Bitter taste is one of the essential tastes in the human sense of taste and most bitter foods are healthy for the body. However, you may dislike bitter tastes or accidentally cook foods that taste too bitter. Don't worry, you're in luck! There are many tricks and strategies to disguise the bitter taste so you can still enjoy the food served.
Step
Method 1 of 10: Balance bitterness with fat
Step 1. Fat naturally disguises the bitter taste and makes it taste better
This is the reason milk or cream added to coffee makes the drink taste better. Try using cream sauce, fatty cheese, olive oil, or other fatty ingredients to disguise the bitter taste.
This is a great trick to get kids to eat vegetables that are slightly bitter, like broccoli, bean sprouts, or cabbage. Add a little cheese or cheese sauce to the cooked vegetables so they don't notice the bitter taste
Method 2 of 10: Mask the bitterness with a sweetener
Step 1. Who doesn't love sweetness in food?
Again, just imagine a cup of coffee – there's a reason we like to add a little sweetener to it. The sweet taste will naturally cover the bitter taste. Add a pinch of sugar or honey to sugary foods and drinks for a little taste.
- Combining the bitter taste with sugar or chocolate also results in a unique dessert taste.
- Don't add too much sugar! The American Heart Association advises you not to consume more than 25 to 36 grams of sugar each day to maintain good health. So, pay attention to the amount of sugar used and do not exceed that limit.
Method 3 of 10: Sprinkle salt on food
Step 1. A pinch of salt makes everything taste better, including bitter foods
Naturally salty taste can disguise bitterness. So, don't be afraid to add a little salt to foods that are too bitter.
- This is a great trick if you're cooking bitter vegetables, such as broccoli or roasted bean sprouts. Add salt and a little olive oil before cooking it for a new flavor.
- Like sugar, you must limit salt consumption to maintain health. The recommended daily intake of salt is 2,300 milligrams or only about tablespoon.
Method 4 of 10: Sprinkle with a pinch of baking soda
Step 1. This may sound a bit odd, but it's quite powerful
Baking soda is alkaline so it is effective in correcting the taste of dishes that are too bitter. Sprinkle a pinch of baking soda over the food and mix thoroughly to reduce the bitterness.
- This is a great trick when you add too much of a bitter ingredient while cooking. Mix in a pinch of baking soda before cooking to fix it.
- Be careful not to add more than a pinch or two of baking soda! Food will taste bad if you use too much baking soda.
Method 5 of 10: Add a little vinegar and lemon juice
Step 1. The sour taste of the two ingredients is naturally able to disguise the bitter taste
Add a little lemon juice or an extra spoonful of vinegar to bitter dishes to neutralize the taste a little.
- Using a sour-tasting dressing is a great way to add delicious bitter greens to salads, such as cabbage, radishes, or arugula.
- If you made the mistake of adding too much vinegar or lemon juice, a little baking soda can help improve the taste and reduce the sour taste a little.
Method 6 of 10: Add spicy ingredients to food
Step 1. Good news for spicy lovers
The spicy taste can disguise the bitter taste. So, don't be shy. Add hot peppers or chili powder to dishes, or sprinkle them on ready-to-eat foods for a touch of spiciness.
- Black pepper specifically contains substances that can disguise the bitter taste.
- Some spicy ingredients that can be used are cayenne pepper, red chili, paprika, and chili powder.
Method 7 of 10: Use a variety of spices to reduce the bitter taste
Step 1. Spices will distract you from the bitter taste by activating other taste receptors
Mix basil, coriander, sage, and rosemary into your cooking for a delicious, bitter-free dish.
- Mixing fresh herbs into stir-fry or baked dishes will add a new delicacy to the dish.
- You can also sprinkle dry herbs, such as basil, ginger, and oregano into dishes. These herbs will last much longer than fresh herbs.
Method 8 of 10: Refrigerate food to reduce bitterness
Step 1. If you want to eat cold food, this is the best option
In fact, the bitter taste of refrigerated foods and drinks will be reduced. This is the reason iced tea or iced coffee is easier to drink. Try to put bitter foods in the refrigerator before eating them to reduce the bitter taste.
- This is a great trick for cooking bitter greens. Leave the vegetables in the refrigerator for a few hours to cool before eating them.
- You can also combine this method with other tricks, such as adding salt or fat to dishes.
Method 9 of 10: Add bitter ingredients to large meals
Step 1. When in doubt, simply mask the bitter taste of your cooking
Make dishes with a variety of ingredients and add a few ingredients with a bitter taste at the end. This will mask the bitter taste while ensuring you get the health benefits of bitter foods.
- Some foods that do not taste bitter are beans, corn, eggplant, lettuce, and potatoes. Try to disguise the bitter taste of food by adding these ingredients.
- This trick is effective for delicious salad taste. You can mix a bitter ingredient like arugula with a neutral-tasting ingredient like romaine lettuce. Top the salad with lemon vinegar to disguise the bitter taste.
Method 10 out of 10: Eat bitter foods more often to get used to it
Step 1. You can teach your body to like certain foods
If you eat more bitter foods, over time you will become less sensitive to bitter tastes. This may seem overwhelming at first, but it can make a huge difference in the long run!
