To Salt or Not to Salt, That Is the Question!

We’re always told that salt is bad for us and that we should be cutting down on it. I believe that salt is an essential part of cooking, and here’s why.

The Role of Salt in Enhancing Aroma

Salt helps to release the aroma of the food you cook. The smell of a steak grilling on the BBQ without a sprinkle of salt is just not the same as one with it.

The Impact of Salt on Baking

Bread and Dough

Have you ever eaten bread without salt? It tastes like you are eating a tea towel! Salt helps develop the gluten to give your bread, pasta, and pizza doughs the chew and structure we all love, along with providing all the taste benefits. Salt slows down yeast in the baking process, which allows for the golden colour and delicious flavour in your bakery products.

Salt in Cooking

Sweating Down Onions

Cooking a stew and sweating down onions? Adding salt speeds up the cooking process by allowing the liquid in onions to sweat out quicker.

Enhancing Sweet and Salty Flavours

Chocolate benefits hugely from a pinch of salt in the recipe to bring out the maximum flavour of sweet and salty.

Salt as a Preservative and Fermentation Agent

Salt is important as a preservative and a major ingredient in the fermentation process. Brining with salt keeps meat moist and helps make your chicken or turkey skin extra crispy.

The Drawbacks of Ultra-Processed Food

One of the many drawbacks of ultra-processed food is that manufacturers use salt, sugar, and fat to mask bitter flavours that are the side effects of chemical processes. They create addictive foods by increasing the levels of salt, sugar, and fat. These are the foods to be avoided, not home-cooked culinary delights.

Home Cooking vs. Manufacturers Use of Salt

Home cooks do not have chemistry sets on their kitchen benches and, therefore, are not using salt in the levels of commercial businesses. In fact, many home cooks are wary of adding salt because we have been told to cut down on cooking with it, whereas we should be cutting down on the consumption of ultra-processed food instead.

The Crucial Role of Salt in Flavour Balancing

Imagine salt as the cox of a rowing crew. Lemon is rowing too hard, spices are rowing too slow, and umami needs to lift their rate significantly. Salt is the ingredient that blends all the rowers together to create a dish that is pleasing to the palate.

Additionally, salt plays a crucial role in balancing sweetness and enhancing the overall flavour profile of a dish. Even in desserts, a touch of salt can make the flavours more vibrant and complex. It’s not just about making food salty; it’s about creating harmony and depth in every bite.

Embrace Salt in Moderation

Next time you cook, don’t shy away from using a pinch of salt. Embrace it as a tool to elevate your culinary creations and bring out the best in your ingredients. Remember, moderation is key, but don’t underestimate the power of this humble seasoning.