How much is enough when adding salt to food?!


Question:

How much is enough when adding salt to food?

I get really, REALLY scared when adding salt to my food while cooking. Most of the time, I do not add enough and my food end up with no flavor. Rarely do I become risky... and I end up putting too much salt. How can you tell when you've added enough salt? Is there a measurement for example for meat... every lb. = 1 tbls. of salt? How can I get it right?


Answers:
It often is not necessary to salt the water you cook in, and just add salt at the table when eating. But some foods that you cook benefit from salt in the water, since it tends to make certain foods firmer by actually dehydrating it in the salt water.

The amount of salt to use is dictated more by the amount of water you use than what you are cooking, but both are taken into consideration.

I saw a recipe for pasta that says to salt it with 2-3 teaspoons of kosher salt per quart of water. That sounds like a lot to me, but kosher salt has larger granules than table salt and that will make a difference.

Another recipe says use 1 teaspoon per gallon of water. (They don't specify the type of salt.)

I am not the greatest cook, but I will add a pinch of salt to my cooking water, and salt to taste at the table. Plus I use Morton Lite Salt (half sodium - half potassium) as my regular daily salt, but I will use kosher salt for my 'special dishes', whenever they decide to happen! LOL

Source(s):
http://www.victoriapacking.com/saltinfo....

It is hard to get it right, I am like you afraid to add to much. I always just add a pinch of salt, if it needs more I add more before I eat. Good Luck

after mixing salt keep tasting the food

None. If you ever get to take a college level Nutrition Class you will learn during the first week that there is NO recommended daily requirement FOR SALT... the reason is, there is enough salt present in the foods you eat that ADDING ANY SALT to your foods as you cook them is just TOO MUCH SALT, because you don't need it.

There is a very good reason for the clinical description of food preparation of a "No Added Salt" diet... ANY salt is TOO MUCH salt.

Best bet is not to add any salt while cooking
it can be added to each and every one taste later

I don't understand why food would end up with no flavor with "too little" salt. Salt doesn't really provide much flavor. If your foods are flavorless, they might need more of other seasonings or herbs. I don't salt steaks or roast beef, as salt can actually toughen those meats. You can't really have too little though. You should never actually taste salt in any food, unless it's on snack foods, like chips. So don't worry so much about the salt. Look into other seasonings, and they depend on the meat you are cooking. Some seasonings are better for some, and wouldn't be the right ones in others. Look at the seasonings in the market sometime. There are MANY wonderful ones. I don't overseason, but using just the right spices and herbs can make a roast or dish of any kind.

Someone else gave good advice... in many cases... don't add salt at all. It can always be added later. Again.. salt can't be the reason for a food being flavorless.

just a sprinkle... u have to remember that even though salt CAN be bad... doesnt mean we shouldn't eat it ... so enough for flavour is good

Season or salt your food To Taste, as you go. Many foods already have way too much sodium, so go by label ingredients/read out, and season lightly. You can always add more later, but you can't take away.

Salt enables all the various flavors in a preparation to meld together. Simple as that. Every time you add an ingredient add a small pinch of Koshar salt. Koshar salt is easier to control by the pinch due to its larger cyrstals. Table salt is too fine. But, as it was said so correctly above, keep tasting!

Fresh gound pepper contains an element that enhances the bodies ability to taste food. It isn't added just for heat. Figured I'd throw that in while I was running the mouth off.

If you are so scared, why not experiment with herbs and other non-salt seasonings?

I would suggest tasting your food while you are cooking it. Once your food it cooked it seems impossible to get seasoned well enough. For me anyway.

For me I like to see the salt and pepper on anything that I am cooking remember some of the salt is going to stay in the pan, oil, etc. Especially if you are cooking meat. Remember that you are seasoning it all the way through.

If you are cooking pasta, potatoes, rice, etc. season the water liberally. I would almost double what the rice or cous cous container says, with pasta and potatoes I use a a good 3 tbsp.

Salt is an essential chemical to keep our bodies working well. It helps maintain good muscle function and keeps our internal fluid balance balanced.
That said, a little goes a long way. Salting at the table AFTER tasting the food will give you the savoriness of the salt in much smaller amounts than if you salt during cooking.
The suggestions for herbs and herb mixtures above are very good as well. Again, start small and work up the amount to taste. Also be sure to know if the herb or spice releases its flavors best in oil or water.
I do tell people that there is little to no salt in the dish I'm serving. That way they don't think I am the world's blandest cook. I have not had a complaint and have pleased a number of folks who are salt restricted and have eaten at my house, young and old alike.

Cooking with salt is a trial and error sort of thing. You'll get the hang of it. Just start slow, and taste as you go. Remember, when cooking pasta of rice you should be able to taste the salt in the water before you cook. Otherwise, it won't taste the same no matter how much salt you add to the finished food.

i dont kno it depends how salty u like ur food.
an im15 years old an i kno how much 2 put on my food dat is a embarrassing for all da ppl dat do kno.




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