Salt

Question 1

The primary role of salt in cooking

Answer 1

To amplify and deepen flavor, although it also affects texture and modifies other flavors

Question 2

What has a greater impact on flavor than any other ingredient?

Answer 2

Salt

Question 3

Used properly, salt…

Answer 3

Minimizes bitterness, balances out sweetness and enhances aromas

Question 4

All salt crystals…

Answer 4

Are produced by evaporating water from saltwater brine, the pace of evaporation determining the shape the crystals take.

Question 5

Table salt

Answer 5

Small cubic shape, granular, the result of crystallizing in a closed vacuum chamber

Question 6

Rock salt

Answer 6

mined by flooding salt deposits with water and then rapidly evaporating that water from the resulting brine

Question 7

Refined sea salt

Answer 7

produced through the rapid evaporation of seawater by being boiled in a closed vacuum.

Question 8

unrefined sea salt

Answer 8

salt produced slowly at the surface of an open container, with water splashed into the hollow of the flake before it’s scooped off the surface. Takes years and is expensive. Flakey and used so they stand out

Question 9

diamond crystal kosher salt

Answer 9

crystallized in an open container of brine, yielding light and hollow flakes

Question 10

koshering

Answer 10

the traditional Jewish process by which blood is removed from meat

Question 11

two salts to have on hand

Answer 11

inexpensive kosher or sea salt; special salt with a pleasant texture, like Maldon or flour de sea, for last minute garnishing

Question 12

umami

Answer 12

savouriness

Question 13

flavor

Answer 13

the intersection of taste, aroma, and sensory elements including texture, sound, appearance, and temperature

Question 14

tastes

Answer 14

saltiness, sourness, bitterness, sweetness, umami

Question 15

seasoning

Answer 15

anything that heightens flavor, especially salt

Question 16

seasoning food from within

Answer 16

tasting and adjusting throughout the cooking process

Question 17

osmosis

Answer 17

the movement of water in and out of a cell wall

Question 18

diffusion

Answer 18

the movement of salt through a cell wall until it’s evenly distributed

Question 19

seasoning in advance…

Answer 19

gives salt (and seasoning) time to diffuse evenly throughout meat.

Question 20

protein strand

Answer 20

a loose coil with water molecules bound to its outside surface.

Question 21

denaturing

Answer 21

When an unseasoned protein is heated, the protein coil unravels, releasing water molecules out of the protein matrix, leaving the meat tough and dry

Question 22

salt’s effect on protein

Answer 22

with time, salt dissolves protein strands into a gel, allowing them to absorb and retain water better as they cook, making the meat tender and juicy.

Question 23

brining

Answer 23

the method in which a piece of meat is submerged in a bath of water spiked with salt, sugar, and spices. The salt dissolves some of the proteins while the sugar and spices offer plenty of aromatic molecules for the meat to absorb

Question 24

timing salting

Answer 24

the larger, denser, or more sinewy the piece of meat, the earlier you should salt it.

Question 25

salting seafood

Answer 25

too delicate for much salting, keep it brief before cooking or at time of cooking

Question 26

Salting fat

Answer 26

Salt requires water to dissolve so it won’t dissolve in pure fat. Fats that have some water content require extra time for the salt to dissolve.

Question 27

salt and eggs

Answer 27

Eggs absorb salt easily, and decreases cook time as well as keeping moister and more tender. Use a pinch with basically all eggs before cooking, except for boiled or friend eggs, which should be seasoned just before serving.

Question 28

pectin

Answer 28

an undigestible carbohydrate found in most vegetables and fruit cells. It is softened through ripening or heat. Salt assists in weakening pectin.

Question 29

mushrooms and salt

Answer 29

they’re about 80% water. To preserve their texture, wait to add salt until they’ve begun to brown in the pan.

Question 30

salting vegetables

Answer 30

season vegetables with large, watery cells– tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant– in advance of grilling or roasting, about 15 minutes. Osmosis will cause some water loss, so pat dry before cooking.

Question 31

blanching and salt

Answer 31

salt water generously

Question 32

sautéing vegetables

Answer 32

salt in the pan

Question 33

beans and salt

Answer 33

salt softens beans, so salt when soaking or cooking, whichever comes first.

Question 34

gluten and salt

Answer 34

salt aids in strengthening gluten

Question 35

properly salted cooking water…

Answer 35

encourages food to retain its nutrients. Unseasoned water causes the food to release some of their minerals etc while cooking in order to reach equilibrium. If the water is salted, the food will absorb some of the salt, weakening pectin, absorbing flavor, and cooking more quickly.

Question 36

Three salt diffusion tools

Answer 36

time, temperature (faster at room temperature), and water (promotes salt diffusion, especially with dense, dry, tough ingredients)

Question 37

Difference between salt and pepper

Answer 37

Salt is a mineral and nutrient which causes chemical reactions, pepper is a spice

Question 38

whole spices

Answer 38

in liquid, whole spices added early absorb liquid and release volatile aromatic compounds

Question 39

Layering salt

Answer 39

Working more than one form of salt into a dish. To avoid oversalting, check to see which ingredients include salt and balance them before adding salt crystals.

Question 40

Oversalting fixes

Answer 40

Dilute: add more unseasoned ingredients to increase the total volume of the dish (including water or more of the main ingredient)
Halve: if diluting everything would yield too much, halve the dish and fix half of it.
Balance: if it seems too salty but actually only needs to be balanced, fix with some acid or fat. Try with a spoonful first.
Select: foods cooked in liquid (beans, braises) can be salvaged if the salting cooking liquid is discarded, switching out for new liquid or balanced with a condiment.
Transform: shred an oversalted piece of meat and turn it into a née dish where its just one ingredient of many.
Admit defeat

Question 41

Cooking mantra

Answer 41

Stir, taste, adjust