A Flat-Tasting Dish Is Usually Missing Acid

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When a soup, sauce, or braise tastes dull despite plenty of salt, the fix is often a splash of something acidic — lemon juice, vinegar, a spoonful of yogurt — rather than more seasoning. Acid doesn't make food taste sour so much as it makes other flavors taste sharper and more distinct, which is why it's especially useful for cutting through rich, fatty, or heavy dishes that otherwise taste one-note. Add it gradually and taste as you go, ideally near the end of cooking for bright citrus (which loses its top notes if simmered too long) — you can't undo an over-acidified dish nearly as easily as you can add a bit more.