salting your food before you taste it?

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boomchakabowwow

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i dedicated my weekend to find a turkey to cook.

we drove by a nice restaurant and noticed it opened. hungry and looking for coffee we stopped. it is nice place. we have been there for dinner.

we were definately the youngest folks there. i sat there sipping my coffee and i saw everyone get their food, and immediately put salt on it. before tasting it.

i dont even own a table salt shaker at home. if a guest needs some, i have to put some into a bowl so they can pinch up some. i should get a shaker.

but seriously..i dont see the logic. is this an old time practice?
 
No, I do not. But I see a lot of that behaviour at our work canteen where many do put salt and pepper-mixture (in a grinder) on their food/salad before even tasting it. The truth is - it does not save the crappy food quality/taste ...

I do not think it is an old time practice, just a lack of dining culture practice (I hope I do not offend anyone around here) and/or access to decent quality food/restaurants

I actually do have an exception - the french fries at work are without any salt, so I do not need to taste them to know there is no salt on them :)
 
I personally like to put the salt directly on my tongue (or gargle soy sauce) before ordering the food, so I am extra prepared.
 
It's always possible the diners there are regulars and know the food is always under-salted.

But I do know people who salt before bothering to taste. Some have done it at our house, not knowing we usually have a pretty heavy hand with the salt when we cook. Some have done it with pepper flakes as well, not thinking for a moment that we may have actually put in a good level of heat when we were preparing the dish. Those are the best, as I know they will regret their decision to not taste first the next day :)
 
I have to go punch someone now.
 
Force of habit or a salt tooth maybe?

Some people have or develop high salt-tolerance palettes, personally I've noticed it more amongst cooks and chefs who are constantly tasting and salting food.

Some cooks over-salt food when they lack confidence in whether or not their dish is seasoned properly... or don't understand "how salty salt is" to adjust and change the flavor of something to a desired seasoning... or when using different salt types with different levels of salinity and flavor impact.

On one occasion a Japanese chef I worked for yelled at me for putting siriracha sauce on my staff meal (Curry Rice) before tasting it. He was insulted that someone would alter the flavor of his food without sampling it beforehand. (Although it was instant S&B curry that I've tasted a billion times...and knew what it was going to taste like before digging in that afternoon...he was old school and didn't speak much English... just enough to give his cooks sh*t hahaha)
 
My father in law does this to my food, which has been salted pretty aggressively. However, he is older and as we age our taste sensations diminish so salting everything helps with tasting. Depending on how old everyone was would be one contributing factor, also I am from the southeast and people here tend to eat a lot of salt so it could be location specific as well.

Jared
 
I never have salt on the table.

Salt goes on the food when it is in the cooking stage or as a finisher. Not on the table.
 
About the chili flakes: Sadly, it (just adding dried chili flakes) is what a lot of Thai places seem to do in the kitchen when you order higher spice levels, taking it more into a harsh than spicy direction ... OTOH, serving Thai dishes with a set of condiments that is in the end a six basic tastes DIY kit seems to be a thing with authentic roots AFAIK... maybe there is an "aroma is the chef's job, seasoning the customer's job" philosophy?


"Some cooks over-salt food when they lack confidence in whether or not their dish is seasoned properly" ... or aren't aware that piping hot stuff on a tasting spoon, for some reason (and maybe only for some people?), tends to taste less salty/umami than it will be on the plate (is there science to this?). What tastes salty in the pot to me I know will taste oversalted on the plate...
 
@Damage you tend to prefer your salt in a certain coarse and green form don't you? ;)
 
@Damage you tend to prefer your salt in a certain coarse and green form don't you? ;)

If by that you mean capers, then yes. Specifically Carlsens Capers, which are the best capers out there anywhere, yet are sadly only available in a few grocery stores in Denmark. Even the expensive "gourmet" capers here in France can't hold a candle to the ones they make at Carlsens in Haarby.

About the chili flakes: Sadly, it (just adding dried chili flakes) is what a lot of Thai places seem to do in the kitchen when you order higher spice levels, taking it more into a harsh than spicy direction ... OTOH, serving Thai dishes with a set of condiments that is in the end a six basic tastes DIY kit seems to be a thing with authentic roots AFAIK... maybe there is an "aroma is the chef's job, seasoning the customer's job" philosophy?


"Some cooks over-salt food when they lack confidence in whether or not their dish is seasoned properly" ... or aren't aware that piping hot stuff on a tasting spoon, for some reason (and maybe only for some people?), tends to taste less salty/umami than it will be on the plate (is there science to this?). What tastes salty in the pot to me I know will taste oversalted on the plate...

I overheard in a bar somewhere after a few beers that the closer food is to body temp, the better you can taste salt content. Might be wrong, I'm not a rocket scientist (yet).
 
I don't see the issue per se.... at least I get the logic you shoukd taste before salting but in terms of "you shouldn't have to add etc." Seasoning levels, especially salt and pepper can be preferences and just cause you like a little/a lot doesn't mean others do.

