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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Worth the salt?

You can't do with it being less, you can't do with it being excess. It has to be just right. Until not very long ago, even a foodie, avid food reader and cook like me did not know the purpose of salt in our food. Nor had I ever thought about it or bothered to find out. (Shame on me!) Sure, when questioned, I could come up with the usual. Like it provides the zing, and the seasoning etc, but that was not the real deal, as I found out later. It was when Chefs Kunal Kapoor and Ajay Chopra explained it on one of the episodes of MasterChef India. The role of salt is to bring all the tastes and flavours together, to bind them in the preparation.
Just a pinch!
While reading recipes and experimenting with them, as a cook I was quite used to reading 'Salt to taste' in the ingredients column. Did not even give a second thought to it while writing out my own recipes (check muthiya and salsa rice). Then one day I happened to read this article about a novice cook tearing his hair out since he could not deal with 'salt to taste' in most of the recipes he was referring to. He wrote something to the effect of - "How much is 'to taste'. I have no clue! I don't know where to start, at least give me a start!" Pity, I didn't think of remembering where I read it, so can't link it here. But the guy had a point. Recipe writers cannot and should not assume such knowledge from all the readers, they should be more specific. 
It reminds me of a day when Amrita (a close friend) was upset about something similar. Sitting in her Chicago apartment, she was a learning how to cook something, her mom guiding her from India over the phone. And she got exasperated when directed to 'add water'. "How much? One spoon, one ladle or one cup? Give me a starting point!"
Well, coming back to salt, I have understood my folly, and shall not repeat it. The start was made last night with the grilled portobello salad, and all forthcoming recipes shall have a start point to adding the little white grains. The rest, then, can be adjusted to taste :)

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