Salt - the kind you put on food.

[vash]

i like salts.

but recently, i have been paying attention to the applications. blame watermelon. i like to salt it on occasion, especially if i didnt pick the best one; and i need to amp up the flavor a bit.

i have Kosher; Crystal Diamond. dont we all?
some random chunky grey salt. very salty, adds a crunch to watermelon.
fleur de sel - gift from a friend coming back from France. it's alright.
plain jane, iodized salt - for my pasta boiling water and because i look like crap sporting a goiter.

my latest discovery! Maldons finishing salts. i swear it is less salty. its amazing. i'm tempted to fry some chicken just so i can sprinkle it on at the end.

i never really use iodized salt anymore..except to cure something or the above mentioned pasta water.

i think i can get by with two. kosher and the Maldons.

anyone else overthinking food seasoning? sorry..Mondays

[craigster59]

[vash]

hahaha..good stuff.

[drkshdw]

I use canning salt exclusively. It's plain, non-iodized, 100% salt with no anti-caking agents. It's damn near a powder and it dissolves pretty much on contact which is why I use it. I tried kosher and the crystal salt you use in a grinder and I don't like either because they have a tendency to stay whole which makes food feel like it's been dropped on the beach before being put on your plate.

[flatbutt]

I came across some pink stuff called Himalayan salt, for some reason I can use less of it than the usual stuff.

[vash]

i like the added texture.

come to think of it..i dont even own a salt shaker. i havent had one in 15 years.

[Zeke]

I had a discussion once with someone that said if you salt your food before you taste it, you're opinionated (or something along that line). Probably an old HR wive's tale.

I explained to this person that how salty the food is while cooking is NOT the same as some salt crystals hitting your mouth with each bite. This is especially true with breakfast foods such as eggs and hash browns. If you happen to order ham or bacon, then you know what I mean by the difference between salty food and 'salted' food.

I don't particularly care for salty foods, but I'll put a tiny pinch right on my egg for the effect. I couldn't do hash browns, or any potato recipe, w/o some fresh salt at the table.

What kind? It's all salt to me and I'm aware of my total intake.

[craigster59]

I've tried the Lava Salt from here, they have some interesting stuff...
https://www.saltverk.com/shop

[ckelly78z]

I have to watch my sodium intake because of repeated CHF, and it's side effects. We use pink sea salt sparingly, but it has better flavor thsn table salt, and less sodium.

Fortunately, I would rather use ground black pepper on most things. My FIL, on the other hand, will salt everything before he takes a bite...opinionated matches him.

[tabs]

Salt is your enemy. It drives blood pressure.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Zeke

I had a discussion once with someone that said if you salt your food before you taste it, you're opinionated (or something along that line). Probably an old HR wive's tale.

The first I heard of this was in Nevin’s book about Henry Ford and the Ford company. Supposedly Ford was interviewing a prospective new engineer over lunch. The guy put salt on his steak before tasting it - Ford didn’t hire him. He didn’t want someone who made rash assumptions.

[911 Rod]

I only put salt on hard boiled eggs for some reason.
My mother put salt on everything. When she was in the hospital I had to put lots of salt on all of her food to make it palatable to her. I ordered some soup and figured I'd try some salt. Yuk! I guess it is what you get used to. Like sugar in coffee.

[GH85Carrera]

I rarely use salt on my foods. Corn on the cob is about all and slathered in butter.

At my last doctor checkup he did the routine blood test for old geezers like me. My sodium and my chlorides were low and he suggested I use some salt on occasion. I asked how often he has told s patient to increase salt and he did not remember, but not often.

Yep, I know I am weird.

[javadog]

As Vash has figured out, not all salt is the same. Four or five different types inhabit my pantry, including the ones Vash mentioned. I can say the same thing about pepper. I have uses for white, black and green peppercorns and I’ve become a believer that where the black ones come from is fairly important. Black peppercorns are not all created equal.

I don’t salt everything I cook but I can guarantee most meats are salted, all potatoes, and a number of other things. Properly done, salt makes a huge difference in how certain foods taste. If you gave me a ribeye steak and told me I couldn’t salt it when I cooked it, I probably wouldn’t even bother to cook it.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there were 200 or 300 different spices and condiments in my pantry.

[Chocaholic]

Eggs over easy and corn on the cob get salted 100% of the time. Just those two.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

The first I heard of this was in Nevin’s book about Henry Ford and the Ford company. Supposedly Ford was interviewing a prospective new engineer over lunch. The guy put salt on his steak before tasting it - Ford didn’t hire him. He didn’t want someone who made rash assumptions.

Ha. I had read it was it was Edison that did this but I can't name a source.

Clearly salt took both of them out.

[vash]

Originally Posted by javadog

As Vash has figured out, not all salt is the same. Four or five different types inhabit my pantry, including the ones Vash mentioned. I can say the same thing about pepper. I have uses for white, black and green peppercorns and I’ve become a believer that where the black ones come from is fairly important. Black peppercorns are not all created equal.

I don’t salt everything I cook but I can guarantee most meats are salted, all potatoes, and a number of other things. Properly done, salt makes a huge difference in how certain foods taste. If you gave me a ribeye steak and told me I couldn’t salt it when I cooked it, I probably wouldn’t even bother to cook it.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there were 200 or 300 different spices and condiments in my pantry.

salt is more than a seasoning. i'm not perfectly clear on the science, but it tenderized meat, makes omlettes more fluffy, etc. even a tiny bit will amp up the existing flavor, and not just make it salty.

pepper? yea, i have a bunch. hehe.

[javadog]

I used to be interested in the science of food, now I just cook things the way I've been taught. If you study a cuisine that's been developed over hundreds of years, you'll find they've pretty much figured everything out by now.

When to season foods during the cooking process is also important...

[vash]

Originally Posted by javadog

I used to be interested in the science of food, now I just cook things the way I've been taught. If you study a cuisine that's been developed over hundreds of years, you'll find they've pretty much figured everything out by now.

When to season foods during the cooking process is also important...

'Zackly!

[71T Targa]

Apples

Watermelon

Cantaloupe.

Just a few of the things that are better with salt...