Edge: From Bland to Bold: Rethinking Healthy Meals in Food Service

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From Bland to Bold: Rethinking Healthy Meals in Food Service

By: Chrissy Carroll, MPH, RD

NUTRITION VS. FLAVOR: it shouldn’t be a battle, but sometimes it can feel like one. Making delicious dishes can get a bit tricky when you’re also trying to steer clear of excess sodium, added sugar, and unhealthy fats. There’s good news though! Some creative culinary strategies can help you develop bold, crave-worthy flavors – while still prioritizing nutrition.

THE SCIENCE OF FLAVOR

Before diving into specific techniques, let’s do a quick primer on the principles behind taste and flavor. You’re probably familiar with the five primary tastes:

• Sweet – Humans are born with an innate preference for sweetness, and it also helps balance bitter or sour flavors. Added sugar can offer sweetness, but natural sugars found in fruits and some vegetables can also be leveraged here.
• Sour – This is typically contributed by an acidic component (like vinegar or citrus) that adds brightness or “pop” to a dish. It helps balance out other tastes.
• Salty – Salt enhances the flavor of other components in a food, but is often overused.
• Bitter – This taste is elicited by many different types of chemical compounds in a variety of foods. It adds complexity and depth to a dish.
• Umami – Often described as savory or meaty, this creates mouthfeel and richness. Umami is elicited by glutamic acid in foods like tomatoes, meat, and cheese (as well as the flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate, more commonly known as MSG).

These tastes are perceived by taste buds on the tongue, which recognize chemical compounds associated with each taste and send information to the brain.

However, it’s our sense of smell that allows for true complexity of flavors. Think about when you’ve had a cold with a stuffy nose and how food doesn’t quite taste the same. That’s because your olfactory sensations (i.e., sense of smell) are compromised.

One fun experiment you can try at home to prove this point: pinch your nose, then place a jellybean in your mouth and chew for a few seconds. Now release your nose midway through chewing. You might be surprised at how the majority of flavor comes once you reinstate your sense of smell!

The key to creating bold and nutritious food thus lies in combining multiple taste elements in balanced proportions, while leveraging the aroma of food that is responsible for much of our flavor perceptions. This can be done while simultaneously minimizing added sugar, unhealthy fats, and excess sodium.

CULINARY TECHNIQUES AND TIPS FOR ENHANCED FLAVOR

Let’s walk through six different culinary techniques you can try out in your kitchen:

1. Master Aromatics

If you’ve been cooking for a while, you’re probably familiar with the French term “mirepoix,” the combination of onions, carrots, and celery used at the start of many dishes. The “Holy Trinity” is a derivative of this; a mixture of sautéed onions, celery, and bell peppers used in Cajun or Creole food. You might also be familiar with sofrito, used in Latin or Mediterranean dishes. Specific recipes vary by region, but might include onions, garlic, ají dulce (peppers), and cilantro.

What do these have in common? They all use aromatic vegetables – aka those with a strong aroma during cooking. These lend a lot of flavors to the dish, providing a backbone for building upon with further ingredients. Vegetables of any sort are also always a nutritious addition to recipe development. When you create new options for your menu, consider how you can use aromatics early in the cooking process to enhance the taste and nutrition profile.

Quick tip: Sauté aromatics slowly with a little bit of healthy fat (like olive oil) to draw out maximum flavor for soups, stews, gumbos, and other similar dishes. If a client or resident needs a very low-fat meal, you can also cook the aromatics in just a few splashes of broth.

2. Leverage the Allium Family

The allium family of vegetables – which includes aromatics like onions, garlic, and shallots – are massively helpful for building flavor. Many plants in this family can be used raw or cooked, touching on our senses of taste and smell either way.

For example, slow cooked caramelized onions can add sweetness to a dish, while quick high-heat cooking creates more savory qualities. Raw garlic can introduce a pungent element to bruschetta, while roasted garlic can add complexity to a pasta dish. Raw red onions provide a bitter element to a salad, while pickled red onions add a pop of acid to tacos or burrito bowls.

These ingredients are often very inexpensive, so they are a cost-effective way to build flavor. They also provide health benefits: recent studies have linked allium vegetable intake to a reduced risk of gastric cancer and a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

3. Use High-Heat Cooking Methods

Grilling, roasting, and broiling help develop complex flavors, mainly through two methods. The first is the caramelization of sugars – think about how many roasted vegetables taste sweeter, or how grilled pineapple just has that extra pizzaz. The second is through the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars. This leads to browning and produces Maillard reaction products (MRPs), which are a group of chemical compounds that have many sensory properties.

MRPs impact the flavor, color, and odor of food, as well as certain health properties. Researchers note that MRPs can enhance characteristics like nuttiness, floral aroma, caramel taste, and meaty flavor, depending on the specific chemical composition of the food. These attributes can be used to your advantage.

The humble potato provides a clear example of the power of the Maillard reaction. Consider the difference in taste between boiled potatoes and roasted potatoes. In the latter case, the dry heat and exposed surface area leads to chemical reactions that create that golden brown exterior and delectable flavor. Boiled and mashed potatoes still have their place, of course, but often rely on additional flavors like cream, butter, or gravy for palatability.

Practical applications in your kitchen might include roasting vegetables rather than boiling or steaming, searing or grilling proteins, and toasting certain whole grains before using (for example, toasting quinoa in the pan lightly before cooking to bring out its nuttiness).

