When sauteing onions and peppers for Italian beef or sausage
sandwiches or for fajitas, when to salt them? before, during, or
after. . .
or any combination of the above.
Thx.
Pete

"Pete" > wrote in message
...
> When sauteing onions and peppers for Italian beef or sausage
> sandwiches or for fajitas, when to salt them? before, during, or
> after. . .
> or any combination of the above.
> Thx.
> Pete

Pete,
When sautéing I usually toss in some salt right after I get the veggies in
the pan.

Jon

"Pete" > wrote in message
...
> When sauteing onions and peppers for Italian beef or sausage
> sandwiches or for fajitas, when to salt them? before, during, or
> after. . .
> or any combination of the above.
> Thx.
> Pete

I'd salt them after and lightly.

Pete wrote:
> When sauteing onions and peppers for Italian beef or sausage
> sandwiches or for fajitas, when to salt them? before, during, or
> after. . .
> or any combination of the above.
> Thx.
> Pete

We don't salt them. There is usually enough salt in the sausages.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

"Pete" > wrote in message
...
> When sauteing onions and peppers for Italian beef or sausage
> sandwiches or for fajitas, when to salt them? before, during, or
> after. . .
> or any combination of the above.
> Thx.
> Pete
I salt them as they sizzle to bring out the moisture.
Tom

On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:12:25 -0500, Janet Wilder
> wrote:

>Pete wrote:
>> When sauteing onions and peppers for Italian beef or sausage
>> sandwiches or for fajitas, when to salt them? before, during, or
>> after. . .
>> or any combination of the above.
>> Thx.
>> Pete
>
>We don't salt them. There is usually enough salt in the sausages.

I would at least do a bit of salt..then taste. You aren't trying to
get them to taste salty, but to help the flavors develop. Add tiny
bits, let it cook for a bit..then taste. A lack of salt can make
dishes taste flat.

I am currently reading the new book by Thomas Keller and he has a page
or two on the value of salting. As he says, salt is not to make
things salty, it is to bring out flavor. If you salt prior and during
cooking, it develops flavor. If you add salt afterwards, it just
tastes salty. And he says if something tastes salty then, you added
too much salt.

He says it is one of the most valuable skills a cook can develop: when
to salt, how to salt, and how much to salt.

I tend to listen to what he says, since he is considered one of the
best chefs in the world. Plus my own experience bears out what he
says.

Christine

Christine Dabney wrote:
> On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:12:25 -0500, Janet Wilder
> > wrote:
>
>> Pete wrote:
>>> When sauteing onions and peppers for Italian beef or sausage
>>> sandwiches or for fajitas, when to salt them? before, during, or
>>> after. . .
>>> or any combination of the above.
>>> Thx.
>>> Pete
>> We don't salt them. There is usually enough salt in the sausages.
>
> I would at least do a bit of salt..then taste. You aren't trying to
> get them to taste salty, but to help the flavors develop. Add tiny
> bits, let it cook for a bit..then taste. A lack of salt can make
> dishes taste flat.
>
> I am currently reading the new book by Thomas Keller and he has a page
> or two on the value of salting. As he says, salt is not to make
> things salty, it is to bring out flavor. If you salt prior and during
> cooking, it develops flavor. If you add salt afterwards, it just
> tastes salty. And he says if something tastes salty then, you added
> too much salt.
>
> He says it is one of the most valuable skills a cook can develop: when
> to salt, how to salt, and how much to salt.
>
> I tend to listen to what he says, since he is considered one of the
> best chefs in the world. Plus my own experience bears out what he
> says.
>

We have medical reasons to restrict salt. If we didn't I'd salt a little
while cooking.


--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:12:25 -0500, Janet Wilder
> wrote:

>Pete wrote:
>> When sauteing onions and peppers for Italian beef or sausage
>> sandwiches or for fajitas, when to salt them? before, during, or
>> after. . .
>> or any combination of the above.
>> Thx.
>> Pete
>
>We don't salt them. There is usually enough salt in the sausages.

