Got schooled on salt by a baker in Portland

Was working a pop-up event in Portland last fall. A baker saw me just dumping kosher salt into a sauce without tasting. She pulled me aside, said 'Salt is a seasoning, not a number.' Made me taste the difference between adding it early and right at the end. Now I always adjust in stages. How do you guys handle seasoning timing in your dishes?

3 comments

3 Comments

jason_lewis31mo agoMost Upvoted

See, I gotta go the other way on this. Building flavor in layers is the whole point for me. If you only salt at the end, you're just making the food taste salty, not actually seasoning the ingredients themselves. Things like beans or potatoes need that salt early to get inside them while they cook. I do a solid base season at the start, then just a tiny touch at the end if it needs it.

gracec161mo ago

Oh man, that's such a good lesson. I got roasted once for oversalting a soup early on, it just gets way stronger as it cooks down. Now I do a light base season and then fix it right before serving, makes a huge difference.

blair_taylor321mo ago

Yeah, I learned that the hard way too. Ruined a whole pot of chili by going heavy on the salt at the start. It was inedible by the time it finished simmering. Now I do exactly what you said, @gracec16, just a little at the beginning to help things along. The real seasoning happens in the last ten minutes. It gives you way more control and you never end up with that harsh, salty taste.