Isn't that where salt and pepper on a table comes from. So you can adjust these to your personal preference. I know I never go super heavy on salt cause my wife doesn't like it. So I will always salt my good more at the table.
 
I overheard in a bar somewhere after a few beers that the closer food is to body temp, the better you can taste salt content. Might be wrong, I'm not a rocket scientist (yet).

I'd be surprised if that were entirely true (I know you're not saying it is).

Maybe we can detect it better in a limited range near our core temp, but the colder the food, the harder it is to detect salt. Would be interested to look into this.
 
I don't see the issue per se.... at least I get the logic you shoukd taste before salting but in terms of "you shouldn't have to add etc." Seasoning levels, especially salt and pepper can be preferences and just cause you like a little/a lot doesn't mean others do.

Isn't that where salt and pepper on a table comes from. So you can adjust these to your personal preference. I know I never go super heavy on salt cause my wife doesn't like it. So I will always salt my good more at the table.



Stop trying to make reasonable points.
 
Salt's complex, being a bitter antagonist and, if only slightly dosed above a person's tolerance, bitter as heck itself :)

Pink salt as in industrial strength Kala Namak?

@malexthekidd I think the original point was about salting with prejudice, not salting after tasting :)

If a chef really wanted neither, he would have to order the salt off the table - and accept that lovers gonna love and haters gonna hate and probably not return.
 
@malexthekidd I think the original point was about salting with prejudice, not salting after tasting :)

For a long time, my father would put ketchup on bolognese (before tasting it even). If salting before tasting gets my blood boiling, putting ketchup on bolognese opens up multiple black holes in my frontal lobe.

Damn, my family was a walking pack of plebs before I started shoving my opinions down their throats.
 
Oh, always amusing when people put mustard or ketchup on stuff that would have just needed vinegar or lime :)

...


Similar thing: "use more dried herbs and less salt in your cooking" as diet advice. I bet unless people measure, they will actually often put more salt most of the time and THINK they used less (dried herbs are bitter...)...
 
I seem to recall reading somewhere that Thomas Keller charged a customer at The French Laundry 10 bucks after a prolonged argument for extra salt. Again, I might have dreamed that.

Especially considering I also recall reading that Mr. Keller carries around a small packet of large crystal sea salt because he like the crunch.

If I am wrong, please don't correct me. I like to think that I am not just spouting misinformation.
 
Ive seen a lot of older people do this. I believe it's a habit brought about a lifetime of eating poorly seasoned food. It's psychosomatic as well. Replace the salt with something tastless and i bet you see the same ritualistic preconsumption behaviour. Take the food away and swap for an unsalted plate without telling them and i bet they wouldn't resalt.
 
Salt's complex, being a bitter antagonist and, if only slightly dosed above a person's tolerance, bitter as heck itself :)

Pink salt as in industrial strength Kala Namak?

@malexthekidd I think the original point was about salting with prejudice, not salting after tasting :)

If a chef really wanted neither, he would have to order the salt off the table - and accept that lovers gonna love and haters gonna hate and probably not return.

I figured that... but also most people do tend to already have an idea based on experience if they will need more salt (doesn't mean they are always right though of course)
 
For a long time, my father would put ketchup on bolognese (before tasting it even). If salting before tasting gets my blood boiling, putting ketchup on bolognese opens up multiple black holes in my frontal lobe.

Damn, my family was a walking pack of plebs before I started shoving my opinions down their throats.

Ironically I hate that so much more than salt and pepper. It is legitimately changing the flavours as opposed to adjusting them to taste...
 
Ive seen a lot of older people do this. I believe it's a habit brought about a lifetime of eating poorly seasoned food. It's psychosomatic as well. Replace the salt with something tastless and i bet you see the same ritualistic preconsumption behaviour. Take the food away and swap for an unsalted plate without telling them and i bet they wouldn't resalt.

I think this is spot on. Used to simple meals at home where seasoning is added after and it just becomes your habit... i know I am guilty of this. Though less of the salt side, more I like a reasonable amount of pepper on some foods.
 
I grew up on food cooked without salt, as my mom believed it was 'healthier'. It led to many people oversalting at the table. I believe seasoning during cooking helps control the overall salt content vs leaving it to people to handle at the table (other then a small tweak). Plus seasoning during cooking incorporates it better -- at the table you get some salted and some without, which often leads to adding even more. Plus it just doesn't taste as good that way.
 
Every now and then my dad and I get together and I make some steaks and some classic side dishes. I salt the meat (both sides), I salt the pan, I salt the jus after the meat rested and spooned over...and STILL he salts it without tasting. There is no reason or logic to salting at the table. I have a roommate who salts while cooking with a table salt grinder instead of the Morton's fine grain or coarse salt. Why does he have to grind salt "fresh" and not pour some from his hand..the world may never know.
 
Never ever had a salt shaker at the table. I think it is a cooks fault to serve food short on salt.

By the same token, I feel slightly amused to see a chef allowing salt shakers in the table in what's supposed to be a good restaurant.
 
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