Agreed. Onions and peppers don't need salt.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:03:02 -0600, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:48:11 -0500, Janet Wilder
> wrote:
>
>
>>We have medical reasons to restrict salt. If we didn't I'd salt a little
>>while cooking.
>
>Oh, okay.
>
>There are a lot of people who don't have medical reasons, that don't
>salt..or salt at the end of cooking.
>
>One thing I have noted from several great cooks is that if you salt
>appropriately ( and taste, taste, taste!!!) during cooking, you
>actually use less salt than you do if you salt later. Again, they say
>food shouldn't taste salty, but it should just highlight the flavors
>and develop the ones there.
>
>But I totally understand the medical issues.

Some people just don't like salt that much. For me the salt in the
sausage would be plenty.

Lou

On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:27:36 -0600, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:12:25 -0500, Janet Wilder
> wrote:
>
>>Pete wrote:
>>> When sauteing onions and peppers for Italian beef or sausage
>>> sandwiches or for fajitas, when to salt them? before, during, or
>>> after. . .
>>> or any combination of the above.
>>> Thx.
>>> Pete
>>
>>We don't salt them. There is usually enough salt in the sausages.
>
>I would at least do a bit of salt..then taste. You aren't trying to
>get them to taste salty, but to help the flavors develop. Add tiny
>bits, let it cook for a bit..then taste. A lack of salt can make
>dishes taste flat.
>
>I am currently reading the new book by Thomas Keller and he has a page
>or two on the value of salting. As he says, salt is not to make
>things salty, it is to bring out flavor. If you salt prior and during
>cooking, it develops flavor. If you add salt afterwards, it just
>tastes salty. And he says if something tastes salty then, you added
>too much salt.
>
>He says it is one of the most valuable skills a cook can develop: when
>to salt, how to salt, and how much to salt.
>
>I tend to listen to what he says, since he is considered one of the
>best chefs in the world. Plus my own experience bears out what he
>says.
>
A little goes a long way. My taste buds were assaulted by salt on
vacation. Europeans love their salt.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

sf wrote:

> A little goes a long way. My taste buds were assaulted by salt on
> vacation. Europeans love their salt.
>

We could not eat the food in Palermo, Sicily. It was way too salty. Even
the bread. Thank goodness there was a pastry shop across the street from
my hotel. I lived on canoli. They don't salt the canoli.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

"Ranée at Arabian Knits" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> Janet Wilder > wrote:
>
>> We could not eat the food in Palermo, Sicily. It was way too salty. Even
>> the bread. Thank goodness there was a pastry shop across the street from
>> my hotel. I lived on canoli. They don't salt the canoli.
>
> When my ILs went to Tuscany, they were surprised to find that the
> bread had no salt in it. I imagine each region has its own issues with
> salt.
>

Yes, I noticed that Tuscan cooks used less salt than most Americans I know.
It suited me. If there are aromatic vegetables and spices I don't need much
salt.

Christine Dabney > wrote in
on Oct Tue 2009 09:03 pm

> One thing I have noted from several great cooks is that if you salt
> appropriately ( and taste, taste, taste!!!) during cooking, you
> actually use less salt than you do if you salt later. Again, they say
> food shouldn't taste salty, but it should just highlight the flavors
> and develop the ones there.
>

Some stuff like potatoes, pasta and green beans require salt in the cooking water or they just don't
taste right.

--
Is that your nose, or are you eatting a banana? -Jimmy Durante

On Oct 27, 7:47*pm, "cyberpurrs" > wrote:
> "Pete" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> > When sauteing onions and peppers for Italian beef or sausage
> > sandwiches or for fajitas, when to salt them? *before, during, or
> > after. . .
> > or any combination of the above.
> > Thx.
> > Pete
>
> I'd salt them after and lightly.

If you use popcorn salt, you don't get that graininess, so you can
wait until after.
http://www.diamondcrystalsalt.com/Cu...-Nut-Salt.aspx

--Bryan

"Ranee at Arabian Knits" > wrote
> I find onions and peppers to be so sweet, especially after sauteeing,
> that I always give them a little salt.

They are sweet. I would salt them under certain circumstances, but not if
they are in a dish with something like sausage or ham.

