The key difference between seasoning and flavoring is that seasoning enhances or brings out the flavor of the food without changing it significantly whereas flavoring changes the taste of food by introducing a new flavor.
Although most of us use these two words interchangeably, there is a distinct difference between seasoning and flavoring. The word seasoning only implies enhancing the flavor where flavoring implies a change in the taste. Sometimes, the difference between seasoning and flavoring may also depend on the amount of an ingredient used.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Seasoning
3. What is Flavoring
4. Relationship Between Seasoning and Flavoring
5. Side by Side Comparison – Seasoning vs Flavoring in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is Seasoning?
Seasoning mainly refers to enhancing a food’s natural flavor. Salt is the most common ingredient we use as a seasoning. A pinch of salt can bring out the natural flavor of a food or enhance it. For example, when you add a pinch of salt to the soup, it is seasoning.
Figure 01: Sprinkling Salt
However, when we use a lot of salt so that the food intentionally tastes salty, salt has become a flavoring, not a seasoning. Similarly, pepper is also a seasoning we use for most food. Sometimes, we also use a dash of lemon or acid to a dish to balance the flavor. Hence, this is also an example of seasoning. Furthermore, we usually add seasonings to a dish at the end of the cooking process.
What is Flavoring?
Flavorings refer to ingredients that make a significant change in the flavor of a food or dish. Spices and herbs are the most common ingredients we use as flavorings. Moreover, they can also include garlic, onions, sauces, acids, and alcohols (wine, brandy, cognac, etc.)
Figure 02: Indian Spices
We can add these flavoring ingredients to a dish at any time during cooking. Some ingredients require heat to activate them. Moreover, timing is a very important factor as various ingredients need time to release their flavors and, if we cook some ingredients for too long, they can lose their flavor. Some flavorings, however, can also be added at the end of the cooking process.
What is the Relationship Between Seasoning and Flavoring?
- Most often, you can use the same ingredients for both seasoning and flavoring. It is because, sometimes, the difference between seasoning and flavoring may depend on the amount of the ingredient used.
What is the Difference Between Seasoning and Flavoring?
Seasoning refers to an ingredient that enhances the natural flavor of a food whereas flavoring refers to an ingredient that alters the natural flavor of a food. Therefore, this is the key difference between seasoning and flavoring. However, the difference between seasoning and flavoring may also depend on the amount of an ingredient we use in a dish. For example, adding a little amount of nutmeg to a dish is seasoning but adding a considerable amount of nutmeg so as to change the flavor is flavoring.
The most common ingredient we use as a seasoning is salt. Herbs and spices are the common flavorings. Moreover, most seasonings are added to a dish at the end of the cooking process whereas flavorings can be added anytime during the cooking process.
Summary – Seasoning vs Flavoring
The key difference between seasoning and flavoring is that seasoning enhances or brings out the flavor of the food without changing it significantly whereas flavoring changes the taste of food by introducing a new flavor. However, the difference between seasoning and flavoring may also depend on the amount of an ingredient we use in a dish.
Image Courtesy:
1.”14440518720″ by Thomas Brueckner (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
2.”Indian Spices”By Joe mon bkk – Own work, (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia