Questions about the use of culinary salt in the kitchen.
3
votes
1answer
1k views
Is salt caking really a big problem, or are anti-caking agents just cheaper than salt?
Moving back to the US from Europe after 8 years, my wife and I thought we were going crazy when salt seemed ... less salty here. Taking a look, almost all salt has anti-caking agent mixed in with it. ...
21
votes
7answers
5k views
What are some good substitutes for salt for those on low sodium diets?
I try to keep my sodium intake fairly low to ensure that my blood pressure doesn't get too high.
Salt is such a common part of cooking, and it's especially difficult to cook Asian-style food without ...
75
votes
5answers
16k views
Why add salt to the water when cooking pasta?
What is the effect of adding salt to the water when cooking pasta?
2
votes
7answers
3k views
Where can I buy kosher salt in London?
I make a point of taking a few minutes to look around for the stuff whenever I go to a new supermarket / farmers market / ete etc and I haven't been able to find a source here. At the same time, I'm ...
26
votes
5answers
12k views
How long do you let a steak from the fridge come up to temperature, and when do you salt it?
Before cooking a steak, you're supposed to let it sit out at room temperature. You're also supposed to salt it. What is the proper timing for these steps? How long do you let the steak come up to ...
2
votes
3answers
891 views
Is low sodium salt really effective?
In Israel, there are some low-sodium salt substitute, which brag to have "60% less sodium than regular salt".
I suspect that there's a catch. I strongly suspect that indeed they contain 60% less ...
8
votes
1answer
870 views
Homemade Truffle Salt
How do you make truffle salt at home? I tried with just a jarred black truffle I got at the stores. I finely grated it over a microplane and then mixed it with salt and let it sit for a while. It ...
6
votes
1answer
196 views
Does adding salt before cooking toughen scrambled eggs?
I have been told by two different cooks who's opinions I trust that adding salt to a beaten egg mixture before cooking will dry out and/or toughen the eggs, but also that adding salt at this stage ...
15
votes
2answers
27k views
Substituting garlic powder for garlic salt?
I love using garlic powder but I also see recipes call for garlic salt. I thought that you could just add garlic powder instead of garlic salt (which of course is sold separately!) and then just add ...
7
votes
1answer
204 views
What determines the 'saltiness' of salt?
I've bought two brands of salt that are completely different in terms of 'salt' concentration(not sure if this is the correct terminology). I realized this because I needed three or four times more ...
3
votes
2answers
122 views
Why is salt sometimes ingredient of otherwise sweet cookies? [duplicate]
In some recipes for muffins, biscuits or cakes I find small amounts of salt as an ingredient (Chocolate cake, Banana muffin). Why? What can a pinch of salt add to the bowl of chocolate?
6
votes
3answers
25k views
What's Fruit Salt?
A recipe I am trying out (for khaman dhokla) requires fruit salt. What is it? What can I use as a suitable substitute?
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Why would heating salt in a pan prevent food from sticking?
Quote from www.saltworks.us:
Preventing food from sticking - Rub a pancake griddle with a small bag of salt to prevent sticking and smoking. Sprinkle a little salt in the skillet before frying ...
7
votes
3answers
42k views
Substituting table salt or sea salt for kosher salt?
The roasted chicken recipe I'm following of course calls for kosher salt, but I don't have any, and getting some is out of the question.
I have sea salt and table salt on hand.
Can I substitute one ...
3
votes
4answers
236 views
How can I make low sodium (140mg or less per serving) pancakes / waffles?
I work with heart failure patients who have to limit their sodium intake, but still would like to enjoy some of their favorite foods. How can I reduce the sodium (to 140mg or less) in pancakes and ...
8
votes
4answers
6k views
Is it okay to salt beef before or while cooking it?
I recall reading that you should not salt beef until after it is cooked or it will dry the beef. Yet I see recipes that call for salt in a beef marinade.
Is it true that you should only salt beef ...
3
votes
2answers
187 views
Is it safe to “salt bake” using ice cream rock salt?
Salt baking requires a lot of salt. I want to use ice cream rock salt for salt baking because it normally comes in bulk size. But I've been told that the rock salt used for ice cream is not fit for ...
