# People and Salt



## jpmcgrew (Dec 1, 2007)

So this thanksgiving we we go to our neighbors I brought most of the sides 2 stuffings,gravy,sweet potatoes etc there was a really nice man there but I cant stand it when someone gets a plate of food and immediatley starts salting the meal with out even tasting it first.As I watched him he added copious amounts of salt not once but 3 times before even tasting the food I just stared at him.I couldnt believe it I aways took pride in my cooking by seasoning just right if its right no salt needed.Thats how I judged my cooking at the Ski Valley by how much people used salt at the table.
I believe it was Henry Ford the inventer of the Model T would take prospective employees to lunch fot the interview if they salted their food before tasting he would not hire them.
So heres my question why do people salt their meal before tasting and why did Mr.Ford not hire people that did the same thing.I believe he figured they made a decision first before getting all the information.
Any thoughts?


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## Katie H (Dec 1, 2007)

I  don't  know,  jp.  That  always  perplexes me, too.   Our  oldest  son  was  that  way  when he  lived at home.    He'd  fill  his plate and then proceed  to salt away.  I   can't tell you  how  many times I said, "Chris, how do you  know it needs salt if you haven't  even tasted it?"   He never had an answer.  I don't know  if he still does it.  He's 37   now, so I hope  he's changed over the years.   It's  certainly healthier if he  has.


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## GB (Dec 1, 2007)

It has always drove me crazy when people do that. Why they do it can be for as many reasons as their are people, but my guess is that most of those people have gotten so used to over salting their food that they always know that they will be adding salt anyway so why not add it right at the beginning.


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## QSis (Dec 1, 2007)

I almost always salt at the table before tasting the food, even if I've cooked it.

It's because: 1) no one these days, even me, cooks with enough salt for me (I cook for me and for a low-sodium diet brother), and 2) I like the taste of freshly sprinkled salt on my food just before I eat it, and 3) habit.

Everyone's taste is different, and there is no such thing as "perfectly seasoned" one-size-fits-all.  I consider it arrogant and presumptuous when salt and pepper shakers are not on the table at a restaurant or at a home where someone has cooked.  

I do admit, however, that I taste food first at someone else's house before I salt it, but ONLY to avoid a negative reaction from the host!

Lee


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## jpmcgrew (Dec 1, 2007)

QSis said:


> I almost always salt at the table before tasting the food, even if I've cooked it.
> 
> It's because: 1) no one these days, even me, cooks with enough salt for me (I cook for me and for a low-sodium diet brother), and 2) I like the taste of freshly sprinkled salt on my food just before I eat it, and 3) habit.
> 
> ...


Its not arrogant or other wise I just expect people to taste first and then decide if it needs more salt.After that its your choice on what to do.


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## QSis (Dec 1, 2007)

You asked why, jp, and I gave you three good reasons.

You asked for thoughts, and my thoughts are that omitting S and P shakers from the table is arrogant and presumptous.

Lee


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## Katie H (Dec 1, 2007)

Interesting.  I never heard about  omitting salt and pepper  shakers from the table.   Has that  been  proposed?


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## GB (Dec 1, 2007)

There are restaurants that do not put them on the table, usually upscale places. I agree with QSis that the practice of doing that is ridiculous. Taste is completely subjective and no chef could ever expect to cook something so that every single person tastes it the same way. The only way to know if you need to add salt though is to first taste it.


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## jpmcgrew (Dec 1, 2007)

I always have S&P at the table I just once heard by my french chef employer years ago said in top end places they do no not.My point in my question was why salt before you have not tasted the food in the first place?How do you know if it needs more salt until you try it first.Im saying why do people salt before knowing it needs more salt.Get It?


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## elaine l (Dec 1, 2007)

I am guilty of salting before tasting.  I just know that I like fresh salt on certain foods no matter how seasoned it may or may not be.   No disrespect intended.  I will admit I am working on "not salting" since I don't think it is a very healthy habit.