On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:16:55 -0400, Tom Biasi wrote:

> "Pete" > wrote in message
> ...
>> When sauteing onions and peppers for Italian beef or sausage
>> sandwiches or for fajitas, when to salt them? before, during, or
>> after. . .
>> or any combination of the above.
>> Thx.
>> Pete
> I salt them as they sizzle to bring out the moisture.
> Tom

that's what i'm thinking as well. it's not so much for the taste - since
not much is used - but as part of the physics of the thing.

but i usually forget anyway.

your pal,
blake

Pete > wrote:
>When sauteing onions and peppers for Italian beef or sausage
>sandwiches or for fajitas, when to salt them? before, during, or
>after. . . or any combination of the above.
>Pete

Sausage typically contains more than enough salt for the dish so it
depends on how you cook the dish. I would pan fry the sausage, remove
them and then saute the veggies in the fat from the sausage, and there
would also be salt in the fat from the sausage. Salt is a dessicant,
it helps to remove water from the veggies. But if I was going to
saute the veggies all on their own I would add a small amount of salt
at the onset to aid in breaking the plant cells so moisture can more
quickly escape. Then when combined later with the sausage I would
taste for reseasoning but it's rare that sausage would need more salt.
In any event there is no reason to ever add salt during the cooking of
a dish containing sausge, or as the veggies cook down and water
evaporates the veggies would be over salted because salt does not
evaporate.

As an aside, I usually simmer sausage and discard the water before
proceding with a dish, this removes a substantial amount of the
preservative salts.

Pete wrote:
> When sauteing onions and peppers for Italian beef or sausage
> sandwiches or for fajitas, when to salt them? before, during, or
> after. . .
> or any combination of the above.
> Thx.
> Pete

I salt them lightly as they're beginning to soften.

Dora

On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:11:08 GMT, hahabogus >
wrote:

>Some stuff like potatoes, pasta and green beans require salt in the cooking
>water or they just don't taste right.

Only pasta needs salt. Potatoes and beans don't.


--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:31:12 -0700, sf > wrote:


>Only pasta needs salt. Potatoes and beans don't.

Thomas Keller especially uses salt when blanching/cooking green
vegetables. He calls it "big pot blanching". He uses a cup of
Kosher salt/gallon of water, and only cooks a tiny amount of
vegetables at a time, so that the water doesn't lose it's boil. He
pulls the vegetables when they turn bright green then shocks them in
ice water.

I do think beans need salt. I am going to try his method, to see what
it is like. If he were oversalting his food, I don't think he would
be at the top of his profession as he is now.

Christine

On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:39:06 -0700, Ranée at Arabian Knits
> wrote:

>In article >,
> Janet Wilder > wrote:
>
>> Ranée at Arabian Knits wrote:
>> > In article >,
>> > Janet Wilder > wrote:
>> >
>> >> We could not eat the food in Palermo, Sicily. It was way too salty. Even
>> >> the bread. Thank goodness there was a pastry shop across the street from
>> >> my hotel. I lived on canoli. They don't salt the canoli.
>> >
>> > When my ILs went to Tuscany, they were surprised to find that the
>> > bread had no salt in it. I imagine each region has its own issues with
>> > salt.
>> >
>> > I find I can't eat most restaurant food because it is so salty. I
>> > don't know why this is the case, because I don't limit our salt at home,
>> > I just use what we think tastes right, but when we eat out it sometimes
>> > feels like you could cut your mouth on the salt. Even at nicer places
>> > like the Melting Pot and El Gaucho we found the food to be too salty.
>>
>> Stay away from Outback restaurants. They have changed their corporate
>> recipes in recent years and the food is so highly salted it is
>> inedible. I used to enjoy their rack of lamb. Now it's a rack of salt.
>
> I don't think I've eaten at an Outback in over 10 years. I don't
>know if there is one near us.
>
There has to be one around Petaluma/Santa Rosa or Vaccaville/Davis.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"Christine Dabney" ha scritto nel messaggio
sf > wrote:
>
>
>>Only pasta needs salt. Potatoes and beans don't.
>
> Thomas Keller especially uses salt when blanching/cooking green>
> vegetables.

I do that too. The vegetable spends so little time in the water that it has
to be quite salty to gace any effect.

