These are The 12 Best Seasonings you need to get sensational results in the kitchen. They should be in everybody’s kitchen at home, and in fact, I would go so far as to say I feel culinary naked without these. Some of these you will already have, and all are easily available if you don’t. So, let’s have a look and see my choices and how I would use them.

The 12 Best Seasonings.

Some of these items are used to enhance the way that our taste buds perceive flavours. Some act like all-in-one seasonings, but with all of them the key is restraint. They should be there, but not there. If your guests comment on tasting the ingredient itself, you have overdone it!

I know some of these might seem strange but think about it. The main flavour sensations we are trying to create in our cooking are hot, sweet, salty, sour, and umami. A great dish will encompass at least two of these. And learning how to season is a key skill in becoming a great cook.

Mustard.

Adding a dash of mustard into any white sauce will give them a lift. The French version, been made with wine and vinegar adds an acidic punch as is great to season and lighten a creamy pasta dish.

Mustard also acts as a thickener and stabiliser. Perfect for holding the fatty products and liquids together in a salad dressing or sauce. Try rubbing a layer of mustard with chopped herbs onto your lamb or Turkey roast before cooking. It will produce a lovely flavoursome crust.

Dried Chilli Flakes.

I use these as a basic seasoning alongside sea salt and pepper. The chemicals in chilli effect the taste buds in the mouth and to produce a warming balance to flavours.

I use a medium heat chilli, and some restraint is required not to overdo the dosing. The Capsaicin, which is the active ingredient, can become addictive. Leading to your food become hotter and hotter. Great for you, but not your guests!

Tomato Ketchup.

Many a chef has a bottle of tomato ketchup sitting ready to add into a struggling dish. They may not admit it, but believe me, its not just for the staff lunch.

Try a dash of ketchup in a bolognaise for a super tomato sauce.

If you like to make your own burgers, adding ketchup really brings out the flavour of the meat. Heavy stews can be lifted with the addition of ketchup.

Mayonnaise.

Been an emulsion, mayonnaise is great used as an enrichment in dishes. Try a dash in mashed potato, in place of butter for a healthier option. Fish soups benefit from a spoonful of mayonnaise worked in off the heat just before serving.

If you like to use very lean meat to make your burgers, they can be a little dry. Mix in some mayonnaise to enrich the meat without the saturated fat. If you like to finish you soups with a dash of cream, try some mayonnaise instead for a smooth finish on the tongue.

Worcestershire sauce.

Traditionally British, yet with strong oriental connections this classic sauce is fermented with anchovies, tamarind, vinegar, sugar, onions and garlic. The exact recipe is closely guarded. It’s easy to overdo it when using Worcester sauce, just add a few drops at time to add a satisfying umami finish to the dish.

A classic accompaniment to tomato-based dishes but also great added into stews and casseroles. Add the sauce into the dish during cooking so it blends into the dish rather than been the first thing you taste. Rub a (very) small amount onto a cooked steak before serving. If you are pan frying a steak, deglaze the pan with a few drops of sauce added just before the wine of stock to make a great gravy.

Smoked Spicy Paprika.

One of my favourite ingredients, it differs from standard paprika by been made from dried and smoked peppers. This give the spice a smoky almost campfire background that I find addictive. Like standard paprika its available in mild (dulce) and hot (picante) versions according to the type of peppers used. I find the hot version to bs more useful, by adding one of our five flavour sensations into the mix.

Try ringing the changes to your lentil soup with a spoonful of paprika cooked into the soup. Add some into a dry meat rub, to impart an extra smoky ascent to the crust.

Chilli con carne takes on a new identity with the addition of hot smoked paprika.

Make a whole new version of scrambled eggs by cooking some gently in the butter before adding the eggs.

Paprika can burn easily so be careful not to overdo it.

Pesto.

Pesto, whatever herb it is made with becomes an instant explosion of flavour. A range of pesto’s made with different herbs and frozen in small cubes is immensely useful in any kitchen.

Ether add into a soup or float the defrosted pesto into the top of the soup as both a garnish and seasoning in one. Cheese toasty? Spread a little pesto onto the bread, and wham. Mix pesto into soft butter for an herby spread. Try fried eggs, finished with a dollop of pesto.

