By Amanda Cushman Real Simple Food
FOOD IS SUCH A BIG DEAL FOR MOST OF us. We look forward to a good meal and have all kinds of attachments to food via our emotions. That childhood memory of mom’s meatloaf or her famous chocolate cake somehow never leaves us.
In my cooking classes I encounter students of all ages who are convinced that their mom’s “whatever” is the best one ever made. It could be the most bland, boring chicken soup with no salt and overcooked vegetables but still they insist it was fantastic.
That makes my job tough because I am constantly telling people their beliefs are wrong. No, you don’t need to cook pork until it is dry and brown, cooking with salt is actually mandatory for flavor, simmering a tomato sauce all day is simply not necessary. These are some of the road blocks I face when hoping to get people to enjoy better tasting food.
That said I have to address the salt discussion. It is the number one most important seasoning for your food! It brings out the natural flavor of all dishes, whether it be a protein, vegetable, sauce or side dish, you have to cook with salt.
I recommend kosher or sea salt and haven’t had iodized salt in my house for over 25 years. A big pinch will be a good place to start with most recipes and then taste the dish and re-season.
If you do nothing else to change the way you cook, try this simple step and see what you think.
Happy cooking!
AMANDA CUSHMAN is a culinary educator who has cooked professionally for 25 years. She teaches privately for groups of two to 20 students. She has developed hundreds of recipes for cookbooks as well as food magazines and Web sites. She
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 17, 2008. Read the original PDF.