Cook with less salt: add herbs and lemon first

Taste before reaching for the salt

If your vegetables taste bland, try herbs, a suitable spice and a few drops of lemon juice before adding more salt. You can make the dish more interesting without relying only on saltiness. The useful change is the order: leave the final salt adjustment until after the other seasonings, instead of automatically adding salt at every stage.

Ingredients for a quick taste test

For one portion of cooked vegetables, you do not need a precise recipe:

• a little chopped parsley or another herb that suits the dish
• a small pinch of pepper or pure paprika with no added salt
• a few drops of lemon juice or mild vinegar
• salt only if needed at the end

Find out what is actually missing

1. Hold back some of the salt you would normally use. If you use stock, allow for the salt it already contains.
2. Taste a spoonful of vegetables as a reference. Add herbs and spice to the portion and stir.
3. Add a few drops of lemon, mix and taste again. Increase gradually: the aim is not simply to make the dish sour.
4. If it still needs salt, add a small pinch and taste once more.

Why it helps, and what it cannot do

Herbs add fragrance, spices bring extra aromas and sometimes heat, and acidity provides a fresh contrast. They give you more to taste; they do not remove salt or replace all of its effects. Reduce added salt gradually to suit your palate.

Seasoning blends and stock may contain plenty of salt, so check the ingredients rather than treating them as salt-free flavourings. If you follow a medically prescribed low-salt diet, agree on your approach with a healthcare professional. This is a seasoning technique, not a promise of a medical benefit.