #5 | Umami (Savory)

* The story of umami and the creation of MSG.
* The Four Major Flavors.
* The tongue map of flavor (the 4 basic flavors).
* The discovery of umami (glutamic acids & free form glutamates).
* Ingredients that contain glutamic acids, umami, and savory flavors.
* The formation of Aji-no-moto Company (essence of taste).
* What is Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG)?
* How the MSG craze was formed.
* CRS – Chinese Restaurant Syndrome
* Synergistic relationship of Inosine Monophosphate, Guanosine
* Monophosphate, and Mono Sodium Glutamate.
* Dashi broth and why it is so delicious.
* Savory ingredients you should stock in your kitchen.
* Is the tongue map correct?

01:08:12 – Palate Fatigue & Flavor X Factor

* What is palate fatigue and how do you avoid it?
* Adding flavor complexity through crunch and tactile sensation.
* Why restaurants serve small portions and tasting menus.
* Leveraging the olfactory system to make a memorable meal or dish.
* Duck Breast Reuben

01:21:17 – Flavor Punch & Interruptions

* How to create bold, powerful, flavors.
* Albacore Tuna Dish with Coconut Red Curry.
* How to make a complex curry sauce.
* Beef Bourguignon Dish

01:30:04 – Questions on Flavor Structure

* What does salt and pepper to taste mean in a recipe?
* What is a duck press?

[sillydude]

I've been cooking for 6 months and all I've been looking for was someone who teaches me how to create a dish instead of replicate one without understanding the fundamental flavour combinations and techniques. I've been smiling all throughout the video because this is exactly it

[danielm]

When a guy starts a culinary lecture with a story about how a single food item changed his life, you know they take their craft with a seriousness others can only dream about. Great videos, thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge in such a precise way.

[CBoutdoors_and_wilderness]

I think i have watched literally thousands of hours of culinary instruction (which are all basically the same "cook this way"), THIS Video in your lecture series has been one of the BEST which I have ever seen. Actually explaining, not only the how, But why. One the most informative, thank you

[rahkido]

This video was a breath of fresh air...

1. Learnt about flavour.
2. The 5 flours: salt, sour, sweet, bitter and umani/savory.
3. Learnt A LOT about salt.

[MrDanb]

Possibly the most informative / best cooking video on the internet. This was everything I was looking for, thank you so much for your hard work in making this.

[Marx-Lennon]

Chef Jacob made our dishes at our wedding back in 2014. People still comment on how it was the best food they’ve ever had. Thanks Chef JB!

[haroldhenderson]

If a flavoring does not dissolve in your saliva, you can't taste it. You might smell it, but you won't be able to taste it.
Acids help to "break" the flavors out of oils/fats by making a water soluble compound from things that might otherwise stay in the oil.

[wouldyounot]

Cant thank you enough! You’re one of the youtubers that actually explain a lot of the basics of cooking which is what i need

[avapilsen]

I am new at cooking. I tried it during my teenage years (I'm now 25) and gave up because I thought I "naturally" sucked. I've watched this 3 times since late December and have been implementing what you've been teaching in this series. Suddenly, my cooking is starting to taste better. THANK YOU.

[tbac]

Chef in my opinion the best part of this amazing course is when you said (and thank you for saying it) Pepper does not need to go in every dish.
At that point I sat back and said YES I AM NOT CRAZY.

[joeparker]

Decided to go-to culinary school after watching this I'm so hooked I'm obsessed actually

[sopbees]

Im hooked! i think every home cook should watch this to gain understanding and really take their food to the next level

[adrianbitsinnie]

Ive been thinking about quitting medical school and going to culinary, now this has really opened my eyes to what i really love! Thanks for making this video im very grateful!! This is very informative and educational and i love that there are students present that ask questions i would ask myself! This series deserves a gold medal!

[chahahc]

More than any other, this is the video series I keep coming back to to refresh on the fundamentals.

[ronnyportulidis]

As a Pro: good explanation Sir. You don’t waste a breath. Keep it going 🌞

[spencer__]

As a programmer who has never cooked much due to frustration with recipes being wrote learning. This series changed everything for me. Thank you, you're a boss.

[cristinah]

You are amazing! I am currently in culinary school and felt like I hit the threshold of what they were teaching me. Your videos are exactly what I needed in my life rn❤💕

[megm]

Wow this was incredibly informative! As someone who is relatively new to cooking but has always been interested in the science aspect of food, this video is just what I was looking for. In depth resources like this are hard to come by, especially one without a hefty price tag next to it. I can’t wait to take my new learned knowledge to the kitchen. Thank you Jacob, I can’t wait to watch more videos on your channel.

[ctreat]

Thank you for these videos. My fiancee just graduated nursing school, now I am a stay at home dad to who has a love for food (the art, science and craft) of good meals. With aspirations to get into culinary school and I took so many notes just from this 1st day video once again Thank you.

[noit]

I need your videos more than ever now!! I worked in kitchen 10 years, I was not taught much, I almost got killed in December, guy ran a red light i didn't see him coming , but I was partying too much, now I'm try to be the best I can be