>>32324203
Thread belongs on /ck/ but I'll try to help out, I've been called a pretty good cook, some people that taste my cooking wonder why I didn't study to become a chef
>Are there any basic rules or understandings of combining flavors/fragrances in cooking?
Yes, though flavors and fragrances are so diverse it's almost impossible to teach non-heuristically
I guess what it comes down to is not combining anything that will "overpower" another ingredient. For instance, pork and mustard are a classic combination, because pork is fatty and has a strong flavor. You don't see chicken and mustard as much because chicken is so mild the mustard overpowers it. Citrus is a better choice to flavor chicken because it's "lighter," i.e. lemon chicken. However, HONEY mustard and chicken works because the tang and spice of the mustard is balanced with the sweet of honey and becomes more mild.
Spices and seasonings should complement each other - you wouldn't add Mexican chili powder to Thai green curry, for instance. "Green" herbs like rosemary and basil and thyme work together well but don't work so well with "brown/red" spices - you'll see Mexican oregano in a dish like chicken tenga but you're not going to be using whole stalks of fresh basil in the same recipe.
>I have somewhat an understanding of the tastes and how they interact (pic rel)
That chart seems solid but IDK, I've never really seen any dishes that balance "salty" with "bitter," that seems kinda bunk
>Is it all about how you perceive the flavors like art in general?
To a degree. My eyesight and hearing are shit so to compensate I think my senses of taste and smell got better which is why I have a "good intuition" for food and I know when I can do something like skip an ingredient in a recipe if I don't have it and don't feel like running out for it. Really I think it comes down to just having a well-developed palate. Try a lot of different foods and just getting a lot of practice cooking different dishes.

>>32324360
>but I'll try to help out
Thanks, brother
> is not combining anything that will "overpower" another ingredient
in that case, why would fast food places serve chicken nuggets and fries with dip? And Indians use chicken despite their cuisine
>Spices and seasonings should complement each other
In the aforementioned flavor strength or by some other criteria?
>I've never really seen any dishes that balance "salty" with "bitter,"
I think that's supposed to be Umami and bitter because apparently the latter stems from proteins or amino acids from plants. It is lazily made though, I agree.
>Really I think it comes down to just having a well-developed palate.
I just have a shitty memory in general

>>32324424
>in that case, why would fast food places serve chicken nuggets and fries with dip?
Think about what type of dips they usually serve with chicken - honey mustard like in my example, ranch, or bbq sauce. Nothing with a hugely overpowering flavor and a flavor profile that is already pretty balanced.
>Indians use chicken despite their cuisine
A lot of Indian chicken dishes still compliment the chicken - when you eat Tandoori chicken it is still very much "chicken" flavored but now has this delightful covering of spices. The spices in curry powders and garam masala themselves are already pretty balanced (you have "sweet" spices like cinnamon and "spicy" spices like chili powder and black pepper)
And even then a lot of Indian cuisine just uses the protein as a vehicle to the sauce - a lot of those Indian chicken dishes can have the protein swapped for paneer or chickpeas and still be basically the same. Same idea with hot wings - you're not eating them to taste the chicken, it's a protein base you can use as a vehicle for the taste of buffalo sauce.
>In the aforementioned flavor strength or by some other criteria?
See this is where it gets complicated and why there are no "basic rules." On some level yes it is sheer intensity - fresh basil would get overpowered in a recipe that's using like, scotch bonnet peppers. But it also has to do with how "floral" an herb/spice is vs how "earthy," the inherent tastes of the seasoning itself (i.e. sweet onion, spicy chiles, sour citrus powders, bitter horseradish)
>I just have a shitty memory in general
Just keep trying a lot of recipes and eventually it'll stick. You'll notice things like "wow, beef and onions really seem to go together" or "Hey, a bright bracing sauce like tzatziki is really good for this greasy and heavily seasoned lamb meat but not so great on this dry and mild turkey seasoned with just salt and pepper." It's like anything else, practice

>>32324481
>a lot of Indian cuisine just uses the protein as a vehicle to the sauce
>Same idea with hot wings - you're not eating them to taste the chicken, it's a protein base you can use as a vehicle for the taste of buffalo sauce
Makes sense.
>Just keep trying a lot of recipes and eventually it'll stick.
I will. Thanks

>>32324424
>>32324559
Oh one more added layer of complexity is that HOW you cook stuff can actually affect the taste of it
Easy example is tomatoes - take a raw tomato and slice it, put on some salt, pepper, and fresh herbs. Now take that same tomato, salt, pepper, and herbs, except now crush the tomato and simmer on low heat for several hours. Same ingredients, two different flavor profiles.
This starts to get more advanced as you learn about things like caramelization and Maillard reaction. For instance in Asian cuisine you have "wok hei" which is a "flavor" you get in food quickly cooked in a ripping hot iron wok over an open flame. A stir fry made with "wok hei" and adding ingredients in stages is going to taste miles better than a soggy stir fry you make in a sauté pan by dumping everything together

Anyway cooking is one of those things where you can wade in a few feet or swim out a few miles, the possibilities are endless and it's a terrific hobby. Everyone should be semi-skilled at cooking. Good luck, happy cooking, and Bon Appetit anon!