What seasonings are needed for home cooking?

People cannot live without food every day, so learning good cooking skills is a must. In modern society, because it is no longer a traditional society, it is often men who cook at home. Some people say that men’s cooking tastes much better than women’s, and this is true. This is also the main reason why most chefs are men. So, what seasonings are needed for home cooking?

1. Salty seasoning: Salty taste has been listed as one of the five flavors since ancient times. In cooking applications, salty taste is the main taste and the basic taste of most complex flavors. It is said to be the master of all flavors. Not only general dishes cannot do without salty taste, but even sweet and sour flavors, sour and spicy flavors, etc. also need to add an appropriate amount of salty taste to make them rich and palatable. Humans have known and used salty taste for a long time. According to historical records, China first used salt during the Yellow Emperor period about 5,000 years ago. Salty seasonings include: soy sauce, salt, and sweet seasonings.

2. Sweet seasoning: Sweetness was called "gan" in ancient times and is one of the five flavors. Sweetness can be used alone in cooking to prepare sweet foods; it can also be used to adjust a variety of complex flavors to make foods sweet and delicious. It can also be used to correct flavors, remove bitterness and fishy smells, and has a certain effect in relieving greasiness. Sweet flavors are more commonly used in Chinese cooking in the south, and the cuisine of Wuxi in Jiangsu uses the sweetest flavor. It is known for its "sweet start, salty finish, and thick oil and red sauce." Natural sweeteners such as honey exist in nature and have long been consumed by humans. The word "蜜" already appeared in the oracle bone inscriptions unearthed from Yinxu. By the Eastern Han Dynasty, sugar was made from sugarcane juice. Sweet seasonings include: honey, sugar, and maltose.

3. Sour seasoning: Sour is one of the five flavors and is widely used in cooking, but it is generally not suitable to be used alone. Sour has the effect of astringency and solidification, which can help the stomach and intestines digest food. It can also remove fishy smell, relieve greasiness, enhance flavor and freshness, produce fragrance and color, stimulate the appetite and enhance appetite. It is especially suitable for consumption in spring. Sour condiments include: vinegar, ketchup.

4. Spicy seasoning: Spiciness is actually a tactile pain rather than a taste. However, out of habit, we also treat it as one ingredient. The function is to promote taste tension and increase appetite. Spicy seasonings include: pepper, chili, ginger, onion, and garlic.

5. Umami seasoning: Umami is a kind of delicious taste that people strive to pursue in their diet. It can make people feel comfortable and happy. Umami taste mainly comes from amino acids, nucleotides and succinic acid, which are mostly found in main ingredients such as meat, fish, poultry and eggs. Foods such as MSG, shrimp roe, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and fresh bamboo shoots can also enhance the flavor. Umami cannot exist alone. Only when it is combined with other flavors can it complement each other. Hence, there is a saying that “nothing salty is not umami, nothing sweet is not umami”. Umami seasonings include: fish sauce, MSG, and oyster sauce.