How do you lessen flavor of turmeric in recipe?

Usually when you add things like spices or herbs to a hot mixture with or without water, you are releasing oils and other essences. It is like coffee or tea. You can steep the tea in too hot of water, for too long. Once you do that, you have already brought out the good and then some. If you steap too long, you leach out more flavors than you bargained for.

I would assume that analogy would apply for turmeric. If you put it in when you first start cooking, you are releasing all the good stuff. Once all the good stuff is gone, you start getting more than you intended from the spice. If you add it later in the cook time, you will extract less flavor compounds. Also, if you put it in when it is extremely hot, you are leaching even more flavors out, whether you intended to get those or not.


I would say it totally depends on what you are cooking. I would try adding it about 3-7 mintues before you are finished. If you are only cooking something for a few mintes, then do it a minute or two and experiment a little. You might even let the food you are cooking coast right before it is ready to serve. By that I mean, when you are close the end, just shut the burner off and let it cool down some. Then add your spice and stir it in, helping to get the flavors out. Then serve and enjoy.


It may take a few cracks at it to find the flavor to bitterness ratio you are looking for. Everyone is different. We all have our own pallets to please. Try it out and let me know what you find!