Do you know how to season food properly? Some would say there is a science to it, a science of BBQ if you would. There are three things you absolutely need when seasoning your food. Salt, sweet, and acid. This triad is known as the seasoning triangle. In this Napoleon BBQ Blog, we are going to explore what you can do to ensure that your meals feature balanced flavor profiles, utilizing the seasoning triangle, and how to properly season the food you are cooking. Read on to learn some handy tips and tricks that will help make you a better cook and even more proficient pit master.
What is Seasoning?
Seasoning is adding things, such as herbs, spices, salt, and acid to foods while you are cooking to create flavor. Everything you add to a dish will change or create flavor in some way, the trick is to ensure that it’s all in balance. Doing this creates a depth and nuance to your dishes. But it is all about how and when seasonings are used that will create the unique tastes that you are trying to achieve.
The Seasoning Triangle
What is the seasoning triangle? The seasoning triangle is just that. The three elements that will ensure your dish tastes amazing instead of just good.
Salt / Umami
Saltiness brings out the flavor of your food, making the dish tasty. Overly salty dishes can be balanced by adding sugar or acid.
Sweetness
Sweetness is used to balance the salt out and can be in the form of sugar, honey, or the natural beauty of vegetables and meat. Use sweet to balance the dish when you find it has become too acidic. A great example of this is when making tomato sauce or a homemade vinaigrette. These can create overwhelmingly acidic tastes, and a bit of sugar can help.
Acid
Acid is used to cut through fattiness – richness in a dish – and adds a little freshness and brightness to a meal. Imagine a squeeze of lime over tacos or curry. However, when added as part of the seasoning in a dish, can become a little overwhelming. Balance this out by adding a little more sweet and/or salty flavors.
Seared Cod with Mashed Potatoes & Miso Glaze
This recipe for Seared Cod takes full advantage of the seasoning triangle.
This is the base with which to begin creating flavors early on in a dish. They need to be carried through as you cook. To do this, taste as you cook, and season as you go.
Perfectly salted food is lovely, however, if you employ the seasoning triangle, you can take your delicious food to the next level. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that everything requires being salted, sugared, and squeezed over with some lime. You can dry brine a steak (Umami) and serve it with a chimichurri which will provide you with a hit of sweetness from the herbaceous and floral parsley as well as the red wine vinegar, which also provides your acid. There’s your triangle.
You can also achieve this when you create a seasoning blend. Many seasoning blends begin with salt. Then herbs, spices, and other things are added to balance the flavors. Sweet and smoky paprika and a little sugar are usually included, cinnamon can add sweetness and a little warmth, and usually, there’s a little dried citrus peel for the acidity.
Try this the next time you make veggies at home:
Cook as you would usually, I like to steam them until al dente, then season with salt, a little melted butter, or some quality olive oil, and just a tiny squeeze or two of lime juice, lemon juice, or a hint of vinegar.
More Than a Triangle
There’s more to the seasoning triangle than just those three. It could be considered more of a seasoning pyramid, or maybe an icosahedron. What I’m saying is that seasoning is a multifaceted and varied experience that you can become proficient in, even if you just stick to the original triangle.
Consider what different things will add to your finished dish. Maybe it needs the kick of a flavorful, yet spicy, pepper. Have you considered adding the warmth of ginger to create the sensation of heat without the Scoville units?
Fat is Flavor
It’s been said before on this blog, fat is flavor, but how? Many spices are fat soluble, so they won’t break down just sitting there but will evolve and become more potent when fat is added. Fat also coats the mouth for a more pleasant feeling when chewing. So, imagine a brilliant harmony of flavors that have been released into a fat that is now swirling around your mouth as you eat because you used a quality fat to act as their carrier.
To achieve this, you can temper spices in oil. You can also use yogurt to bind seasonings to meat and veg, even tofu. This can be a marinade or even a wet rub if you have run out of time for marinating. Even when you cook using fat of some sort, those spices and herbs will perfume the oil and help flavor the food that is being cooked.
Teriyaki Pork Belly Poutine
The seasoning triangle also works when pairing different ingredients to make a whole dish. Consider this recipe for Teriyaki Pork Belly Poutine.
People Also Asked:
What is the Concept of the Flavor Triangle?
The concept of the flavor triangle, also known as the seasoning triangle, is to balance the three cornerstone tastes of salt, sweet, and acid to balance any dish that you are preparing.
What is the Trinity of Seasonings?
This is different from the seasoning triangle or flavor triangle. This is the combination of onion, celery, and green bell pepper used predominantly in Cajun-style cooking. It is a variation of the French Mirepoix and is usually equal parts of each of these sauteed or sweated in butter to be used in the base of soups, stews, and other Creole cooking.
What is the triangle method of cooking?
Not to be confused with the flavor/seasoning triangle or the trinity of seasonings, this is, anthropologically speaking, the three types of cooking – Boiling, Smoking, and Roasting.
What Flavors Cancel Each Other Out?
When seasoning any foods you need to know how to balance them out if you accidentally overdo it in one direction or another.
- Salty – reduces bitterness, enhances natural flavors, reduces acidity
- Sweet – reduces bitterness, reduces saltiness, cuts heat in spicy dishes, gives depth to savory meals
- Bitterness – balances sweetness
- Acid – reduces spicy heat, balances sweetness, balances fatty flavors, and cuts richness
Experiment and Balance your Seasoning
Balancing salt, sweetness, and acid is the foundation of creating extraordinary flavors in your dishes. By mastering the seasoning triangle, you can elevate your BBQ game, crafting meals with perfectly nuanced taste. Experiment, taste, and adjust as you go—because great seasoning isn’t just a skill; it’s an art. Whether you’re barbecuing, roasting, or stewing, remember that balance is the key to unlocking unforgettable flavors. How do you use the Science of BBQ and the Seasoning Triangle in your meals? Share your stories, recipes, and photos with us on social like our Facebook and TikTok pages using the hashtags #NapoleonEats and #NapoleonGrills.
