What Are the 4 Basic Types of Seasoning Ingredients?

Seasonings are used in the preparation of foods instead of after the food is cooked and ready to be eaten like condiments.
When you season a food, you add just enough of one or more of these ingredients to change the food’s basic taste, but not enough to add a whole new taste.
One measure of a good cook is how skillfully he blends seasonings to bring out the optimum flavor of foods.
While a correct blend of seasonings enhances a dish, combining the wrong seasonings can destroy a meal.

Common cooking herbs include basil, oregano, marjoram, parsley, rosemary, thyme, and dill.
Common culinary spices include cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, ginger, saffron, and cumin.
Quatre épices is a spice mix containing ground pepper, cloves, nutmeg, and dried ginger.

Seasoning is what sets the chef aside from the amateur cook, and it’s much more than just salt and pepper.
Different types of seasoning include salt and pepper, herbs, spices, lemon juice, vinegars, and sugar.
The best type of salt for cooking depends on what you’re using it for: finer, quick-dissolving salts are best used for baking, seasoning, or preserving food.

There are two main times to think about seasoning – the beginning and the end. For slow-cooked dishes, it’s a good idea to get some salt in early so it can spread through the whole dish over time.