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## Callisto in NC (Dec 1, 2007)

In regards to tastes...not that I'm one but smokers generally automatically put salt on their food because it tends to be "bland" because of their reduced tasted buds.  What would be interesting is a restaurant that put salt and pepper only on the tables in the smoking sections.

A lot of people know they have dulled taste buds and automatically salt.  When I'm eating out I do taste first but if I'm eating from a box or a can (soup, frozen food, mac and cheese) I salt before tasting because I know those are generally blander than I want.  

Until I was 18 I never used salt because my mom smoked and her food was always saltier than I liked.  I do think habit has a lot to do with it. 

Ford, if it was him, wouldn't hire an employee who didn't taste their food first did it because he considered them to "make decisions without thinking or without detailed information," if I recall correctly.  I remember hearing the story, but don't remember 100% of the details.


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## GB (Dec 1, 2007)

I do not buy the smoker thing. I used to smoke and when I quit I did not notice a change in tastes whatsoever. I lived with a number of smokers and none of them salted without tasting. I know because we actually discussed things like that. I am sure some do, but to say smokers generally do that, I am just not buying into that. 

Not to mention that many chefs smoke and thus season with a smokers palate already.


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## jpmcgrew (Dec 1, 2007)

Callisto in NC said:


> In regards to tastes...not that I'm one but smokers generally automatically put salt on their food because it tends to be "bland" because of their reduced tasted buds. What would be interesting is a restaurant that put salt and pepper only on the tables in the smoking sections.
> 
> A lot of people know they have dulled taste buds and automatically salt. When I'm eating out I do taste first but if I'm eating from a box or a can (soup, frozen food, mac and cheese) I salt before tasting because I know those are generally blander than I want.
> 
> ...


I smoke and dont feel my buds have been affected.But I do believe some peoples taste buds dont work as well as others.Another thought I think is some people have eaten really bland food their whole lives so they automatically salt their food and have so for years.Also some people have super taste buds.We all a have a certain a bud more sensitive than others so there are I believe sweet,salty,bitter and sour all of us are usually sensitive to one mine is bitter I can taste it where others cannot but I love sour. I know people that cant do sour like pickles and saurkraut but I love it.I hate anything even slightly bitter


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## pacanis (Dec 1, 2007)

I'm with Elaine. I salt some foods for the taste of freshly seasoned salt and don't salt other foods.
Over the years I've gone from always salting my steaks (not necessarilly peppering them), even though I cooked them and used plenty of salt, and never salting my salads, to just the opposite. Weird how someone's tastes change so much. I used to only buy sodium free bacon, but that's changed, too.
However, when eating at a friend's, I never season until after I taste, and even then it seems sometimes rude. Almost as if saying they didn't season properly. I said friend's, not family 
But everyone's tastes vary. I had a buddy that would automatically pour catsup on every steak I made. Drove me nuts. And you would never see a bottle of A1 sauce in my fridge even though people must buy and use the stuff.


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## buckytom (Dec 1, 2007)

i tend to cook without salt for health reasons, then add it just before i eat so that i get the most flavor while ingesting as little as possible.

my wife has gotten used to that, so she salts without tasting first. that used to bother me, but now i'm just happy if she likes what i cook, extra salt or not.

since i've reduced my salt intake, i've found very few occasions that i need to add it when we're not dining at home. most of the time, even if a dish is really good, i wish it had a little less salt. 

taste is so extremely subjective that offering salt and pepper, and other appropriate condiments for that matter, is just good manners whether you're a host at home or in a restaurant.

as far as smokers go, it only makes sense that if you're polluting the heck out of your mouth, nasal passages, throat, lungs, and stomach on a regular basis, there's gotta be an effect on the sensation of taste. 

when i used to be a heavy drinker and smoked a lot of doobage, i knew that i could sneak the fact past a smoker, but non-smokers such as my parents or girlfriends could smell me from several feet away. i wonder if i tasted salty as well?


