The most important ingredient in any recipe is salt. Something can be cooked perfectly, but if the seasoning is off, your meal will be bland and boring. Here are a few tips on how to best harness the power of this mighty mineral!
Selecting your salt: Salt comes in many shapes and sizes. It’s important to understand which type is best for the job you’re doing. Many are of the opinion that the best all-purpose salt is kosher salt. Kosher salt is coarse enough that you can see how much you are applying, making it ideal for evenly seasoning meats and other proteins. Fine sea salt is a great salt to use when you need your salt to dissolve into other ingredients, such as when making baked goods. On the other hand, flaky salts like Maldon or fleur de sel are great for finishing dishes. The coarse texture is perfect for adding a bit of crunch to everything from steak to chocolate chip cookies. It’s also important to be mindful of the flavor of your salt. Iodized salt can leave a metallic aftertaste, which can affect your dish’s final flavor. And while flavored or smoked salts can be a delicious addition to any dish, they are typically best used as a finishing touch. Using them too early in the cooking process can cause their subtle flavors to be lost.
Perfect your technique: Turns out Salt Bae was onto something; sprinkling salt on your food from high above is a great way to make sure you achieve an even layer of seasoning. Also, consider keeping your salt in a bowl where you can easily add pinches while cooking. The tactile experience of actually pinching the salt between your fingers gives you a better feel for how much you are adding. Items like salt grinders can certainly be fun to use, but good old hands are always the best tool.
Salt as you go, and taste!: a common mistake among beginner cooks is neglecting to season ingredients throughout the cooking process. While it’s important to adjust salt levels at the end of cooking, salting every element of your dish can add layers of flavor that can elevate your final product. So salt as you go, and make sure to keep tasting your food to make sure it’s how you like it!
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