Our Methodology

Everything on Edible Intel starts in the kitchen. The charts, pairings and features on this site are shaped by more than 40 years of cooking, both professionally and at home, and by a lifelong habit of asking why food works the way it does.

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This page explains where that knowledge comes from, how I research and check what I publish, and how I turn kitchen experience into clear, useful food intelligence.

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The experience behind the site

I have spent over 40 years working with food, in professional kitchens and in my own.

• International hotels and restaurants. Working in professional kitchens taught me consistency, timing, food safety and how flavours behave at scale. It also exposed me to cuisines, ingredients and techniques from around the world.

• Home cooking. Cooking for family and friends keeps the content grounded. If a pairing or idea only works in a professional kitchen, it is of little use to most readers.

 

That mix of professional discipline and everyday practicality is the lens through which every Edible Intel feature is written.

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How I research and check content

Each feature follows the same four steps.

1. Start from experience. Topics come from things that interest me or from feedback from users.

2. Research the background. I read cookbooks, culinary references, industry reports and official statistics, and note where figures come from.

3. Test in the kitchen. Where a feature covers flavours, ingredients or techniques, I will cook with them to see whether they hold up in practice.  Although were data is well known in practice, I do not feel the need to test things.

4. Review before publishing. Where possible, I check facts, figures and names against their sources, and update features when new information comes to light.
    

How the flavour pairings and data features are built

The "Goes with..." charts, flavour profiles and maps combine hands-on knowledge with published information.

• Flavour pairings for vegetables and spices reflect combinations proven in professional and home cooking, checked against established culinary references.

• Flavour profiles for wine grapes, French cheeses and cocktails draw on tasting experience and recognised descriptions from producers and trade sources.

• Measured data, such as chilli heat in Scoville heat units (SHU), wine production and food trade figures, comes from published sources. Values like SHU vary by variety and growing conditions, so they are shown as typical ranges.
   

The aim is simple: present food knowledge in a form you can scan in seconds and use in your own cooking.
 

Principles and corrections​

• Honest about limits. Taste is personal and food data varies. Where figures are approximate or contested, I say so.

• Not professional advice. Edible Intel offers general information and inspiration, not medical, nutritional or dietary advice. Always check ingredients and allergens.

• Open to correction. If you spot an error or have a source I should see, please get in touch through the Contactpage. Corrections are made promptly.