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## jpmcgrew (Dec 1, 2007)

I dont think its rude to salt I think its rude to salt before tasting.Thats It.I also salt certain things before tasting especially from scratch you need to salt at the beginning to know where you are going in the end this includes spices and herbs you need to know how far you need to go seasoning wise.


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## BlueCat (Dec 1, 2007)

I never noticed one bit of difference in the taste of foods after I quit smoking years ago.  I kept waiting for the wonderous difference, but it never came.

As for salting the food, I don't understand why people care what I do and don't do with the food I eat.  If I tend to like things on the saltier side than most people do, why should that anger anyone?

BC


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## Fisher's Mom (Dec 1, 2007)

I wonder if much of it has to do with what we learned at home. When I was growing up, my grandmother moved in with us and was on a no-salt diet. Consequently, there were no salt shakers on the table and none added in cooking. It didn't bother me because that's all I knew and my mom was a horrible cook anyway. Then after I married, not only did I not know how to cook, but we adopted a daughter what had to have a no added salt diet. So again, there was never a salt shaker on the dining table and most of the time in the kitchen.

Since I've been learning to cook, I now use salt when a recipe calls for it and I try to remember to have some salt shakers around if I have guests for dinner. (I forget this alot and my best friend always brings a salt shaker in her purse when she comes to stay with me just in case. ) But none of us ever really think about it. And I smoke, but I can definitely taste even a little salt and don't particularly care for it, probably because I never developed a taste for it.


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## LEFSElover (Dec 1, 2007)

I love salt, I'm a salter, can't help it, love the stuff


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## Robo410 (Dec 1, 2007)

I cook well and serve well seasoned meals.  I also happen to like a variety of salts so I introduce my guests to gray salt (sel gris) from France and other finishing salts...a few crystals of which are a pazzaz in the mouth but do not over do the food.  It accomplishes many goals.  I also put out white and multi color pepper grinders for much the same reason.  It gives people pause and they tend to taste before and after a gentle seasoning of these special items.  

But yes, I hate the unmerited ruination of fine food or even good home cooking with unthoughtful habits such as catsup on everything and salt without reason.


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## GrillingFool (Dec 1, 2007)

Heck, it's their food, once I serve it to them. If they want to salt, tobasco sauce, sour cream, mustard, fish sauce or otherwise condiment it to death, more power to them!
Enjoy!

I believe that some people probably have a genetic predisposition to salt. More taste buds or something. Perhaps it releases endorphins or something.

So if they want to ruin my perfectly prepared dish, that's fine with me! Eat! Enjoy!

Come to think of it, when I quit smoking, I didn't notice much TASTE increase...
but there is no doubt that my sense of SMELL improved!


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## GB (Dec 1, 2007)

BlueCat said:


> As for salting the food, I don't understand why people care what I do and don't do with the food I eat.  If I tend to like things on the saltier side than most people do, why should that anger anyone?


Well I don't think anyone is saying it angers them. You want to salt your food then go for it. The question was about salting food *before tasting it. It is just a curiosity because how can someone know that a dish is not already perfectly salty to their taste (or even too salty) before they taste it? You can always add, but you can't take away.*


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## Chopstix (Dec 2, 2007)

This thread gives me food for thought.  I've never placed S&P shakers at my table because: 
1. I think my food is always well-seasoned, although I go light on salt for health reasons(ok, ok, mea culpa on arrogance).  
2. I don't have any S&P shakers.

Guess it's time to buy a set and start observing the behavior of my dinner guests.   That should give me honest feedback about my food.


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## Chopstix (Dec 2, 2007)

Question:  Is it acceptable to ask for S&P in case there's none at the dinner table?

