Salt, Fat, Acid Heat (the book and also what it says)

[snowwhite]

So I was having a bit of a browse in Waterstones while I waited for Holland and Barrett to reopen (across the street) and have ordered a copy from my local library, but...

Salt. I very, very rarely add it to any cooking and the overwhelming evidence seems to be we eat more than is good for us anyway, and adding more isn't a good plan in terms of health.

Plus, and I hope I don't get kicked out for saying this: I'm not a fan anyway. I don't understand why people want to add it to caramel for example. I have a sweet tooth (con amour) not a salty one; I don't relate to (eg) Ella Risbridger talking about how she dips her finger in the salt pig because she like it, or the idea (in the book named here) that good salt should taste like a summer sea (even if it does, I avoid getting seawater in my mouth if possible.

And yes there are exceptions (fan of bacon for example), but I don't even really eat crisps very often.

Just me? Am I missing out hugely here and and basically eating food that tastes like cardboard according to those with a more discerning palate?

[sprite]

board muncher.

I really enjoyed that book, I got it through the library app. I learned a lot about cooking chemistry that I didn't know, despite not really liking the author. It just came across like Eat Pray Love.

If I haven't eaten enough, I'll pour salt into my hand to eat. When I lived in South Korea, I developed a KFC habit just to get food with salt on it, because it's not a condiment they put on the table (except for specific foods).
It's a flavour I really enjoy, even though I don't go in for all that expensive stuff.

I'm sure I've heard cooking-type people say that often, skipping salt in the cooking process results in bland food that people then add extra salt too--resulting in eating more salt than if it had gone into the cooking. It also has chemical reactions with food that works better over time.

Part of the health thing is eating foods higher in sodium.

anyhoo. I love salt. I love the warmth it releases in my mouth, and yes, I like the balance it brings to super sweet foods like caramel.

[snowwhite]

I'm sure I've heard cooking-type people say that often, skipping salt in the cooking process results in bland food that people then add extra salt too-

Nope. Don't add salt to food at the table either. Couple of exceptions, I'll put a teeny bit of Maldon salt on poached eggs and I like salt on chips sometimes. And it's not an aversion, since I'm fine with marmite and (eg) bacon... just don't add it to food either in cooking or at the table.

Incidentally as someone with pretty low blood pressure I'm also one of the people medics would worry less about in terms of salt intake too.

[sprite]

My dad has lower blood pressure, and being put on a super low-sodium diet sent his body properly loopy.

[Q-pee]

I don't use a lot of salt either, I like it on certain things and occasionally have a massive craving for it.

It turns up in lots of processed foods already so if I cook something using a stock I don't add extra salt, I don't add salt to rice or pasta in cooking, there's usually enough in the sauce... I do add it to boil potatoes. I'll add a pinch if I'm having scrambled eggs or omelette.

I prefer umami, spice/heat or acid/sour flavor.

Oh and sugar obviously - that's actually the white powder I'm trying to reduce in my diet.

[ozziegiraffe]

I don’t add it to cooking either. After I went back to live with my parents for a while in my twenties, I had to take over the cooking, as all the vegetables were overcooked and drowned in salt water. But I do like it on potatoes in any form, which I don’t eat very often.
And I love bacon.

[tucano]

I'd rather salt than sweet but don't like overly salty e.g. have had teriyaki salmon so salty in a restaurant that I couldn't eat it.

I find a lot of cakes too sweet but like caramel.

[Liiisa]

Sept 20, 2021 6:36:07 GMT -5 snowwhite said:

Just me? Am I missing out hugely here and and basically eating food that tastes like cardboard according to those with a more discerning palate?

Yes

[Q-pee]

Sept 21, 2021 5:37:46 GMT -5 Liiisa said:

Sept 20, 2021 6:36:07 GMT -5 snowwhite said:

Just me? Am I missing out hugely here and and basically eating food that tastes like cardboard according to those with a more discerning palate?

Yes

[weeg]

I'll take salt over sweet any day. I rarely add it at the table except on chips, but a bit adds depth of flavour in cooking and I wouldn't thank you for unsalted pasta.

[sprite]

I thought the line about summer sea was for the pasta water, but it's been a while since I read it.

[sprite]

I ate some sea salt last night, thinking of this discussion.

[Phar Lap]

Salt is salt no matter what our it is if it’s salt it tastes salty none of this like a summer sea nonsense! I have a sweet tooth, but I dislike caramel which to me is overly sweet and just urgfhk! There are times when I crave something sweet and I just have to have it, yet there are times when I need something savoury, I’ve never thought of it as craving salt, I need something savoury, not sweet. 

When I used to cook, I always added salt during the cooking process but never to the finished product on the plate. If I buy fish and chips I always say no salt. Cannot stand having salt shaken on cooked foods, makes the food taste salty.

[Webs]

Yes I use salt when I cook. It enhances the flavor. I don't over salt. I also add other spices, flavor boosters (such as onion and garlic), herbs, because i like food with flavor.

I don't understand people who don't season. I have spent too many holidays at my brothers where my sil thinks using no seasoning is going to give her food flavor and I hate having to add it afterward.

And I like salt on caramel because it makes it less cloying. I've pinched a few grains into chocolate pudding or hot chocolate.

[Liiisa]

I heard that salt gives your tastebuds an erection and that's why it enables you to taste things better.

Black twitter folk love to make fun of how white people don't season their (our) food.

[Webs]

And using a little salt doesn't mean dousing your food. If you're worried about intake then cook your food fresh, don't used packaged sauces or seasoning mixes.

[sprite]

we don't, strictly speaking, have a tastebud for salt. It creates an electrical reaction in the mouth, so the 'erection' analogy makes sense.

[viv]

I never used to add salt after living with a Norwegian girl through university - she didn't add salt to anything she cooked, and added it after the fact and wouldn't eat anything I cooked if I added salt to it so I stopped. However, having cooked for Navy Boy for a good 6yrs, I figured out he's accustomed to a LOT of salt in the food prepared for him on the ships and have had to find ways to compromise. I think I've about found it - he no longer adds salt to his meals (except chips which is normal!).

This book though - is it worth a read? I can't bear that EPL crap, so will I cope with this text?

[snowwhite]

It's not EPL.

I've dipped in and out of it a bit. MrSnow's read far more of it than I have. He added more salt to a thing the other day, which to my mind just made it taste too salty and made me thirsty.

Must make an effort to read more of it - it has nice illustrations too.

[sprite]

Sometimes a bit of cayenne pepper can make flavours come "out" more in the same way salt does, but without the health risks.

I'd recommend it as well, most library apps have it if you don't want to commit. It explains a lot of the chemistry behind why certain fats work better for somethings, how to use heat effectively, or how to use acids.
there's a little bit of 'ooh, I'm so blessed to have these exquisite food experiences' but you can skim over.