Using salt

[Windigo]

It is just salt with no additives, and it is flaky and coarse. It is almost only for cooking, not a finishing salt. I like it because I can see it when I sprinkle it on things like meat. It has also become a common type of salt in recipes. A teaspoon of sea salt, a teaspoon of table salt, and a teaspoon of kosher salt are not equal. Kosher salt has become kind of a standard. If a recipe calls for a teaspoon of kosher salt, and you use sea salt, you will need to reduce the amount to less than a teaspoon, because of the density of the sea salt. There is more air in a teaspoon of kosher salt.

CD

This thing about kosher salt is mainly in the USA though, I bought it because it was recommended by American chefs I like but here in Europe where I live it's seldom seen anywhere. I actually have an imported brand.

 

[caseydog]

This thing about kosher salt is mainly in the USA though, I bought it because it was recommended by American chefs I like but here in Europe where I live it's seldom seen anywhere. I actually have an imported brand.

Kosher salt's popularity has really gone up over the years in the US, and celebrity chefs have a lot to do with that. But, it really is a good cooking salt, not just a fad.

The important thing is to remember to make adjustments to amounts based on the type of salt. Here is a handy guide...

CD

 

[Yorky]

Kosher salt's popularity has really gone up over the years in the US, and celebrity chefs have a lot to do with that. But, it really is a good cooking salt, not just a fad.

The important thing is to remember to make adjustments to amounts based on the type of salt. Here is a handy guide...


CD

I should be OK then. I rarely use more than a teaspoon* and all the salts that I use appear to be exactly the same.

I am quite surprised though that folks measure salt in cups full!

* Note: I do not measure the quantity of salt that I sprinkle, with malt vinegar, over my fish and chips.

 

[caseydog]

I should be OK then. I rarely use more than a teaspoon* and all the salts that I use appear to be exactly the same.

I am quite surprised though that folks measure salt in cups full!

* Note: I do not measure the quantity of salt that I sprinkle, with malt vinegar, over my fish and chips.

I believe the only time I've used a cup of salt was in a few gallons of water to brine a turkey. The chart I posted went even higher then 1 cup, but I thought it beyond necessary.

CD

 

[Windigo]

I should be OK then. I rarely use more than a teaspoon* and all the salts that I use appear to be exactly the same.

I am quite surprised though that folks measure salt in cups full!

* Note: I do not measure the quantity of salt that I sprinkle, with malt vinegar, over my fish and chips.

Same, a cup sounds very excessive though it might be used for brining .

I just use salt more often than others, but not in a higher quantity.

 

[Mountain Cat]

Salt is fine for you, almost always.

However, an excess of the stuff while cooking can taste like HELL. That is why we have salt shakers at the table, natch. If the cook didn't add enough (for you) add your own at the table.

I really hate oversalted food. Not from a good or bad standpoint, but from a taste standpoint.

Yes, a certain amount is good for cooking a recipe - but not nearly as much as some alleged chefs maintain. Other seasonings really do add flavor! And better flavors than an excess of salt might theoretically provide. (LET YOUR GUESTS hit the salt shaker!)

 

[Mountain Cat]

I believe the only time I've used a cup of salt was in a few gallons of water to brine a turkey. The chart I posted went even higher then 1 cup, but I thought it beyond necessary.

CD

I brined a turkey, once. I followed instructions, too.

Unfortunately, it was a heritage (expensive ) turkey from Whole Wallet.

I had to throw most of it out. YOU DO NOT NEED that much salt! And it does NOT wash off.

 

[karadekoolaid]

When I can get hold of it, I buy sacks of sea salt from a place called Pampatar, on the island of Margarita. It comes straight off the salt flats outside Pampatar - aptly described as "the village of salt" in the ancient Guaiqueri language. It´s so wonderfully intense there´s no need to use more than half a teaspoon of it, usually.
I remember my first cooking disaster - the first time I ever cooked rice. My parents were away and I had to cook for my brother & sister. The recipe said something like "2 cups rice, 2 tsps of salt", so I misread the thing and put in 2 tablespoons... truly horrendous!

 

[caseydog]

I brined a turkey, once. I followed instructions, too.

Unfortunately, it was a heritage (expensive ) turkey from Whole Wallet.

I had to throw most of it out. YOU DO NOT NEED that much salt! And it does NOT wash off.

Did you do a wet brine or a dry brine? I wet brine chickens, turkeys and white meat pork all the time, and never have them come out to salty. I do it for the moisture (through osmosis). I use equal parts salt and sugar in a lot of water.

A dry brine will add a lot of saltiness to the bird.

CD

 

[Mountain Cat]

Did you do a wet brine or a dry brine? I wet brine chickens, turkeys and white meat pork all the time, and never have them come out to salty. I do it for the moisture (through osmosis). I use equal parts salt and sugar in a lot of water.

A dry brine will add a lot of saltiness to the bird.

CD

It was a wet brine. I hardly add any sugar to the brine. If that's the difference, there's TWO flavors I don't want overwhelming my poultry!!!
I washed that turkey before cooking it, to get off as much salt as possible.

 

[caseydog]

It was a wet brine. I hardly add any sugar to the brine. If that's the difference, there's TWO flavors I don't want overwhelming my poultry!!!
I washed that turkey before cooking it, to get off as much salt as possible.

I forget what the sugar does, but you don't actually taste it. I've never had overly salty meat from a wet brine. I don't know what's going on with yours.

CD

 

[garlichead]

I forget what the sugar does, but you don't actually taste it. I've never had overly salty meat from a wet brine. I don't know what's going on with yours.

CD

Sugar is for browning, as in it will appear more caramelized which is desirable for most roasts or sauteeing, but if your brining to eventually use the meat with BBQ sauce or similar then it's not really required in the brine.

 

[Mountain Cat]

I forget what the sugar does, but you don't actually taste it. I've never had overly salty meat from a wet brine. I don't know what's going on with yours.

CD

It is possible our salt taste tolerances differ.

It was a few years ago when I tried to brine turkey, so I don't have the recipe any more. (I quickly ditched it, as a waste of space and of time).

 

[Yorky]

The only food that I brine is onions for pickling. I guess around 3 tablespoons of salt per litre of water. After 24 hours the onions are drained and thoroughly washed. Then drained and dried (I use paper towells). Then out in the sun for an hour or two and dried again. Keep doing this until the onions have stopped "weeping". Then pickle.

3 s.jpg

• Yorky
• 7 Aug 2021

 

[karadekoolaid]

Interesting.
What advantage does that process have over simply dumping the onions into a jar , with some spices, and pouring hot vinegar over them?