10 False Facts About Salt You Should Unlearn Today

There's no denying that salt is one of the most common ingredients in the kitchen. Wholly versatile and boasting an infinite shelf life, it's somewhat of a culinary all-rounder, acting as a flavor enhancer, balancer, and preservative all in one. However, despite how often salt is used by so many of us around the world, it is also one of the most commonly misunderstood ingredients. It's fair to say that there's a significant amount of misinformation when it comes to salt, from how it affects your health to when and how to use it in recipes. While some of these misconceptions hold some merit, such as the general notion that cutting back on excessive sodium consumption is a good idea, much of what you might have heard about salt is, in fact, false.

Though it's easy to think of salt as something to be avoided to maintain a balanced diet or as a humble seasoning with the sole purpose of making your food more savory, there's a lot more to this ingredient than you realize, and you may actually have been using it wrong until now. With a little understanding of what salt can (and can't) do, as well as how and when you should be using it, you can better unlock the broad potential of this humble crystal without falling for any myths.

A common misconception when it comes to cooking with salt is that all types of salt can be used interchangeably. It's a fairly reasonable assumption, given that most salt tastes very similar, begging the question of why you cannot simply use table salt in a recipe that calls for kosher salt. The truth is that while it may seem like salt is just salt, different kinds of salt have varying textures, flavors, and uses. These differences, even when subtle, can have a significant impact on your cooking, so it's always best to use the right salt for the job.

Table salt, for example, is best suited to recipes that require accurate measurements, boasting a fine texture that is easy to keep concise. Kosher salt, meanwhile, has a coarser consistency that is particularly good for brining and sprinkling over meat. If you use table salt to season your meat, you'll likely end up overdoing it since its finer grains cannot be scattered as well as kosher salt, as they are absorbed by the meat more quickly, causing it to become overly salty. 

Though you can use most types of salt in baking, it's important to note that you cannot simply substitute one for the other using the same measurements. One teaspoon of table salt or sea salt, for example, equates to roughly 1¼ teaspoons of kosher salt, so keep conversions in mind when switching out one type of salt for another.

If you've ever ended up with a sauce that is too salty, you've likely, amidst your search for how to fix it, come across this trick of tossing a potato into your salty sauce to soak up the extra salt. While this would be a particularly useful and easy trick, unfortunately, it does not quite work like that. Sure, a potato may absorb some of the liquid in your sauce, but it is unable to miraculously remove all the excess salt. While you may end up with a little less salty liquid, it will still be just as salty since nothing was done to address the proportion of salt compared to other ingredients. 

As such, when it comes to fixing an overly salty sauce, it's best to leave potatoes out of the question. There are multiple other ways to fix oversalted sauce, from diluting it with more water to correct the salt-to-liquid ratio to adding a splash of vinegar or citrus juice to have the acidity balance the excessive saltiness. Another simple fix is to add more ingredients to increase the volume of your dish, thereby reducing the amount of salt you're getting per portion. If you're making a tomato-based sauce, for example, throw in some more tomatoes or vegetables, and add extra cream or milk to creamy sauces that have become too savory.

Another common misconception when it comes to cooking with salt is that it does not matter which stage of your cooking you add it. Of course, the taste of salt goes through no notable changes during the cooking process, so it's understandable why many of us may consider it unimportant whether we add salt to our dish at the start or the end. However, its impact on other ingredients, and subsequently your entire meal, is determined by how long it has to penetrate these ingredients. Thus, you'll want to pay attention to when your recipe calls for salt or consider the ingredients you are working with and what results you want to achieve by salting them.

For example, large cuts of meat like steak should be salted well before you start cooking, either at least 40 minutes before or overnight, whereby the meat has time to absorb any moisture expelled by the salt after seasoning. 

Likewise, adding salt early on when you're establishing the foundations of a sauce, such as when frying onions or garlic, can help draw out moisture and enhance existing flavors, helping secure a nuanced and deep sauce. Conversely, if you're looking to avoid excess liquid when frying or sauteeing your water-dense vegetables, hold off on the salt for a while to avoid creating a small pool of water in the pan.

If you've baked at least once or twice, you've likely seen salt on the ingredients list of your recipe. Alongside ingredients like sugar, butter, and vanilla, salt may, at first glance, seem a little out of place in recipes such as chocolate chip cookies or fudgy brownies, but that does not mean that you should simply omit it. Much like baking soda or flour, salt is there for a reason and should not be regarded as an optional and largely unimportant addition to sweet baked goods.

Salt plays a crucial role in both regulating the activity of the yeast and strengthening the gluten network in the dough, which improves structure and elasticity. This makes it an especially important ingredient if you're making bread and want to nail the rise and texture of your dough, or likewise, if you're after that perfectly chewy texture for your cookies and a sturdy structure for your cake. Beyond these crucial roles, salt is also a useful ingredient in virtually all baked goods on account of its flavor-enhancing qualities. Indeed, in cookies, cakes, or traybakes, a pinch of salt can help balance the sweetness for a truly harmonious combination of tastes while also bringing out the depth of bolder flavors like rich and dark chocolate. The finished result is an even more complex, and thus even more delicious, sweet treat with no risk of a salty undertone or savory aftertaste.

Given that salt has a valuable place in sweet baking recipes, it would be a disservice to this culinary allrounder to assert that its sole purpose is to make things salty. Of course, synonymous with its name, making things taste salty and savory is one of the crystal's main functions, but the uses for salt in the kitchen extend far beyond this simple description. Salt has the ability to transform your dish and its flavors without you even really noticing that it's there.

