Just because you're cutting down on fat and salt doesn't mean your tastebuds have to take a vacation. A creative cook can make low-fat, low-sodium cooking exciting, imaginative and crowd-pleasing.
Here are a few great flavor-enhancing ideas that will help you spice up your everyday dishes - and your special occasions, too.
• Use fresh herbs whenever possible. Use a mortar and pestle to grind
them for the freshest and fullest flavor.
• Grate fresh ginger with a flat, sheet-type grater. Use a food processor
to grate fresh horseradish -- fresh packs a lot more punch than the salted, bottled kind.
• Add dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary and marjoram to dishes for a more pungent flavor, but use them sparingly.
• Use citrus zest, the colored part of the peel without the pith. It
holds the true flavor of the fruit. Grate it with a flat, sheet-type grater or remove it with a vegetable peeler and cut the pieces into thin strips.
• Toast seeds, nuts and whole spices to bring out their full flavor. Cook
them in a dry skillet over moderate heat or on a baking sheet in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven.
• Roasting vegetables in a hot oven will caramelize their natural sugars and bring out their full flavor.
• Use vinegar or citrus juice for a wonderful flavor-enhancer, but add it
at the last moment. Vinegar is great on vegetables such as greens, and citrus works well on fruits such as melons. Either is great with fish.
• Use dry mustard for a zesty flavor in cooking or mix it with water to
make a very sharp condiment.
• For a little more "bite" to your dishes, add fresh hot peppers. Remove
the membrane and the seeds before finely chopping. And remember: a small amount goes a long way!
• Some vegetables and fruits, such as mushrooms, tomatoes, chili peppers, cherries, cranberries and currants, have a more intense flavor when dried than when fresh. Use them when you want a burst of flavor. Plus, there's an added bonus: when they're soaked in water and reconstituted, you can use the flavored water in cooking.