In article >,
sf > wrote:

> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:39:06 -0700, Ranée at Arabian Knits
> > wrote:

> > I don't think I've eaten at an Outback in over 10 years. I don't
> >know if there is one near us.
> >
> There has to be one around Petaluma/Santa Rosa or Vaccaville/Davis.

Yeah? That's almost a thousand miles! Try this instead:

http://www.outback.com/locations/index.aspx

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:12:43 -0700, Dan Abel > wrote:

>In article >,
> sf > wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:39:06 -0700, Ranée at Arabian Knits
>> > wrote:
>
>> > I don't think I've eaten at an Outback in over 10 years. I don't
>> >know if there is one near us.
>> >
>> There has to be one around Petaluma/Santa Rosa or Vaccaville/Davis.
>
>Yeah? That's almost a thousand miles! Try this instead:
>
>http://www.outback.com/locations/index.aspx

A thousand miles? Isn't she in Napa?

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"Christine Dabney" < ha scritto nel messaggio
"Giusi" > wrote:
>>"Christine Dabney" ha scritto nel messaggio

>>> Thomas Keller especially uses salt when blanching/cooking green> >>>
>>> vegetables.

The vegetable spends so little time in the water that it has
>>to be quite salty to gace any effect.
>>
>
> Yes, he says the water you cook vegetables in, should be as salty as> the
> ocean.
>
> This is something I am working on, in particular, with really learning>
> how to season properly. I am convinced (and I have read this> elsewhere
> as well) that one reason people are attracted to restaurant
> meals is that the cooks really take the time and effort to season food
> properly.

Well, of course if you don't no one will come to eat your food. When
cooking professionally, we use more fats and salt than is good for you. I
often find restaurant food way too salty, but I know I am conservative with
salt. As to fats, in Umbrian cooking the olive oil is a large component of
many dishes' taste, so it's hard for any American to get over the low fat
mentality and put that raw oil on the finished dish. Has to be done, so
pick the oil carefully.

On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:14:25 -0600, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>Yes, he says the water you cook vegetables in, should be as salty as
>the ocean.

No way Jose. I steam vegetables and do not, will not, salt the water
for potatoes. I can't stand all that salt, I'm still trying to get it
out of my system. I salt pasta water. Period.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

In article >,
sf > wrote:

> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:14:25 -0600, Christine Dabney
> > wrote:
>
> >Yes, he says the water you cook vegetables in, should be as salty as
> >the ocean.
>
> No way Jose. I steam vegetables and do not, will not, salt the water
> for potatoes. I can't stand all that salt, I'm still trying to get it
> out of my system. I salt pasta water. Period.

Why? (I mean, why salt pasta water -- if you don't salt for potatoes,
why do you do it for pasta?) I go back and forth on this, and do not
have any strongly principled (or empirically useful) basis for doing
the salting or not. I _tend_ to think that potatoes _need_ salt, and
it helps to add it in cooking. But I could wrong. I don't have any
such sense that pasta needs salting, and in fact I will generally
_not_ salt pasta-cooking water. And have never had any problem with
the results. So, once again, _why_ do you think you have to salt
pasta cooking water?

"sf" ha scritto nel messaggio
Christine Dabney > wrote:
>
>>Yes, he says the water you cook vegetables in, should be as salty as the
>>ocean.
>
> No way Jose. I steam vegetables and do not, will not, salt the water for
> potatoes. I can't stand all that salt, I'm still trying to get it> out of
> my system. I salt pasta water. Period.

That's your privilege when cooking for yourself. If you were being paid to
cook for others, however, you'd need to figure out how much salt tastes good
and use it. That doesn't mean how much tastes good to you, because you like
an amount that is the taste of the tiniest fraction of the people of the
world.

Potatoes and eggs are definitely salted in my house, although not as salty
as the sea, which saying is used by Italians for pasta and I think is too
salty.

sf wrote:
> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:11:08 GMT, hahabogus >
> wrote:
>
>> Some stuff like potatoes, pasta and green beans require salt in the cooking
>> water or they just don't taste right.
>
> Only pasta needs salt. Potatoes and beans don't.
>
>
They do in my book. Nothing tastes more disappointing than a potato
cooked without salt. It lacks flavor, yet doesn't need to be salty at all.

On Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:49:20 +0100, "Giusi" >
wrote:

>Well, of course if you don't no one will come to eat your food. When
>cooking professionally, we use more fats and salt than is good for you. I
>often find restaurant food way too salty, but I know I am conservative with
>salt. As to fats, in Umbrian cooking the olive oil is a large component of
>many dishes' taste, so it's hard for any American to get over the low fat
>mentality and put that raw oil on the finished dish. Has to be done, so
>pick the oil carefully.

I need to go back to Italy. Umbria calls.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:26:54 -0700, Michael Siemon
> wrote:

>Why? (I mean, why salt pasta water -- if you don't salt for potatoes,
>why do you do it for pasta?) I go back and forth on this, and do not
>have any strongly principled (or empirically useful) basis for doing
>the salting or not. I _tend_ to think that potatoes _need_ salt, and
>it helps to add it in cooking. But I could wrong. I don't have any
>such sense that pasta needs salting, and in fact I will generally
>_not_ salt pasta-cooking water. And have never had any problem with
>the results. So, once again, _why_ do you think you have to salt
>pasta cooking water?

Pasta needs the salty water, otherwise the end result is flat tasting.
I don't make my own pasta. Maybe if I did, I'd put a little salt in
the dough. In any case, I do not salt pasta water as much as
"traditional"; it is not sea water. How do I know I need salt? I
have tried not salting pasta water and ruined what I was making
because salt added afterward doesn't enhance flat tasting pasta.

However, I think the flavor of potatoes stand on their own as do plain
vegetables. I think people (and chefs) tend to ruin delicate flavors
by covering them up with too much salt.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:39:40 -0400, Goomba >
wrote:

>sf wrote:
>> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:11:08 GMT, hahabogus >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Some stuff like potatoes, pasta and green beans require salt in the cooking
>>> water or they just don't taste right.
>>
>> Only pasta needs salt. Potatoes and beans don't.
>>
>>
>They do in my book. Nothing tastes more disappointing than a potato
>cooked without salt. It lacks flavor, yet doesn't need to be salty at all.

You're a salt freak.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:58:41 -0600, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:47:57 -0700, sf > wrote:
>
>
>>A thousand miles? Isn't she in Napa?
>
>No, she's in WA state..
>
Ooopsie. Sorry Ranee.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

sf wrote:
> On Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:39:40 -0400, Goomba >
> wrote:
>
>> sf wrote:
>>> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:11:08 GMT, hahabogus >
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Some stuff like potatoes, pasta and green beans require salt in the cooking
>>>> water or they just don't taste right.
>>> Only pasta needs salt. Potatoes and beans don't.
>>>
>>>
>> They do in my book. Nothing tastes more disappointing than a potato
>> cooked without salt. It lacks flavor, yet doesn't need to be salty at all.
>
> You're a salt freak.
>
You're saying that based on what?? Citation, please? I use very little
salt actually.But know how to use it appropriately. Salting potatoes
while cooking reaps an entirely different result than salting
afterwards. Flavor is improved.

On Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:20:34 -0400, Goomba >
wrote:

>sf wrote:
>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:39:40 -0400, Goomba >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> sf wrote:
>>>> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:11:08 GMT, hahabogus >
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Some stuff like potatoes, pasta and green beans require salt in the cooking
>>>>> water or they just don't taste right.
>>>> Only pasta needs salt. Potatoes and beans don't.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> They do in my book. Nothing tastes more disappointing than a potato
>>> cooked without salt. It lacks flavor, yet doesn't need to be salty at all.
>>
>> You're a salt freak.
>>
>You're saying that based on what?? Citation, please? I use very little
>salt actually.But know how to use it appropriately. Salting potatoes
>while cooking reaps an entirely different result than salting
>afterwards. Flavor is improved.

