making food less bland

[Rillyrillygoodlooking]

I used to love cooking. Then I had children, and have been cooking to suit the whole family. This means I don't use any salt at all. I have a 2.5 year old and a 1 year old.

DH has now had enough. He says he has had enough of "baby food" for the last two years and wants grown up food.

I don't want to cook two separate meals, one for the kids and one for us. How do I make food less bland but suits all ages?

I have completely lost my cooking mojo and have forgotten how I cooked tasty food.

Help please!

Herbs are great for giving some additional depth and flavour to many dishes.

Also, I find that even the smallest amount of salt over a large dish can make an enormous difference. I too avoided salt as far as I possibly could for a long time, but in the end I figured that if I was, for example, making a massive pot of pasta sauce or whatever then some fresh herbs and a teeny pinch of salt and of course, some pepper, really really helped make it palatable to everyone.

My DC's are 5 and 4 so a bit older and I entirely sympathise with not wanting to use salt. I probably relaxed my approach (but only a bit!) a couple of years back.

My two love stir fries - again, I use a small dash of sesame oil, lots of flavour, garlic and a teeny dash of soy, and I mean teeny. You only need a few drops to make it actually taste of something!!

I cook separate meals although not all the time. Some weekends I make large quantities of spicy/grown-up favourites like Chilli Con Carne or various curries and then freeze them in portions ready for when I can't abide the idea of more bland child-oriented food. (Or you could cook up batches of salt-free things for the children and cook fresh for you and your husband) Relishes, condiments and chutneys are another good way of adding extra oomph at the table.

salt won't kill them you aren't chucking in half a packet. just a couple of pinches.

Just make what you used to make before and use a tiny bit of salt. I do know what you mean about the salt but I have never cooked special children's meals. If I make a curry I mix the rice and the curry together for the children to sort of dilute the heat. My dh is West Indian so a lot of our food is spicy and my two (3 and 6) love all of it. Especially the goat curry.

I made a curry this evening and it had coconut milk and sweet potato in it. It tipped him over the edge! I did spice it up for us, as it was a bit too sweet.

I used to use herbs all the time so I should know this stuff. It does pay to be reminded tho

savoycabbage would you mind sharing your recipe for goat curry? I could have another go at curry and maybe be a bit more successful this time!

I find celery salt is adding more flavour than an ordinary salt (so you get some flavour and much less salt)
also adding garlic granules enhances flavour too

celery salt and garlic granules are very salty, may as well use ordinary salt and know what you are doing. maldon salt tastes quite strong so you could put a bit less in.

but really it is processed food which has v high levels of salt which you should worry about, not half a tsp in a home made curry.

if I use either I need much less of it to enhance flavour and then hardly use salt

a pinch or two not in teaspons

they can't be saltier than salt...

DH likes spicy food so invariably I make a big batch of something eg bolognese and serve the DC and then add a chilli with the seeds in to the pan for DH and I. Works with most things, and if its still too bland DH gets the worcester sauce out.....