The Importance of Salt

Salt is a tricky substance. Often hailed as a pariah of the culinary world, the cause of all things bad and unhealthy, the mastermind behind hypertension and high blood pressure, and marketed to avoid at all costs. Overuse it and food becomes instantly unpalatable. Underuse it and food is often bland and not very enjoyable. After working in the culinary industry and knowing just how much salt (and butter and fat) is used, especially in restaurants, I definitely had moments when I debated the health benefits of what my sodium intake was. But salt is a necessity. It brings out the flavor of everything and makes food taste delicious.

I have found that the key is, as with most things, balance and moderation. There is no need to shy away from using salt to season your meals. In contrast, it is actually more conducive to use a good amount to properly season your food, because I have found that when something is under seasoned, I tend to eat more of it, trying to quench my palate’s need for taste. If an item is seasoned properly, I eat smaller portions, therefore reducing my sodium intake in the long run. A great trick is to season and taste as you go, eliminating the need for a huge addition of salt at the end to bring out the taste of the food. I always recommend using kosher salt over table. Kosher salt has more flavor and the grains are bigger, which means they are covering more surface area of the product being seasoned and you can use less with the same result as table salt. There are also wonderful specialty salts available at most grocers, which are fabulous as “finishers”. These are the ingredients I use right at the end of a dish, when it is about to be plated and just needs a dash of something (lemon juice, parmesan) to complete it. A pinch of fleur de sel, deliciously potent French sea salt, adds a great punch of flavor to a dish.

A huge topic of sodium-worthy note is the use of prepackaged goods. Unfortunately, these items tend to be laden with salt and even small amounts can add up to equal your daily recommended sodium intake very quickly. It is advised that no more than 1 teaspoon, or around 1300 to 1500 mg, be consumed per day, which can be easily exceeded if only premade goods are incorporated in daily meals. I believe these items are a huge factor in how we view salt and it’s bad reputation. It is important to check labels, especially when buying low fat items, which can have much higher levels of sodium and sugar to add flavor. Again, everything in moderation, and I realize the impracticality of eliminating premade goods. Using whole foods when possible is the best way to control sodium intake, and always allows you to know exactly how much salt is going into a meal.

So when all is said and done, fear not the flaky white substance. As long as premade items are kept to a minimum, you really have no need to worry about salt intake. If store bought goods are a large part of your life, simply try to read the nutrition labels and adjust portions accordingly. If you are a big home cook, feel free to season your food liberally, remembering that the taste of something is an important, if not The most important, part of the culinary experience. Steamed green beans with no salt will not likely be a memorable dish, and you won’t want to eat them again. But adding a pinch of kosher salt and bringing out all the flavor that a bean has to offer will make a huge difference to your palate and you will most likely remember it tasting delicious and want to eat it over and over