How to Add Flavor to Your Food Without Salt

Salty is one of the five basic tastes. The others are sweet, sour, bitter, and savory. While many of the best dishes in the world use all five to some degree, salty is probably the most common of them all. However, taking in too much salt can have some damaging effects on the body. So keep reading to find out how to add flavor to your food without salt.

Add Acids

Vinegar and citrus fruits like lemons and limes are integral to healthy cooking. Acids are similar to salt because they enhance the food’s original taste and blend flavors. Experiment with flavors by mixing lemon juice, lemon zest, red wine vinegar, and a tiny bit of oil into a salad dressing. Or, mix other ingredients like citrus juice and vinegar to add vibrancy to salads. If you think summer salads are only for summer, think again. The enhanced flavors that come out due to citric acid are so good that you’ll crave them all year long.

Add Herbs and Spices

While spice producers often dry and seal spices for storage, herbs can find uses in fresh or dried forms. But both spices and herbs can play roles in dishes to varying degrees. After roughly six months, herbs and spices begin to lose their flavor, even though they may not have technically “expired.”  Mark the date of purchase on each spice jar and rotate out all of your spices every 6 to 12 months. Doing this will allow you to get the best flavor out of your spices. A common ingredient you can use to add some variety is chipotle pepper. Using spices is the easiest way to get more flavors into your meals. It’s good to know this if you want to learn how to add flavor to your food without salt.

Sear and Sauté

When making soups and stews, add a little oil to sauté vegetables until they lose liquid and start to brown. This technique is especially useful for onions. Browning is a caramelization procedure that results in vegetables that are sweeter, nuttier, and more intense in flavor due to their natural sugar content. Similarly, meat from cows, chickens, turkeys, and even fish prepared in this way will also be more flavorful.  Heat a frying pan over high heat until it’s very hot. Then, immediately sear your meat in the hot pan without moving it. Once you believe a golden crust has developed, turn your meat. Then, rotate and repeat. Protein becomes caramelized through a process known as the Maillard reaction. This is identical to vegetable caramelization except for the fact that it’s a protein reaction. The Maillard reaction is what creates the flavorful, crunchy pieces you can’t resist scavenging off the frying pan. These delicious little bits taste like they’re salty and sweet, even without added salt and sugar.