# "Season to Taste?" WTH? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 3, 2017, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277 "2017-03-03T10:07:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/1 "2017-03-03T10:07:40Z")
So, I plan on making a slow cooker pot roast for dinner tonight, and I pull up a recipe from the internet. The ingredient list contains about what I expect, so I make a shopping list and move onto the instructions. 1. Season the roast with salt and pepper to taste. Brown on all sides in a large skillet over high heat, about 4 minutes per side. Season to taste before I start cooking? Who’s supposed to be doing the tasting? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/2 "2017-03-03T10:42:08Z")
Well, I presume you have at least a vague idea of how much salt and pepper you’d like in the final product, on a scale of “none” to “lots”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/3 "2017-03-03T11:33:39Z")
Yeah, if you like lots of salt, add lots, and if you don’t like very much salt, then don’t add very much. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/4 "2017-03-03T12:05:36Z")
So, in this instance, “season to taste” actually means “season to preference?” They should say that, then. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/5 "2017-03-03T12:16:16Z")
I’ve always known the word “taste” to have more than one meaning. After all, when someone says “You have great taste in men/women,” they aren’t talking about you eating them. 😉 > [@](#): > > taste > teɪst/Submit > noun > > 1. the sensation of flavour perceived in the mouth and throat on contact with a substance. > “the wine had a fruity taste” > synonyms: flavour, savour, relish, tang, smack > “a blue cheese with a distinctive sharp taste” > 2. a person’s liking for particular flavours. > “this pudding is too sweet for my taste” > synonyms: palate, sense of taste, taste buds, appetite, stomach > “it was a bit sweet for my taste” > verb ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/6 "2017-03-03T13:31:13Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > So, in this instance, “season to taste” actually means “season to preference?” They should say that, then. But _which_ preference? Gender? Sports team? 😃 I’ve understood the use of ‘taste’ in that context from the get-go. As in “that’s not to my taste”, etc. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/7 "2017-03-03T14:39:06Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > So, in this instance, “season to taste” actually means “season to preference?” They should say that, then. That’s exactly what “season to taste” means. “Season to your tastes.” I’ve never parsed it any other way. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/8 "2017-03-03T14:50:17Z")
What if my tastes go beyond just salt and pepper? ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/9 "2017-03-03T14:55:24Z")
Then add what you like, smart-aleck. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/10 "2017-03-03T15:00:40Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > What if my tastes go beyond just salt and pepper? Then add summer, winter, whatever seasons you want. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/11 "2017-03-03T15:31:45Z")
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and October 14th at around 3 pm. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/12 "2017-03-03T15:37:01Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > …October 14th at around 3 pm. What thyme is that? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/13 "2017-03-03T15:39:30Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Parsley, sage, rosemary, and October 14th at around 3 pm. Lillian Gish’s birthday? This is a Lillian Gish reference, isn’t it, you sly dog? (Lillian is VERY much to my taste, and I would like to eat her also, c. 1922, after make-outs) [![](https://thebestofalleras.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/1e961f4795bb2ff41fb4df4c844f56f7.jpg) ](https://thebestofalleras.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/1e961f4795bb2ff41fb4df4c844f56f7.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/14 "2017-03-03T16:35:09Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > So, in this instance, “season to taste” actually means “season to preference?” They should say that, then. “season to taste” has been standard for at least a hundred years. Using a new phrase would confuse everyone familiar with cookbooks and recipes. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/15 "2017-03-03T16:47:57Z")
Okay we get it this recipe writer needs a copy editor. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/16 "2017-03-03T19:07:57Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Lillian Gish’s birthday? > > This is a Lillian Gish reference, isn’t it, you sly dog? > > (Lillian is VERY much to my taste, and I would like to eat her also, c. 1922, after make-outs) > > [Hollywood Golden Era: Image](https://thebestofalleras.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/1e961f4795bb2ff41fb4df4c844f56f7.jpg) We’re not speaking since I found out you [require mayonnaise on chicken sandwiches](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20039703&postcount=51). Fie, I say. Feh. Imprecations upon thee. Oh, and October 14 is also the [birth date](http://www.famousbirthdays.com/october14.html) of Captain Nintendo Dude and NoChillMikey, you old fogey. ---
**Author:** ![Fruitbat2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Fruitbat2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fruitbat2)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/17 "2017-03-03T21:00:05Z")
I agree with you, that’s a poor direction to put in a recipe. You have no way of knowing how seasoning at the very beginning will taste at the end, season “to taste” would only make sense when the dish is finished or nearly finished. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/18 "2017-03-03T21:07:45Z")
When I was a kid, I believed (possibly due to Dad’s love of trolling small children) that ‘season to taste’ in recipes meant that, without seasoning, the food didn’t have any taste at all. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/19 "2017-03-03T21:21:57Z")
> [@Fruitbat2](#): > > I agree with you, that’s a poor direction to put in a recipe. You have no way of knowing how seasoning at the very beginning will taste at the end, season “to taste” would only make sense when the dish is finished or nearly finished. If the recipe required a precisely measured amount of seasoning, it would likely have said so. “To taste” means they are leaving it to the cook’s discretion or preference. Most people who know their way around the kitchen understand that you can adjust seasoning while you cook, up to the very end of the process in many cases. So add some, not too much, at the start. Cook. Taste. Add more as needed. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277/20 "2017-03-03T21:36:25Z")
> [@Fruitbat2](#): > > I agree with you, that’s a poor direction to put in a recipe. It’s in a very large percentage of savory recipes. It’s perfectly understandable to the majority of the intended audience. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/season-to-taste-wth/781277.md?page=2)