Citation: You salt potato water.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:53:38 +0100, "Giusi" >
wrote:

>
>"sf" ha scritto nel messaggio
> Christine Dabney > wrote:
>>
>>>Yes, he says the water you cook vegetables in, should be as salty as the
>>>ocean.
>>
>> No way Jose. I steam vegetables and do not, will not, salt the water for
>> potatoes. I can't stand all that salt, I'm still trying to get it> out of
>> my system. I salt pasta water. Period.
>
>That's your privilege when cooking for yourself. If you were being paid to
>cook for others, however, you'd need to figure out how much salt tastes good
>and use it. That doesn't mean how much tastes good to you, because you like
>an amount that is the taste of the tiniest fraction of the people of the
>world.
>
I am not a professional cook and my body hates way the part of the
world I just visited over salts their food. I blew up like a balloon
and it's still not entirely gone.

>Potatoes and eggs are definitely salted in my house, although not as salty
>as the sea, which saying is used by Italians for pasta and I think is too
>salty.
>
At least you're not a heavy salter.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:34:16 -0600, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>This is one reason that we say restaurant food tastes so good and say
>ours never tastes that good at home. Maybe they just season a bit
>differently than home cooks?

I like my cooking. Flavor isn't an issue. Salt is.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:30:45 -0600, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>The thing is, that judicious (proper) use of salt improves flavor, but
>doesn't make it taste salty.
>
>I have an idea. When I get back, lets both cook exactly the same
>dish. You cook yours as you wish, without salt, or whatever, and I
>will cook mine using the salt that it needs to make the flavors stand
>out. Lets see which tastes better.

Chris, I don't cook without salt. I don't use much and certainly I
don't salt potato or vegetable water (in any case, I steam them).
You've taken what I said and turned it into something else. Nothing
new here, that's what you do.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Oct 29, 8:34 am, Christine Dabney > wrote:
>
> You all are confusing food that is salty,with food that is seasoned.
> If it is seasoned properly, you won't think it is salty, just that the
> flavors are highlighted and that they "pop" out at you. {snip]

Correct. There are several different kinds of salting. The kind that
motivated the OP is basically chemical. Salt causes changes in how
things cook, not just how they taste. The reason you salt when you
sweat aromatics is that it facilitates/improves the softening/cooking
process. Salting pasta water and potato and vegetable-blanching is
because those are more efficient delivery systems. The reason you salt
stocks, soups and stews from the beginning is you want to induce
goodies and flavor to release from the meat/poultry/veggies and move
into the liquid. When you omit any of these uses of salt you're
simply settling for something less good than it could be. Not a big
deal, just flat, as you say, or dull.

> This is one reason that we say restaurant food tastes so good and say
> ours never tastes that good at home. Maybe they just season a bit
> differently than home cooks?
>
Salt and butter and heat are the three things restaurants most often
use to a greater degree than home cooks.

> Reading both Ruhlman, and Keller and quite a few other chefs...I am
> struck by how many say that learning to season properly is the one
> skill they say cooks should learn.
>
It's something that always demands attention. It's not infrequent for
a judge on Top Chef to tell a contestant that a dish was
underseasoned.

> A lot of you might be surprised how much proper seasoning can greatly
> improve your cooking. I really truly urge some of you to test this
> out instead of just adamantly saying no.

It's another of the lessons I learned from reading and watching Julia
Child. She often seasoned each or nearly each ingredient as she added
it to a dish. And she would comment as she did that "you can't catch
up later." If you season at each stage that needs it you seldom have
to add salt to the finished dish. If you fail to season as you go, no
amount of salt at the end will turn the dish into what it should
be. -aem

aem wrote:
> It's another of the lessons I learned from reading and watching Julia
> Child. She often seasoned each or nearly each ingredient as she added
> it to a dish. And she would comment as she did that "you can't catch
> up later." If you season at each stage that needs it you seldom have
> to add salt to the finished dish. If you fail to season as you go, no
> amount of salt at the end will turn the dish into what it should
> be. -aem

Paul Prudhomme says something similar. If he is making stuffed
flounder, he seasons the fish, the stuffing, the breading on the fish,
if there is one, and the sauce that goes on top of the fish. He calls
this "layers of flavor", or something similar, I will have to look that
up. I would do it now if I wasn't so gosh darn lazy. ;-)


Becca