I have said that I hate salt. And that is completely true but also completely untrue. Salt is an essential ingredient in almost every recipe. Without salt, flavors wouldn't be what they are.
I think the problem with me and salt is that I really don't like food to taste salty. It's a flavor that is almost entirely unappealing to me (there are exceptions. I love corned beef but I hate ham. That's just the way it is.). I think of salt as an ingredient, not a flavor. When I am really excited for a dessert on a menu and then I see that the only chocolate item on the menu is topped with "fleur de sel," I am instantly thrust into melancholy. Some friends of mine brought home a box of truffles from a restaurant one night, and all but one of them had salt in the filling or on the top. This is sadness to me. Sadness in a box. An assault on chocolate and my sensibilities.
When I cook, I always make sure there is a little salt in what I'm making. Salt is a great ingredient that balances flavors and brings out nuances to make food not taste bland. Bland is almost as sad as salty but I would rather have bland food than over-salted food. There was a time in my life where I watched a LOT of Food Network during my down time and I was disgusted with the amount of salt the cooks would use. Without pinpointing anyone in particular, the "chefs" would say things like "you have to salt every ingredient" or "season as you go along." If an everyday cook were to follow the advice they were watching on those shows, they would end up with 4-5 tsp of salt in every dish, including dishes that included naturally salty foods like capers, anchovies, and chicken broth. Why would you add a "pinch" of salt with every ingredient when you are cooking? Isn't it easier to taste at the end, add salt (if needed), rather than come up with something inedible after all of your work?
Whether you believe in a direct connection between high salt intake and health risks or not, Americans have way too much salt in their diets. Currently the standard recommendation is a TOTAL of a half-teaspoon of salt a day. I think there is more than a half teaspoon of salt on a small order of McDonald's fries, which, I don't like because they are too salty. yuk. Don't get me wrong; fries should have a little salt but I get my salt fix with ketchup. I don't need to put salt ON ketchup, it's loaded with salt. Our drinks are loaded with salt. Gatorade? YUK. As a source to replenish your body of depleted nutrients, yes, as a casual sip to get you through the day? Ick. I think the worst offender of this crime are chain restaurants. The food at chain restaurants is so consistently salty--do people really like their food to burn their tongue with salt? That's my reaction when something is too salty for me. My tongue feels like it's burning: not like a fire burn, like a low, dull, chemical burn. It dulls the taste buds instantly and all other flavors are gone, all the switches are flicked to the "off" position...maybe I just answered my own question of why chain restaurant food is so salty. If you're going to charge $9 for a steak, salt is probably your only hope.
The moral of this long ramble? Cooks, please. Yes, put salt in your dish but please remember it's easier for a diner to add salt at then end than to choke it down with a gallon of water and pretend it's good. Also, please don't corrupt and/or pollute your only chocolate dessert with a "flavor" of salt.
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