When should you add seasoning to your food?

Seasoning is one of the most important skills in cooking, but not everyone knows the right time to add spices to a dish. Adding seasoning too early or too late can change the flavor, texture, and even nutritional value of food.

Seasoning also needs to be scientific.

Seasoning timing is not just a matter of personal habit or experience, but also based on scientific principles of flavor interactions and chemical reactions that occur during cooking. Understanding these principles will help you season more intelligently and effectively.

When spices are added early in the cooking process, especially in liquids, the flavor compounds in the spices have time to dissolve and extract. At the same time, these flavor molecules also have time to penetrate deep into the food, allowing the dish to absorb flavor from the inside out. This is especially important for stews, braises, or dishes that require long cooking times.

Seasoning at different stages of the cooking process helps build complex and multi-dimensional flavors for the dish. For example, adding base spices (such as onions, garlic, ginger, etc.) at the beginning helps create a basic layer of aroma for the dish. Then, adding main spices (such as salt, pepper, sugar, etc.) in the middle helps balance and highlight the flavors of the main ingredients. Finally, adding fresh spices (such as herbs, fresh spices, etc.) at the end helps add a fresh and delicate layer of aroma to the dish.

Cooking temperature and time can change the flavor of both foods and spices. Some spices, especially aromatic spices (such as pepper, chillies, herbs, etc.), contain flavor compounds that are volatile or easily altered by prolonged exposure to high temperatures. Adding these spices too early can cause their flavor to be lost or to change in an undesirable way. In contrast, some other spices (such as salt, dried spices, etc.) have more stable flavors and can be added early without fear of losing flavor.

During the cooking process, especially soups, stews, sauces, etc., the liquid will gradually evaporate, making the flavor of the dish richer and more concentrated. If you over-season the dish at the beginning, when the liquid has reduced, the dish may become too salty or too spicy. Therefore, it is very important to season slowly and adjust gradually during the cooking process.

General rule when adding spices: "Right time, right kind"

While there is no "hard and fast" formula for seasoning, there are some general principles you can follow to season effectively:

Seasoning with base spices (onions, garlic, ginger, lemongrass...) at the beginning: These base spices are usually sauteed or stir-fried before adding the main ingredients to cook. This helps to extract the maximum aroma of the spices and create a base flavor for the dish.

Add the main spices (salt, sugar, fish sauce, seasoning powder...) in the middle stage: These main spices are usually added in the middle stage of the cooking process, after the main ingredients have been pre-cooked. This time helps the spices to penetrate the ingredients and balance the overall flavor of the dish. Note: You should add salt slowly and taste it often to avoid adding too much salt.

Add aromatic spices (pepper, chili, herbs, fresh spices...) at the end: These aromatic spices are often added at the end or just before turning off the stove. This helps retain the fresh and delicate aroma of the spices, while adding a final layer of flavor to the dish. For example: Herbs are often sprinkled on the dish before serving, ground pepper is often sprinkled on the dish after it is served.

Add sour spices (lemon, vinegar, tamarind...) at the last stage depending on the dish: Sour spices are usually added at the last stage to keep the fresh sour taste and balance the fat and richness of the dish. However, for some braised and stewed dishes, adding a little sour spices in the middle stage can help the meat become softer and more flavorful.

When to season specific dishes

Soup

Basic spices: Saute onion, garlic, ginger (if using) before adding broth.

Main spices: Add salt, seasoning powder, sugar in the middle stage, when the broth has boiled and the ingredients (meat, vegetables...) have been pre-cooked.

Seasoning: Sprinkle herbs (green onions, cilantro, coriander...) before turning off the stove or when ladling soup into bowls.

Braised dishes

Basic spices: Marinate the ingredients (meat, fish, ribs, etc.) with spices (onions, garlic, lemongrass, chili, pepper, sugar, fish sauce...) before braising, simmer for about 15-30 minutes to let the spices soak in.

Main seasoning: During the braising process, add fish sauce, sugar, salt (if needed) to adjust the saltiness and sweetness to taste.

Aromatic spices: Ground pepper, fresh chili (if desired) sprinkle before turning off the stove or when serving on a plate.

Stir-fried and pan-fried dishes

Basic spices: Saute onions, garlic, ginger (if using) before adding the main ingredients to stir-fry or pan-fry.

Main spices: Add salt, seasoning powder, fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce (if any) near the end, when the main ingredients are almost cooked.

Aromatic spices: Herbs (green onions, cilantro, coriander...), ground pepper, fresh chili (if desired) sprinkle before turning off the stove or when serving on a plate.

Grilled dishes

Basic seasoning: Marinate ingredients (meat, chicken, fish, etc.) with seasoning (onion, garlic, lemongrass, chili, pepper, sugar, salt, oyster sauce, honey...) for at least 30 minutes or overnight before grilling to allow the seasoning to penetrate deeply.

Main seasoning: During the grilling process, you can brush on more marinade or seasoning (if needed) to add more flavor and moisture to the grilled dish.

Aromatic spices: Herbs (basil, mint, Vietnamese coriander...), lemon, fresh chili (if desired) to eat with grilled dishes.

Advice

During the cooking process, taste the dish frequently to check and adjust the seasoning to your taste. Tasting helps you detect early and promptly correct if the dish is too salty, too sweet, or lacking in seasoning.

Season slowly, little by little, instead of adding too much at once. If you over season, it will be difficult to "fix". It is better to season lightly than too salty.

A delicious dish is one that has a harmonious balance of flavors: salty, sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, umami. Season so that these flavors complement and blend together, without one flavor overpowering the other.

Good quality spices will bring more delicious and rich flavor to the dish. You should buy spices at reputable stores, ensuring origin and quality.

Everyone's taste is different, the seasoning recipe is for reference only. Please flexibly adjust the amount of seasoning and seasoning time to suit your taste and your family's.