Session 35 — During Salt: Layered Seasoning
← Block 9–10: Seasoning & Flavor Building Overview
Skill: Tonight, season every single component of your dish at the moment it goes into the pan — not just at the beginning or the end. Salt the onions when they go in. Salt the garlic when you add it. Salt the tomatoes when they hit the pan. Taste after each addition. You're building flavor in layers, not slapping it on at the end.
Full Meal: Serious Eats — Pasta all'Amatriciana + Serious Eats — Classic Caesar Salad
Amatriciana is one of the great Roman pasta sauces — guanciale (or pancetta), white wine, tomato, pecorino. Each component is distinct and requires its own seasoning moment. It's a perfect layering teacher.
- Protein: Guanciale or pancetta, crisped in the pan and layered through the sauce
- Starch: Bucatini or rigatoni — both are traditional
- Salad: Classic Caesar alongside — learn to taste and adjust the dressing before it goes on the leaves
🎥 Compare Notes: Food Lab Basics: POV Bucatini All'Amatriciana — Watch when he seasons at each stage — count how many separate times salt or salty ingredients go in before the dish is done.