In the video we covered 1) where different types of salt come from 2) the 7 chemical and physical properties of salt, and 3) how salt affects the elements of flavor.

This companion guide focuses on a few tests you can try for yourself to apply the concepts from the video and better understand how to salt by taste.

Learning to salt by taste is the most important cooking skill because it allows you to make amazing and well-seasoned food with any ingredients and any kind of salt, even without many other spices or aromatics.

Salting by hand can be very hard to learn because different kinds of salt have different crystal structures and densities, meaning the same amount of salt can take up very different amounts of space.

• In the above picture, each shot glass contains the same amount of salt (precisely 28 g). Each salt brand took up drastically different volumes but would make food taste equally salty once added to a dish.

This shows why volume-based measurements (like tablespoons or cups) for salt are a really bad idea — there’s no way to control the amount of sodium going into a dish, since all salt products have different densities.

The only way to ensure a consistent amount of salt is to use weight, not volume. Get a scale, or stick to one brand of salt and learn to season by hand and taste.

How do you learn to do that? Recreate the experiments shown in the video at home:

Practice with these experiments

There are no right or wrong answers — these experiments will help you learn to salt to your own taste preferences, and understand how salt seasons food.

You’ll need:

1. Salt (any kind — type doesn’t matter since you’ll control amount by weight).
2. A precise food scale, preferably one that goes down to .1 grams (like this cheap one).
3. A protein or vegetable (test 1 & 2), spices of choice (test 2), and water + citrus or vinegar (test 3).

Test 1: Finding your ideal salt level

This test will show you what % of salt generally tastes good to you in food

Method: Take a plain protein or vegetable and weigh it out into 4 equal bowls. Season each portion with 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4% salt by weight. If necessary, cook the ingredient samples.

Taste each to see what your optimal salt percentage level is. Take note of when your ingredient goes from “seasoned” to noticeable “salty,” which is when it’s over-seasoned.

Test 2: Seasoning with salt vs. spices

This test will teach you the difference between taste and aroma, and how they each contribute separately to your perception of flavor.

Method: Take a plain protein or vegetable and weigh it out into 4 equal bowls. In the first bowl, add nothing to it. In the second, season with 1% salt. In the next, season with 1% spices by weight, but no salt. In the last, use 1% salt plus another 1% of spices. If needed, cook the ingredient samples.

Smell then taste each and observe which one you think tastes the best. Pay attention to what the spices and salt contribute (taste vs aroma), and how they play together combined. Would you rather have just salt or just spices on an ingredient?

Test 3: Fixing salty food

This test will teach you two ways to correct oversalted food.

Method: Partially fill two glasses with water halfway up and add 2% salt by weight to each glass. You can think of these glasses as “over-salted” (taste them, they will be very salty).

To the first glass, add fresh water until the amount is doubled. You’ve now diluted the salt by about half. Taste it.

• This demonstrates you can fix salty dishes by adding volume (extra broth, starches, ingredients, etc).

To the second glass, add a squeeze of citrus (lemon, lime juice) or a splash of vinegar. If you don’t have either of those, a spoonful of sugar would also work. Taste it.

• This demonstrates that you can fix salty dishes by adding competing tastes, which will balance the dish with another flavor.

Bonus Test 4: Table salt vs flakey salt vs rock salt

How does crystal size affect the flavor of food? This test will help you understand how different salt shapes affect texture, visuals, and the physical element of flavor.

Method: Make three identical avocado toasts (or really any simple ingredient/dish). To each, add a garnish of the same amount (by weight) of fine table salt, flakey salt, and chunkier rock salt (like Himalayan) respectively.

• Notice if the appearance of each affects you. Is one more appealing?

Before the salt dissolves, notice how the flavor and texture is different when you bite into each sample. Because different crystal sizes dissolve at different rates (into the food or onto our tongue), they will each have a different sensation as you bite through them and the salty flavor is released.

FAQs

Is there a “best” salt for home cooks?

• No. You can achieve the same results in cooking with any kind of salt once you understand how to use it. Choose whichever salt is available or affordable for you.

Do different salts taste better than others?

• No. You may be swayed by appearances, price, or textures, but when controlled for weight and dissolved in water (or in food or your mouth), all salt tastes virtually indistinguishable.

Is some salt “healthier” than others?

• No. All salts are 97-99% NaCl so other trace ingredients are negligible in comparison to the rest of your diet.
• However, total salt consumption, regardless of salt type, can have an impact on your health. Everyone responds differently to sodium depending on factors like age, genetics, fitness level, and water consumption. Always listen to your doctor.
• Harvard Health Resource: https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/dietary-salt-and-blood-pressure-a-complex-connection