Why Salt Makes Things Sweeter

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I used to think that the 1/4 teaspoon of salt in that recipe for 36 cupcakes didn't make a difference. I mean, what is that, 5 grains of salt per cupcake? I've stopped adding it to rice pudding because I figured I didn't miss it.

But, there's a scientific reason why you want that little bit of salt:

There's a scientific reason why a pinch of salt makes things sweeter

 

[Whiskadoodle]

Theoretically one could cut back on a little of the sugar in a recipe by including a pinch of salt?

 

[Andy M.]

Theoretically one could cut back on a little of the sugar in a recipe by including a pinch of salt?

Yes, if you're willing to settle for less than full chocolate and sweet flavors.

 

[Katie H]

Interesting piece of information, Late Night. Intuitively I've put a "touch" of salt in things that, from reading the recipe, would seem to be perked up by adding salt. It has been my cooking experience that a whole dish will come more alive by even the tiniest bit of salt. This applies to sweets, too.

Let me add that I've never been much of a salter. When I prepare a meal that calls for salt, I'll begin with about half called for in the recipe, taste and see what I think. May add more, may not. I rarely salt at the table.

I've been cooking for 60 years and there are lots of little discoveries I've made by experience and trial and error. Perhaps that's why I enjoy cooking as much as I do. And...I include baking in cooking because, for me, that's part of my cooking world.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

Yes, if you're willing to settle for less than full chocolate and sweet flavors.

O for goodness NO. So much for that idea.

 

[GotGarlic]

Salt also reduces the perception of bitter flavors. http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2011/09/why-salt-enhances-flavor/

 

[RPCookin]

Salt is a flavor enhancer, so it's reasonable that it would enhance "sweet" too. The trick is to use enough to enhance, but not so much that it tastes "salty".

 

[salt and pepper]

I have found when making a sweeter pizza dough add more salt, not sugar.

 

[neptune]

Salt is so interesting. I love salt, and almost always add it to sweet goods as well. But like many people, I stick to the most unrefined salt possible, such as gray Celtic sea salt. Lately, I've been using red Hawaiian salt, and grinding it myself.

Speaking of science and salt, apparently adding salt to raw eggs about 15 minutes before you cook them is supposed to make them a lot more moist. I've done this, with good results. I've also heard that adding salt to whipping cream is supposed to help it whip better. I do add a pinch when I whip cream, but I don't know if there's a scientific reason why it would help in the whipping. In my experience, at least it doesn't seem to hurt any.

 

[Andy M.]

Salt is so interesting. I love salt, and almost always add it to sweet goods as well. But like many people, I stick to the most unrefined salt possible, such as gray Celtic sea salt. Lately, I've been using red Hawaiian salt, and grinding it myself.

Speaking of science and salt, apparently adding salt to raw eggs about 15 minutes before you cook them is supposed to make them a lot more moist. I've done this, with good results. I've also heard that adding salt to whipping cream is supposed to help it whip better. I do add a pinch when I whip cream, but I don't know if there's a scientific reason why it would help in the whipping. In my experience, at least it doesn't seem to hurt any.

I don't think most people stick with the most unrefined salt available at all. For cooking most people use kosher salt or table salt. The salts you mentioned are more often used as finishing salts as their subtle flavor differences get lost in the process of cooking.

 

[neptune]

I don't think most people stick with the most unrefined salt available at all. For cooking most people use kosher salt or table salt. The salts you mentioned are more often used as finishing salts as their subtle flavor differences get lost in the process of cooking.

Oh, you're probably right, Andy. Anyway, I don't use table salt for the same reasons I don't use white flour, white rice, etc. In fact, table salt is heated to extremely high temperatures in processing, so many chemicals are added, so many minerals are taken out, and . . . well, I'm not interested in the final product. I may pay a lot more for the unrefined stuff, but to me it's worth it.

 

[GotGarlic]

Oh, you're probably right, Andy. Anyway, I don't use table salt for the same reasons I don't use white flour, white rice, etc. In fact, table salt is heated to extremely high temperatures in processing, so many chemicals are added, so many minerals are taken out, and . . . well, I'm not interested in the final product. I may pay a lot more for the unrefined stuff, but to me it's worth it.

The only chemical added to table salt is iodine, which is not harmful. In fact, it's necessary for good health. Any minerals in other types of salt are miniscule and not a significant component of the diet.

 

[Andy M.]

Your expensive salts taste different because the NaCl is contaminated by other minerals and impurities. Kosher Salt is salt in its purest form-NaCl and nothing else.

 

[RPCookin]

Oh, you're probably right, Andy. Anyway, I don't use table salt for the same reasons I don't use white flour, white rice, etc. In fact, table salt is heated to extremely high temperatures in processing, so many chemicals are added, so many minerals are taken out, and . . . well, I'm not interested in the final product. I may pay a lot more for the unrefined stuff, but to me it's worth it.

Refined salt and refined starches are not comparable. Refined starches have many dietary issues. The refining removes most of the fiber and many of the nutrients, emphasizing the starches.

Salt is still just salt, with or without some of the impurities found with it in nature. They add iodine, a necessary nutrient, and small amounts of anticaking agents so "When it rains, it pours." In the end, all NaCl salt is just sea salt. The only real difference is in the mineral impurities and how far removed it is from the sea. The additional mineral content in specialty salts is too small to be significant - to get any actual health benefits from them you would be taking in too much sodium to be healthy.

