Salt and Pepper....the most important spices in the world?

Ok, we need to talk about seasoning. This thought occurred to me the other night when I was cooking with some gals I don't know very well. We were throwing together some freezer meals with that Wildtree company (great products by the way) and I mentioned that we weren't using salt and pepper. My sweet hostess mentioned "If you want it a little saltier, you could just add it after you cook it."....if you don't know what's wrong with this statement...then, this post is for you.

Salt and Pepper are easily the most important tools in you cooking arsenal, in fact most chefs would a say they are the most important seasonings on the earth. Why? Not because people want their food salty, or peppery. In fact.....When you can taste salt (or pepper to a lesser extent) than you do not know how to season your food. So what's the proper way? Easy, a little at a time as you cook. Salt especially, when used right, brings out the flavor of the item your cooking. In other words, if you use a little salt on chicken...it tastes more chicken-ey. Yes, that's a word :)

But truly; as you add a little s&p to your food, whether it's veggies or meat, if you do it right you will not taste salty/peppery... you'll taste the veggies bigger and better.  In fact, if you s&p your meat well before you cook it, you will experience a juicier more flavorful version of the meat, every time. There are a ton of tricks to the timing, but basics, cooking 101...always s&p. Use a small pinch at a time. as you add more ingredients. Check the food, if it seems a bit bland, add a small pinch more. You can always add more, you can't take it away, so be mindful of the flavors you're creating. Yes a lot of this is experience, so experiment....what's the worse that can happen? If you have to toss it, you can always have a simple salad instead and try again in the morning.