I ask because I was once at a casual dinner at my friend's house who's a pretty good cook.  I thought the food tasted great.  Well, one of the guests actually asked the host for salt!  And it wasn't like he whispered his request discreetly.  He said it out loud and everybody at the table heard.  I thought it was very rude.  Of course my friend got salt from the kitchen.  The guest proceeded to salt his food generously.  His wife even partook of the salt as well!  Afterwards, when I had forgotten about the incident, my friend asked me about the taste of that dish and I told her there was absolutely nothing wrong with the seasoning.  She was clearly affected by the incident though.

Now on a related topic, I never realized that my dad always puts ketchup on his food before tasting it.  It doesn't drive my mom nuts though (and she's a pretty good cook).  He tried it once when he came visiting me here.  I called him to the dinner table and he immediately asked if I had ketchup -- this before even knowing what food I was serving!!! Boy did I react like I was more than mildly insulted... Hope the message got across.  Although I doubt it.


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## YT2095 (Dec 2, 2007)

it depends on the food for me, if it`s a plate of Chips/Fries then I will always add salt, same with freshly carved meat (stuff that isn`t salted during cooking), anything else I try before I add (or not).


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## GB (Dec 2, 2007)

Chopstix said:


> Question:  Is it acceptable to ask for S&P in case there's none at the dinner table?


Personally, I think it is absolutely acceptable, but I would expect that request to come only after the food has been tasted. I would not expect the request to be whispered or said in a low voice either. No more so than asking for a glass of water.


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## simplicity (Dec 2, 2007)

Like Robo410 I serve well seasoned meals.  I put peppermills on the table and, being a fan of coarser salts I use those oldtime salt cellars when guests are present.  It does make people stop and think for a moment. 

On the other hand, I have a dear friend who cooks bland and badly.  The salt shaker in the purse is not a bad idea.  Maybe I could stow some other spices in there too!


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## Hoot (Dec 2, 2007)

I have, over the years, diminished my use of salt in my cooking. There are times when I add salt but it is seldom enough for Mrs Hoot. Taste is very subjective. What tastes fine to me will likely not taste the same to others. I always have a peppermill and a salt shaker handy. I know some folks that do not care for freshly ground pepper so I keep a shaker with grocery store ground pepper on hand too. Life is too short, IMHO, to fret about such things.


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## YT2095 (Dec 2, 2007)

simplicity said:


> The salt shaker in the purse is not a bad idea.  Maybe I could stow some other spices in there too!



funny you should say that, I do similar (I don`t have a purse obviously) by I wear a leather waistcoat almost 27/7 and in the pocket (amongst other things) I have a few packets of salt and one of tobasco sauce, for Exactly that reason


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## Barb L. (Dec 2, 2007)

Myself I think salting is a habit, when growing up, the s&p shakers were always passed around the table.  I eat salt on apples, watermelon and cantaloupe - never without.  Bad I know, so guess I am a salter too - never thought about it.  Certain things I salt more though, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, popcorn etc.  I know I should cut back !


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## GB (Dec 2, 2007)

But do you salt *before* tasting?


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## YT2095 (Dec 2, 2007)

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showpost.php?p=515556&postcount=25


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## Barb L. (Dec 2, 2007)

GB said:


> But do you salt *before* tasting?



Me ? yes on somethings, not all though, everything gets peppered too -


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## GB (Dec 2, 2007)

Barb L. said:


> Me ? yes on somethings, not all though, everything gets peppered too -


So to the OP's original question, _why_ do you salt before tasting (when you do)?


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## GB (Dec 2, 2007)

YT2095 said:


> http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showpost.php?p=515556&postcount=25


Why did you post this again YT? We saw this the first time you posted it

So fries/chips are never salted when they come out of the fryer in the UK? Over here sometimes they are salted right away and other times they are not, but I always taste first because when they do come salted then often times they are already over salted. If I added before tasting I would make them inedible.


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## elaine l (Dec 2, 2007)

I guess I would like to add something further.  I do salt only certain foods before tasting.  Apples, tomatoes, carved beef (only beef) and f.f. 

I think, imo, that it may be habit if salting everything or just a love of salt.


