How Much Salt do we Need

Chef Frank Terranova M.C.F.e.

How much Salt do we need?

Here we are in the food business. As chefs, we make a living at making food taste great. What is the secret ingredient to make these little dishes taste so good? Well it’s the number one used seasoning/spice we have:  salt. One of the problems we have now is that all prepared foods contain massive amounts of salt. In most cases we are used to it. Just take a stroll down the snack aisle in the supermarket; it’s the largest section in the store and totally salt-ridden. But this isn’t the problem:  it’s the food we consume that is either prepared or from restaurants. In this sagging economy, restaurants have to keep lowering food prices to attract patrons.  This is usually done by the fast/casual food places. The more salt used, the cheaper the product is to compensate for lost flavors. McDonalds, Taco Bell, and Burger King all advertise food items as low as 89 cents.  But if you consume them, the sodium total will scare you.

Here is a good way to reduce salt consumption without sacrificing taste. Use a seasoning that contains no sodium or small amounts of sodium and use it to replace regular salt. You can do this for anyone with health concerns when flavoring foods. Salt substitutes are available but they are just a chemical addition to food. Here are a few tips to flavor and reduce salt consumption. Dry herbs mixed together work well. There is a product called Mrs. Dash’s savory seasoning. It’s a pretty good product and when added to food, it gives a nice savory addition to the dish without the salt. Seasonings to use are cayenne, summer savory, dill, basil, lemon or lime juice and zest, paprika, coriander cloves, and thyme, just to name a few. When combined they will give a savory flavor to foods. However, since each person has a different taste and sensitivity to various flavors, these salt substitutes may provide varying degrees of acceptance as a replacement product.

As we continue to evolve in the flavor of food it’s the simplest thing to remember:  moderation, moderation, moderation.  Sounds easy, huh? HMMMMM. Wonder if it works..?

As always “That’s Cooking with Class”.