How to Salt Your Food for Maximum Flavor
Salt is a flavor enhancer that brings out the natural taste of an ingredient. Too much and it will overwhelm your palate. Learning when and how much salt to use is an art form.
Season at each stage of the cooking process. For maximum flavor, salt should be throughout cooking to build layers of flavors. This means you should taste the food as you season it, and have an understanding of where the dish is at and how to enhance it. If you only seasoning at the end of cooking or when the food hits the table, it will make the food taste salty because it is the first thing to touch your palate.
Use your fingers! We recommend pouring salt into the palm of your hand and using your fingers to sprinkle it onto the food versus pouring from the container directly - this helps you be aware of how much salt you area adding. A pinch is a good pinch of salt between your thumb, pointer and middle finger.
Don’t over salt your dish. Adding too much salt to your food can ruin your meal. By using your fingers to add the salt and tasting your dish as you cook, you can determine when and how much salt is needed. It's important to note that over-salting certain meats can affect their texture. For example, turkey can become spongey if left in a brine for more than 18 hours.
Salt meat in advance. By salting meat in advance, you can extract more delicious flavors from your food. The amount of time you need to salt your meat will depend on the cut, size, and the method used to apply the salt. You can apply salt dry or as a wet brine. When it comes to seasoning meat, timing is everything. For instance, if you're cooking a porterhouse steak, it's best to season it a few hours before cooking. However, if you're preparing lamb, it's recommended to season it a day or two in advance.
If you're interested in learning more about seasoning, I highly recommend "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" by Samin Nosrat. It's available as both a book and a Netflix series. In the book, Simone explains in detail how salt permeates meat through osmosis to create an even seasoning.
