Tips & Tricks | Cooking for Seniors
Published July 25, 2019
Published July 25, 2019
Punch Up the Flavor
Most of my customers in New Jersey were on low sodium diets, which is unfortunate because salt enhances the flavor of everything. Do this experiment. Eat a bite of watermelon; then eat another bite sprinkled with a tiny bit of good non-iodized salt. Not only can you taste the salt, but the watermelon will taste sweeter. We use salt in cooking to enhance the flavor of ingredients, not to make them salty. This is why it’s important to salt at every step of a recipe; adding salt at the end or at the table doesn’t achieve the same effect.
But I digress. The other reason that a low salt diet is unfortunate is because our senses of smell and taste diminish as we age, just like sight and hearing. Flavors aren’t as vivid as we age and food without salt is even worse. One of the reasons seniors sometimes don’t eat as much as they should is because food just doesn’t taste good to them. But there are ways to punch up the flavor without salt.
Most of my customers in New Jersey were on low sodium diets, which is unfortunate because salt enhances the flavor of everything. Do this experiment. Eat a bite of watermelon; then eat another bite sprinkled with a tiny bit of good non-iodized salt. Not only can you taste the salt, but the watermelon will taste sweeter. We use salt in cooking to enhance the flavor of ingredients, not to make them salty. This is why it’s important to salt at every step of a recipe; adding salt at the end or at the table doesn’t achieve the same effect.
But I digress. The other reason that a low salt diet is unfortunate is because our senses of smell and taste diminish as we age, just like sight and hearing. Flavors aren’t as vivid as we age and food without salt is even worse. One of the reasons seniors sometimes don’t eat as much as they should is because food just doesn’t taste good to them. But there are ways to punch up the flavor without salt.
My Parents | David & Ruth Levine z"l
Citrus
Citrus brightens the flavor of everything; squeeze a wedge on fish, chicken, salads, vegetables and into soup. Or add grated zest as you cook instead of salt. And remember citrus doesn’t only mean lemon. There are dozens of citrus fruits including lemon variations, like Meyer lemons, limes, Key limes, and all kinds of oranges and grapefruits. Some are sweet; some are very tart, and some are both at the same time.
Vinegar
Vinegar is another flavor booster. Again, there are dozens of variations of vinegar including apple cider, malt, wine, rice, and balsamic. You’ll also find all kinds of flavored vinegar including those with fruits and herbs. A splash in soup or sauces, and of course, in dressings, will add a certain something to the overall flavor, without being obvious.
Condiments
Mustard is one of the most flavorful and varied condiments. It does usually contain some salt, but you don’t need a lot to make a dish pop. Hot sauce is overlooked too, often because older folks think they don’t like spicy food. But remember, with diminished taste buds, what used to seem spicy now just breaks through as tasty.
Quality Ingredients
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Use the highest quality ingredients that you can find and afford. Fresh tastes better than old or stale. Butter tastes better than margarine. Freshly ground, grated, or sliced tastes better than pre-packaged. Broth tastes better than water. Better tasting ingredients will result in a better tasting dish.
Make Cooking Social
Seniors who spent years cooking for their families can find it difficult to cook for only one or two. Make too much and they end up bored, eating leftovers for days or wasting them. Sometimes it just doesn’t seem worth the bother to cook small amounts. Here’s an idea that I love. Spend a day cooking with friends and divide the results into meals for everyone to take home. Someone needs to coordinate the menus and make the shopping list; someone else does the shopping, either alone or with a buddy. Obviously, cost is shared. Put a few turkey breasts in to roast, while someone else is mixing meatballs that will cook right in the sauce on the stovetop. You can focus on mains or create complete meals by making some starchy sides like rice pilaf and kasha and some veggie sides like succotash and brussels sprouts. Buy meal containers in bulk; share the clean-up, have a fun day, and come home with meals for the freezer.
Understand Nutrition
The science of nutrition has grown and changed dramatically over the past 20 to 30 years. There is a lot of misinformation out there, making it difficult to know what to eat and what to avoid. Without going into too much detail, understand that a well-balanced diet is just that – well-balanced. There are no evil foods; there are only poor choices. Unless you have specific health issues, there is no need to completely avoid any particular foods or food groups. Try to eat leaner proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, and fewer processed products. And, all due respect to physicians, if you have questions, ask a dietician, nutritionist, or chef. Doctors have a lot of training, but not about food.
Citrus brightens the flavor of everything; squeeze a wedge on fish, chicken, salads, vegetables and into soup. Or add grated zest as you cook instead of salt. And remember citrus doesn’t only mean lemon. There are dozens of citrus fruits including lemon variations, like Meyer lemons, limes, Key limes, and all kinds of oranges and grapefruits. Some are sweet; some are very tart, and some are both at the same time.
Vinegar
Vinegar is another flavor booster. Again, there are dozens of variations of vinegar including apple cider, malt, wine, rice, and balsamic. You’ll also find all kinds of flavored vinegar including those with fruits and herbs. A splash in soup or sauces, and of course, in dressings, will add a certain something to the overall flavor, without being obvious.
Condiments
Mustard is one of the most flavorful and varied condiments. It does usually contain some salt, but you don’t need a lot to make a dish pop. Hot sauce is overlooked too, often because older folks think they don’t like spicy food. But remember, with diminished taste buds, what used to seem spicy now just breaks through as tasty.
Quality Ingredients
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Use the highest quality ingredients that you can find and afford. Fresh tastes better than old or stale. Butter tastes better than margarine. Freshly ground, grated, or sliced tastes better than pre-packaged. Broth tastes better than water. Better tasting ingredients will result in a better tasting dish.
Make Cooking Social
Seniors who spent years cooking for their families can find it difficult to cook for only one or two. Make too much and they end up bored, eating leftovers for days or wasting them. Sometimes it just doesn’t seem worth the bother to cook small amounts. Here’s an idea that I love. Spend a day cooking with friends and divide the results into meals for everyone to take home. Someone needs to coordinate the menus and make the shopping list; someone else does the shopping, either alone or with a buddy. Obviously, cost is shared. Put a few turkey breasts in to roast, while someone else is mixing meatballs that will cook right in the sauce on the stovetop. You can focus on mains or create complete meals by making some starchy sides like rice pilaf and kasha and some veggie sides like succotash and brussels sprouts. Buy meal containers in bulk; share the clean-up, have a fun day, and come home with meals for the freezer.
Understand Nutrition
The science of nutrition has grown and changed dramatically over the past 20 to 30 years. There is a lot of misinformation out there, making it difficult to know what to eat and what to avoid. Without going into too much detail, understand that a well-balanced diet is just that – well-balanced. There are no evil foods; there are only poor choices. Unless you have specific health issues, there is no need to completely avoid any particular foods or food groups. Try to eat leaner proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, and fewer processed products. And, all due respect to physicians, if you have questions, ask a dietician, nutritionist, or chef. Doctors have a lot of training, but not about food.