How to Reduce Bitter Taste in Food

Bitterness is one of the essential flavors in our taste palette, and lots of bitter foods are especially healthy. However, you might find bitter tastes off-putting or have a dish that you accidentally added too much bitterness to. Don't worry, you’re in luck! There are lots of tricks and strategies to mask or counteract bitter flavors and help you enjoy whatever meal is in front of you.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Balance out bitterness with some fat.

  1. Fat naturally masks bitter tastes and makes them more palatable. This is why adding some milk or cream to coffee makes it taste better. Try using a cream sauce, milk, fatty cheese, olive oil, or similar fatty ingredients to help cover bitter tastes.[1]
    Reduce Bitter Taste in Food Step 1.jpg
    • This is a great trick to get kids to eat more bitter vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, or cabbage. Add some cheese or cheese sauce to their veggies and they won’t notice the bitterness.[2]

[Edit]Cover the flavor with sweetness.

  1. Who doesn’t love some sweetness in their food? Again, think about coffee—there’s a reason we like sweetening it a bit. The sweetness naturally covers bitter tastes. Throw a pinch of sugar or some honey into bitter foods and drinks to enhance the flavor a bit.[3]

    • Pairing bitter tastes with sugar or chocolate also makes a unique dessert flavor.
    • Don’t overdo it with the sugar! The American Heart Association recommends having no more than 25-36 g of sugar per day for good health, so watch how much you’re using and don’t exceed that limit.[4]

[Edit]Sprinkle some salt over your food.

  1. A pinch of salt makes everything better, including bitter foods. The saltiness naturally counteracts the bitterness, so don’t be shy about using a bit of salt in meals that are too bitter.[5]

    • This is an especially good trick if you’re cooking bitter vegetables, like with roasted broccoli or brussels sprouts. Toss them in some olive oil and salt before cooking to introduce new flavors.[6]
    • Just like with sugar, you have to watch your salt intake to maintain good health. The recommended salt intake per day is 2,300 mg, or just about 1/2 tsp.[7]

[Edit]Try a pinch of baking soda.

  1. This might sound a little weird, but it works! Baking soda is very alkaline, which is a good way to correct overly bitter dishes. Sprinkle just a pinch into your food and mix it in well to see if that helps.[8]
    Reduce Bitter Taste in Food Step 4.jpg
    • This is a good trick for if you’re cooking and realize that you added too much of a bitter ingredient. Mix in a pinch of baking soda before the dish is done to fix that.
    • Be very careful not to add more than a pinch or two! Any more than that and your food won’t taste very good.

[Edit]Squeeze in some vinegar or lemon juice.

  1. Sour, acidic tastes like these naturally counteract bitterness. Try squeezing some fresh lemon juice or adding a spoonful of vinegar to bitter dishes to neutralize the flavor a bit.[9]
    Reduce Bitter Taste in Food Step 5.jpg
    • Using acidic or sour dressings is a great way to enhance the taste of bitter vegetables in your salads like kale, radishes, or arugula.
    • If you make a mistake and add too much vinegar or lemon juice to a dish, some baking soda can help fix that flavor too by eliminating the acid.[10]

[Edit]Add some spice to your foods.

  1. Good news for spice lovers! Spices mask bitter flavors, so don’t be shy. Add some spicy peppers or powders to your cooking, or sprinkle some onto your dishes for a little bit of extra heat.[11]

    • Black pepper in particular has compounds that counteract bitterness.
    • Some other great spices include cayenne, red pepper, paprika, and chili powder.

[Edit]Cook with herbs to cut through the bitter taste.

  1. Herbs distract you from bitterness by activating other taste receptors. Mix some basil, coriander, sage, and rosemary into your cooking for great, bitter-free flavors.[12]
    Reduce Bitter Taste in Food Step 7.jpg
    • Mixing fresh herbs into a stir-fry or roasted dish adds a whole new flavor element to your cooking.
    • You can also get dried herbs like basil, ginger, and oregano to sprinkle onto your meals. These last a lot longer than fresh varieties.

[Edit]Chill the food to reduce bitterness.

  1. If you don’t mind eating cold food, this is the choice for you. It’s a fact that colder food and drinks are less bitter, which is why you might find iced tea or coffee easier to drink. Try leaving bitter meals in the fridge before eating them to see if that improves the flavor.[13]
    Reduce Bitter Taste in Food Step 8.jpg
    • This is a good trick for bitter vegetables. Leave them in the fridge for a few hours to cool off before eating them.
    • You could also combine this with other tricks, like adding some salt or fat to the meal.

[Edit]Mix bitter ingredients into larger dishes.

  1. When in doubt, just cover the bitter tastes. Make dishes with lots of different ingredients and only add in a little bit of the bitter ones. This should mask the bitter flavors while still allowing you to get all the health benefits from bitter foods.[14]
    Reduce Bitter Taste in Food Step 9.jpg
    • Some non-bitter foods include beans, carrots, corn, eggplant, lettuce, and potatoes. Try hiding some bitter foods in a dish with these ingredients.[15]
    • This trick works well with salads. You could mix bitter ingredients like arugula with more neutral tastes like romaine. Top the salad with a lemon vinaigrette to mask the bitterness even more.

[Edit]Eat more bitter foods to get used to them.

  1. You can actually teach your body what kinds of foods to like. If you just keep eating bitter foods, you’ll eventually desensitize yourself to bitter tastes. It might not seem fun right now, but it can make a big difference in the long term![16]
    Reduce Bitter Taste in Food Step 10.jpg
    • This is a good strategy because some other tricks to make bitter food taste better, like adding sugar or fat, aren’t the healthiest. This would help you eat bitter foods without adding other ingredients.

[Edit]Tips

  • Don't be afraid to experiment with flavors! You might have to try out a few different spices and herbs to find that perfect combination to mask bitterness.

[Edit]References

  1. ↑ https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Fat-Salt-and-Sugar-Not-All-Bad.aspx
  2. ↑ https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/vegetables
  3. ↑ https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sugar/tips-for-cutting-down-on-sugar
  4. ↑ https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sugar/how-much-sugar-is-too-much
  5. ↑ https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2015/01/16/dont-eliminate-bitterness-balance-it-with-fat-and-salt
  6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0v32jYkSi0
  7. ↑ https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-education-resources-materials/sodium-your-diet
  8. ↑ https://youtu.be/KOxHSr-6__8?t=278
  9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enWZ6n72GvY
  10. ↑ https://youtu.be/KOxHSr-6__8?t=302
  11. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsYzWK3cxOM
  12. ↑ https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/sodiumckd
  13. ↑ https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/food-processing-and-nutrition
  14. ↑ https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2015/01/16/dont-eliminate-bitterness-balance-it-with-fat-and-salt
  15. ↑ https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/nutrition/Pages/Picky-Eaters.aspx
  16. ↑ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2016/05/31/super-tasters-non-tasters-is-it-better-to-be-average/

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