4. Use More Herbs and Spices

Herbs and spices create complexity and depth in a dish – without relying on excess salt. Herbs generally come from the leaf of a plant, while spices come from other parts of the plant like the root, stem, bark, or fruit. Both herbs and spices are rich in volatile aromatic compounds – the chemicals that give them their robust flavor and smell. Nutritionally, they also possess antioxidant properties, may help lower inflammation, and may play a role in metabolic health.

Herbs can typically be divided into two categories:

• Woody herbs – These generally have a tougher stem that’s not eaten. They are often used earlier in the cooking process and can stand up to longer cooking times. Examples include rosemary, thyme, and marjoram.
• Soft or tender herbs – These are more delicate; they generally have a stem that can be chopped and consumed. They are often added towards the end of cooking or used as fresh garnishes. Examples include basil, cilantro, parsley, or dill.

Both woody and soft herbs can be found fresh or dried. Dried herbs are more concentrated than fresh herbs, but typically need a bit of heat and a little fat (like olive oil) to help their aroma and flavor bloom.

Spices can be divided into a few different categories as well. Different educational institutions vary in the way they group spices, so this is just one example:

• Warming spices – Think of any spices that are used in desserts, like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and allspice. They can help increase the perception of sweetness without adding extra sugar.
• Pungent spices – These have strong, bold, or spicy aspects. Examples include black pepper, cayenne, chili peppers, and mustard.
• Savory, earthy, or other spices – These don’t fit the categories above but provide flavor and depth to dishes. Examples include cumin, coriander, turmeric, and paprika.

Quick tip: Be sure to check the spice rack in your kitchen every so often. Spices that have passed their “best by” date can lose potency and flavor.

5. Use Fruit More Often

The chemical composition of the primary sugar molecules is the same whether found in added sweeteners or fruit. But when fruit is used as a main component or sweetener in a dish, it also adds fiber, micronutrients, and phytochemicals – offering a better nutritional profile for our clients.

Data from the USDA suggests that 80 percent of people consume less than the recommended amount of fruit each day (around ~2 cups per day for a 2000 calorie diet). Older adults generally only consume about half of what’s recommended. Yet studies have shown that people who consume more fruit may be more likely to meet Vitamin C, potassium, and fiber recommendations. Also, specific types of fruits may possess unique health benefits. For example, research has indicated that berries may contribute to cognitive function.

Plus, fruits are packed with different volatile compounds that offer each their unique flavor. Think about how different the smell of a juicy strawberry is from the smell of a just-sliced Granny smith apple. All the different volatile compounds help provide flavor in a healthy way!

Here are a few ideas for incorporating more fruit into a menu:

• Fresh fruit can be used as toppings for many dishes. Sweet options come to mind immediately, like yogurt, oatmeal, and waffles – but fruit can also be used in savory applications like salads or as toppings for proteins (like grilled chicken topped with strawberry salsa).
• Bananas, applesauce, and other fruit purees can add flavor and sweetness to the base of baked goods like pancakes, muffins, and quick breads.
• Date paste can be used to add a caramel-like flavor to desserts.
• Chopped dried fruits can be added to muffins, quick breads, and other baked goods.
• Frozen berries can be sauteed, releasing some of their juices, and used as a syrup for pancakes or waffles.
• Fruit-inspired desserts make great menu additions, like baked apples, berry crisp with an oat-based topping, date-and-nut bars, or chocolate-covered prunes (sprinkled with just a little coarse salt).

Quick tip: Whenever you find yourself with overripe fruit that needs to be used immediately, consider pureeing it then freezing. These can be pulled out later for use in smoothies, sauces, and baked goods.

6. Don’t forget acid and umami

While most flavor is perceived via smell, a well-balanced dish still needs to consider the core elements of taste. This doesn’t mean every meal needs all five elements equally (or even at all). For example, a stack of pumpkin pancakes will certainly be more focused on sweet elements, while seasoned roasted asparagus will focus more heavily on salty and bitter elements.

When composing a dish, though, consider if there are any core taste elements that are missing that could enhance it. Acid and umami are often overlooked but are helpful for many recipes.

Acid balances other elements and provides a “pop” without adding excess salt. Consider these categories and examples:

• Citrus juices: a squeeze of lemon over roasted fish, a squeeze of lime in a bowl of chicken tortilla soup
• Vinegars: balsamic roasted vegetables, vinaigrettes, stir fry sauces, marinades
• Tomatoes and tomatillos: sauces, salsas, soups, casseroles
• Fermented or pickled foods: sauerkraut on a sandwich, kimchi in a grain bowl, pickled red onions on tacos. (Note that fermented and pickled foods can sometimes be higher in sodium.)

Umami has that savory, meaty aspect that can make a dish more satisfying. Consider these options:

• Mushrooms: broths, noodle bowls, egg-based dishes like quiche, finely chopped and mixed with ground beef for burgers or tacos
• Tomatoes (particularly concentrated products like pastes and sun-dried tomatoes): tomato paste in braises and soups, sun-dried tomatoes in pastas or grain bowls
• Aged cheeses, like parmesan: pastas, mashed potatoes, meatballs, soups, salads, sliced thin and eaten with fruit
• Soy sauce (can use lower sodium options): ramen bowls, soups, stir fries, grain bowls

THE BOTTOM LINE

When food tastes delicious, people are more likely to eat it! By leaning into these culinary techniques, you can boost flavor without needing a heavy hand with salt, sugar, or fat. Try using just one strategy from this list the next time you’re working on recipe development. These can help enhance your menu – and the joy and satisfaction of your clients.