Food For Thought: A Grain of Salt

A simple ingredient that's badly misunderstood

Salt figures prominently in our mythology and is a vital part of our diet. We would die without it; we eat too much of it.

The first few weeks of culinary school I had a love/hate relationship with salt. Like many students, I under-salted everything; in later weeks I over-salted everything. I got the glares from my chef instructors: did I actually taste my food before presenting it?

Books have been written about salt, more books will be written about salt, and I could write an epic treatise about the chemistry and uses of it. But I’m going to tell you a few things about salt that will change the way that you look at your salt shaker. There is a lot of bullshit about salt out there and I’m here to tell it to you straight.

Salt is salt is salt (sort of)

When we talk about salt we are almost always talking about sodium chloride. Chemically speaking, a salt is a the product of a reaction between an acid and base, and there are other salts that occasionally appear in the kitchen (sodium nitrate as a preservative in cured meats, for example), but for almost every purpose we are talking about sodium chloride.

The origin of your salt make no difference whatsoever to the outcome of your dish

There is absolutely nothing magic about sea salt vs. mined salt. Absolutely nothing. It’s still sodium chloride. Most salts, sea salts included, have added iodine added as it is to support thyroid function. Some people claim to be able to taste the iodine but I seriously doubt it.

Coloured/flavoured salt = dirt

Seriously. Pink salt, red salt, grey salt, black salt, etc. are all sodium chloride with the addition (sometimes natural and sometimes via processing) of algae, clay, and various minerals. These salts taste a little different and that can be good if you like that sort of thing but there is nothing special about them. The fact that they are from the Himalayas or Hawaii or France or wherever is mostly a marketing tool. And lest you think that they are in some way healthier due to “trace minerals” ask yourself: how much of this stuff are you really eating? Half a teaspoon? Anyone suggesting that pink or any other fancy salt has special health benefits is a charlatan.

The shape of your salt crystal DOES matter

Here’s where we get to the important stuff. The size and shape of your salt crystals matters a LOT. Tiny, fine “table salt” crystals taste saltier because they dissolve faster in your mouth (and dissolve easier and disperse quicker in cooking and baking). Larger crystal cling to surfaces and add texture. Think of salt on popcorn vs. salt on a fresh pretzel. Or a flaked salt on a fancy steak. These are all very different salt experiences not because of origin but because of shape.

The only (real) way to measure salt is by weight

Measuring salt by volume is a bit of a mugs game. Cookbooks and online recipes like to give measurements in teaspoons and tablespoons but they aren’t at all accurate. Even if we are comparing the ever-popular kosher salt brands they don’t come out the same. The measurements get even more wonky when you try to substitute coarser salts for fine salt or vice versa.

I weighed out a tablespoon of kosher salt and it was 24.5 grams. A tablespoon of fine sea (ha!) salt was 18 grams. For shits and giggles I weighed a tablespoon of fancy-pants grey Celtic salt and it was 15 grams. The amount of sodium chloride in a tablespoon is quite different depending on the salt you choose.

How to solve this problem? First, get yourself a digital kitchen scale and use it! Recipes by weight are far more predictable and scalable than those measured by volume. Second, find a type and brand (or two) of salt you like, can buy in your area, and learn to work with it. If you use coarse or kosher salt in baking you might dissolve it in with the wet ingredients so that it disperses evenly. The more familiar you are with the ingredients you have the easier it is to adjust.

Seasoning is a process

Remember a few weeks ago when we were talking about caramelized onions? How adding salt early in the process changed the texture? Well, it’s true and not just for onions. Salting and seasoning is a process, not just a measurement. Salting meat well in advance of cooking allows salt to distribute and do its magic on the protein strands. Salting the water to blanch vegetables or cook pasta magnifies flavour. A sprinkle of smoked flaky salt on a steak adds texture and depth. Salt acts on the taste, texture and colour of food so consider HOW you’re using it, not just how much.

Taste your f*cking food already

The effect of salt on food can vary widely. Sometimes (like on a pretzel) we want to taste the salt - its sharp brininess is part of the fun. Other times we use salt to make food taste, well, MORE. A tomato with salt tastes more tomato-y. A potato with salt tastes more potato-y. Salt has a particular enhancing effect on umami tastes, is a counterpoint to sweet flavours, and can smooth out bitterness like nothing else (sprinkle just a pinch on your grapefruit if you don’t believe me). But to use it effectively you need to taste as you go along. Heaping salt in at the end is a recipe for overdoing it because you’re making a guess. Taste your ingredients and your dish along the way. How salty was the butter? The stock? Is there salt in that seasoning blend? A different brand of curry paste or soy sauce can throw your whole recipe off track if you don’t taste along the way.

Salt is not your enemy

I’m no doctor or dietician, but I do feel pretty confident in saying that we all need salt to survive. And I’ll bet you this - the salt you cook with at home is not why your doctor wants you to cut back. Packaged and processed foods are by far the largest source of salt in your diet. And if you eat out (or order in) a lot? The chef doesn’t care about your blood pressure or arteries - they are in the business of food that tastes good, so they will throw far more salt at you than the salt cellar next to your stove. Learn to use salt judiciously and correctly and you’ll end up using far less.

More than anything though, learning to use salt is a matter of practice and you can only learn by taste. Knowing the ingredients you have on your shelf is what will give you the confidence to experiment and be creative. And when you read a recipe take it with a grain of salt and let your tastebuds be your guide.