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## GB (Dec 2, 2007)

Apples and tomatoes I can actually understand salting before tasting as you already know that no salt has been added and if you like those things with salt then you know you need to add it yourself.


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## YT2095 (Dec 2, 2007)

GB said:


> Why did you post this again YT? We saw this the first time you posted it
> 
> So fries/chips are never salted when they come out of the fryer in the UK? Over here sometimes they are salted right away and other times they are not, but I always taste first because when they do come salted then often times they are already over salted. If I added before tasting I would make them inedible.



Because you Asked again 

and nope they don`t do that here, they Will ask though, but they never put enough on, and if you eat at a mates house it`s Never done.
and I can eat as much salt as I like, in fact it Positively Encouraged by my quack.
some sort of BP issue *Yawn*

as for fresh carved meat a little salt is Always nice, esp Roast beef sammiches


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## GB (Dec 2, 2007)

LOL I asked again, but of the posted who has just posted, but not answered the original question  

That is too bad they do not salt fried foods right away. That is proper cooking technique that they really should learn. If you salt as soon as it comes out of the fat then the salt will stick. If the food cools then the salt will not stick and no matter how hard you try to salt it the salt will just fall off. 

I can kind of see salting carved meat without tasting. I would taste first myself, but I can understand those who would not taste first and salt anyway.


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## Bilby (Dec 2, 2007)

I don't salt anything without tasting it first and in all honesty, often forget about adding salt at the table either.  I have always sort of figured that the dish is meant to be served to that level of saltiness, and if at someone's house and they are dubious to the salt factor, I would anticipate that they might warn me that a dish may require more salt.  They are after all meant to be my friend or a family member.

As to whether I think people who salt without tasting rude or not, no I don't see them that way, but I do see them as a habitual salter and perhaps aren't pausing to consider their food. Perhaps.

S&P shakers on the table - don't own any, only got the picnic sized containers cos I really don't use much salt, but they will go on the table for something like a soup or pasta etc but not every meal.

There are a couple of things I like to have salted at the table but as I said previously, usually forget about it - poached or soft-boiled egg (but just the runny yolk) and a grilled lamb chop. I'm always amazed at the things people salt.  Pretty much I only salt items being cooked in liquid where the flavour may be leached out.  Being the contrary person that I am though, I salt foods more now than I did before I got put on a salt-free diet, which I am no loner on. No salt at all I found was not that pleasant, although I think that may have more to do with the fact the hospital cooked food so that it no longer resembled a once-living organism!!!! LOL


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## cara (Dec 2, 2007)

Salt is only used for cooking Pasta and soup...
My 500g Salt package lasts for more than a year..

until now no-one ever complained about too less salt... even my sister and a friend of mine, both salting almost everything haven't asked for salt... even if I ask because I know they use tons of salt..
I work a lot with herbs, this seems to be good...

but why are people doing this? I can't explain... 
Would I be offended if they do so?
I don't know.. maybe if I know who does it.. if my sister would do so, I wouldn't be offended because it's her way to eat..
maybe with total strangers I would, but I do not invite strangers for dinner....


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## jpmcgrew (Dec 2, 2007)

I dont mind if people want more salt I mind when they dont taste first.I put S&P on the table when I have guests.Im just saying the guy at Thanksgiving salted 3 times before he even picked up his fork.He would salt and I mean alot set down shaker then salt again set down shaker and salt again and I mean salted he wasn't sprinkeling he had the shaker upside down and really shaking shaker hard.I was quite perplexed he even looked at me once as I stared in disbelief I think he knew what I was thinking.


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## jabbur (Dec 2, 2007)

I almost always taste first.  A few things I go ahead and salt especially at my MIL's since she doesn't use salt or pepper or spices.  Her food is pretty bland.  Pepper I usually add after cooking since DH doesn't like pepper (thanks to his mom's cooking).


