Restaurants and their "use" of salt

[TSmith34, Inc.]

My guess that any Scooper that fancies him/herself as a serious cook already uses more salt than you probably care for.

I have:

Home Made
Italian Herb
Parsley & Tarragon
Hickory Smoked
Applewood Smoked
Sirracha
Chili Lime

Purchased
Birch Smoked
Oak Smoked
Spanish Chorizo
Herbes de Provence
Tropical Hibiscus
Peri Peri
Chipotle
Cayenne

Muggsy would probably faint

[MuggsyB]

Again I use salt, understand how to create flavor, have a tier 1 kitchen, cookware,  spice collection, and always have the freshest of herbs and veggies one could find.  I use prime time ingredients far more often than the average person and know what I'm doing when it comes to dropping the hammer on a array of dishes that are highly diverse and require tremendous skill and execution.  The only thing I suck at are desserts, especially soufflés and cakes.  I also can't make Timballo or Timpano which is upsetting.   

[jesmu84]

What's worse? Salt or refined carbs?

I'll go with carbs for worse.

Neither. If you're a healthy adult, all is fine. Only thing that matters is calories in, calories out

[Uncle Rico]

Neither. If you're a healthy adult, all is fine. Only thing that matters is calories in, calories out

Hmph.  I'll do my own research about salt and diet

[lawdog77]

Neither. If you're a healthy adult, all is fine. Only thing that matters is calories in, calories out

For weight gain/loss, not for overall nutrition.

[Spotcheck Billy]

I have:

Home Made
Italian Herb
Parsley & Tarragon
Hickory Smoked
Applewood Smoked
Sirracha
Chili Lime

Purchased
Birch Smoked
Oak Smoked
Spanish Chorizo
Herbes de Provence
Tropical Hibiscus
Peri Peri
Chipotle
Cayenne

Muggsy would probably faint

Which do you use for manatee filets?

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Which do you use for manatee filets?

Yes

[Dr. Blackheart]

The average human body contains 40 teaspoons of salt, which needs to be replaced when sweated out. Hand me the bag of chips.

https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/how-much-salt-is-in-a-human-body/amp/

[MU82]

I have:

Home Made
Italian Herb
Parsley & Tarragon
Hickory Smoked
Applewood Smoked
Sirracha
Chili Lime

Purchased
Birch Smoked
Oak Smoked
Spanish Chorizo
Herbes de Provence
Tropical Hibiscus
Peri Peri
Chipotle
Cayenne

What? No Kosher salt?

[YaBlueIt]

I know a lot of people who feel the need to always add salt and pepper at the dinner table - sometimes even before trying the food. I'm convinced it's because many of these people don't properly season their food when cooking. It's very easy to learn how to season food properly and will make all of your food taste better with minimal added effort.

For the love of god, throw away the salt shaker and instead get yourself some kosher salt and put it in a container next to your stove. I recommend using Diamond Crystal - it's less "salty" than Morton's and has 50% less sodium, making it much harder to accidentally overseason food. It's a staple of professional kitchens everywhere. And be generous with it - use more than you think you need. When salting meat, give it 30 minutes to absorb the salt before cooking; the salt will bring out the flavor of the meat and make it more tender. Also, pasta water should really be "as salty as the sea". Then after the pasta is done boiling, add a splash of the water into the sauce when you mix it together with the pasta. Your taste buds will thank you.

As for watching sodium intake, a few pinches of kosher salt is not going to kill you. The real culprit is processed and pre-packaged food.

[YaBlueIt]

I have:

Home Made
Italian Herb
Parsley & Tarragon
Hickory Smoked
Applewood Smoked
Sirracha
Chili Lime

Purchased
Birch Smoked
Oak Smoked
Spanish Chorizo
Herbes de Provence
Tropical Hibiscus
Peri Peri
Chipotle
Cayenne

Muggsy would probably faint

It would be easier and better to just have decent kosher salt and a well-stocked spice drawer.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

It would be easier and better to just have decent kosher salt and a well-stocked spice drawer.

Probably needs to support his butt buddy penzey.

[StillAWarrior]

My guess that any Scooper that fancies him/herself as a serious cook already uses more salt than you probably care for.

Bingo. I guarantee that good restaurants don't use 5x ("conservatively" lol) the salt I use.

