Salt is the master of five flavors and the king of hundreds of flavors. As the old saying goes, "If you eat all kinds of flavours, you still need some salt, and if you wear all the silk, it is not as good as cotton." No matter how good the dish is, it will be eclipsed without the participation of salt. As the saying goes, a good chef has a handful of salt, and learning the usage and dosage of salt is the most important thing for a chef. Basic skills.
Salt has a wide range of uses in cooking. For example, when making "fried pork slices", you need to use salt to taste the meat. As the old saying goes, "vegetables must be eaten tender". The penetration of salt water makes the meat slices tender. It is more plump and juicy, and the fried meat is tender and delicious. When making some non-salt dishes, salt also plays a subtle role, such as fish-flavored dishes, sweet and sour dishes, and spicy and sour dishes. With salt as the "base taste", the compound taste will be more mellow and delicious. , endless aftertaste.
In the process of cooking home-cooked dishes, even if it is the same dish, the taste of different people will be very different. In addition to the difference in cooking skills, the usage of salt and the timing of adding it also have an impact on the dishes. The taste of food plays a decisive role. If you add salt at the wrong time, not only will the nutrients be lost, but the taste will be greatly reduced. But if you put the salt correctly, you can get twice the result with half the effort. Learning how to use salt can greatly improve your cooking skills and make the dishes taste better. better. Several key times to add salt
1. Add salt before cooking
1. When steaming or frying meat and fish dishes, we will marinate the ingredients with salt. Then start cooking, such as fried hairtail, small crispy pork, steamed pickled pork with pickles, salting it in advance will help to absorb the flavor, and the batter will be firmer and less likely to fall off during frying.
2. When making some stir-fried and stir-fried dishes, such as fish-flavored shredded pork, stir-fried kidneys, etc., salt will also be added in advance to marinate the ingredients. The addition of salt can not only increase the protein content The hydration ability makes the ingredients thicker and absorbs water, making the dishes more tender, smooth and delicious.
2. Add salt when the ingredients are put into the pot
1. When we usually cook noodles and dumplings, we can also add some salt to the pot in advance before cooking, so that the noodles To make it more chewy and chewy, you can also add some salt when blanching the vegetables to keep them green.
2. In addition, when making stewed, braised, braised and other meat dishes, base salt should be added when the ingredients are put into the pot, so that the salty taste can fully penetrate into the ingredients. , and salt can also speed up the stewing of meat, making the stewed meat softer.
3. Add salt during cooking
1. Some dishes need to be salted during the cooking process. For example, when frying meat, adding salt can not only season the meat but also make the meat more flavorful. It is fresh and tender, and when making some stewed, grilled, fried and other ingredients, such as braised mutton, kebabs, fried eggs, etc., you also need to add salt during the cooking process.
2. For some ingredients that are difficult to taste, such as potatoes, radishes, tofu and other ingredients, if you add salt before serving, the dishes will be difficult to taste and will be bland and tasteless after cooking. They also need to be cooked Salt is added during the process.
4. Add salt before taking out the pot
1. When frying various vegetables, we need to add salt before taking them out of the pot. Most vegetables will produce water when exposed to salt. If salt is added, If cooked too early, the nutrients in the vegetables will also be lost with the water, so salt is generally added before serving.
2. When making soup, adding salt too early will solidify the protein and the soup will not be perfect. For example, when making chicken soup, bone soup, and crucian carp soup, it is usually done before serving. Add salt.
5. Add salt after cooking or when eating
1. Generally speaking, salt is added to cold dishes when eating, such as cold cucumbers and cold bamboo shoots. Etc., if the salt is added too early, the water in the vegetables will be lost and the original crispy taste will be affected. Therefore, salt should be added when these dishes need to be eaten.
2. There are also some fried dishes, such as fried peanuts, fried oyster mushrooms, etc. Salt cannot be added to these dishes before and during frying, so they are usually served out of the pan. Then add salt to taste.
Salt not only has the function of mediating the five flavors, but the sodium contained in it is also an indispensable and important element in our body. However, for normal people, it is best not to consume more than 6g per day. Intaking too much salt will affect your health and cause a series of problems. You must control your daily salt intake reasonably.
In a dish that is full of color, flavor and flavor, salt plays a huge role. As the saying goes, if there is no fertilizer and no grain, the dish will be tasteless without salt. Only by being familiar with the use of salt can you make a good dish.