Thread No. 003← All threads
Salt timing
Early, late, or layered — and always with the protein in mind.
Salt is the most argued-about ingredient in the kitchen. The fight is not over how much, but when: dry-brine the night before, season the water, finish at the table, or layer at every step. The answer changes by dish, by cut, by context.
View
In Carbonara →1 voice
“Pecorino Romano alone has an assertive flavor, which is why I and many others like to cut it with the sweeter, fruitier flavor of Parmigiano-Reggiano. I use equal parts of each and whisk them into the eggs and yolks in a mixing bowl, along with plenty of coarsely ground black pepper.”
Spaghetti With Carbonara Sauce Recipe — Serious Eats (2015)
In Scrambled Eggs →2 voices
“Julia Child's preferred scrambled egg in Mastering the Art of French Cooking is cooked low and patient — over a double boiler if you have one — and stirred almost continuously. The reward is the smallest curd and the creamiest set; the cost is that there is no fast version of it.”
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I — Knopf (1961)“You want a ripple of white and yellow throughout.”
Anthony Bourdain: The Best Way to Cook Scrambled Eggs — Tech Insider / The Independent (2017)
In Pan-Seared Steak →1 voice
“Flipping your steak often during grilling or pan-searing will result in the best, most evenly cooked meat.”
Flip Your Steaks Multiple Times for Better Results — The Food Lab — Serious Eats (2013)
In Roast Chicken →2 voices
“The third requirement is salting the bird at least 24 hours in advance. This improves flavor, keeps it moist, and makes it tender.”
Zuni Roast Chicken with Bread Salad — The Zuni Café Cookbook / Epicurious (2002)“Michael Ruhlman's case for the wet brine in Ratio: salt and water in defined proportion produce the most forgiving bird for the average home cook — harder to overcook, more uniformly seasoned, less reliant on planning the night before.”
Ratio — Scribner (2009)
In Pizza Dough →1 voice
“Michael Ruhlman's Ratio: pizza dough is a baker's percentage problem, not a recipe to be memorised. By weight, not volume; cup measurements ruin more pizza than bad ovens.”
Ratio — Scribner (2009)
In Hummus →1 voice
“Ottolenghi's published technique for the smoothest possible texture — peeling each cooked chickpea, or using enough baking soda to slough the skins off in the cooking water — works, but is the sort of effort most home cooks should consider optional.”
Hummus | Ottolenghi Recipes — ottolenghi.co.uk