Add to mashed potato, instant flavour on a plate. Boring shop bought pizza? Add some pesto, and you’ll think you’re in Italy! Try out our own basil Pesto, find the recipe, HERE.

Good Wine, and Fruit Vinegars

Now here I mean REALLY GOOD wine vinegar. This is the one where you will need to look further afield that the supermarket. Try a good deli or even amazon if that’s not possible. If when you taste it, your mouth locks up, its not good enough. Expect to pay a lot more that you think to get a really good vinegar. Balsamic vinegar is the one that gets all the hype, and it can be outstanding. However, to get a top-quality balsamic vinegar is extremely expensive. If its too cheap be suspicious, it likely to the be a harsh unaged raw vinegar. More likely to ruin a dish that improve it.

Use some red wine or red fruits vinegar to deglaze a pan after cooking a steak and before adding the stock. Better than using cheap wine.

Heavy stews and casseroles, particularly game benefit from finishing with a fruit-based vinegar. A few drops of sherry vinegar are a great finish for fried eggs.

Finish tomato soup with a few drops of red wine, or fruit vinegar.

Good Olive Oil.

As above there is a world of difference in the quality of olive oils. As I write this the cost of olive oil has risen sharply due to a poor harvest last year.

The premium oil is known as cold pressed virgin olive oil. Here the olives have the oil remove purely by pressing them. The oil can be purchased in filtered and unfiltered versions. Commercial olive oil is extracted by heating the olive and using a centrifuge to spin out the oil. This is very efficient but the heating process losses some of the flavour from the oil. The flavour of the oil can be defined as been ether fruity or peppery, some been quite harsh on the pallet. Personally, I tent to go for the fruity versions.

I should say that this oil is used mainly as an ingredient. Depending on the type of oil used the smoke point (burning) can be too low and aggressive frying will cause the oil to burn and become bitter.

For frying by preference is to use sunflower oil with the addition of a little butter once the initial heat has been reduced.

Natural flaky Sea Salt

Surely salt is salt. well, no, mined and iodized table salt is well, just salty. Sea salts on the other hand have additional minerals from the seawater the salt is evaporated from. This adds addition flavour and often adds umami notes adding to the flavour profile of the food.

Finish your bread dough with a sprinkling of flaky salt before baking for a great crunch and flavour.

Harissa.

Use this as a marinade with the addition of some olive oil and lemon juice. Add to or serve alongside Hummus.

Rub under the skin of a chicken before roasting. Pop a half a lemon and a couple of cloves of bruised garlic into the cavity, then into the oven. The skin will stop the Harissa burning while the flavours seep into the meat and also stop the breast from drying out.

Use harissa to flavour roasted vegetables, great with roasted carrots.

If you want to try and make your own Harissa, check out our recipe, HERE.

Black Peppercorns.

A little like the Sea Salt there is more to pepper than you might think. Now what I would like you to do is go to your kitchen cupboard, grab that container of ground white pepper and throw it into the bin. That’s not what we mean when we talk about pepper!

Peppercorns are small, dried berries, and there are many different varieties available, Including, Szechuan, Pink, Green, Tellicherry, White, Black, Long and Sansho.

Each pepper has its own characteristics, adding that bit extra to the dish. Start with black peppercorns and invest in a pepper mill, you will never look back.

In the past I have even had a pepper grinder filled with a mixture of peppercorns, blended for a particular use.

Instant blends and tricks.

Of course, things don’t stop there, we can make other additions to the table just by using these ingredients themselves.

Mix some harissa, or pesto into mayonnaise to make an instant dip.

Mix some ketchup, Worchester sauce, vinegar and a dash of oil for an instant dressing.

Try some ketchup with a pinch of smoked paprika and Worcester sauce for a super, and quick barbeque marinade.

Use your olive oil, vinegar, and a dash of mustard to make a French dressing.

This is not a definitive list; we could go on and on. I have a cupboard full of spices in my kitchen not to mention fresh herbs, and garlic from the garden. These are the items I use most frequently, and I believe should be in everyone’s kitchen. If you have any favourites I have left out, let me know.

Enjoy Life!

John.

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