Culinary techniques can be used to augment flavor and reduce sodium in foods. Understanding how flavor is a multisensory experience involving taste, smell, appearance, texture, and temperature is important. Proper cooking methods such as sautéing and braising can concentrate and extract flavors from ingredients. Combining ingredients can create synergistic or suppressive effects on flavor through mixture interactions. Reducing sodium gradually and modifying portions and plating are strategies for reducing sodium intake over time.

1. Culinary Techniques For Augmenting Flavor And Reducing Sodium Chris Loss, Ph.D., The Culinary Institute of America Nutrient Essentials Conference Chicago, IL July 10, 2008

8. Olfaction Helps Us Identify The Flavor Of Foods (Adapted from Sekuler, 2002; Mozel, 1969)

9. Relative sensitivity (Adapted from Sekuler and Blake, 2002, pg. 584) Temperature Impacts Perceived Intensity Of Basic Tastes High Low Low High 37 °C Taste solution temperature Salt Sour Bitter Sweet