Fox News Health

Table salt vs. gourmet salts
Iodized salt or table salt is fortified with iodine, which is good for thyroid function.

“Without the iodized salt, there are some people who may not get enough iodine in their diets,” said Katherine Zeratsky, RDN, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Although table salt is one of the main sources of iodine, milk, yogurt, cod and seaweed contain it as well. Iodized salt is also processed and not made up entirely of sodium chloride. Although anti-caking and flow agents are added, there’s no research to support that the amount of additives you’re actually getting is detrimental, Zeratsky said.

Other types of salt, such as sea salt, kosher salt and Himalayan crystal have been touted as healthy, likely because they claim to contain more minerals than refined table salt. Yet the amount of minerals that are maintained isn’t enough to make the specialized salt healthy. Plus, “you shouldn’t be consuming sodium for the minerals you need in your diet— there are plenty of healthy foods to get those,” Mangieri said.

Mayo Clinic

Sea salt and table salt have the same basic nutritional value, despite the fact that sea salt is often promoted as being healthier. Sea salt and table salt contain comparable amounts of sodium by weight.

 

[neptune]

Here's more about the issue of salt processing. Yes, most salt is indeed highly refined:

From Why is There GMO Sugar In Salt??

Few people realize that our salt – like our sugar, flour and vegetable oils – is highly refined; it is the product of a chemical and high-temperature industrial process that removes all the valuable magnesium salts as well as trace minerals naturally occurring in the sea. To keep salt dry, salt refiners adulterate this “pure” product with several harmful additives, including aluminum compounds. To replace the natural iodine salts that are removed during processing, potassium iodide is added in amounts that can be toxic. To stabilize the volatile iodine compound, processors add dextrose which turns the iodized salt a purplish color. A bleaching agent is then necessary to restore whiteness to the salt… Even most so-called sea salt is produced by industrial methods.

 

[neptune]

Your expensive salts taste different because the NaCl is contaminated by other minerals and impurities. Kosher Salt is salt in its purest form-NaCl and nothing else.

Contaminated? Actually, that's the way people consumed it for thousands of years, and I would say the way that nature intended it. I think the highly processed modern form is what's best avoided.

 

[neptune]

Refined salt and refined starches are not comparable.

Well, they're both highly processed.

Salt is still just salt, with or without some of the impurities found with it in nature.

There are many valuable minerals in unrefined salt. I'm not sure "impurities" is the right term for those.

They add iodine, a necessary nutrient, and small amounts of anticaking agents so "When it rains, it pours."

Besides heating the salt to high temperatures (which is very bad), they also add stuff like aluminum compounds, dextrose (which often comes from GMO sugar), and a bleaching agent.

The additional mineral content in specialty salts is too small to be significant - to get any actual health benefits from them you would be taking in too much sodium to be healthy.

Well, I don't think everybody agrees about that.

Anyway, I don't try to tell other people what kind of salt to consume. But I personally only use the less-refined salt. To me, the extra cost is worth it.

 

[GotGarlic]

Well, they're both highly processed.

There are many valuable minerals in unrefined salt. I'm not sure "impurities" is the right term for those.

Besides heating the salt to high temperatures (which is very bad), they also add stuff like aluminum compounds, dextrose (which often comes from GMO sugar), and a bleaching agent.

Well, I don't think everybody agrees about that.

Anyway, I don't try to tell other people what kind of salt to consume. But I personally only use the less-refined salt. To me, the extra cost is worth it.

I don't have time to answer all the questions this right now, but Activist Post as a source? No, sorry, doesn't qualify as reliable.

The fact that "not everyone agrees" doesn't make that view any less valid.

Salt is a rock. Heating it doesn't do anything bad to it.

There is nothing wrong with GMO anything. Thousands of scientists and dozens of scientific organizations around the world tasked with evaluating their safety agree on that.

You can consume whatever you choose, for whatever reasons you choose, but please don't spread misinformation. Here is some reliable information on salt from someone with an expert scientific background.

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/pink-himalayan-sea-salt-an-update/

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Here's more about the issue of salt processing. Yes, most salt is indeed highly refined:

From Why is There GMO Sugar In Salt??

Few people realize that our salt – like our sugar, flour and vegetable oils – is highly refined; it is the product of a chemical and high-temperature industrial process that removes all the valuable magnesium salts as well as trace minerals naturally occurring in the sea. To keep salt dry, salt refiners adulterate this “pure” product with several harmful additives, including aluminum compounds. To replace the natural iodine salts that are removed during processing, potassium iodide is added in amounts that can be toxic. To stabilize the volatile iodine compound, processors add dextrose which turns the iodized salt a purplish color. A bleaching agent is then necessary to restore whiteness to the salt… Even most so-called sea salt is produced by industrial methods.

This is plain nonsense, salt is the least processed food stuff in our pantries.

 

[jennyema]

Oh, you're probably right, Andy. Anyway, I don't use table salt for the same reasons I don't use white flour, white rice, etc. In fact, table salt is heated to extremely high temperatures in processing, so many chemicals are added, so many minerals are taken out, and . . . well, I'm not interested in the final product. I may pay a lot more for the unrefined stuff, but to me it's worth it.

Heating salt doesn't adversely affect it.

"so many chemicals are added" is false. By law only two things can be added, in amounts less than 2%: iodine and anti-caking agents

There is no proof that unrefined salt is more healthy than refined salt