Seasoning

Flavour doesn't only come from fat, sugar and salt – if you know how to season, you need less of all three. That's why “light cooking” so often tastes bland: the fat was left out, but nothing was put in its place. The four tools that make the difference are spices and herbs, acidity, umami and roasted flavours.

When it comes to salt, the numbers are worth a look: the German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends no more than 6 grams of salt a day, the WHO less than 5 grams – yet according to the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's public health agency, adults in Germany actually eat 8 to 10 grams on average. Around three quarters of that is hidden in processed foods such as bread, cured meats, cheese and ready meals, not in the salt shaker. And by the way, herb salt is still salt.

Here's how to replace salt and fat: toast dried spices (paprika, cumin, curry powder, cinnamon) briefly at the start, and add fresh herbs (parsley, basil, coriander, dill) only at the end. A squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar lifts the flavour just like salt does – try it with soup or vegetables. Umami, the savoury fifth taste, comes from tomato purée, mushrooms, Parmesan, nutritional yeast flakes or a few drops of soy sauce. Roasted flavours develop when onions, vegetables or meat take on colour over high heat – a teaspoon of oil in a non-stick pan is all you need.

A little fat can stay: it carries flavour and makes fat-soluble vitamins available to your body. It's better to add it deliberately at the end (a teaspoon of olive oil over the salad, a dollop of yoghurt on the soup) than without noticing in the pan.

For children: start mild, leave out the spicy heat and take the salt shaker off the table. Taste is shaped in the first few years – children who grow up eating little salt later find less salty food completely normal.