Adding salt to food after it is cooked

Caribbean girl

Caribbean girl

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I have always heard that it is better to add salt to your meal while it is being cooked than to add it after it is already cooked and on your plate. I don't know what the difference is since it is the same salt you are using. I know they are those who have salt and pepper shakers on their table and they may add either salt or pepper to their meal if they felt the need to do so. I am wondering what difference it would make health-wise.

Has anyone else ever heard of this?
 
Salt should always be kept to a minimum in cooking. When cooking meals for friends or family there might be someone who is on a low-salt diet. Too much salt is not good for young children or anyone with health issues. If you place a salt shaker on the table, then anyone who wants to add salt may use it.

Personally I never use salt in my cooking. Vegetables really don't need any salt and even pasta and rice can be cooked without. I just add plenty of spice to give the dish some flavor.
 
It may be the same salt you are using, but it is in totally different quantities and yes, quite a lot of that salt will get poured away when you strain the veg or pasta, but it also comes down to giving people the choice of salt. If you have cooked the veg in boiling water which has had salt added to it, for me, the veg tastes salty (I hate the taste of salt because of years of having to brush my teeth with it due to being unable to use toothpaste as a child). Also some people (like myself) are very sensitive to salt. Too much of it and my legs will swell around my ankles, yet my OH can eat it quite happily (or anything that has a high sodium content) and have no issues at all.

I do find that fresh pasta is nicer with salt added to the water prior to its brief cooking in boiling water, but this seems to me to be simply because the fresh pasta absorbs less water (I'm guessing through osmosis - that being the only logical explanation for my observation) than when cooked in saltless boiling water. However, I think that is about the only thing I will add salt to when boiling in water.

Omelettes I will also add some salt to prior to cooking because eggs to see to benefit from a small amount.
 
I use some seasoned salt when I am cooking. I do not use real salt very often. If I do, it is lightly seasoned and then I do not put the salt on the table. But I like to add more seasoning because it gives it more flavor, and I feel salt, lightly, enhances that flavor I. I think if you're wanting to be healthy, use a little salt while cooking then be done with it. People end up using more salt when the shaker is in front of them.
 
I only use salt when I'm cooking. I never add it to a finish dish. I only use a sparingly amount of salt to sweat vegetables or to season my beans and lentils. It's also not the only seasoning that I use.
 
its better to add salt to the food once it is cooked so that the salt does not get precipitated on boiling and serves well to the taste of cooked food
 
I do not add much salt when I am cooking because I know that once I am finished, my husband will add more salt to his food. I try to use the low sodium salt because I feel like it is healthier than regular salt. There was times that I did not even use salt because my father has high cholesterol and it was not good for him. That is the reason I started using low sodium because he was a salt freak.
 
I prefer to add the salt while cooking because when it's done after it doesn't always integrate as well due to it not melting and thus is spread much more unevenly. If the dish needs more saltiness after cooking I would maybe just add soy sauce instead because that is a bit more forgiving.
 
It's more true to habit and convenient for me to add salt during cooking, so then I can just serve and eat it right away without the few seconds delay with seasoning... but, well, I've also heard that adding salt to eggs or meats causes a chemical reaction that will give it a dry or otherwise gross texture.
 
I've always heard that the taste of the salt is stronger (thus you will use less for the same flavour) if you add it after cooking. As already mentioned this way when you are not eating alone everyone has the choice of adding salt according to their own taste.

I never add any salt to food while cooking, and rarely add anything afterwards.
 
My family all eat together and I have young children. salt is dangerous for babies and young children so I tend not to use it in my cooking. I use other things like pepper, spices, lemon, garlic, chillies and herbs to flavor my cooking. when I worked briefly as a chef I seasoned all food with salt before or during cooking. I rarely use salt on my meals once they are cooked either. The exceptions being tomatoes and chips (fries).
 
My mom taught me to add salt while the food is being cooked. That way, the salt will be added very well to the dish. There are times, especially when you are using rock salt, when the salt is still crystallized after cooking.
 
I don't like using too much salt as I don't like the taste, but use a small amount while cooking to season. I've met people who put salt on their food before even trying it, so it's down to personal preference. I have a friend who likes her rock salt and she sprinkles it on generously before each meal! When I cook for others, I prefer them to add their own salt as they say you can add, but you can't take it away.
 
Well adding salt after a recipe's finished cooking isn't really my cup of tea. For one thing, I'm trying to avoid excessive sodium so badly for fear of contracting cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure.
 
Caribbean girl said:
I have always heard that it is better to add salt to your meal while it is being cooked than to add it after it is already cooked and on your plate. I don't know what the difference is since it is the same salt you are using. I know they are those who have salt and pepper shakers on their table and they may add either salt or pepper to their meal if they felt the need to do so. I am wondering what difference it would make health-wise.

Has anyone else ever heard of this?
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If you like the taste of straight up salt, by all means add it at the end. If however you like the taste of your food, add it during cooking.
 
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