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## sattie (Dec 2, 2007)

Hubby and I both taste before seasoning.  I am more apt to drag the pepper mill with me than anything.  I tend to pepper things before tasting because I love pepper and know that there is probably not enough pepper on the dish for me.

If I was hosting guests and they asked for salt, it would not bother me one bit if they have tasted it or not.  People are who people are and there is no getting past that.  I'm not going to sweat the little things.  Salt away I say, and then if you say something about the taste... well, it's all on you now!  It probably tasted good till you put all that salt on it!!!  

Interesting thread... good read!


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## DawnT (Dec 2, 2007)

jpmcgrew,  If the "salter"  complained about the taste after putting a ton of salt on...then I would tell him it was his hand that held the shaker.  I don't cook with salt as DH has medical problems that would be compounded by salt, so I put S & P on table.  I don't blame you for your upset,  we as a society consume too much salt as it is!!  Relax.
I generally taste before adding anything to my food,  often asking for garlic instead of salt at a restaurant even!! The looks I get...


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## jpmcgrew (Dec 2, 2007)

DawnT said:


> jpmcgrew, If the "salter" complained about the taste after putting a ton of salt on...then I would tell him it was his hand that held the shaker. I don't cook with salt as DH has medical problems that would be compounded by salt, so I put S & P on table. I don't blame you for your upset, we as a society consume too much salt as it is!! Relax.
> I generally taste before adding anything to my food, often asking for garlic instead of salt at a restaurant even!! The looks I get...


He didnt complain in fact he went on and on how good it was.None of them there had ever had good stuffing,sweet potatoes real cranberry sauce or a good gravy.They ate everything with gusto they ate the sweet potatoes which they said they dont usually like and the cranberry sauce they were shocked that it was good as they have never had fresh before.


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## DawnT (Dec 2, 2007)

I do believe the man is salt deficient!!! I can only say "you are a wonderful cook" and he is going to have hardening of the arteries!!
I do believe Henry Ford judged people by the way they ate.  Salting before tasting shows poor judgement!!  Thus leaping to conclussions about business.


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## jpmcgrew (Dec 2, 2007)

DawnT said:


> I do believe the man is salt deficient!!! I can only say "you are a wonderful cook" and he is going to have hardening of the arteries!!
> I do believe Henry Ford judged people by the way they ate. Salting before tasting shows poor judgement!! Thus leaping to conclussions about business.


I also think Henry Ford did it for the same reason as they had already made a decision without getting the facts first.


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## VeraBlue (Dec 2, 2007)

Some people genuinely have diminished tasting capability.  Some people genuinely like salty food.  If you consider your food an art (like a painting or sculpture) you have to accept that some people are going to perceive it differently than you intended.  Different isn't wrong, it's just different.

What I would find more disturbing than someone adding copious amounts of seasoning without tasting first...is someone who simply refuses to even try something, at all.


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## jpmcgrew (Dec 2, 2007)

Ive seen many people salt before they taste but this guy wins I have never seen any one salt that much


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## sattie (Dec 2, 2007)

Yea, I can see maybe adding a shake or two before tasting, but it sounds like this guy is brining his food before he eats, no?  LOL!


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## jpmcgrew (Dec 2, 2007)

sattie said:


> Yea, I can see maybe adding a shake or two before tasting, but it sounds like this guy is brining his food before he eats, no? LOL!


Indeed he blew my mind on that one.


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## Cordel (Dec 3, 2007)

Fresh salt tasted different than salt cooked in the food.  Since we all need less salt, I have reduced the salt I cook with to none or almost none.  Then I add the salt I need at the table.


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## auntdot (Dec 4, 2007)

Good grief, I have thought about this for a while. the problem, or blessing, of this forum is that the questions make me think..

S&P are the only flavorings one has the option of adding at many dinners and at most restaurants.  OK, sometimes there are other condiments including hot sauce, but at a 'dining' place it is typically S&P.

To be perfectly fair to those chefs who demure at placing the shakers on the table, I, as a diner, do not have the liberty of adding more garlic, or basil, or anything else.

