TIP OF THE DAY: Secrets Of Salting | The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures - The Nibble Webzine Of Food AdventuresTIP OF THE DAY: Secrets Of Salting | The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures
Kosher salt. We use this salt server in
THE NIBBLE test kitchen to add pinches
of salt as we cook.
Since cooking is chemistry, you have to combine ingredients in the right order to get the fluffiest cakes or soufflés, for example.
It’s the same with salt: Pay attention to the order in which you add salt. Here are tips from Chef Louis Eguaras:
Meats: Salt meat 1 to 4 hours before cooking. For the first half hour, salt will extract the moisture from the meat. Then, the protein fibers loosen up and absorb the salty juices.
General Cooking: Add salt in the middle of the cooking process, not just at the end. It gives you a better opportunity to taste and adjust the amount of salt.
Stocks: Don’t salt stocks. Subsequent reductions will intensify the saltiness. It’s the same with sauces that will be reduced. Instead, taste the stock or sauce when you are preparing the dish.
Deep-Frying: Don’t salt the food immediately before deep-frying it. Salt will alter the surface and make the food less crisp.
Blanching: Add salt to the liquid before adding the food.
Aluminum & Cast Iron Pots: Add salt after boiling begins but before adding food, to prevent pitting of the pot.
See the many different types of salt in our Salt Glossary.
