What is it about sweet stuff?
Sweet foods … who doesn’t like something sweet from time to time? Actually, me. Rarely do I seek out something sweet. Not always the case but moving on. I previously talked about the five tastes, six if we throw in spicy. So today, I want to start on a multi-part series to examine each taste and the different means at our disposal to add that taste profile to our cooking.
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I’ve been on a diet for months, and I’m mere pounds away from reaching my goal weight. I’ve lost twenty-seven pounds. It’s not a major accomplishment. What will be, however, is keeping it off. Something I’ve vowed to myself to do. The means I’ve used to lose weight hasn’t been from starving. It’s largely come from avoiding sweets, fats, bread, crackers, chips, and such. Coincidentally, we’ll be looking at ways we can introduce sweetness to our dishes without resorting to refined sugar.
I Said Sweet Foods – That doesn’t mean refined sugar
I thought I could find a better list than I did, but the one I dug up isn’t bad. What I want you to pay most attention to is the first half of the article. The last half is a bunch of good things to eat if you’re watching your diet. Absent from their list was corn. If it is there, sorry, I missed it.
While on my diet, I came up with a chicken and turkey sausage chili recipe. In it, I add corn. I was quite surprised at the sweetness it adds, and this is what I’m talking about when we look to add an element of sweetness to a dish without heading for the sugar bowl. I can’t do all the work, so you may want to reduce this article to an actual condensed list of items that add sweetness.
Salt? Seriously?
Many of the things in today’s article, I use or have used. One that I’d like to point out is salt. What an amazing chemical. Who knew? I was surprised when I started baking that every recipe added at least a pinch of salt. Salt is a bit like MSG. It enhances most everything.
The article mentions fruit and fruit juices. I think they are an important part of savory cooking. Hot compotes can be a welcome addition to many savory dishes such as an apple and cranberry compote for a pork dish. Of course, that would add a different kind of sweet and sour profile. By becoming not just aware but knowledgeable about which things contribute to the different tastes, you immediately boost your culinary prowess to a whole other level.
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