Do you salt your food?

[planuntilthefisthits]

In a recent thread, a poster mentioned that peanut butter tasted bland without having salt in it. This got me thinking: Doesn't salt mask the real taste of food? It is not like peanut butter, or beef, or eggs all of a sudden have a different flavor because salt is added: The food has the same flavor, but salty.

Personally, my wife and I never salt our food, and we are used to tasting the main ingredients. Granted, we eat out often and many restaurants love to throw salt on everything. Occasionally, even when telling a server that we don't want extra salt on an order, it comes inedible as it is so laden with salt.

Anyone else staying away from salt because they don't like the masking taste of it? (not to mention the health benefits of salt avoidance...)

 

[RetiredHappy]

In a recent thread, a poster mentioned that peanut butter tasted bland without having salt in it. This got me thinking: Doesn't salt mask the real taste of food? It is not like peanut butter, or beef, or eggs all of a sudden have a different flavor because salt is added: The food has the same flavor, but salty.

Personally, my wife and I never salt our food, and we are used to tasting the main ingredients. Granted, we eat out often and many restaurants love to throw salt on everything. Occasionally, even when telling a server that we don't want extra salt on an order, it comes inedible as it is so laden with salt.

Anyone else staying away from salt because they don't like the masking taste of it? (not to mention the health benefits of salt avoidance...)

I just don't like salty food, and it is not even about masking the flavor of the food or not.

 

[zangbao]

When I cook I add salt. When I make homemade peanut butter I add salt. When we eat out, I don't add salt.

 

[yhoomajor]

I add extra salt in all my food. (not counting things like Milk or Dessert).

 

[audreyh1]

No, salt does not mask the taste of food, it enhances the food flavors. If you add too much salt then your food tastes salty. Add less. It’s a matter of degree.

Salt is perfectly healthy, is an essential nutrient, and does not need to be avoided by most people. Now if you are eating a lot of highly processed or fast food or prepared food that tends to go way overboard with added salt, that’s a whole nother matter.

 

[rk911]

I salt corn-on-the-cob (and smothered in butter), baked potatoes, french fries and sometimes a burger.

 

[c998877]

My Mom has high blood pressure so she didn't use salt and I learned from her. I add salt to baked goods but usually less than the recipe indicates.

 

[Telly]

I quit salting food many years ago. I think doing it was just a habit from eons ago. The salt only gets used for salting big ugly slugs outside.
No, I don't know if salting slugs makes them tastier. But they sure get rid of that bloaty water quick!

 

[Pluperfect]

I salt corn-on-the-cob

I never use table salt on anything. One time I was at somebody's house and had some corn on the cob and YOWZA it was like corn on the cob on steroids. I'd never tasted anything like it, and I found out it had been salted. The salt most definitely did not mask the flavor.

I've continued not to salt anything since then, thinking that salt might be like heroin and I stay away from it because I'm afraid I'm going to like it a little too much.

 

[Koolau]

Over 40 years ago, I decided I didn't need to salt food - it was sort of a "health" thing. Food tasted bland for a week and then suddenly I didn't miss the extra salt. SO I couldn't tell you where our salt shaker is. DW quit soon after I did.

Think of the money we've saved on salt!!

 

[pb4uski]

I use a lot of salt, but miraculously by BP is perfectly normal.

 

[planuntilthefisthits]

No, salt does not mask the taste of food, it enhances the food flavors. If you add too much salt then your food tastes salty. Add less. It’s a matter of degree.

Salt is perfectly healthy, is an essential nutrient, and does not need to be avoided by most people. Now if you are eating a lot of highly processed or fast food or prepared food that tends to go way overboard with added salt, that’s a whole nother matter.

Please do not perceive this post as argumentative.

Salt does act as a masking agent. One can call it a flavor enhancer, but if the addition of salt (or any other additive, e.g., garlic) causes the brain to not perceive the original taste profile, that profile has been "masked," hidden or changed. For some, that is a very positive thing (my sister would give up eating if she couldn't have salt), but others see it differently. Perhaps it is a function of individual variability in the number of salt receptors in people's oral cavity.

