Some Salt Knowledge

Monday, April 7, 2014

Thank goodness our bodies require sodium to live because if we couldn’t salt our foods, it would be a sad, bland day! Whether it comes from the underground mines or evaporated seawater, it is all sodium chloride. What distinguishes one salt from another is texture, shape and mineral content.

Salt helps give foods flavor and texture. It helps meats retain their own natural juices, it can make vegetables sweat and bring out their flavors, and it helps balance the acid in baked goods and enhances the texture. Basically salt aids in bringing out the best from other ingredients.

There are many different kinds of salt on the grocery store shelves today – Table Salt, Kosher Salt and Sea Salts. Which one is best on what? Here are a few tips:

• Table Salt (like Morton’s) is fine-grained and dissolves easier so it works well for baked goods, biscuits and such.
• Kosher Salt is a coarse-grained salt that you may see as crystals or flakes and the larger grains make it easy to distribute over food. It is best used on meats because it clings well to the surface. Also good for seasoning stocks, sautés, etc., basically cooking at your oven (Usually Diamond Crystal or Morton’s)
• Sea Salt is mineral-rich and can vary in color and flavor, due to where it was harvested. It is best used as a “finishing” salt (after the food is cooked) because it’s delicate, crunchy and has a tasty minerality to it. It is however, more expensive but used sparingly. One pinch of finishing salt can go a long way to seasoning your final dish. (Maldon is my favorite – large, flaky crystals that taste amazing!) Check out some of the fun & interesting salts from around the world that can add a touch of flair to your dishes: Peruvian Pink, Himalayan Pink, Mediterranean, Fleur de Sel, Cyprus Black, Applewood Smoked, Chardonnay, and Velvet Grey Salt.

AND these salts don’t measure the same. Table Salt (and most Sea Salts) will be more potent. For every teaspoon of Table Salt, you will need 1 1/2 -2 teaspoons of Kosher Salt. That might explain some of the under-seasoning that takes place in the home with the growing popularity of Kosher Salt.

When you salt is also important to get the most out of your food. Here are a few more tidbits:

• Salt your burgers right before you cook them. Salt removes water from the meat and dissolves some of the meat proteins affecting the texture. This goes for other tender meats as well.

• For thick, heartier steaks and cuts of meat, salt 40-50 minutes before cooking. The salt brings out the moisture but it is absorbed back into the meat, breaking down the large muscle fiber, resulting in juicier and more flavorful meat. That timeframe allows this to happen. If you cook the meat while the moisture is still at the surface, it will inhibit browning. Besides, that type of thick steak needs to sit at room temperature for better cooking anyway!

• Salting veggies as they are sautéing not only adds seasoning, but removes the moisture, improving the taste and texture.

• Fattier meats need more salt than lean meats. Fat tends to dull the taste.

• Larger pieces of meat (beef, pork or lamb roasts) can be salted from 6 – 12 hours in advance. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in refrigerator.

• Also bone-in chicken, boneless, whole or turkey breast can be salted from 6-12 hours in advance. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in refrigerator.

Sodium is a necessary mineral for the body and helps with brain function, muscle contraction, fluid and blood regulations. But keep in mind the daily allowance for most people for sodium is 2300 mg, which is about one teaspoon a day of Table Salt. 

Happy salting!