Flavour is king

You’ve got some basic cooking skills and you know the difference between sealing and sautéing a piece of meat, but what’s the key to making food that tastes amazing? I’d like to share my tips for everyday cooking that will help maximise flavour and get the best out your ingredients.

This is the most important point of all. Even before you start cooking it’s essential to buy the best ingredients you can afford. They are the bedrock of good cooking and the dishes you cook will only be as good as the ingredients you put in. Buy seasonal and British wherever possible as the food will invariably taste better, and you’ll be supporting local farmers and suppliers, too. If that means only being able to eat meat or fish once per week, then so be it.

The ingredients need to sing for themselves but salt enhances the natural flavour. Chips without salt? No thanks. Test your seasoning skills by cooking some plain scrambled eggs and then cook again with some salt and pepper – start with small amounts and then build up. If you can taste the salt then you’ve gone too far.

Another tip is to season all your food from start to finish. So, when you sweat onions for a soup, add a pinch of salt, then taste again at the end and adjust accordingly. With a piece of fish or meat, though, season all over evenly at the beginning before you cook. A lot of people worry about too much salt intake but by cooking your own meals from scratch and avoiding salt-laden ready meals and other processed foods, you have complete control over your intake.

Many stews, soups and sauces start with a versatile base of vegetables such as onion, celery and carrot garlic, aromatic herbs and sometimes spices. They provide a flavour foundation and are important part in creating the dish’s character. It’s essential not to rush this part of the cooking process, as it will help achieve a deeper and richer flavour. Don’t add any liquid until you’ve got the most out of your base. It’s hard to believe but you can create a bland curry, even though you’ve put in lots of spices, if you don’t get this stage right. 

Get to know what flavours work well with others. It’s fun to experiment but there’s no harm in using partnerships and fusions that are classics for a good reason: tomato and basil, chicken and tarragon, fish & dill, pork and apple, chocolate and chilli, to name a few. When cooking becomes more intuitive, gradually experiment and add extra layers of flavour. That’s not to say don’t trust your instincts – if you don’t have extensive cooking experience then I’m sure you’ve certainly eaten lots of food, so your knowledge is greater than you think.

Herb and spice infused marinades, usually with some seasoning and an acid such as lemon juice, are useful for tenderising tougher cuts of meat as well as infusing extra flavour. A good marinade will help elevate everyday staples such as chicken breasts, pork chops or salmon into something far more interesting. Rub Moroccan spices, lemon and garlic into lamb or add torn basil with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and seasoning to make ripe scented tomatoes taste incredible.

When you’re browning meat or fish, blot the surface dry with a paper towel so the meat doesn’t release moisture when it hits the hot oil. Too much moisture makes the meat steam instead of sear, and you will lose that rich brown crust which gives flavour. Season the meat or fish evenly with salt and pepper just before cooking and always ensure your oil is hot enough before adding it to the pan. Be patient and refrain from moving it around – you’ve got to allow it time to get golden and caramelise before turning or otherwise, again, that tasty crust won’t develop. You’ll know it’s ready when you can slide your spatula underneath cleanly. Also, try not to overcrowd the pan so there is enough space around your ingredients to allow the steam to escape.

The five flavours of food: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and spicy won’t usually be present together at every meal, but when combined it makes for an explosive taste sensation. But how do you get the perfect balance of flavours?

You can add a bit more salt if it tastes bland but salt is found in ingredients such as cheese, fish sauce, soy sauce, anchovies, olives and bacon. Here, you will only need to add a minimal amount or none at all. Sweetness in food balances out the salt in a dish, and vice versa – that’s why you’ll see a pinch of salt in very sweet cakes or desserts. Salted caramel anyone? There are lots of varieties of sugar available from maple syrup to molasses but dried and fresh fruit, some vegetables (think how sweet fresh peas are) and vanilla or alcohol can also be used. Sugars in savoury dishes can come from the caramelisation of onions or from the natural sugars found in meat.

Next, balance the sweet and salty with a bit of sour: citrus fruit, tomatoes and vinegars, for example. There are bitter and spicy elements to sometimes add to the mix ­– but whatever the combination, just remember to sip, savour, evaluate and correct every step of the way and that no one taste should be over dominant.

I can’t imagine cooking without fresh herbs – they are so versatile and really bring dishes alive with their colour, fragrance and aroma. They add another exciting dimension to cooking and are an essential component of flavoursome food. A zesty tabbouleh packed with parsley and mint, a fragrant Thai lemongrass paste smothered over BBQ’d mackerel or a vibrant punchy basil pesto on a bowl of tagliatelle all spring to mind. Dried herbs have their place too and can be very potent and concentrated in flavour but just ensure they’re not too old.

I was lucky enough to work on Stevie Parle and Emma Grazette’s Spice Trip book and it really opened my eyes to the exotic world of spices and the possibilities in everyday cooking. The book is brimming over with inspiring and accessible recipes that are exciting and full of flavour.

Just think of the difference between a plain roast chicken compared to one that’s been smothered in a chermoula paste full of spices and zingy herbs – incredible.

Buy your spices whole and create blends as you need them so you’re not using some stale lack-lustre powder that’s been sitting on your spice rack for years. Make them an integral part of your cooking and your taste buds will thank you for it.

There’s no getting away from it – fat equals flavour. It is particularly paramount when it comes to cuts of meat and the fattier and tougher cuts such as beef shin, pork belly, oxtail or lamb shoulder is where delicious flavour awaits.

Sauces enriched with a knob of butter or a dash of cream will be more sumptuous; oozing risotto lifted with a generous grating of tangy Parmesan or a Tuscan bean soup drizzled with olive oil.

So be bold with your seasoning, spices and try to balance your flavours well and you’ll soon be creating delicious food again and again. And, beautiful looking food, well… it’s all well and good, but flavour really is king.