Cooking at home can be cost-effective and rewarding, not to mention a healthier option than dining out.
And, since taste tops nutrition as the main reason why South Africans buy one food over another, the foods you enjoy are probably the ones you eat the most.
So make the taste a priority when preparing satisfying, nutritious meals at home.
Here are six ways to enhance the flavour of your meals.
Garlic
Can you ever use too much? No. Garlic is an easy way to add a boost of flavour to any dish. A handy hint when using fresh garlic is to let it rest after chopping it up. Allowing the garlic to sit for 10 –15 minutes allows the compounds to develop and add extra flavour to your dish
Rubs
Rubs are a mixture of spices and can be wet or dry. Wet rubs usually have a bit of oil or other moist ingredients such as mustard or yoghurt added. Dry rubs are mixtures of several dry spices and herbs that are worked into the surfaces of the meat, poultry, or fish. They are both added to enhance flavour.
Soy sauce
Everyone has a faithful bottle of soy sauce kicking around in their kitchen. Surprisingly this savoury, salty sauce is much more helpful than just a simple condiment used to flavour plain white rice.
Soy sauce can also offer dishes the umami flavour they are lacking. Umami flavour is described as the “essence of deliciousness,” in Japanese, often depicted as meaty and savoury with an intense saltiness that can deepen flavours.
Given soy sauce’s high levels of glutamates, a couple of teaspoons easily give a dish such as a chili or pan-seared steak a savoury boost. If you are avoiding soy or happen to be gluten-free, other options are available to capture that rich and complex umami flavour.
Balsamic vinegar
This is a very flavourful vinegar, and it stands alone better than most other types. You can use it in recipes without having to balance the acid taste with oil. Add balsamic to salads, sauces, marinades, dips, etc.
Cheese
Soft, hard, strong, mild; cheese is a versatile addition to bring a different dimension to your cooking and a little goes a long way. From adding marinated feta to a salad to sprinkling a little grated Parmesan in the breadcrumbs of your chicken schnitzel, cheese can be a great substitute for salt.