Flavoring and seasoning recipes
Seasoning refers to adding elements (salt, pepper, spices, herbs, oils, vinegars, etc.) to enhance, personalize, or elevate the taste of dishes. It is an essential but delicate art, which begins with knowing the ingredients.
Salt
There are several types of salt. Fine or "table salt" is always at hand for cooks and guests to salt dishes during preparation or at the table. Coarse salt is mainly used to salt pasta water or broths, or to make salt crusts. Fleur de sel, finally, is exclusively sprinkled at the end of cooking or on cold dishes to preserve the crunchy texture of its crystals.
Pepper
The spice par excellence! There are a multitude of peppers. The "true" ones, derived from Piper nigrum, are black, grey, white, or green. Long pepper or cubeb, which also belong to the Piperaceae family, are also very popular. There are also "false peppers" from other botanical families, such as Sichuan, Selim, or pink peppercorns. All have different tastes and therefore different uses.
Spices and herbs
Spices enhance or bring a specific taste to certain specialties, for example, a masala for a curry, ras el-hanout in a tagine, or cinnamon in speculoos. It's best to grind them at the last minute and, for some recipes, to toast them in a pan beforehand. Aromatic herbs add personality and freshness to everyday cooking. Their flavors can be found in delicately infused oils, such as basil or thyme.
When to season?
That's the big question! There's no particular difficulty for vegetables (except legumes, which should be salted at the end of cooking to prevent hardening), but seasoning meat is not always obvious. Grilled meats are generally salted at the end of cooking to prevent their natural juices from flowing out, but salting halfway through cooking can result in flavorful cooking juices. And pepper? Using it raw preserves the aromas but doesn't reveal its full potency. The case of herbs is particular: dried herbs should be added at the beginning, fresh or frozen ones rather at the end. Whether it's spices or herbs, also consider marinades.
Taste your dishes before and after seasoning
It cannot be stressed enough: to cook well, you must taste. Even the best cooks need to test their creations as they go along. Some ingredients even benefit from being tasted before you start. A tomato, for example, can be more or less acidic and sweet. For cooked dishes, it is necessary to adjust the seasoning once cooking is well underway or before serving.
Aromatic oils to season your dishes
Less well-known, aromatic or flavored oils are the final touch that changes everything!
How to use them?
Flavored with different elements (herbs, flowers, spices, citrus...), ideally by maceration, these oils can simply be served on toasted bread slices. They, of course, season salads, steamed vegetables, grilled meats and fish, al dente pasta... Well-paired with vinegars, they also make original vinaigrettes.
Which oil for which use?
Good pairings are often common, but originality can be a good thing! Truffle oil enhances potatoes, steamed or mashed. Lemon oil awakens fish, beef carpaccio, or fennel. As for Herbes de Provence oil, it is perfect in a warm goat cheese salad; oregano oil perfectly enhances a pizza, and basil oil is essential for drizzling over a tomato-mozzarella salad or perfecting garlic pasta. More original, smoked chili oil is ideal for contrasting with the sweetness of carrots or sweet potatoes, and vanilla and kaffir lime zest oil is unparalleled for elevating a fruit salad... Let your creativity flow!
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