Science: When to Add Salt During Cooking—and Why (It Makes a Huge Difference)

Byamazingfoodstv


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What’s the role of salt in cooking? Is it important to add it at certain times? Most recipes (and culinary schools) advise seasoning food with salt early in the cooking process, not just at the end. We decided to investigate this conventional wisdom to see if the timing of seasoning makes a notable difference.

Recipe for Roasted Carrots:
Recipe for Best Beef Stew:

EXPERIMENT

We roasted carrots and prepared beef stew in two ways: For one batch we seasoned the dishes at the very beginning of cooking and, in the case of the beef stew, also when we added the onions. For the other batch we withheld all the measured salt in the recipes and added it at the end.

RESULTS

The roasted carrot samples were drastically different from one another. Those seasoned before roasting, with 1½ teaspoons of salt, were properly seasoned and flavorful throughout. Meanwhile, the carrots seasoned with the same amount after roasting were seasoned only on their exteriors and also tasted far too salty.

When it came to the beef stew, when we salted the meat before cooking (with 1½ teaspoons of salt) and seasoned the onions (with ½ teaspoon of salt) when they went into the pot as directed, the stew and particularly the meat itself were more evenly and deeply seasoned than those in the sample salted only at the finish. Furthermore, as with the carrots, the stew’s gravy tasted far too salty when the salt was added at the end.

EXPLANATION

We know that salt penetrates food slowly when cold. (In a previous experiment, we found that it took 24 hours for salt to diffuse into the center of a refrigerated raw turkey.) While the process is faster during cooking—for example, our science editor noted that the rate of diffusion of salt into meat will double with every 10-degree increase up to the boiling point—it’s still not instantaneous. Furthermore, salt penetrates vegetables even more slowly than it does meat (this is because the salt must cross two rigid walls surrounding every plant cell, while the cells in meat contain only one thin wall). Adding salt at the beginning of cooking gives it time to migrate into the pieces of food, seasoning them throughout. Meanwhile, if you add salt only at the end, it provides a more concentrated, superficial coating that immediately hits your tongue.

TAKEAWAY

For the most even seasoning and well-rounded flavor, we strongly encourage seasoning foods early in the cooking process as we direct in our recipes. However, if you forget, do not make up for it by simply stirring it all in at the end. Instead, start with a very small amount of salt—we used a mere 8 percent of the original amount of salt for the carrots after roasting (⅛ teaspoon versus 1½ teaspoons) and 31 percent for the beef stew (just over ½ teaspoon versus 2 teaspoons)—and then taste and season further as desired. On the flip side, if you are watching your salt intake, you could wait until the end of cooking to season your food, knowing that you’ll be able to get away with a lesser amount.

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35 Comments

  11. I think some people got the wrong takeaway from the video. If you salt at the end with less salt, you do get a superficially salty exterior but the food will be flavorless inside. The food won't be the same as seasoning beforehand but at least you can salvage it. This is why people marinate and brine things. Not to mention salting is required to cook some foods properly. I know salt can help draw out moisture to soften onions. The timing of salting a steak before grilling can also affect it a lot too. Maybe there's a better way to lessen sodium consumption without having "unbalanced" foods.

  14. I think noting exceptions to this rule would have made for a better video. Adding to much salt to scrambled eggs before they start to set breaks down the eggs releasing water into the pan and making for eggs with a not good texture. Adding salt when they are partially set helps avoid that and still gets salt throughout the eggs.

  15. I am curious how salting at different times can affect vegetables in particular. I have heard that while sauteeing onions or peppers, salting them during the process helps them release water and caramelize better. Also, I have noticed that when I boil fresh green beans (on stove or instant pot) that if I salt them before hand they tend to come out mushier… but if I salt them in the end, they have a nicer texture… not quite so mushy. I don't know if there is science behind this or simply my own experience, but it seems to be pretty consistent in the results.

  17. This doesn’t explain why salt enhances flavor.

    I was looking for the reason salt is important. I believe it is because it disassociates during the tasting process. The Na+ and Cl- ions accelerate the neuronal processes that tastebuds and the food go through to give you the perception of flavor.

    By adding the salt afterward, all that enhancement occurs more starkly and over a shorter period of time than it does when the salt is diffused through out the food.

  20. It's the other way around! If I do salt at the end I can achieve the same saltiness on my tongue, while reducing my salt intake? Then I should salt at the end for the health benefits, no?

  27. actually I have noticed that salt makes vegetables and meat lose their liquid, so the down side could be food that is too dry. maybe someone with chemistry tips could comment on that

  31. sir you are absolutely wrong as far as good health is concerned.all use iodized salt.iodine is very weak and gets evaporated with in seconds if cooked.with that habits you develop iodine deficiency and thyroid problem which disturb your metabolic rate and as your age advances you become fatty and lazy.to have good thyroid function ,which a master gland you have to cook without salt and add salt when dishes are served to you on plate.i do agree its less tasty but very good for health as you get all the iodine present in salt,as it is not heated up.if you don't understand importance of iodine on thyroid gland than it should be added to your cookery classes.sorry if it hurts you

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