— Mitch Miglis

Yeah, you know, just, uh, very, very basically, um, if you think about, um, um, you know, heat, uh, heat generates more activity like at the molecular level so that, um, there, uh, we, we perceive more flavor from warm food, and it is gonna hit our nose first, or even internally, once we put it in our mouth, right? Our, our, uh, olfactory senses, um, that, that bulb at the base of our brain is gonna, um, pick up, uh, a little more intensely, a little, probably a little more quicker, um, uh, molecules, these aroma molecules that are kicked off from warm foods. And, um, so conversely, that same food, if it's chilled, uh, will not taste, uh, as intense or won't taste as good, we might say sometimes. Okay? So, um, you know, when it comes to a salad, uh, I mean, you, you, you get to, I think, think of, you know, negotiate or just think about, um, what's gonna work best in terms of the combination of ingredients, um, and how that, uh, is perceived on the palette. And this is where I like to, uh, test out, uh, different combinations. And it might be a situation where the, the greens, for example, or the other ingredients that you're consuming feel the best when they're chilled or lightly chilled, but from a flavor aspect, maybe a room temperature dressing works best, so that when I bring these into combination, it kinda lifts the temperature a little bit. Um, or sometimes even a, a lightly dressing, um, might still feel a little bit warm on the palate while the, the coolness of the ingredients on the palate created an interesting opposition or contrast, um, when eating. Um, so, you know, there are these different aspects, different perspectives that you can, uh, bring to the, uh, the, the picture here. Okay? Um, and, uh, you know, if you are, uh, cooking with, uh, gosh, almost anything, but spices are a real obvious one, right? Um, you know, these, uh, dishes that are, uh, uh, have, have spices as, as we talked about a few minutes ago in today's program, are gonna definitely be more flavorful, um, most all the time that I can imagine when it's warmed up. And, um, um, does it make it, uh, undesirable when it's chilled or, uh, maybe a little bit. But if you bring it up to room temp, right as that middle ground between hot and cold, then you might be able to find, um, a satisfactory state of service that gives you some options on, on how you might, uh, prepare and serve this item. Uh, it can then be maybe carried as a picnic food, you know, or brought to a party, or you might not be able to heat it up. But if it's at room temp, it's, it's still enjoyable, uh, as certainly compared to when it's in its chilled state. So, um, you know, should salads be sort of warm or, or room temperature again, uh, you know, uh, taste a, a tomato, um, that's at room temp versus one that comes out of the refrigerator com. Just compare those side by sides, slice 'em and, and eat 'em, and then, uh, start to make that, uh, that decision on your own. I think, you know, some, some answers will quickly emerge. Um, and yeah, I think, uh, there's just a lot of beautiful experimentation, um, that that's, uh, required here, and I think, uh, it is enjoyable as well.