Put Down the Salt and Season Your Food with Vinegar

We’ve all been there: a dish you’ve prepared ends up being a little more bland than you had anticipated, and in the hopes of reviving it you launch a rescue mission, adding a little more salt—a pinch at a time—until the entire meal becomes oversalted and borderline inedible.

It’s an easy mistake to make, but there’s a way to avoid it. If you find that your pasta lacks pop or your ziti needs a zap, forgo the salt. Instead, turn to a different flavor enhancer: acid.

You may have noticed that many America’s Test Kitchen recipes for soups, stews, and lots more call for a splash of fresh lemon juice or a touch of apple cider vinegar at the end of the cooking process to “awaken” the flavors of the dish. To avoid overseasoning your food, these recipes include built-in acidity for a more delicious dinner.

“A splash of acid provides contrast, most typically. If a dish is rich or salty or sweet or heavy—or all of the above—it can be hard to eat more than a couple bites before your palate starts feeling overwhelmed,” Paul Adams, senior research editor of Cook’s Illustrated, explained.

And when it comes to the cold, hard science of it all, a splash of lemon juice does more than stimulate our tastebuds—it triggers an autonomic response that helps our mouths break down food, making eating it a more pleasurable experience.

“Physiologically, acid stimulates salivation, so it gives a juicy, refreshing mouthfeel,” Paul said. “Adding salt (or sugar or MSG) tends to intensify the flavor experience that's already there, whereas acid balances it.”

Cook’s Illustrated suggests that as little as ⅛ teaspoon of acid can effectively combat the bitter notes of certain flavors and help “brighten” a dish, as in ATK’s Potato Roesti, which calls for a sprinkle of sherry vinegar, or Pan-Seared Swordfish Steaks, which are served with lemon wedges to be squeezed directly onto the meat before eating.

The easiest options for adding acid to a dish are citrus and vinegar. Use a plain white wine vinegar (ideally of at least 6 percent acidity, so a little goes a long way) or one matched to the other flavors of the dish (such as red wine vinegar in a sauce containing red wine). With just a dash you may find you need that much less salt.

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