This week in Kids Cooking Club, we explored how adding a little sourness makes food taste so much better! You can join easily right here.
A need for sour came up twice this week in my real life.
Both times, the problem was the same—and so was the solution.
The problem: Not enough sour flavor.
The solution: A squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice.
1. I was tired on Monday, so I skipped making my usual vegan Caesar dressing for our kale salad. Instead, I reached for an unlabeled jar of homemade salad dressing from Past Chef Mark. I didn't realize it was a sweeter one I had made with agave.
Let's just say my kids have come to expect well balanced flavors in every meal I make for them. They were not a fan of this dressing. All 3 were immediately complaining asking for lemon!
I was equally proud of them for knowing what it needed, and annoyed that I couldn't pass it off.
But I took the opportunity to let them make the changes they wanted.
I let them grab a lemon and the citrus juicer, and simply add what they wanted.
They were using their experience and knowledge to make their veggies taste good to them! This is one of the essential skills for my students in Kids Cooking Club: assess and balance flavors.
2. The second instance was during my lunch prep yesterday. I started with mango dressing from Trader Joe's. I tasted it by itself, and it just fell flat. It was too sweet and lacked brightness.
I simply added some fresh lime juice, and it instantly tasted so much better! Interesting, bright, and crave-able.
In both cases, adding citrus made the dressing taste vibrant and delicious. Sometimes, it just takes a few drops of sour to balance a food and make it appealing.
Try this with your kids:
Take any salad dressing—homemade or store-bought. Taste it together. Then add a bit of lemon or lime juice and taste again. Do they like it more?
Chef Mark's cooking tool highlight
I absolutely love the Chef'n FreshForce Citrus Juicer. It's really easy for kids to use because of the leverage from the geared mechanism. Other juicers function with a simple hinge, and this one has exponentially more power!
Action Steps
- Make or buy a salad dressing and taste it with your child
- Add fresh lemon or lime juice and taste again—notice the difference
- Watch my video on fixing bland dressings! ☝️
- Look for one place you can give your kid more initiative with food this week
Sour is just one of the 5 flavors we're exploring in Kids Cooking Club. Understanding how flavors work together is what transforms kids from "picky" eaters into adventurous, healthy eaters. Join Kids Cooking Club today!
