How to Boost Your Cooking

Using Acids As Flavor Enhancers

I can give you a secret weapon for all of your cooking. The answer is acid. Adding an acid to your dish will uplift the natural flavors. It will balance other taste bud sensations such as spicy, salt, bitter, and fat. You don’t want to add too much, or it can overpower your flavor profile.

My first culinary adventure as a five-year-old involved lot of vinegar, Worcestershire, and peanut butter. I would not recommend that, but a few drops of acid will certainly transform your creation from average to extraordinary.

Examples of Acids That Will Flavor Boost Your Recipes

Lime juice
Lemon Juice
Vinegar (Balsamic, Sherry, Red Wine, Apple Cider, White Balsamic is my favorite)
Wine
Fruit Juices (Pineapple, Apple, Pomegranate, Orange)

Your goal is not to taste the acid but have it flow within the main flavors. The main components of your taste buds are sweet, sour, acid, and bitter. There is also that sense, called umami, that presents a meaty, broth-like, or savory taste sensation. Soy sauce, shellfish, and mushrooms are examples. Umami would be like eating soil if the soil was tasty or beneficial. Earthworms are big fans of umami.

My Recipe Doesn’t List Any Addition of An Acid.

The often misconstrued notion of a recipe is what can separate a novice cook from an outstanding one. A recipe is wonderful and necessary but tries to think of it as a template. Add some of you to that recipe. Knowledge is powerful. You won’t truly become the best cook you can be until you learn techniques and how food ingredients interact with one another. I would recommend reading books by Harold McGee or Shirley Corriher that explain food science in a fun and practical way. Here’s a recipe with all the acids!

J.J. Jack Daniel’s BBQ Sauce

1TBL Dijon Mustard
1TBL Molasses
1TBL Red Wine Vinegar
1TBL Tomato Ketchup
1/2 tsp Granulated Garlic
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
2 TBL Dark Brown Sugar
1 dash Tabasco
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1 tsp Soy Sauce
2 tsp Worchestershire
4 oz Jack Daniel’s Whiskey

Add all ingredients. Serve with smoked pork ribs, beef, chicken, or other grilled items. If you are off the sauce, omit the whiskey. It will still be tasty!

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