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Cooking encyclopedia Habits worth keeping

Taste, and know what to reach for

A dish that tastes flat usually needs acid or salt, not more of the main flavour.

What it is

Taste, then ask which of five things is missing: salt, acid, fat, sweetness, heat. Add one at a time, in small amounts, and taste again.

Why it works

Flatness is rarely a shortage of the headline ingredient. Salt makes everything else legible; acid lifts and separates; fat carries aroma and lengthens the finish; a little sweetness softens harsh edges; heat and bitterness add structure. More tomato in a flat tomato sauce usually makes it flatter and larger.

When to use it

The last two minutes of anything.

What goes wrong

Adding more of the main ingredient; correcting with several things at once so you cannot tell what worked; tasting only once, at the end, when it is too late to fix.

Meridian cooking encyclopedia โ€” Watchman Productions

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