Is anyone esle on SMF a 'Super Taster'?

[indaswamp]

I am. I posted this on another thread, thought it would be a neat discussion..

Not a brag, just biological fact...I am what biologists refer to as a 'super taster'.

When I was in college, I was walking on campus one day and a group of biology students were taking tongue imprints with some kind of a blue blue dye to count taste buds. Not exactly sure how they did this though. Anyways, I volunteered. They called me and asked if they could interview me. Turns out, I was in the top 3 percentile with the number of taste buds on my tongue.

It is both a blessing and a curse.

It is one of the reasons I learned to cook. I have been cooking since I was 5 years old standing on a chair in front of the stove. There are very, very few meals that I can actually enjoy while eating out in a restaurant. Very few restaurants actually COOK the food from scratch, unless you go to a 3 star or higher end establishment. The window for spice tolerance is very narrow for me.

Anyways, my friends and family are hoping I can duplicate it....we'll see.....I'm spot on with the base though.[Quote/]

 

[SmokinAl]

Never had my taste buds tested, but I doubt that I have a lot of them, cause we really like spicy food!
Al

 

[noble captain]

That's pretty cool.

 

[crazymoon]

IDS, I'm a super taster in the way that I taste and like most everything I eat! :)

 

[zwiller]

Need to get tested but I think I might be or at least better than most (super smeller too). I am a certified beer judge so I have some credentials at least.

BTW spicy food killing taste buds is a myth.

 

[motocrash]

I believe I must be,I taste things others don't detect and ditto on this:
"There are very, very few meals that I can actually enjoy while eating out in a restaurant."

 

[HalfSmoked]

Well I just a see food and eat it because I enjoy it all.

Warren

 

[texomakid]

Yeah, what Warren said......I like food. Never heard of Super Taster?

 

[indaswamp]

I thought I posted te link earlier....but never hit the reply button!
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/super-tasting-science-find-out-if-youre-a-supertaster/

Never had my taste buds tested, but I doubt that I have a lot of them, cause we really like spicy food!
Al

I like spicy food too Al, What I mean by having a small window for spices-I referring to all spices.....clove, dill, basil, tarragon, cilantro, etc....all spices, and really all the ingredients in a dish.
Small window, or it is overpowering and drowns out the other flavors in a dish. They all have to work together and play their part.

 

[SonnyE]

The girls in my life have liked my tongue...
But that's a different matter.

 

[SonnyE]

So, if you are not a "Super Taster", what would you do?
Get a tongue transplant?

 

[chef jimmyj]

Pretty much a requirement in my profession...JJ

 

[indaswamp]

JJ, everyone said I should have become a chef...

 

[GaryHibbert]

Well I'm definitely NOT a Super Taster.
Decades of smoking and straight up booze took care of that issue.
Probably why I like "in you face" flavors. Subtle is wasted on me.
Gary

 

[gmc2003]

Well I'm definitely NOT a Super Taster.
Decades of smoking and straight up booze took care of that issue.
Probably why I like "in you face" flavors. Subtle is wasted on me.
Gary

Same here minus the booze. Maybe I can be a super-taster for those of us with taste-bud deficiency syndrome.

Chris

 

[noboundaries]

My wife is a super taster. I'm a "regular taster." We had neighbors once with a young daughter who could eat the hottest peppers and never make a face. She ate them like candy. She was probably a non-taster.

I have to be careful not to over-spice any rub, chili, and sauce. My wife won't eat anything from the smoker if I use water in the water pan. She can tell the difference between a wet and dry smoke. I know for a fact because I tested her once without her knowledge. Ooooh, was she pissed when she found out, but hey, I learned something I suspected all along!

We always make chili for the Super Bowl. What I think is minimal heat, she says her mouth's is on fire. Since I don't want to eat leftover chili for two weeks by myself, I keep it toned down. I've tried making two versions, one for her and one for me. Too much mess and work. I just add hot sauce to mine.

 

[HalfSmoked]

Hawging Thanks for the like.

Warren

 

[gmc2003]

Ok from what I've garnered from this post I want to ask a question(Please don't take it the wrong way).

If your a super-taster or an above average taster(for that matter) would the majority of folks find your cooking bland and unappealing?

Chris

 

[forgiven1]

I doubt that I am truly a super taster as I am not put off by strong flavors, I actually prefer them. However I do seem to have a very much more acute sense when it comes to meat flavors than most people.

I can distinguish type of woods used for a smoke and even hints of seasonings/herbs, but where my sense is the most keen is detecting off flavors.

I am very sensitive to improperly smoked foods. Any acrid flavor at all from poorly managed smoke white/black/thick/etc. I can even drastically taste a difference when dust or pellets are used vs whole wood, chips or charcoal.

Which brings me to this. Have any super tasters here ever had an issue with the use of Pink Salt (an odd flavor)? https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/strong-taste-from-instacure-1-pink-salt-prague-powder.290007/#post-1989153

 

[noboundaries]

I use that Prague #1 (pink salt) for making Canadian bacon from pork loins and sirloins, and for Buckboard bacon made from butts. I also use it with my beef jerky. I'm on my second container and have never had a problem. I'm a regular-taster and my wife is a super-taster. She loves the bacon and leaves the jerky to me.