Salting food correctly is a message of good food. While salt is a very important seasoning in cooking, it can either make or break a dish. But if you know how to use salt in your food, you can make it work magic from the way your dishes look and smell.
Even a plain pinch of salt can bring out flavor, even out bitterness, and neutralize different tastes from different ingredients. When salt is added in the various stages of the cooking process, it intensifies the natural flavors and aromas in foods making it quicker to combine with other ingredients.
Meat, Poultry and Fish
To get the highest flavor, add salt to meat, fish and poultry before cooking. Salt will force juices out of the meat and prevent it from browning. Salting meat a few days before cooking can give amazing results in your dishes. When grilling, apply salt to meat earlier so it will not pull juices out of the food. For your fish and seafood, soak seafood in salted cold water for about 15 minutes before preparing as desired.
Sauces and Marinades
Salt is an essential ingredient in sauces, seasonings and marinades. It draws the water out of the food being marinated, giving food a more concentrated flavor. One of the simplest but delicious ways of making a good sauce is to add a little salt while the dry ingredients like garlic and onions are being sauted, add the liquid before the final salting.
Food That Requires Sauting
In cooking dishes that requires sauting, such as soup and chowder, add salt to the ingredients during the sauting process before adding the liquids. Once your dish is done, taste and adjust the salt if necessary.
Vegetables
For vegetables, salt water first before boiling or blanching. Salt will help to preserve the green color in cooked vegetables, such as cauliflowers to keep them from yellowing. Salt steamed veggies right after cooking. To poach vegetables such as asparagus, add salt to the water and simmer for a few minutes. Roasted and grilled vegetables should only be salted prior to cooking while the raw veggies and fruits should be salted just before serving.
Salads
It is normal to put salt on salads, just don't use too much. For a great-tasting freshness in your salad, start with a good salad vinaigrette. Dissolve salt well to the vinegar before adding the oil. Sprinkle a pinch of salt to your greens and toss prior to dressing.
Pasta
Adding a liberal amount of salt to the cooking water will bring out the natural taste of the pasta and boost the flavor of the finished dish. Let the water come to a rolling boil before adding salt. Salting the water prior to boiling will take it longer to boil.
Desserts
Salt makes the same thing to sweet foods that it does to savory foods. It has the power to bring out bright flavors from within. Since desserts are sweet, make sure to add less amount of salt. A small pinch of salt is usually enough to give some extra zing to a plain or mild-flavored yogurt fruit dip. Sprinkling slices of watermelon with just a pinch of salt can sweeten the taste of the whole watermelon.
Sometimes, adding salt gradually while preparing food may sound like you are using too much salt, but it's not. If you work with salt in stages, you are allowing flavors in the dish to fully develop, and the result? Lesser salt but more delicious and healthy dishes!
Just remember the rule of thumb, "If you're going to put salt on anything, a small amount is all you need to reveal the desired flavor of the food", and for as long as you don't over-do it, then you're making good food.
Even a plain pinch of salt can bring out flavor, even out bitterness, and neutralize different tastes from different ingredients. When salt is added in the various stages of the cooking process, it intensifies the natural flavors and aromas in foods making it quicker to combine with other ingredients.
Meat, Poultry and Fish
To get the highest flavor, add salt to meat, fish and poultry before cooking. Salt will force juices out of the meat and prevent it from browning. Salting meat a few days before cooking can give amazing results in your dishes. When grilling, apply salt to meat earlier so it will not pull juices out of the food. For your fish and seafood, soak seafood in salted cold water for about 15 minutes before preparing as desired.
Sauces and Marinades
Salt is an essential ingredient in sauces, seasonings and marinades. It draws the water out of the food being marinated, giving food a more concentrated flavor. One of the simplest but delicious ways of making a good sauce is to add a little salt while the dry ingredients like garlic and onions are being sauted, add the liquid before the final salting.
Food That Requires Sauting
In cooking dishes that requires sauting, such as soup and chowder, add salt to the ingredients during the sauting process before adding the liquids. Once your dish is done, taste and adjust the salt if necessary.
Vegetables
For vegetables, salt water first before boiling or blanching. Salt will help to preserve the green color in cooked vegetables, such as cauliflowers to keep them from yellowing. Salt steamed veggies right after cooking. To poach vegetables such as asparagus, add salt to the water and simmer for a few minutes. Roasted and grilled vegetables should only be salted prior to cooking while the raw veggies and fruits should be salted just before serving.
Salads
It is normal to put salt on salads, just don't use too much. For a great-tasting freshness in your salad, start with a good salad vinaigrette. Dissolve salt well to the vinegar before adding the oil. Sprinkle a pinch of salt to your greens and toss prior to dressing.
Pasta
Adding a liberal amount of salt to the cooking water will bring out the natural taste of the pasta and boost the flavor of the finished dish. Let the water come to a rolling boil before adding salt. Salting the water prior to boiling will take it longer to boil.
Desserts
Salt makes the same thing to sweet foods that it does to savory foods. It has the power to bring out bright flavors from within. Since desserts are sweet, make sure to add less amount of salt. A small pinch of salt is usually enough to give some extra zing to a plain or mild-flavored yogurt fruit dip. Sprinkling slices of watermelon with just a pinch of salt can sweeten the taste of the whole watermelon.
Sometimes, adding salt gradually while preparing food may sound like you are using too much salt, but it's not. If you work with salt in stages, you are allowing flavors in the dish to fully develop, and the result? Lesser salt but more delicious and healthy dishes!
Just remember the rule of thumb, "If you're going to put salt on anything, a small amount is all you need to reveal the desired flavor of the food", and for as long as you don't over-do it, then you're making good food.
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