16
votes
2answers
520 views
How much to reduce salt when using salted butter in place of unsalted butter
I normally don't keep unsalted butter on hand since I use it so seldom. So when a recipe calls for salt and unsalted butter among its ingredients would it be alright to use salted butter and reduce ...
2
votes
1answer
196 views
Can salt be inserted in unshelled peanuts? Do natural peanuts taste salty?
The label of the blue coloured bag in this link says:
Peanuts unsalted In-shell
What is the need of mentioning unsalted In-shell?
Is it possible to insert salt in unshelled peanuts? Do natural ...
3
votes
3answers
155 views
What is the purpose of kosher salt in peanut butter? Can it be replaced with something else?
From here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-peanut-butter-recipe/index.html
Ingredients
15 ounces shelled and skinned AB's roasted peanuts, recipe follows
**1 teaspoon ...
2
votes
4answers
263 views
Best moment to put salt in spaghetti?
Different friends have conflicting theories about the best moment to pour salt into spaghettis:
Before putting the spaghettis, so that the salt infiltrates inside the spaghetti.
Just a bit before ...
27
votes
10answers
19k views
How to fix food that got extra salty?
I imagine this depends on what the food is. With spaghetti, you can add water or change water if you detect it on time. But what about grilled meat? Or a tomato sauce?
0
votes
4answers
2k views
How can I get my bacon less salty?
I was reading this question, and there's a solution to the OP's answer. I'm not fond of salt and this is a drawback for bacon (to me, that is). I do want to end up with pieces of cooked bacon (so ...
2
votes
2answers
396 views
Can salt make sour fruit seem sweeter?
I got a little debate started via the comments on this answer. The poster suggests the use of salt to make a sour kiwifruit-sauce taste sweeter in the same way you would use salt to make something ...
2
votes
3answers
740 views
Why is my brining giving varied and usually poor results?
I am trying to brine a chicken and then cook it in a soup. I just can't seem to do it properly and have noticed varying results for reasons i cannot figure out. My basic method is add 1.5l spring ...
12
votes
3answers
6k views
Why add salt to the water when cooking rice?
Given the great answer to the question on adding salt to water when cooking pasta, I am curious whether the same explanation holds for rice as it does for pasta (flavor and starch gelation)? Is there ...
8
votes
3answers
278 views
Can the bacon in homemade “Bacon Salt” be made shelf stable?
After success making several fancy salts including Sriracha, smoked, and green chili I've decided to try to move in to stranger and tastier territories. As such I want to make a bacon salt. The ...
2
votes
2answers
354 views
How much salt does fish in brine absorb?
Suppose you brine fish e.g. tuna and then eat the tuna raw i.e. uncooked. Would salt have penetrated completely into the tissues or would only the surface be salty because it is coated with salt ...
5
votes
4answers
526 views
how do I get the salt out of my chinese take out
I bought some overly salted Chinese food ( I did not know it at time) and took most of it home.
Now I would like to get the salt out so i can it eat. Do you have any suggestions?
7
votes
2answers
301 views
Does using flaked salt make a difference when using it in cooking?
I have a few recipes that call for flaked salt, I can only seem to buy it in bulk 1kg bags here. I want to know that if you use "salt" in a recipe does it really matter to the final taste what kind of ...
5
votes
8answers
10k views
Is there any way to “Salt” unsalted cashew pieces?
I picked up a bag of cashew pieces from the bulk bin last night got home and realized they were of the unsalted variety. Which are good but for a snack not quite what I was looking for.
Is there ...
1
vote
3answers
218 views
How to make salt in burger permeate throughout the entire meat?
I have been eating beef burgers from various different shops however having asked them they ALL use the exact same brand and product. Here in east london uk they also all use a standard flat top ...
5
votes
5answers
6k views
Pink salt vs regular salt
What is the difference between pink salt and more typical coarse salt (e.g. sea salt)?
I know it is pink due to mineral deposits, but culinarily is it any different? e.g. does it taste different, is ...
28
votes
4answers
1k views
Is there any truth to the idea that you shouldn't multiply seasonings when multiplying a recipe?
