Cooking is Chemistry - and Good Choices

 

For early tribes in the western hemisphere, the three "sisters" or basic vegetables were corn, beans, and squash. But for Europeans and their emigrants, the three most used ingredients were onions, carrots, and celery.

A dear friend confirmed to me that cooking is a science, and that most of it comes down to chemistry.  There are changes when cooking the same ingredients different ways for differing reasons - and the best example of that could be: onion, carrot, and celery. It's not simply a different between countries or cuisines, but chemistry using the same substances, different heat and times. 

A quick Google search gave a great explanation of differences in the reaction to heat and time:

French - Mirepoix

• Ingredients: Onion, carrot, and celery in a strict 2:1:1 weight ratio.

• Cut: Medium to large dice.

• Fat: Sautéed in butter.

• Technique: Sweated slowly over low heat until tender and translucent without browning.

• Role: Often strained out of stocks, soups, and braises or left to soften gently in stews.

Italian Soffritto

• Ingredients: Onion, carrot, and celery (often starting from a finely minced raw base called battuto), plus garlic, parsley, fennel, or cured meats like pancetta.

• Cut: Finely minced.

• Fat: Cooked in olive oil.

• Technique: Stir-fried longer over moderate heat until caramelized, softened, and melted into a sweet, savory paste.

• Role: Stays in the finished dish, forming the flavor foundation for ragùs, risottos, and tomato sauces

The "role" is most important - what do you want your vegetables to do? How do you wish them to be perceived? There isn't a question of how they will taste, because they will provide flavor either way - but the chemistry involved