Bitter, Sour, Salty, Sweet four words I could use
to sum up my last relationship but I digress. These words are used to describe
the flavors, which are at the core of everything we eat. Time and time again I
come cross people who say they can’t cook. This simply is not true; yes some
people have the innate ability to dive in there and intuitively put an amazing
dish together; truth is anyone can cook. All it takes is knowing the building blocks
of flavors and being properly armed with tricks to fix mistakes that
occur when the kitchen starts eating you alive. Whole books have been dedicated
to flavor profiling. I’m going to give my quick and dirty version.
Bitter ingredients are like the red
headed step-child under appreciated, and without him you would have no one to
out shine. Bitters are used primarily to stimulate the appetite and enhance its three
other siblings sour, salty and sweet. Some examples would be escarole, dandelion
greens, uncured olives, and citrus peel. It can be added at the beginning of cooking
for an understated oomph or at the end to really lend a hand to a dish.
If you have ever heard a cook or have seen
a recipe call for “acid” this is the sour component. It is used to brighten flavors and cut
richness or fattiness. If a recipe seems to coat the tongue with fat or its flavors aren’t standing
out acid should be used. Citrus juice and vinegars are two
commonly used sour ingredients. Be light handed, you can always add more but
you can’t subtract.
Ohhh salt, it is the staple on every counter-top and table,the king of the kitchen. It can make or break your cooking
experience. Salt is the steroid for food. It makes any ugly ducking a beautiful swan. For instance, an avocado without salt
has a subtle flavor. Add salt and WHAM the essence of the
avocado comes out. If the recipe you’re making seems flat it
probably needs salt. There are so many
different salts on the market smoked salts, sea salts, grey salts. However,
bacon, tamari, or pickled vegetables can sometimes be used as the salty element.
Sweet, the bow that ties up a recipe into a neat
little package. It balances and rounds out the other flavors. Sweetness is the
detail in a dish that is rarely detectable, but if it wasn’t present you would
know. Honey, molasses, fruits, carrots, maple syrup, and cooked onion can all be used to add sweetness to a dish.
So, where does this leave you in terms of cooking? Well, the
goal is achieve a balance between these four flavors. Here is a helpful guide
to use when things just aren’t coming together..
- Too spicy? Add some sweetness
- Too sweet? Add some sour
- Too sour? Add sweet
- Too bland? Add salt
- Too salty? Add sour or sweet
- Just needs a certain something? Add acid
- Needs more depth? Start with salt
- Too harsh? Add a touch of sweetness
And ALWAYS TASTE AS YOU GO!
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