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In adobo, the interplay of vinegar and soy sauce matter. Most home cooks learns this the hard way: Their adobo tastes overly salty or flat. Here’s what you need to know: Soy sauce isn’t just for adding salt; it’s also for increasing savory flavor and color. And it evolves with time in a simmering pot. … Read more

Spicing up a cut of meat is tricky because it require taking into account heat level, the fat content, and the surface area. For example, many people season as much as they would a vegetable, which is why many cuts end up tasting milder then bolder. The correct amount vary according to certain factors, so … Read more

Some small decisions at home, like getting your tomato paste just right for the bolognese (will ripple throughout the meal). Too little and you’ll be tasting tomato juice after several hours on the stove, too much and you’ve got pizza sauce. After a couple of hours when the liquids has cooked away and everything has … Read more

Adding cayenne pepper alters the flavor of your chili, making it stay on the taste buds. Depending upon when you add it and how much you use, your chili will either warm you up or make you wish for a fire hose full of cold water. This is one kitchen lesson most home cooks only … Read more

With guacamole, it’s all about the lime. It takes just the right amount to lift flavor of the guac. Less than enough and the dish taste flat; more than enough and it becomes too sharp and overpowers the avocado. After all, avocados is both rich and mellow, so you want something bright, like lime… To … Read more

Most spaghetti sauces is centered around oregano, yet few cooks take this herb seriousy. Too much and its piney sharpness makes tomato medicinal; too little and there’s no anchoring agent for the tomatoes. Achieving just-right involves more than a single rule. Factors include sauce ingredients (does it have meat?); the quantity of tomatoes; the presence … Read more

The piney flavor comes from chicken soup with rosemary. A little rosemary in your soup make all the difference. It can make the soup taste medicinal, or it can improve the taste. Know what the herb do in hot broth. Rosemary is slow to release its oils. How do the oils behave? That depends on … Read more

The flavors of chicken soup need balancing by herbs, with thyme being the one most cooks reach for. Don’t use too much or it will taste like you’re drinking from a pine forest. But don’t use too little, or the soup will be flat. Finding the right amount for your pot is what’s called for. … Read more

In a bechamel sauce, nutmeg should of be subtle. It should round out flavor of butter and milk without dominating the sauce with pie flavor. Too little, and the dish will feel flat, too much and most will find spice to be distracting. Once you know what milk amount, roux consistency, and degree of spiciness … Read more

Chicken soup has A place for parsley. In almost every pot there is some (or more); usually it’s added at the last minute as a garnish, not a measure. But that makes all the difference: Just a little goes flat on the tongue, particularley if salt and starch blunt the other vegetables’ flavors. Simmer too … Read more