The Best Way To Cook With Nutritional Yeast, For The Uninitiated

As nutritional yeast has become more popular over the years, the types of people who cook with it have expanded. What was once one of the core ingredients in a vegan cook's kitchen has now become mainstream, regardless of dietary preferences. To help anyone attempting to cook with nutritional yeast for the first time, we reached out to Nisha Vora, the New York Times best selling cookbook author of "Big Vegan Flavor."

Sometimes referred to as nooch, nutritional yeast looks like golden yellow fish flakes. It primarily acts as a flavor enhancer and a nutritional supplement. "Nutritional yeast naturally contains glutamic acid, which is essentially umami," Vora told Tasting Table. "So it's a great addition to so many plant-based dishes that need a savoriness boost."

The flavor of nutritional yeast is pretty unique, but most people describe it as being somewhat cheesy and nutty. But until you try it for yourself, flavor descriptions are likely to fall short of the real thing. Although it goes great over popcorn, we don't know anyone who eats nutritional yeast by itself. So go ahead: Cook something up and add nooch in to find out what the fuss is all about. Trust us, the flavors are quite bold; you'll be able to taste it. For recipe recommendations, Vora said, "Think creamy pastas and risottos, meaty lentil or bean dishes, in tofu breadings or marinades, 'cream' sauces or dressings, taco 'meat,' and so much more."

It might help you understand how best to cook with nutritional yeast if you know a little more about what it is you're thinking of putting in your food. Nutritional yeast was born out of the discovery in the early 1900s that brewer's yeast leftover from brewing beer was packed with nutrients. A little innovation here, a little commercialization there, and nutritional yeast as we know it today was born in 1950. It became popular with the hippy generation, then in the 21st century, it grew into a household product.

Despite its rise in popularity, there's still a lot that people don't know about nutritional yeast. Because the vegan community loves it so much, many non-vegans assume it's simply not for them. But everyone should have a bottle of nutritional yeast stored in their pantry for a rainy day.

Cooking with nutritional yeast is as easy as cooking with garlic powder or another spice blend. The flavor is quite potent, so you won't necessarily want to put it in every dish you cook, and you don't want to overdo it either. Most people will add a couple teaspoons-worth into a dish and then mix it in while whatever they're making is cooking. The important part is understanding how you feel about the flavor. While the nutritional benefits are great, it's really the flavor that you should be focusing on since nooch's big flavors don't necessarily blend with everything.