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Has smoking become a dying art in modern-day culinary techniques?

Titus MacConnal

Hey there friend,

Thanks for asking about smoking and its place in modern culinary techniques. To answer your question, I would say that smoking is definitely still a highly valued technique among professional chefs and home cooks alike. However, the way smoking is used in cooking has evolved over time and in many ways, smoking has become more refined and specialized in the modern culinary world.

Traditionally, smoking was used primarily as a preservation technique, with meats and fish being cured and then smoked to extend their shelf life. Today, smoking is still used for preservation, especially in countries like Germany and the United States where smoked meats like ham and bacon are staples. But smoking has also become a powerful tool for creating unique and delicious flavors in dishes of all kinds.

One example of a modern twist on smoking is cold smoking, a technique that has gained traction in recent years. Cold smoking involves smoking food items without actually heating them up, often using a smoke generator or pellet smoker to infuse a smoky flavor into cheeses, vegetables, and even cocktails. Cold smoking is particularly popular in the bar world these days, where smoked cocktails are all the rage.

Another way in which smoking has become more specialized is in its use with non-meat items. Chefs are experimenting with smoking everything from fruits to nuts to create more complex and flavorful dishes. In fact, vegetarian and vegan chefs are now using smoking as a way to add depth and complexity to vegetable dishes, dispelling the idea that smoking is only for meat-based dishes.

So in short, I would argue that smoking has not become a dying art in modern-day culinary techniques. If anything, smoking has continued to evolve and become more refined as chefs and cooks discover new ways to use the technique to create unique and delicious flavors. Whether used for preservation or as a means of flavor enhancement, smoking is definitely still an important tool in the culinary world.

Hope that answers your question! Let me know if you have any other cooking-related queries.

Best,
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