A couple of articles about the enhancing/masking qualities of salt:

Taste and Flavor Roles of Sodium in Foods: A Unique Challenge to Reducing Sodium Intake - Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States - NCBI Bookshelf

Quick Bite: How salt enhances the flavour of our food

About Quick bites Quick bites are shorter very specific posts that add some extra information that was too much for a regular post but which are worth knowing anyway. They can also highlight some i…

scifood.blog

 

[Original Wally]

Salt is a basic food group.
But, then, so is pepper. And Lemon Meringue Pie. [NOT AT THE SAME TIME!!]

 

[VanWinkle]

No to salt, yes to pepper.

 

[audreyh1]

I use a lot of salt, but miraculously by BP is perfectly normal.

Unlike conventional thinking, salt intake does not cause high blood pressure. High blood pressure (the type classified as primary hypertension, which actually means no known cause, and is 90-95% of cases) is often an early warning symptom of increased insulin in the blood due to developing insulin resistance. This is ultimately a risk of developing diabetes after a long period of time. This indicates too high a carb intake, not issues with salt intake. When insulin in the blood is low, the kidneys easily release salt as needed, and the body doesn’t retain excess water. Lower carb intake and your blood pressure usually drops, often dramatically.

 

[FIREd]

I salt my food (to enhance flavor) while I prepare it but never add extra salt to my food at the table, whether I’m at home or eating out. I believe that a proper intake of sodium, potassium, and magnesium is needed for my body to function properly.

 

[Dtail]

Very rarely salt any foods. We eat out often enough, where the salt is already in there.
I do find it interesting when I see a diner salt their food without even tasting it first.

 

[sunnysideup]

I use salt in cooking, but typically use only 1/2 of whatever a recipe calls for. If I’m cooking freestyle, I always taste before adding.

I also use freshly ground pepper as it adds a nice flavor.

I never add salt when dining out, they already put ALOT in the food.

 

[old medic]

We use salt in the cooking stage, but rarely add it to something. We love a blend called Janes Krazy salt at the table.

 

[pacergal]

I do add salt when cooking/baking/grilling, often less than recipe calls for.
I rarely add salt at the table. Fresh corn on the cob or a baked potatoe are exceptions!

 

[YellowSubmarine]

Rarely salt as there's plenty of salt in most processed foods, e.g. ham, kraut, cheese, etc. I go through a Morton salt container every 10 years.

 

[Aerides]

Please do not perceive this post as argumentative.
Salt does act as a masking agent.

One man's mask is another's enhancement. Used properly, it brings out and deepens existing flavors. Used incorrectly, it just adds saltiness. But that's usually as an addition in the recipe, while cooking, vs. sprinkling it on already cooked food. Or it is a unique part of the overall taste (think soft pretzels with large flakes).

I pretty much use salt after cooking on french fries, and even then, rarely.

Oh and I learned years ago to use kosher salt, far better taste than regular table salt. Softer.

 

[Surewhitey]

I only salt a few things like pasta when boiling, roasted pecans, steak or corn. I like the contrast of it in caramel or wine & cheese. Also the enhanced salts with truffle or flakes for steak. Enhances in my book...

 

[MRG]

Yes.

I salt protein before I cook it and have a nice salt to add when I serve it. DW never adds any at the table, but I enjoy nice flakes or a soy sauce.

 

[audreyh1]

One man's mask is another's enhancement. Used properly, it brings out and deepens existing flavors. Used incorrectly, it just adds saltiness. But that's usually as an addition in the recipe, while cooking, vs. sprinkling it on already cooked food. Or it is a unique part of the overall taste (think soft pretzels with large flakes).

I pretty much use salt after cooking on french fries, and even then, rarely.

Oh and I learned years ago to use kosher salt, far better taste than regular table salt. Softer.

Exactly! It’s not binary.