Your spoon is a tool, not a ladle
Use a clean spoon every time. Not the one you stirred with. A stirring spoon carries residue that skews what you taste next.
Let the bite cool two seconds before it hits your tongue. Scalding food numbs your palate. You'll under-season everything that follows.
What you're actually tasting for
Salt first. Everything else is harder to diagnose when salt is off.
Then acid. A flat dish almost always needs lemon juice or vinegar, not more salt.
Then fat. Is the mouthfeel thin? A knob of butter or a drizzle of oil rounds it out.
Sweetness last. A pinch of sugar can balance aggressive acid without making the dish taste sweet.
Fix in that order: salt → acid → fat → sweet.
When to taste
- Before you add anything — know your baseline. Stock, canned tomatoes, and pre-made pastes carry hidden salt.
- After each major addition — a splash of wine, a ladle of stock, a handful of cheese all shift the balance.
- Five minutes before serving — your last chance. Reducing heat concentrates flavour, so the dish will taste saltier than it did mid-cook.
Reset your palate between tastes
Water. Plain bread. A cracker. Taste the same pot twelve times running and your palate adapts — you stop registering salt properly.
The one rule
Season in small increments. Taste after each one. You can always add. You cannot un-salt.
