The Flavor Matrix: The Art and Science of Pairing Common Ingredients to Create Extraordinary Dishes

by James Briscione, Brooke Parkhurst

Overview

One of Smithsonian Magazine's Ten Best Food Books of the Year

A revolutionary new guide to pairing ingredients, based on a famous chef's groundbreaking research into the chemical basis of flavor

As an instructor at one of the world’s top culinary schools, James Briscione thought he knew how to mix and match ingredients. Then he met IBM Watson. Working with the supercomputer to turn big data into delicious recipes, Briscione realized that he (like most chefs) knew next to nothing about why different foods taste good together. That epiphany launched him on a quest to understand the molecular basis of flavor—and it led, in time, to The Flavor Matrix.

A groundbreaking ingredient-pairing guide, The Flavor Matrix shows how science can unlock unheard-of possibilities for combining foods into astonishingly inventive dishes. Briscione distills chemical analyses of different ingredients into easy-to-use infographics, and presents mind-blowing recipes that he's created with them. The result of intensive research and incredible creativity in the kitchen, The Flavor Matrix is a must-have for home cooks and professional chefs alike: the only flavor-pairing manual anyone will ever need.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544809963
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/06/2018
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	130,952
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

JAMES BRISCIONE and BROOKE PARKHURST are the husband-and-wife authors of four cookbooks, including the best-selling The Flavor Matrix. James is a chef and Food Network personality who hosted the award-winning digital series Man Crafted and is featured on the new Food Network Kitchen app, which offers live and on-demand cooking classes. He’s the first-ever two-time Chopped champion and regularly appears on television as a host and judge. James has appeared on Beat Bobby Flay, The Kitchen, Best Thing I Ever Ate, The Dr. OZ Show, and more. He was formerly the director of culinary research at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, where he led the school’s collaboration with IBM on the groundbreaking project “Chef Watson.” James and Brooke live in Pensacola, Florida and are the owners of Angelena’s Ristorante Italiano.

Editorial Reviews

12/04/2017
Briscione, director of culinary research at the Institute of Culinary Education, along with cowriter and wife Parkhurst, will delight food nerds with this scientific exploration of flavor profiles of common ingredients. Briscione had the opportunity to work with IBM’s supercomputer Watson, and he quickly discovered that the computer’s focus on inherent flavors rather than conventional pairings was transformative. Using chemistry to teach about the “science of flavor,” Briscione creates charts of flavor matrices that contain data about an ingredient’s aromatic compounds and its compatibility with other ingredients. He provides analyses of 58 ingredients along with pairing options and includes complex wheel-like diagrams that list optimal choices. The results range from appetizing to questionable. Recipes for coffee-cured salmon and radish-apple salad with basil vinegar sound promising, whereas a porcini, hazelnut, and chocolate torte or a black-tea tomato sauce simply feel off-key. Professional chefs and home cooks who enjoy experimentation will welcome this insightful new approach, although others may feel the combinations here are a bit too adventuresome for their palates. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"The food-pairing bible you never knew you needed." —Smithsonian Magazine "Do chicken, mushrooms, and strawberries go together? What about banana and chili sauce? In 2012, James Briscione the Director of Culinary Development at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York had the opportunity to work with IBM’s supercomputer Watson. Drawing on a wealth of data, the computer would generate a list of ingredients, often ones you wouldn’t think would go together, for the chefs to make a dish with. The results were surprisingly good. But, as Briscione points out, few people have access to Watson. Briscione took the ideas from his time with the supercomputer and offers a scientific look at how flavors break down and pair up. Using a modified color wheel for foods like brassicas and crustaceans, he reveals unexpected pairings, offering recipes to prove his case." —Food & Wine, "The 18 Spring Cookbooks We're Most Excited About"   "Unlock[s] a whole world of information about why flavors work together...Full of detailed infographics, this book also includes Briscione's original recipes." —Epicurious, "Spring 2018 Cookbook Preview: The 37 New Cookbooks to Buy This Spring" "A fascinating collection of matrices that break down the best flavor combinations to make main ingredients shine...Visually, this book is stunning, like a science text for foodies, with a particularly helpful introduction...[The Flavor Matrix] is a treat for gourmands and food science geeks." —Library Journal "Briscione, director of culinary research at the Institute of Culinary Education, along with cowriter and wife Parkhurst, will delight food nerds with this scientific exploration of flavor profiles of common ingredients...Professional chefs and home cooks who enjoy experimentation will welcome this insightful new approach."  —Publishers Weekly "Flavor pairing is a fundamental building block of what separates the cook from the chef.  The Flavor Matrix will help you think like a chef." —Madeline Puckette, co-author of Wine Folly “A gifted and creative chef, James Briscione puts the algorithms of taste to use in this wonderfully researched new book. The Flavor Matrix uses science to expand our universe of possible ingredient combinations, and in the process points the way to the future of cooking.” —Frank Stitt, author of Frank Stitt's Southern Table and Bottega Favorita "This comprehensive book is a great tool for any student looking to strengthen his or her knowledge of ingredients, flavors, and textures. The opportunity to study and understand the science of these elements is a great advantage to today’s generation of cooks. They should all make use of it!" —Daniel Boulud, author of Letters to a Young Chef and Daniel: My French Cuisine   “The Flavor Matrix isn’t just a high quality cookbook filled with delicious recipes and insights. It is that. But more importantly, it’s sure to be a requirement for the professional and passionate home cook alike.” —Richard Blais, author of Try This At Home and So Good   “The Flavor Matrix is full of interesting insights into the way chefs build dynamic relationships between ingredients. Whether professional chefs or home cooks, we can all use these diagrams as a starting point for endless c —

From the Publisher

02/01/2018
This is not your typical cookbook; in fact, readers will find few recipes here. What they will find is a fascinating collection of matrices that break down the best flavor combinations to make main ingredients shine. Featuring 150 of the most common ingredients used around the world, Briscione (director, culinary research, Inst. of Culinary Education) pares each ingredient down to its essence and proceeds to chart the variety of combinations available to produce a range of flavors from earthy to savory, floral to meaty, and everything in between. The flavors are arranged alphabetically, and span allium to vanilla. Each ingredient receives careful attention, presented beside a brief introduction and a listing of best pairings, surprising combinations, and substitutes to replicate the flavor. The "Inspiration" section breaks each element down further, presenting the science behind the flavor. VERDICT Visually, this book is stunning, like a science text for foodies, with a particularly helpful introduction. Casual cooks may find it too scientific for practical, everyday use, but it is a treat for gourmands and food science geeks.—Gricel Dominguez, Florida International Univ. Lib., Miami

Library Journal