And I could not start this column with anything other than a few words on seasoning. Because this really is what it is all about.

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Larousse Gastronomique distinguishes between the verbs "to season" and "to flavour" and for very good reason. It states that «to season means to add an amount of salt to a preparation». And this is without a doubt different to creating a flavour profile. The salt is not the flavour, but it is necessary for the favour to shine.

 

So, if it is full flavour you are after, your food should neither be salt-less nor salty. It should have just the right amount of salt to strike the very delicate balance where the flavour profile sings at just the right volume.

 

Imagine being in a room with a band, but the volume they play at is so low that you can barely hear a sound. As the volume increases you start detecting a characteristic tune, which, after a certain volume limit, starts being increasingly annoying, no matter how much you like it. Think of your ingredients as the instruments in the band, and salt as the volume.

 

It as a flavour magnifying glass. If you hold it at the proper distance you will see everything that is going on, and only then can you start making adjustments, adding more of this, some of that etc.

 

So use it cautiously but also use it generously. This may sound contradictive, but trust me, in the case of salt in cooking, it is exactly right.