Salt As Per Your Taste!

For every cooking, there is one thing home cooks generally reach for to make their dishes taste good – salt. Even though salt has been a staple seasoning that enhances almost every dish throughout time, one single mistake and it can ruin an entire meal. But if you know how to apply salt the right way as you prepare the food, you can make it work magic from the way your dishes smell and taste.

Imagine how a plain pinch of salt can even out and neutralize different flavors from different ingredients bringing out a good blend of taste. When salt is added into the food, it intensifies the natural flavors and aromas in foods making it more apt to combine with other ingredients. If you work with salt in these stages, you are allowing flavors in the dish to fully develop, and the result? Lesser salt but more delicious and healthy dishes! A few pinch of salt usually goes a long way. Here are some hints on how to use salt on our most basic foods:

On Meat, Poultry and Fish

For an utmost flavor, add salt to meat, fish and poultry before cooking. Although most believe it is not ideal to add salt to meat right before cooking, doing so can offer benefits. Salting prior to cooking will force juices out of the meat and prevent it from browning. Salting meat earlier can retain juices in the meat which can give amazing results especially when grilling. For your fish and seafood, soak seafood in salted cold water for about 15- 30 minutes before preparing as desired, salt will penetrate to your seafood and improves flavor in your dish.

On Sauces and Marinades

Salt is a powerful ingredient in making sauces, seasonings and marinades. It draws the water out of the food being marinated, giving food a more concentrated flavor. When making sauce, always add a little salt while the dry ingredients are being sautéed. Add the liquid after that then salt to desired taste.

On Food That Requires Sauteing 

For dishes that requires seasoning such as soup and chowder, add salt to the ingredients during the sautéing process, that's before adding the liquids. Once your dish is done, taste and adjust the salt if necessary.

In Cooking Vegetables

To boil or blanch vegetables, salt the water first before cooking. Salt will help to preserve the green color in cooked vegetables, such as cauliflowers and keep them from yellowing. Add salt to your steamed veggies right after steaming. 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.

On Your Salads

Although some do not like salt on their salad, it is normal to put salt on salads, just don't use too much. For a great-tasting freshness, 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.

In Preparing Pasta

Add a moderate amount of salt to the cooking water. This will bring out the natural taste of pasta and boost the flavor of your finished dish. Let the water come to a rolling boil before adding the salt. Salting the water before boiling will take it longer to boil.

On Desserts

Salt makes the same thing to sweet foods that it does to savory foods. It helps bring out bright flavors in sweet foods. 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. When using salt, 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, you will allow your salt to enhance almost every dish, from your breads, meats, fish, fruits and vegetables to sauces and desserts.