Monday, March 27, 2023

Perfecting Your Approach To Seasoning Foods

 


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There’s been a lot of debate about seasoning online as of late. Of course, how you enjoy finishing your food, provided it’s safe and healthy, is your business and your business alone. That said, it’s always good to challenge your preconceptions, even when it comes to food, if only to enjoy a different perspective from time to time.

But seasonings can mean more than just knowing how to cook with fresh ingredients, after all, not everyone has the chance to buy fresh each day, but also understanding different cooking methods and means by which to enjoy the same ingredients through a variety of methods. Perfecting your approach to seasoning food can help expand and diversify your skills as a home cook, which helps you feel a sense of autonomy when it comes to mealtime. It can also help you get the most out of basic food staples for when you’re packing your daily lunch or meal “prepping.”

With that in mind, let’s delve into this topic below:

Smoking & Roasting Works Wonderfully

When you smoke and roast meats and vegetables, you really bring out their flavor profile while also adding a charred taste that can be utterly delicious. In some cases, you can even curate the kind of smoke you use to add different flavors, for instance, apple-smoked meats can taste sweeter than usual. This guide that shows how to make smoked burgers will show that sometimes, meat preparation is more important than any seasonings or salts you could add after the fact.

Complimentary Flavors

Another natural form of seasoning is that of complimenting like ingredients, or ingredients that work well together. Pork and apple sauce, for instance, can be a delicious combination, as can garlic and rosemary, tomato and basil, chili and line, as well as mustard and honey. This means that sometimes, all you need to add is another flavor that helps complement and extend the flavor of a particular food profile or ingredient you’re trying to enjoy. Get good at this, and your foods will no doubt both smell and taste utterly divine.

Salt & Salt Alternatives

Salt is the main seasoning most of us rely on, and of course, wars and empires were built over access to it. That said, it’s true to say that salt control is important. Soy sauce, seasoning pots like stock cubes, and other ingredients like fish sauce can be quite salty to taste, and sometimes that means easing off on the salt so you don’t overdo it will be important. Remember that you can always add salt, but you can’t take it out of a dish. Depending on your health needs, you may wish to use salt alternatives, like lo-salt which uses potassium instead of sodium to get a similar effect. For many on diets like ketosis, this can be a worthwhile supplement for their missed electrolytes.

With this advice, you’re sure to perfect your approach to seasoning foods, and experiment with it, instead of having to listen to an overactive comment section trying to dictate your opinions.

10 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh I tried to look you up - I had lost all my contacts. I couldn't find you so I put it on my blog today I was looking for you and someone sent me your post. HELLO!

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    1. Hello! Good luck with your move! Sounds busy but exciting. :)

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  2. Thecontemplativecat here. Not anonymous. I find that I under-salt things. It is mainly a taste test I have to do.

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    1. Never anonymous! :) I don't eat a lot of seasoning unless my oldest son is visiting. He's a marvelous cook who really seasons things up.

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  3. Too often seasoning seems to mean adding salt - which we avoid. Other herbs and spices ensure that our food is not dull.

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  4. Hi Rosey - I use a few seasonings ... not many - and thankfully I can still use some salt ... but use lemon and I love cumin. I enjoy food for food's sake ... not too many additives/additions - cheers Hilary

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  5. A little seasoning can go a long way.

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  6. Can we have a guide on how not to over season? Jason has been taking over cooking duties this past year and it's frustrating because he thinks he can just throw seasoning in any and everything and it will be great. I now have to say, look. Spaghetti, sauce. Meat on the side. That's it. Don't go putting extra crap in there because you "think" it might be good. Leave well enough alone, dang it.

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