The Flavor Matrix: The Art and Science of Pairing Common Ingredients to Create Extraordinary Dishes
By James Briscione with Brooke Parkhurst (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; $30)

Nothing is as profoundly liberating as knowing how to cook confidently without a recipe. If ever a book could get you there, this is the one. It could be argued that this is an advanced book. And, indeed, expert cooks will find much to geek out over in these pages. But I also think this book—chock full of culinary whats, hows, and whys—is the ultimate primer for the novice.

In The Flavor Matrix, author James Briscione, an instructor at the Institute for Culinary Education in New York City and a two-time Chopped champion, dives deep into the art and science of flavor pairing, exploring the hidden connections between ingredients. He presents 150 of the most commonly used ingredients from A (Allium, Artichoke, Asparagus, Avocado) through V (Vanilla). For each, he pinpoints and quantifies their aromatic compounds and consolidates all of his findings into an infographic that he calls a “flavor matrix.” There is one matrix for every ingredient or ingredient group (e.g., Allium, Brassica, Crustacean, Stone Fruit) that Briscione studied, plus a simple recipe that demonstrates how to put complementary ingredients together.

If you’re curious about food-science research—molecular structures, volatile and aromatic compounds, and the like—you’ll enjoy peeking under the microscope, so to speak. There, you’ll discover the chemistry responsible for the flavors and aromas of your favorite ingredients and learn the scientific reasons why foods that we intuitively put together (e.g., prosciutto and melon) get along so well. More important, you’ll learn how to put this knowledge to good use in your kitchen.

风味配对理论认为，如果两种成分共享大量的芳香化合物，它们会一起味道奇妙。亚搏手机版官方因此，我们可以求助于本书中任何成分的口味矩阵，找到一些兼容的伙伴，然后搅拌一些美味的东西。也许是预期的（可可和辣椒牛肉）。或意外的（玉米和椰子奶油酱），令人惊讶的（鸡肉和蘑菇汉堡，带有草莓“番茄酱”）或彻头彻尾的心智（辣味鱼酱花生脆饼）。一本书使从初学者到专业的任何厨师都可以访问这种创新肯定是值得庆祝的。所以让我们吃！

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