If I think the dish could use a bit more cardamom I am out of luck. The chef got the choice of the amount of the stuff.

So I can understand why some chefs might say they should have the call on the amount of S&P. I will focus on salt.

To be contrary, salt (and pepper) have been for years seasonings that folks have learned to add  or not, as they chose. 

And salt is different than cardamom.  It dissolves.  And as such the added taste effect is almost instant.

It is basically the only option one has available for a diner in a restaurant to adjust the taste of a dish to his/her palate.

And gosh I have seen so many folks pour on the salt.  It seems to be a flavoring that some people find better in lesser amounts (like us) and one that others seek in greater amounts.

My own opinion is put the shakers on the table.


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## GotGarlic (Dec 4, 2007)

I always taste before salting, but I love salt and often do add it (sometimes I munch on grains of crunchy kosher salt while cooking - luckily I have low blood pressure). When I was in college, I worked at a Navy officers' club, which offered a gourmet dinner for special occasions. They had individual salt and pepper shakers for each place at the table; I loved that idea so now I have 12 sets of small salt and pepper shakers that are always on the table (equal to the number of place settings, of course).

What drove me nuts once was at my brother-in-law's wedding reception. I was sitting with my sister-in-law (DH's sister) and her husband and three kids. She went around the table salting the food of all three kids before they had tasted anything! Never saw anything like it. So I guess that's how some people learn to do it


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## lulu (Dec 4, 2007)

Wow.  

I use very little salt when I cook at all.  My parents find my food not salted enough, DH and I find it fine.  I know I undersalt, I know my friends know I undersalt, there is always salt on the table, in the knowedge that I 'need' less salt than most.  Even so I would notice negatively if someone who was not familiar wih my food, or was having a new thing at my home, salted without tasting.  Irrational but true.

With reference to smoking, I did used to taste less well and I was a very light smoker.  I still find this happens if friends and family who smoke are around.  The smell of cigarettes oven over powers subtle flavours and food scents for me...whether I've smoked or if the person next to me has.  *shrug* I deal with it.


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## GotGarlic (Dec 4, 2007)

Another perspective - I read once that salt counters bitter flavors in food, so I have a theory that people who use a lot of salt may be more sensitive to bitter flavors.


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## jpmcgrew (Dec 4, 2007)

GotGarlic said:


> Another perspective - I read once that salt counters bitter flavors in food, so I have a theory that people who use a lot of salt may be more sensitive to bitter flavors.


Im very sensitive to bitter but never used salt to make it less bitter I use salt to improve the flavor of food.If I accidentally over salt a dish I know it and Dh makes sure I never hear the end of it.


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## Jeff G. (Dec 4, 2007)

My sister-in-law does this but she has a strange medical condition where she is supposed to eat quite a bit of salt daily.

I firmly believe it is just habit with people.  It the salt wasn't there, they would probably ask for it anyway. To each his own.


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## GotGarlic (Dec 4, 2007)

jpmcgrew said:


> Im very sensitive to bitter but never used salt to make it less bitter I use salt to improve the flavor of food.



That may be two different ways of saying the same thing  If you're sensitive to bitter, and salt counters bitter flavor, then you would perceive a better flavor in the food.


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## babetoo (Jan 18, 2008)

*to salt or not to salt*

i very seldom salt when cooking. use nice herbs and lotsa pepper. 

put salt on the table so what's the big deal. most processed food has to much salt in them already. we all should eat less.

don't care for soup because they all have to much in them.

i do think it is rude to salt food before u have tasted it. 

babetoo


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## LadyCook61 (Feb 5, 2008)

people salting food I cook really irks me .  Hubby has done that and I have asked him to at least taste the food first.


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## Cordel (Feb 5, 2008)

I started reducing salt in cooking many years ago, and use practically none, now.  I like a little salt on many foods, and prefer to put it on after cooking.  My husband uses less, now, and we avoid processed foods.


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