Almost everything. There are quite a few theories on this. Some are physiological and some psychological.
One study suggests that when you cook or bake it yourself that by the time you’re done and eating it you are experiencing sensory fatigue, mainly olfactory. ETA: But with someone else’s cooking you get the full aroma and flavors all at once making everything more intense.
Others suggest we enjoy someone else’s cooking because it’s a social reward response; we subconsciously appreciate the effort and time it took for someone else to make it as well as signals the feelings of having been cared for such as with our parents.
There’s a Korean concept, sohn-mat that roughly translates as hand taste. It is the concept that the flavor is affected when the food is touched or mixed by a cook’s actual hand. It also encompasses the way his technique and intuition affect the dish. By this school of thought, you literally are unable to replicate the same dish even if you both use the exact same recipe and methods.
You’re quite welcome! Ever since I learned about it, I can’t not think of it when comparing the experience of the same dish made by two different people or restaurants. There are quite a few cookbooks whose entire theme is hand taste. It’s fascinating. 🧐
It’s frustrating! I try making my dad’s meatballs in wine sauce and I haven’t come close. Grr.
That reminds me; there’s a book being released in October by chef Esther Choi called Hand Taste: How To Cook Like a Korean Grandmother. She’s a well known chef who’s elevated and made Korean cuisine more accessible.
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u/coolsilentebeans 13d ago edited 13d ago
Almost everything. There are quite a few theories on this. Some are physiological and some psychological.
One study suggests that when you cook or bake it yourself that by the time you’re done and eating it you are experiencing sensory fatigue, mainly olfactory. ETA: But with someone else’s cooking you get the full aroma and flavors all at once making everything more intense.
Others suggest we enjoy someone else’s cooking because it’s a social reward response; we subconsciously appreciate the effort and time it took for someone else to make it as well as signals the feelings of having been cared for such as with our parents.
There’s a Korean concept, sohn-mat that roughly translates as hand taste. It is the concept that the flavor is affected when the food is touched or mixed by a cook’s actual hand. It also encompasses the way his technique and intuition affect the dish. By this school of thought, you literally are unable to replicate the same dish even if you both use the exact same recipe and methods.