Argamemnon
Senior Cook
Perhaps a silly question, but how do you know how much salt you have to add when making meatballs. Is it learned by experience?
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.
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.
Too many people think salt is necessary in cooking or that its only purpose in cooking is flavor which is just not true.
Ok, no saltNO SALT. NO SALT. NO SALT. NO SALT
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.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).
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.
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.