Salty Tips! Salty Secrets!

Allow me to share some salt tips to my fellow readers:
Oh the wonders that salt can provide....

Salty Tips! Salty Secrets!

- Using a dash of salt in your cooking can enhance the flavors of your food, even if it seems counter-intuitive! I am not sure why this is... I'm no science major, but the salt just seems to distract the tongue from certain flavors and enhancing others??? =/

- When you saute garlic in your cooking oil, right before cooking your dish, it is helpful to add a little salt! This seems to diffuse the flavor evenly throughout your dish, making your dish very tasty (and not too salty!)

- I used to work for a catering company when I was in college (oh the days of scraping in those minimum wage paychecks...). When my bosses were not looking, I always sprinkled a dash of salt into the coffee grinds right before I put it in to brew. Don't worry! The coffee does not come out salty.
Once again, I am not a science major, but I think the salt distracts the tongue from the perception of bitterness, so your cup of coffee appears less bitter. When people add tons of sugar into their coffee, the sugar only attempts to mask the bitterness. But the salt actually fools and distracts your tongue from the bitterness.

- If you have sliced apples that you want to prevent the oxidation process (the browning of sliced apples), soak your sliced apples in a bucket of lighty salted water for a couple of minutes. Rinse before eating.

- When beating eggs or cream, add a pinch of salt before beating. This will whip up your eggs or cream faster

- When I roast chicken, I always rub the inside cavity of the chicken (or foul of your choice) with salt. This makes the chicken tasty from the inside-out, and MOIST!

- It's so hard to wash all that darn dirty our of leafy or tight-knit fruits and vegetables!! (Think spinach, or grapes). Wash your veggie or fruit in a bucket of salted water. This will help cleanse the fruit,, and removes the dirt from the crevices.



Beware! Use salt in moderation!
Of course, please do not consume too much salt.
Eating too much salt is one factor in high blood pressure. And everyone should know that high blood pressure can cause heart disease, diabetes, and other health problems.

How is salt related to high blood pressure?
Sodium is the part of salt that increases blood pressure.

The body needs sodium to hold water in the blood vessels and to regular the water balance within cells. If too much water is held in the body, the amount of blood increases, and that increase in blood will make the heart work much harder, resulting in HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE!

The take home message is:
Salt is very beneficial in the kitchen, but do not overdo it.
Your food won't taste good, and your heart will thank you.

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Look!
A freight-boat full of salt!
That's a lot of salt! =P