when to add salt to a recipe.

[CTyankee]

I am hearing recently that you need to add salt early in the cooking process of a recipe to enliven the taste, not at the very end. Does anybody have any insight into the truth of this statement?

I've started doing this. It's all fine, I just wonder if it is really better?

[Duer 157099]

1. I can see that being partially true if

1) the salt is very coarse and takes time to dissolve or 2) if somehow the salt is actually involved in a chemical reaction with compounds in the food, which I never thought about but which I suppose could be the case.

I always considered that the salt was only working at the taste bud level, so it wouldn't matter as long as the salt was completely dissolved and dispersed uniformly.

There are some cases where you either do or don't want to add the salt early, such as adding salt to the cooking water for green vegies, to preserve the green color, or not adding salt to other cooking processes (can't think of a good example though) where supposedly the salt produces a tougher product.

edit: just realized that the example of adding salt to cooking water for green veggies is indeed an example of where salt is involved in a chemical reaction that impacts the food

[CTyankee]

2. Well, even if it proves not to be true, is there ANY reason NOT to add salt early

in the cooking process?

If I might as well, what's the problem?

[Warpy]

3. When or if I add salt depends on the recipe

If I'm sweating veggies, they require salt to help draw out the moisture. Bread and other baked goods require salt to develop flavor.

However, most of what I cook is salt free. I've even gotten used to no salt at the table, although some foods do require a few grains.

[Tab]

4. Depends on the effect

I add garlic salt (copiously) to pasta water before pasta. Other salt upon cooking - it will let your green veggies retain their 'greenness'.

Sea Salt, I add at the end, if I want to finish it with a flavorful salt. Otherwise, I don't see a point in adding salt unto the end.

[japple]

5. When cooking potatoes, turnips, or rutabaga, I salt the water

while they're cooking. Same for dried beans. For other things, it doesn't seem to matter much.

[NMDemDist2]

6. actually, I was always taught not to salt dried beans during cooking

makes em tough....

[Arkansas Granny]

7. I've always salted dried beans during cooking.

I had been cooking beans for many years before I heard that salt supposedly toughened them. I've tried cooking them both ways since then and have never noticed any difference. Most of the meats that I season beans with (ham hock, salt pork, bacon) have salt in them anyway so I guess a little more in the pot doesn't matter.

[Dora]

8. I think it may be - no salt during the soak, but okay to salt while cooking.

:shrug:

[Arkansas Granny]

9. I've noticed many of the tv chefs add salt each time they add another

ingredient to the pot and they always salt the water for pasta or vegetables first.

[Tesha]

10. I've gotten out of the habit..

I use salt if it's in a recipe, and usually less than they state - and when I'm cooking from memory I hardly ever use it. I even hate to salt pasta water. Mr Tesha doesn't agree - which makes for more smiles than frowns.

Salt is on the table if we need it - but as I get older I find I've lost the taste for it in most foods.

[HamdenRice]

11. Depends on the purpose. Salt early in the cooking is usually to raise the temperature

or more precisely the boiling point of water. The more salt in a liquid, the higher temperature the water has to get to to boil. That's one reason salt is added to pasta water. Generally this makes the food cook faster.

Salt also draws water out of certain foods. All solutions seeks equillibrium so if the liquid around a food is very salty, compared to the liquid in a food, the water will rush out to make the salinity inside and outside the food equal (it's one of those magic things about the universe, ie the force of entropy).

I try not to add much salt until the end for taste. A small amount of salt sprinkled on the surface of food will have much more of a seasoning effect that salt spread (diluted) throughout the food. So if you are worried about high blood pressure, etc., it's better to err on the side of too little salt and sprinkle some on at the end.

[pscot]

12. I use a lot less salt than the TV cooks

It also depends on the ingredients. I try to allow for things like canned tomatoes or tomato sauce have salt in them. Canned soups are loaded with salt. Cheese is very salty. If a dish calls for ham or bacon, I salt very sparingly, if at all, and always well into the cooking process. I do salt onions and mushrooms when sauteing. It extracts the liquid faser and speeds up the process. I think we're conditioned to the taste of heavily salted foods. The less salt you use, the more you taste it.