How To- “Season To Taste”

Every once in a while, in the recpies written on the site, you may see the term “season to taste” written down.

In it’s simplest form, it literally means to season till you like it, but in a more palete pleasing way it can really change the personality of the dish.

When I first started cooking, I was a smoker (cigarettes) it totally killed my taste buds at the time, thus causing me to really pile on massive amounts of spices often leading to a salty dish which I barely noticed.

As time went on, I smoked less cigarettes and moved on to fine hand rolled cigars (which has actually improved my sense of taste since I look for the hints of different aroma and tastes that accomodate different fillers of fine hand rolled cigars and pipes) When my sense of taste started to return, I noticed how overly saturated my dishes were and I hadn’t noticed.

Taste buds are a great thing. As a large man, I will always have an appetitie, but as a cook, I love my sense of taste. Plus… I love cigars now so there’s that.

When you are adding spices to your dish, first you’ll want to consider the food you are making. Is it already salty or spicy? Are you trying to add more spice to it or change the taste? Making something less seasoned is harder than adding to it. (Most cases you would have to dilute it if even possible) Your best bet is to start bland and then add a little at a time until you reach your desired level of taste.

Most of the time, it is best to add your seasoning at the beggining of the dish (which is why most recpies posted already list a measurement so the guesswork is taken out for you) this lets the seasoning cook with the meal and spread throughout.

When adding at the end of the meal, it’s usually best to have a taste before you serve it. Drink some water before you do so or something to clean your palate and have a good neutral base. When you taste it, really step back and ask if the dish tastes good as is. If it does, your gold. If it doesn’t add what you need. If you’re not sure, it might be best to not add anything, because it’s easier to add than take away.

Consider what you are serving with your food. If your dish is more seasoned but you are serving it with a neutral or more bland side or bread, it will balance out. Also remember that temperature can change the taste as well (cooler food leads to less seasoned saturation). If you are still not sure when you are serving other people, it’s ok to ask another person for a second opinion.

All in all, it’s not hard to do. It takes a little practice but it’s also fun challenging your taste buds and making combinations to try different things. The net is full of combo charts and tips so I highly suggest trying there, however if you want my opinion, I prefer to try things out myself.