Questions tagged [salt]
Questions about the use of culinary salt in the kitchen.
352 questions
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Why add salt to the water when cooking pasta?
What is the effect of adding salt to the water when cooking pasta?
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Are there any advantages to freshly ground salt?
Recently, I've seen salt grinders sold in stores. I understand that freshly ground pepper has a plus over pre-ground pepper in terms of freshness and strength. However, salt to me seems like a mineral,...
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What is the point of a salt mill?
Salt mills and pepper mills often come in pairs. I understand the purpose of the pepper mill: It breaks open the pepper corn and releases the aroma. But there is, to my knowledge, no such thing as a ...
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How to fix food that got extra salty?
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 ...
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Why did my grandfather-in-law salt his beer?
My grandfather-in-law was born in England in the 1920s and fought in World War II. Somewhere along the line he acquired the habit of salting his beer before drinking it, which persisted for the rest ...
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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 ...
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Why are salt and pepper the "classic" dinner table seasoning?
Is there a reason we use salt and pepper on so many dishes and they can be found in any kitchen table at dinner time? Does it have to do with their flavor synergies, or were they just more available "...
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Why would you place potatoes on salt when baking in the oven?
Several of my recipe books call for baking potatoes on a layer of (rock) salt, e.g. I'm currently following one for gnocchi that has this very instruction.
Searching yields many recipes, but I can't ...
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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 ...
user73
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4
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Can you candy salt?
Bear with me...
I'm working on a pretty amazing ice cream. It's Dulce de Leche, made the kind of scary traditional way of boiling cans of sweetened condensed milk, then mixing that with a custard and ...
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What is the difference between sea salt and regular table salt?
I often sea sea salt sold in grinders to be used at the table, with comments about how it tastes better. What sort of taste differences would I notice using sea salt vs table salt, and what other ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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What can be done with accidentaly oversalted beef?
I mistakenly marinated some thin beef with regular salt for one day before barbecuing it, turns out you're not supposed to do that! Even after washing it, it is unbearable to eat it by itself.
I'm ...
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Why is it important to add salt during cooking?
This may seem like a silly question, but given that each persons' tastes are different why is it that salt is added during cooking? It seems better to just allow the person eating the food to add ...
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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 ...
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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. ...
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When cooking pasta in salted water how much of the salt is absorbed?
Most chefs recommend that you should add quite a bit of salt to boiling water which you cook pasta in (sometimes 1 teaspoon).
For those watching their sodium intake, how much of this salt will ...
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How much salt can I safely add to bread dough?
I recently made ciabatta, which turned out very well, with a good crust and nice open crumb. However, I felt it could use more salt to give extra flavour. I'm aware that salt and yeast do not make ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Why does salt enhance the flavor of food?
I eat a lot of salt. It makes almost everything taste better, including:
Meat
Cookies
Vegetables
Sauces
Chocolate
much more
It seems to me like salt makes almost anything better, but it doesn't just ...
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Does putting salt in coffee really remove bitterness?
I have seen people claim that putting salt in coffee enhances the flavour or removes bitterness. Example.
Does this really work? If it does, how does it work? Is there something chemical going on, or ...
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How much salt in "liberally season"?
I've been reading and watching content about cooking and when the instructor says, "liberally season with salt", I am left clueless as to how much I should apply. As a complete novice in cooking, I ...
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Can I substitute salts 1:1 by weight?
In a recipe where you’re dissolving salt in water or a similar mixture(not sprinkling it as a seasoning, etc.) is it possible to substitute, for example, 1 gram of kosher salt with 1 gram of table ...
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Is it true that all salt is sea salt?
I heard Alton Brown say that on Next Food Network Star. Is it true? What about salt that is mined, or salt from salty lakes?
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What makes fleur de sel different from regular salt?
Fleur de sel is the salt from the top of the pot when you heat salted water.
But what makes it different from the rest of the salt in the pot?
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Is there any advantage to combining spices before applying them to meat?
Up to this point when preparing steaks, ribs, or any sort of "meat" I would apply my spices in sequence: first adding salts, followed by a pepper-based powders, and lastly some sugars (if applicable). ...
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Why is there so much salt in cheese?
I want to reduce my salt intake for health reasons, especially from processed products such as cheese. I am aware is the crucial role that salt plays in the preservation of meat, it is not there just ...
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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 ...
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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.
Would the salt actually permeate the shell and flavor the egg? That seems unlikely to me and is just a ...
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15
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7
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How much salt should I add to a dish?
I find it hard to figure out how much salt to add to dishes. I'm always afraid I'll make it too salty. Recipes always call for salt to taste, but what does that mean? Is there a good rule of thumb?
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Why throw salt over a barbecue before cooking?
At a recent barbecue in Chile, I watched the chef throw large handfuls of salt over the charcoal a few minutes before placing on the meat.
What would be the reason for this?
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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 ...
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What different uses do we assign to salted butter vs. unsalted butter?
What different uses do we assign to salted butter versus unsalted butter?
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What foods/preparations demonstrate the flavor difference between sea salt and table salt?
Related to What is the difference between sea salt and regular table salt?
What can I prepare that will work really well for a side-by-side comparison to demonstrate the difference between sea salt ...
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Why do so many dessert/biscuit recipes have salt in them?
Whilst I can understand salt in the majority of recipes, I never really understood why it is in so many desserts or biscuits.
When I have asked a few friends or family who do a lot of cookery, the ...
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Rubbing eggplants in salt
I saw somewhere they rubbed sliced eggplants in salt and leaving them out up to an hour before putting them in the oven.
From what I understood it had to do something with the eggplant's bitter taste.....
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Why add salt to potato water?
I add salt to pasta water in order to reduce the stickiness caused by starch. However, I've never seen potatoes stick together. Why add salt?
user4697
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What are some things to consider when choosing a salt?
What attributes are important when selecting salt for a dish?
Specifically where you would use sea salt, kosher salt or plain table salt?
I can often find sea salt (iodized and non-iodized) in ...
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How to dissolve salt into mashed potatoes
I am trying to find a way to mix salt into my mashed potatoes without having unpleasant bits of salt appear in each mouthful.
I usually steam them with their skins-on, before mixing in salt, and ...
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Alternative to salt when using Mortar and Pestle
For numerous reasons, I need to prepare the vast majority of food salt-free. Been doing this since the 80's, and now we are very sensitive to any added salt in our food. This extends to, for instance, ...
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What type of salt for sourdough bread baking?
I have a sourdough bread recipe that calls for either Real Salt or unrefined salt. I do not have either of these and I’m not sure if these salts are fine or coarse. I have Himalayan pink salt coarse ...
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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?
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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 ...
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Does salt interfere with the yeast in the dough swelling process?
I was told by a friend that, when making pizza dough, I should add the salt at a later stage than the yeast, because it might disturbe the yeast from doing its thing...
I apologize for not having ...
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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 ...
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Should you add some salt to flour when baking?
I was always taught to add a pinch of salt to flour when baking (mainly cakes / muffins and puddings).
I have recipes that specifically mention adding salt and others that don't.
Is there a ...
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