A word about seasoning (salt in particular)

I heard someone say once that the most important thing you should learn to control be a successful cook, next to heat and ingredient quality, is seasoning control, particularly salt control.

Without good salt use and control, the method, other seasonings, cookware, and the rest of the recipe just won’t matter much.

I remember hearing often as a kid that you should not salt anything until it’s done and on your plate, then taste it and see if you want to add salt later. That way you don’t get too much. Sounds great on paper, but unless you salt before or during cooking, it doesn’t get a chance to penetrate the food and enhance flavor. When boiling foods, such as potatoes or pasta, salt the water, and it will work its way into the food as it cooks.

Salt the food afterwards and you end up with food covered with little crystals that assault your tongue with every bite, before you taste the food.

Now keep in mind that this is just general advice, and there are always expections. If a recipe says to add salt later on, there’s probably a reason, or it may be that something doesn’t call for salt at all. Sometimes there is a good reason for this. (Stocks for example I don’t like to salt when making them, so I can control the salt level later when using the stock in whatever soup or dish I’m making.)

I don’t believe salt should make food taste “salty”, I believe that would be a sign that you used too much. Just because I might season a dish several times during the cooking process, don’t take that to mean that you should increase the total amount you use. It should simply enhance the natural flavor of the food without overpowering it. (Making beef taste more “beefy”, chicken more “chickeny”, chocolate more “chocolaty”, etc.)

The type of salt matters!

Ok, so all salt that you cook with is chemically the same. Sodium Chloride. The difference comes in shape and size. For general use most serious cooks prefer flake kosher salt. It gives you better control since it’s easier to grasp between your fingers, doesn’t dissolve as fast on your food, giving it some time to work during cooking, and does not contain iodine which can add a weird metallic taste. (I know iodine is said to be “a necessary nutrient) on the table salt packages, but honestly, when is the last time you saw someone with a goiter? I think we get plenty of iodine in everything else, for your gourmet cooking at home, stick to the pure stuff.

As for Pepper:

If you know someone who still hasn’t bought a peppermill, and is still using the pre-ground stuff from a can, I would like you to go get yourself a big stick, hit them with it, and say… “NO!”

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