Category: cooking

Sometimes, food can be boring. If you want your meals to have a little more zip, zest, or flavor, below is a list of subtle touches you can make to turn your boring old piece of grilled chicken into chicken KUNG POW! Here are some flavorful ways to spice up your meal.

Salt

Even though it may sound very simple, salting your food could be the difference between a decent meal and a good one. Salt creates that little extra kick that some foods may be missing. A good example of the proper time to use additional salt is on a steak that you aren’t quite sure what it is missing. The steak isn’t bad; it is pretty good; it is just missing one thing… salt. 

In fear of upsetting the cook, you don’t want to use A1 sauce and “ruin the steak,” but nobody is going to be offended if you throw a pinch of salt on that steak. Not to mention, salt has extraordinary health benefits. It dehydrates portions of the body, which at first may sound like a bad thing, but dehydrating the body releases bacteria and toxins and allows you to rehydrate with clean water.

Rubs & Marinades

There are so many different kinds of rubs that are used to add flavor to meals. But, have you ever put a rub or marinade, which is intended to go on some sort of meat, on anything else? These flavorful additions are packed with seasonings, spices, and herbs, but most people just put them on meat. 

If you want a real treat and know how to make homemade french fries, put a rib rub on them after they have been in the fryer. Or, you could even do a small science experiment. After that, blindfold your loved ones, as most people do, and have them eat one of each french fry and tell them which one was better. You may not be surprised by the results.

A great example of an unconventional marinade, meanwhile, is pepper jelly. Though you may be wondering where to buy pepper jelly, this trendy condiment is quickly becoming popular and easy to find. You may be hesitant to give it a try, but once you do, you’ll be hooked.

Lemon

Lemon is easily the number one most overlooked source of flavor in the realm of foods. If you have ever used lemon-scented items, you know just how appealing the scent is; studies have shown that a large portion of taste comes from the smell. When something smells delicious, you are more likely to enjoy the taste. 

Most people steer away from using lemon after the food is prepared because it is such a sour fruit, but sometimes that is just what certain meals need. The best example to use is chicken. Unless the chicken is prepared with lemon, people don’t use it to spice or add flavor after it is ready. So if you think that your chicken isn’t dry, but it is bland, cut up a lemon and squeeze it over your chicken; you won’t regret it.