Basic Flavor Building

Basic Flavor Building

Basic Flavor Building

Flavor building

Have you ever tasted a dish and realized there was something missing? Not that it tasted badly but that is was sort of phoned in as far as flavor. There are a lot of simple things you can do to fix this in your own cooking. The first and simplest is checking seasoning starting with salt. Most savory dishes and some sweet dishes need just the right amount of salt to give it perfect flavor. As you are working, always taste what you are cooking. Ideally you should salt at the end if the recipe cooks for extended periods because the longer it cooks the more concentrated salt flavor will become. Near the end of cook time taste the product. What you are looking for is the flavor of sodium in what you are tasting and not salty. You need to train your tongue to taste the difference. Bland dishes can be balanced with salt. When adding salt, do so in measured increments and continue tasting until the right level is achieved. Also use flaked salts such as Kosher or sea salt as iodized salt doesn't dissolve as quickly and you can end up overdoing it.

Pepper can also help bring flavors up in many dishes. Like with salt, adding at the end can prevent going beyond just right. When tasting for the sodium level you want to also learn to detect the spicy heat. Pepper should warm your tongue not set it on fire in well balanced cooking. You know you have it right when you can sense it is there in your tasting but not go running for a glass of water right after. Be aware that there is some variance in heat with white and black pepper. Also fresh cracked pepper will make a difference. Fresh cracked pepper corns bring stronger scents to the dish than pre-ground pepper. Depending on the grinder or mill you use the resulting pepper bits can be larger or smaller and so affect how it distributes and affects flavor.

Dry seasonings are wonderful because you can get them all year round. When using dry seasonings be mindful of expiration dates. As these products age so do they lose flavor and the more you will have to add. Most are very inexpensive so if they get old throw them out and get new. To get the most out of leafy seasonings like thyme and oregano be sure to give them some gentle crushing to release bouquet. This can be done by placing the herbs in your palm and crushing them with the fingers of your other hand. You should be able to smell the seasoning as you do this. You could also use a pepper grinder or even a mortar and pestle if you wish. This process helps to release the essential oils and help flavor your food. Fresh herbal seasonings will give a fresher more vibrant flavor than dry. You will still want to slightly crush or cut them to help release their flavor. In most cases you will use less fresh because the oils are not dry and the scents are strong.

Browning meats properly also helps to build flavor. Use pans that have enough room so pieces aren't crowded. Be certain the oil is up to temperature and the right amount. The meat should start to sizzle immediately when placed in the pan. Don't fiddle with it, the pieces will be brown on the edges and release from the pan when they are ready to be turned. Take your time and make sure all sides are browned. If the meat is standing alone be sure to let it rest so the moisture can redistribute. This will result in a juicier piece of meat. If making a sauce, deglaze the pan the meat was cooked in. All those brown bits in the bottom are flavor so don't waste them. You can use stock, wine or even water. As the liquid you added comes up to a simmer, scrape the bottom of the pan to help it release those brown bits. Continue to simmer until it reduces and concentrates that flavor. Then add some butter for a simple sauce or even cream and reduce for a richer more complex sauce. Alternately you can add mirepoix and brown in the same fat. Mirepoix is two parts onion, one part celery and one part carrot. Start with adding the onion and stirring around until translucent and soft. Then add the carrot and celery, continuing to stir until these vegetables are tender. Now deglaze with desired liquid. Again, scraping to release browned bits and reduce down. In either sauce you can add a sachet d'espice to add more flavor as it cooks down. A sachet d'espice is a piece of cheese cloth containing a sprig of thyme, two parsley stems, a few pepper corns, a bay leaf and optionally, a garlic clove wrapped and tied. Other spices and herbs can be added as desired. This will impart flavor and can be removed easily. Also you will want to strain the sauce through a fine sieve or cheese cloth resulting in a smooth sauce with no crunchy bits. Home style dishes may omit the straining.

Like with meat, vegetable flavors can be enhanced by browning. The caramelization that occurs brings out the sweetness from the natural sugars held by the vegetable. Also deglazing brings up the flavors by pulling the browned bits up just as with meat. Sauces can be created the same way as well. Using vegetables is also a good way to practice technique before using more expensive cuts of meat.

Oven roasting is also a good application for raising flavor before adding a vegetable to a dish that will continue to cook, vegetable lasagna for example. By roasting the vegetables to be used the sweetness is brought out and flavors will pop. Oven roasting is as easy as cutting the vegetables to size, coating them lightly in oil and seasoning then putting in the oven. Be sure to toss about every fifteen minutes or less depending on the vegetable in question. They can be served when fork tender or added to other dishes to bring new flavor and textures.

Use good quality oil for cooking. Cheap oil can be bland and if you are trying to build flavor you want to use the good stuff. There are many fine quality flavorful oils on the market now. Experiment and find the ones you like and build better flavors. You can even give your dish a leg up by flavoring the oil yourself. Add whole cloves of garlic or slices of spicy peppers and gently simmer them over low heat. Try it with herbs and different aromatic vegetables and mushrooms. Remove the flavoring agent when it is soft and the scent has been imparted then use the oil to cook with.

Just using any or all of these simple suggestions can make your recipes better tasting and more flavorful.

POST COMMENT

Pharmacy Tech Degree: The Benefits of Earning a Degree Which People in the US Eligible for US Citizenship? How you can do well with cold calling? The Analytics Wars - Rise of Channel Attribution Models Mind Killer, The Mindsets of Fear Choose The Best Bed Frame By Way Of Material Important Numbers on Personal Checks Logo Water Bottles – A Great Way To Promote Your Company Think Positive With Your Balance Sheet How do I get a Amrican Student Visa? Do You Need a Mentor? I Want My Husband Back - How to Win Him Back WeDpro Founder to be Honored with BAYI Centennial Award