A Note on 'To Taste'

When a recipe says to taste, and specifically when one of my recipes says to taste, the author does not mean add as much as you want. Instead, the recipe is calling on you to taste the food as it stands and add (more of) the ingredient until that ingredient is balanced and sufficient in the food.

What is the point of a recipe if not to specify quantities? Why do recipes say to taste? Generally, its for seasonings, most often salt, sometimes pepper, and the recipe author is not sure how much of the ingredient has already been added, or other details that effect the perception of the ingredient. For example, depending on the stock you used, or exactly how much you reduced down a liquid, or what type of salt you used, you may need more or less salt to finish a dish. Thus, to taste. In any case, the amount left unspecified is generally small—just a teaspoon or two.

Serving salt on our dinner tables has conditioned us to think of salt ratios as a preference, but there is an ideal, perfect balance with salt—as with all of the flavors in a dish. Most home cooks undoubtedly under-salt their food, although plenty of eaters then over-salt their food once it hits the table. Salt early, salt often, and remove the salt from your dinner table.