Muggsy, it's clear you like a very light touch with the salt to season your food. There is nothing wrong with your preference. But it's just that...a preference. And I'd venture a guess that your preference is significantly different than most. That's why "everyone" you're with seems to enjoy their food even though you think it's way over salted. I strongly suspect that "everyone" you're with would be reaching for the salt shaker if the food was exactly to your liking. Unfortunately, no amount of salt from the shaker will fix food that isn't adequately seasoned during cooking.

Most chefs aren't idiots (and presumably neither are your dining companions). They're trying to make food that appeals to their customers' tastes. Your tastes are clearly different than most. And that's OK. You just have to deal with the  inconvenience that most food prepared in restaurants isn't tailored to your palette.

[jesmu84]

For weight gain/loss, not for overall nutrition.

Generally correct. Though I would still say "refined carbs" or dietary salt will not negatively impact healthy folks' nutrition.

Follow-up, I truly believe weight needs to be the first problem solved, rather than nutrition. If you're at a healthy weight, by all means focus on nutrition. But the majority of the population needs to be focused on CICO

[Uncle Rico]

Probably needs to support his butt buddy penzey.

"Butt Buddy"

😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣

[Dr. Blackheart]

Por que no los dos?

Unfortunately, the RN isn't into threesomes, hey?

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Unfortunately, the RN isn't into threesomes, hey?

Go fer it.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Go fer it.

Trio of Spice

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Unfortunately, the RN isn't into threesomes, hey?

I meant finding a woman who is both zesty and salty but I guess that's an option too

[MuggsyB]

Bingo. I guarantee that good restaurants don't use 5x ("conservatively" lol) the salt I use.

Muggsy, it's clear you like a very light touch with the salt to season your food. There is nothing wrong with your preference. But it's just that...a preference. And I'd venture a guess that your preference is significantly different than most. That's why "everyone" you're with seems to enjoy their food even though you think it's way over salted. I strongly suspect that "everyone" you're with would be reaching for the salt shaker if the food was exactly to your liking. Unfortunately, no amount of salt from the shaker will fix food that isn't adequately seasoned during cooking.

Most chefs aren't idiots (and presumably neither are your dining companions). They're trying to make food that appeals to their customers' tastes. Your tastes are clearly different than most. And that's OK. You just have to deal with the  inconvenience that most food prepared in restaurants isn't tailored to your palette.

We'll agree to disagree. I like plenty of salt and use it generously.  What I don't like is 10 vats of it on my food.  As for everyone has different tastes?  Yes but that's not the issue here.  People conform with all sorts of things including food, restaurants, etc.  Behavioral psychologists have actually studied this and done a number of tests.
I would encourage you to read Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely.  The fact of the matter is when the average person (who is a solid cook) prepares dishes at home, dishes they make that are usually better than most restaurants, they probably use anywhere from 1/5 to 1/10 the amount of salt.   I don't like light salt, I like the right portion of salt depending on the dish. 

[lawdog77]

We'll agree to disagree. I like plenty of salt and use it generously.  What I don't like is 10 vats of it on my food.  As for everyone has different tastes?  Yes but that's not the issue here.  People conform with all sorts of things including food, restaurants, etc.  Behavioral psychologists have actually studied this and done a number of tests.
I would encourage you to read Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely.  The fact of the matter is when the average person (who is a solid cook) prepares dishes at home, dishes they make that are usually better than most restaurants, they probably use anywhere from 1/5 to 1/10 the amount of salt.   I don't like light salt, I like the right portion of salt depending on the dish.

You're talking out of your a$$ Muggsy

[MuggsyB]

You're talking out of your a$$ Muggsy

No I'm not.  Maybe your friends and family don't know how to cook?  There are many great restaurants but there are a ton more that are mediocre or crap. 

[lawdog77]

No I'm not.  Maybe your friends and family don't know how to cook?  There are many great restaurants but there are a ton more that are mediocre or crap.

LOL. You're shifting the goalposts now from "my meal tasted salty, but others were fine with it"-meaning to me, you have some super palate- now to Muggs can make meals at home better than most restaurants using 1/5 to 1/10 of the salt-and if you cant you don't know how to cook.

Your supreme skills notwithstanding, going out to eat fine dining once a week and getting "extra salt" is not going to affect the normal person.

[4everwarriors]

Nothin' bedded dan a hare grabbin', bitch slappin', pissin' match 'bout salt on a Wednesday mornin', aina?

[lawdog77]

Nothin' bedded dan a hare grabbin', bitch slappin', pissin' match 'bout salt on a Wednesday mornin', aina?

Wile hare is a good meal, but they are very hard to grab. Not sure how much salt is appropriate, though.