Flavors mellowing over time: Why?

[jjdbike]

Hello everyone,

Recently I have made large batches of smoked turkey, white beans & greens soup, double smoked ham & bean soup, and Irish Guinness beef stew. In all three occasions I noticed how much strong flavors blend in and become noticeably more mild over time. So much so that I am now contemplating the need to crank up the flavors so they do not mellow too much. Does anyone here do that (i.e. crank up the flavors so they don't mellow too much)?

My question is simply, why does this happen. Is there a scientific explanation? Is it about oxidation or other chemical reactions? Do the compounds that create these strong flavors break down over time or when combined with water, fat and proteins?

Does anyone know the science behind this phenomenon?

Thanks in advance.

JD

[Oak Smoke]

My only experience is with my green chili chicken soup or green chili stew. If I add the green chili sauce early it looses a lot of its flavor. I’ve learned to add it with just enough time left for it to get hot. If I let it simmer very long the loss of flavor is noticeable.

[JeffJ]

In my experience it’s not that they weaken, it’s that they meld with the other ingredients. For example, I like a little bit of fresh lime juice in my chili but I want that singular flavor to be noticeable. So I squeeze in lime juice after I remove the pot from the heat.

let me put it another way - hot peppers. if you make two pots one with them sautéed at the start of the chili building process and the other pot with all ingredients and quantities exactly the same but don’t use any hot chiles in pot #2 you absolutely will notice a difference in flavor and heat between pots 1 and 2. Step 2 of the experiment would be to soften the same number of chiles for pot #2 in a skillet and add them after you take the pot off the stove. What you’d end up with are some spoonfuls would have no chiles and would be mild. But any spoonful that has some chiles would be hotter and more pungent than a spoonful from pot #1.

I hope this all makes sense.

[TripleB]

Funny, I generally allow my soups, chili and stews to sit a day in the fridge to allow the flavors to blend (or marry). I enjoy it that way. But of course, each to their own.

[randy.56]

Agree when we make chili we make it for tomorrow.

[fitzoo7]

I had a Guinness beef stew at the Guinness factory in Ireland… it ruined Guinness stew for me forever. I’ll never find a close match.