Salt in meatballs?

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Yes experience is a great teacher...Start with 1 teaspoon of Salt per pound of meat...Next time you can add more or less to suit your personal taste.

Have Fun!
 
I think it depends on what you are using for filler.... if it's saltine crackers or seasoned breadcrumbs, you may not need any at all.
However if you are using oatmeal, soaked bread, or plain homemade breadcrumbs you may need a bit more.
That probably didn't help much, sorry!!
 
Follow the guide UB gave, but reduce to half that if your filler or binding agent is saltines or seasoned bread crumbs that have salt in them. Then, adjust to taste.
 
I always fry a small bit of the meat to check the

seasonings. And I always have to adjust something. Either salt or cheese or herbs. It's always something. I think it is because I don't make them often enough to become expert at it.
 
You can always take a little of the meat mixture and cook it in a pan (enough for one bite). It would just take a few seconds and it would let you know if you need to add more salt or anything else.
 
How much salt?

It does depend on the recipe. I make a practice of NO SALT. If I am making meatballs with grated cheese (salty)...definitely NO SALT.

It is best to acquire a low salt taste. Better for health. And if you are making a Tomato Sauce and adding meatballs....NO SALT. Tomatoes have salt. NO SALT....or just a sprinkle is my way.
 
I salt everything I make. It's what brings out the flavor which is salt's only purpose in cooking. Baking is another matter. In baking, salt is necessary to interact with certain other ingredients to creat a succesful end result.

I use about 1 tsp. salt per pound of meat. When use Italian sausage along with beef to make my meatballs, I don't count the sausage in the weight. The sausage contains salt already. I think you'll be safe with 1 tsp. no more especially if you're using Parmesan. You can always salt them more later if you want more salt.
 
As Emeril would say "....mine don't come seasoned" - I figure the same thing, use your own judgement til you find the right amount for your liking :eek:)
 
It does depend on the recipe. I make a practice of NO SALT. If I am making meatballs with grated cheese (salty)...definitely NO SALT.

It is best to acquire a low salt taste. Better for health. And if you are making a Tomato Sauce and adding meatballs....NO SALT. Tomatoes have salt. NO SALT....or just a sprinkle is my way.

I whole-heartedly agree!! Too many people think salt is necessary in cooking or that its only purpose in cooking is flavor which is just not true. I get so much more flavor from using other seasons, and prefer not to use any salt or at the most will use about half to a quarter of what most recipes call for. I have learned over the years that, IMHO, most recipes call for way too much salt in them. If I need to meld things, a dab of sugar works much better than salt. Or use the two in combination and get the same result as just using salt but hey less sodium!
Don't forget most of the salt in our food was not for flavoring but as a preservative originally. We have long since discovered many other much better ways to season and flavor food, but that doesn't mean I advocate omitting it all together just cut way way back on it.
You gotta put salt in its place, in the background, and as stated better for your health in the long run as well!
 
It does depend on the recipe. I make a practice of NO SALT. If I am making meatballs with grated cheese (salty)...definitely NO SALT.

It is best to acquire a low salt taste. Better for health. And if you are making a Tomato Sauce and adding meatballs....NO SALT. Tomatoes have salt. NO SALT....or just a sprinkle is my way.

I agree. I find that if I am using grated parm cheese, bread crumbs, garlic, and fresh parsley in my meatballs, I really don't need to add any salt.
 
Too many people think salt is necessary in cooking or that its only purpose in cooking is flavor which is just not true.

Salt is necessary to enhance flavor. It's true that its only purpose in cooking is to enhance flavor, as no recipe uses salt as a preservative or for any other reason than to improve flavor (outside of baking, likeDQueen points out).

Unlike other things (pepper/garlic/lemon, etc) salt itself has no flavor. It's simply a natural flavor enhancer which brings out the flavor in other foods.

The first lesson most people learn in culinary school is how salt improves flavor. It just does. We had 10 containers of chicken broth set before us ranging from completely unsalted to grossly oversalted. Tasting them one by one, it was easy to appreciate howsalt made the broth taste deeper and meatier. Our job was to develop our palates further so that we could tell how much salt was enough and when it was too much. And too much salt can ruin flavor. That's a fact, too.

Tom Collichio has an interesting discussion of this in his book "Think Like a Chef."

Another important lesson is to salt your food as you cook, building layers of flavor, rather than adding it it at the end.

That said, people obviously should watch their sodium intake and not consume too much. People with sodium sensitivities should follow their doctor's recommendations. Otherwise, how much salt to add to food is a personal decision.
 
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it depends on the meatballs.

for italian style, i've never added salt. there's enough supplied by the cheese and breadcrumbs.

for scandinavian, i'm with ub and add a tsp per pound, then taste to adjust.
 
It's true that its only purpose in cooking is to enhance flavor, as no recipe uses salt as a preservative or for any other reason than to improve flavor (outside of baking, likeDQueen points out).
I am not sure I agree with this. What about preserved lemons? Also, what about using salt to draw moisture out of something. What about a brine. True part of the reason to brine something is to enhance flavor, but another reason is to introduce moisture.
 
Salt is necessary to enhance flavor. It's true that its only purpose in cooking is to enhance flavor, as no recipe uses salt as a preservative or for any other reason than to improve flavor (outside of baking, likeDQueen points out).

Unlike other things (pepper/garlic/lemon, etc) salt itself has no flavor. It's simply a natural flavor enhancer which brings out the flavor in other foods.

The first lesson most people learn in culinary school is how salt improves flavor. It just does. We had 10 containers of chicken broth set before us ranging from completely unsalted to grossly oversalted. Tasting them one by one, it was easy to appreciate howsalt made the broth taste deeper and meatier. Our job was to develop our palates further so that we could tell how much salt was enough and when it was too much. And too much salt can ruin flavor. That's a fact, too.

Tom Collichio has an interesting discussion of this in his book "Think Like a Chef."

Another important lesson is to salt your food as you cook, building layers of flavor, rather than adding it it at the end.

That said, people obviously should watch their sodium intake and not consume too much. People with sodium sensitivities should follow their doctor's recommendations. Otherwise, how much salt to add to food is a personal decision.

If you look up the history of salt, you will see it was first used as a preservative then as a seasoning for flavor (at least that is what I found). Best example salted pork used on British sailing ships, or brines.
I get plenty of flavor in my food and often do not use any salt at all. No one seems to notice or object....
Of course, I recognize this does not work with all foods, there are some that I have found if I withhold the salt it is not right. But then I add back in about half of what they call for and it works out fine. I think overuse of salt in recipes can be an issue especially with sodium intake.
 
If you don't feel like frying a sample, just cook a tiny amount in the microwave. Not much, just testing for seasonings.
 
undesalting is always safer... salt can be added at the table but you cant do anything about it if its already in there.

I tend to use very little salt because it is my preference. If people feel the need to add salt fine
 
seasonings. And I always have to adjust something. Either salt or cheese or herbs. It's always something. I think it is because I don't make them often enough to become expert at it.

YES! You have to season "early and often" but always taste a small fried patty before rolling, and keep in mind that if you are cooking in plain tomato sauce or water, you will loose some of the salt.
 
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