I often hear cooks discuss that idea that if you are multiplying, say, a recipe for 4 to be a for 32, that you shouldn't multiply some herbs, spices, or salt. I've never understood any reason why this ...
1
vote
2answers
236 views
Why salt AND pepper and not salt and/or pepper
Which is to say--narrowing things down--do the two actually have any mutual enhancement effect, such as, say, in the manner in which salt can fool the tastebuds into perceiving sweet as even sweeter? ...
7
votes
3answers
2k views
Will hard boiled eggs absorb salt through the shell?
In this America's Test Kitchen video they add salt to the cold water when hard boiling eggs:
http://www.cookscountry.com/videos/Hard-Cooked-Eggs/28960/
Would the salt actually permeate the shell and ...
1
vote
1answer
170 views
Will steaming fish cause salt to come out or cause fish to fry in its own fat?
If you brine some fish and then boil it in water (make a soup) ,the salt and other nutrients leach right out thus defeating the purpose of the brine. I will soon buy a steamer, however I just wanted ...
2
votes
3answers
664 views
How much salt is absorbed by meat during brining?
Has anyone created a table of sodium absorbtion during brining vs. other contributing factors such as brining time, meat type, salt ratio, etc.
I'd like to be able to compute how much sodium is ...
15
votes
6answers
8k views
Rinse the salt off a steak before cooking?
I've been trying to perfect my technique for cooking a steak indoors.
It was recommended to salt the steak about 30 minutes before cooking. I used kosher salt, and cooked the steak on cast iron. ...
3
votes
2answers
317 views
What is the difference in flavor between a fermented pickle and a vinegar pickle?
I'm interested in experimenting with pickling, and I'm wondering what the difference in flavor is between a classically fermented pickle and one made using vinegar. I've search online, but can't find ...
13
votes
3answers
3k views
Does adding salt when soaking dry beans toughen or soften the skin of the bean?
I have heard opinions on both sides of this. The the latest answer on this site, says salt softens bean skins quoted Cooks Illustrated (I can't see the article, but I trust CI), while another answer ...
5
votes
3answers
324 views
Why is salt sometimes added to straight coffee?
Sometimes a pinch of salt is added to a cup of coffee - but why?
Is this only done for low-quality or mediocre coffee? When is the best time during the coffee-making process to do this?
8
votes
7answers
3k views
Soup is too salty!
I made a mistake with my lastest batch of chicken soup, and it's too salty to eat. Is there any way to save it?
4
votes
5answers
488 views
How to counteract excessive saltiness in dried fish?
My wife comes from a culture where preparation and eating of dried fish is very common (as long as one takes the proper measures to deal with the smell). She prepared for me recently a serving of ...
2
votes
3answers
363 views
Made a ginger carrot soup with coconut milk but accidentally made it too salty, how do i fix it?
I made a ginger carrot soup with coconut milk but accidentally made it too salty, how do i fix it?
From some google searches - one said to put raw potatoes to absorb the salt. I am not sure if that ...
2
votes
1answer
365 views
Why should I add salt to my curries?
I've been advised by a friend of mine that I have to add salt to my curries if I want the spices to come out and not leave me with a bland curry.
Now after being a doubter, as I never add salt to my ...
-5
votes
1answer
355 views
What makes soy sauce so salty? [closed]
I watch a lot of food programs and the chefs would advocate using soy sauce instead of salt for making a dish salty. The question is what makes soy sauce salty? Does it actually contain salt?
1
vote
1answer
251 views
How to salt potatoes?
I would use boiled or fried potatoes inside other recipes like the Spanish tortilla which has usually a salty taste. Depending on how I cut the potatoes however, sometimes there is too much contrast ...
1
vote
2answers
176 views
Does a mechanical meat tenderiser denature chicken so that it will absorb more salt water?
Does a mechanical meat tenderiser denature chicken to the point it will absorb more salt water in a soup?
If I use a £20-£40 meat tenderiser on chicken and thereafter make chicken soup(with more ...
15
votes
4answers
1k views
Why did my grandfather-in-law salt his beer?
My grandfather-in-law was born in England in the 1920s and fought in WW2. Somewhere along the line he acquired the habit of salting his beer before drinking it, which persisted for the rest of his ...
