All About Salt

If you have been a reader of my blog for a while now, you know I love cooking. One thing that is extremely important in improving the taste of your food is adding the right amount of salt and when you add it. I had it told to me on a daily basis in school, “Did you salt this?” Salt is amazing for bringing out the taste of foods and knowing when to salt and how much to salt imperative in making sure your dish comes out right.

All About Salt

One thing to keep in mind is there are several types of salt on the market. The two most used are Table and Kosher.

Table is the common salt you will find in most all kitchens. It is small granulated and white in color.

Kosher is a much more coarse granulated salt. It does not add as much salt flavoring as Table and therefore should be used more in a dish if you are using this type. The general conversion is 1 tsp Table is about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 tsp kosher.

As I mentioned, there are several types, but I am only going to touch on the very basics of salting foods, so I will save that discussion for another day.

When should you salt food?

I have compiled a list of when food should be salted below. Please note, this is just a general guide and more or less salt can be added for your personal preference. Keep in mind, though, it is always better to add less salt than you think because it is much easier to add more than take away.

• Vegetables: Roasted or grilled; add before cooking. Raw; add just before serving Steamed; Salt the water before blanching or boiling
• Pasta, Rice and Grains; Salt the water before cooking
• Dressings for salad greens; add before adding oil to a vinaigrette. This way the salt can dissolve in the vinegar first
• Meat: Whole birds; all over-inside and out, Other meat; season just before cooking
• Onions and Garlic; add while sauteing or “sweating”
• Eggs: Add during cooking
• Stocks, Soups and Sauces; add before thickening and again to taste after just before finishing

Keep in mind as well, that Kosher is often better in cooking, because it has many facets in taste, while table is better for baking.