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The
Educated Palate® sensory training kits are a vital
part of culinary education by providing a means to improve
the user's ability to identify herbs and spices and
to increase understanding of the flavoring potential
of individual ingredients. This knowledge is essential
to culinary students and professionals, but anyone interested
in cooking will benefit from using the kits.
Products
Each
sensory training kit consists of 25 liquid culinary flavor
samples in 2-dram (7.4 ml), amber glass vials with plastic
caps. The samples are contained in a sturdy plastic hinged-top
box with grid to hold samples securely. Vials are fitted
with orifice reducers that deliver 1 drop of essence to
the tongue. Each vial is labeled with a code number which
allows users to test themselves on their proficiency in
identifying the culinary flavors. Also included in the
kits are the number code key, a "how to use" guide, photographs
of the herbs and spices with descriptions, history, and
foods with which they are traditionally paired.
Fun,
Easy and Effective.
The
kits are fun for the students, easy for
the Instructor and an effective tool for educating
the palate.
How
To Use the Kits
To
refresh your senses of taste and smell between samples,
have on hand:
bottled
or filtered water
water crackers or plain white bread
3-4 unflavored coffee beans or a spoonful of ground
coffee (optional)
-
Open a flavor sample vial.
-
Move the vial back and forth under your nose while
inhaling the aroma.
- Turn
the vial up-side down over your tongue (the plastic
insert will prevent the liquid from spilling). See
illustration below.
-
Using your index finger, tap the bottom of the vial.
This will deliver one drop of flavor onto your tongue.
-
Write down your thoughts, comments or impressions
about the flavor. Try to guess what it is. Forms to
write down your guesses can be downloaded from our
website: www.educatedpalate.com
- To
cleanse your palate, take a sip of pure water and
a bite of plain bread or an unsalted cracker.
- To
refresh your sense of smell, sniff the coffee beans.*
If you do not have coffee beans, just sniff the crook
of your elbow.
- Try
another sample.
It is not necessary to go through all 25 samples at
the same time. Learning a few at a time is just as effective
and may work better for some people.
To check your guesses see the "Key to Flavor Samples"
adhered to the inside of the box top. As you check the
correct answers, look at the photo of the flavor source.
This will help you identify the herb, spice or flavor
visually as well as by aroma and flavor. It is even
better to have the actual source of the flavor, such
as fresh or dried herbs and containers of spices.
*Your ability to detect an odor decreases with continued
exposure to that odor, a property called olfactory fatigue.
Smelling the beans between each oil eliminates any scent
left from the previous oil.
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