Salt serves as a flavor enhancer in both sweet and savory recipes, amplifying the existing tastes of your ingredients and heightening their natural aroma in a subtle but significant way without amending their flavor. Additionally, salt can provide balance when paired with other bold tastes that need subduing a little. Bitter dark chocolate or sticky-sweet toffee pudding can be made a little more palatable by a touch of salt. Likewise, overly-fatty cuts of meat, rich desserts, or sauces that are notably creamy also reap the benefits of the addition of salt, which helps to cut through excessive richness for a lighter feel. In most cases, a pinch of salt won't do much to drastically change any existing flavors but will certainly help them to shine or balance them out where necessary.

Whether you're cooking pasta or boiling potatoes, it's a fairly common practice to add a generous pinch of salt to your water as it boils. The main purpose of this step is often to help flavor your ingredients as they cook, stopping them from tasting flat and bland once you drain them. However, you may have also heard that adding salt to hot water makes it boil quicker, but the fact is, though there might be a slight element of truth behind the principle of this claim, the difference that salt makes to hot water in terms of bringing it to a boil quicker is negligible, and you most likely will not notice a difference whether you add salt or not.

For salt to actually decrease the time needed to get your water to boiling point, you would need to add so much of it to your pot (about 20 grams per 80 milliliters of water) that whatever was then cooked in it would be totally inedible.  As such, when it comes to boiling water, if you're only adding salt to try and speed things up, you'll no doubt be disappointed. A teaspoon of salt (about 3 grams) will have little to no impact on the speed at which your water reaches boiling point, so disregard this trick unless you specifically plan on cooking with salty water.

To many of us, salt seems like somewhat of an eternal pantry staple, and on the whole, it is. Salt, especially table salt, is incredibly stable and has an indefinite shelf life. Having been used as a preservative for centuries, there's no risk of salt harboring bacteria or mold or spoiling like other food products. However, just because salt is generally immune to going bad and is unlikely to pose any safety concerns, this does not mean that it is impervious to incorrect storage.

Indeed, though salt will not go rancid, storing it incorrectly will decrease its potency and could impact its texture, making it trickier to use. Salt is pretty sensitive to moisture and can become clumpy if wet. This consistency makes it far harder to sprinkle or grind, and you may end up throwing most or all of it away as it becomes increasingly fiddly and unfit for certain purposes. To prevent salt from clumping and keep it in tip-top shape for as long as possible, keep it stored in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place away from sources of moisture. You may find it useful to keep a jar of salt by your stovetop for easy access while cooking, but oil splashes and the humidity from boiling water can completely destroy the delicate texture of your salt, so keep it in the pantry instead.

It's a fairly common belief that food without salt is simply bland. You may often hear in your favorite cooking show that something needs more seasoning. And when your meal tastes a little flat, the first thing you might do is reach for the salt shaker. There's no doubt that salt can add a subtle but significant boost to dishes that are a little lacking in flavor, but there are plenty of salt substitutes to make food flavorful. 

Ingredients like fresh garlic, vibrant citrus, and aromatic herbs can all add complexity and nuance to your food in a way that is arguably far more nuanced and rich in flavor than a sprinkling of salt. A squeeze of lively lemon juice or a splash of balsamic vinegar makes for an excellent garnish when you're after a final flourish, while fresh herbs add a touch of woody earthiness that can impart a whole new dimension to your dish. 

There are still plenty of ways to bring umami-rich flavor to your food without adding salt. Earthy and naturally rich ingredients like mushroom and miso add a wonderful savory depth, whereas toppings such as nutritional yeast or crumbly parmesan make for excellent alternatives to flaky salt. Spices such as asafoetida, cumin, and paprika also contribute their distinct and bold flavors to an array of dishes in a way that you'll momentarily forget salt exists.

It makes sense to most of us to think that we could taste salt in our food pretty easily. Salty snacks and savory dishes tend to pack a punch, which may lead us to believe that this is always the case when salt is present in our food. The truth is, however, that salt does not always announce itself in such an obvious manner and can be found in the most unlikely of places, including in bread, cereals, and even sweet goods such as biscuits and cakes. When included in the latter, any salty taste is likely overpowered by excess amounts of sugar and other flavorings, making it hard to know just exactly how much salt you are consuming.

The fact is that over 75% of the sodium (a type of mineral present in salt) consumed by Americans is what's found in processed food and ready meals, and not from salt added to meals at home or on top of dishes at a restaurant. As such, it's always worth taking the time to check the labels of the food you're buying to see the salt content, especially if you are looking to cut back or want to take a more mindful approach to your salt and sodium consumption. You may be surprised just how much salt is lurking in foods you would never expect.

It's a fairly common myth that rock salt and sea salt are healthier than finer variations like table salt. They may be less processed and refined than their finer counterparts, which may make them in one way healthier, but the fact is that all salts are essentially the same when it comes to sodium content — the main factor in any health debate surrounding salt. It may be that, due to their larger crystals, coarser salts like pink Himalayan salt and rock salt are easier to see, thus making it easier to measure just how much you're using on top of your food and perhaps exercise a bit of caution. Ultimately, however, despite a potentially more attractive appearance and more "natural" sounding name, rock salts or sea salts should not be considered a "healthier" alternative to table salt, and all forms, regardless of texture, color, or name, should be consumed in moderation.