How Salt Transforms the Art of Cooking
Curating flavors: diferent salts, different effects
In our kitchen, salt isn’t just a finishing touch—it’s a discovery process. Every pinch has the power to unlock flavors you didn’t even know were there. Though it’s often taken for granted, salt plays a complex and vital role in cooking. At A Dash Of…, we believe that selecting the right salt (seasoning or any ingredient really) isn’t just about adding a finishing touch—it’s about unlocking flavors and sharing a story.
The Science of Salt: Why It Matters
Salt doesn’t simply make food “salty”; it interacts with food on a molecular level, drawing out flavors and enhancing aromas in an almost magical way. Salt doesn’t just add ‘saltiness’—it actually changes how we taste food, muting bitterness while brightening sweet and savory notes. This means that a pinch of the right salt can create a fuller, more balanced flavor profile in your dishes.
Different Salts, Different Effects
Imagine the briny crunch of sea salt adding a whisper of the ocean to your roasted veggies, or the deep, smoky undertones of lava salt transforming a simple salad into something extraordinary. These unique characteristics can elevate everyday dishes, making something simple become a memorable experience.
When and How to Use Salt
Do you start or end with salt or add it willy-nilly? Finding the right moment to add salt can make all the difference. Here are some of our favorite ways to use salt throughout the cooking process.
Early Salting: Adding salt at the beginning of cooking, like for soups or sauces, allows it to penetrate ingredients deeply, creating layers of flavor. Salting vegetables and meats in advance either simply or as a marinade draws out the water in the ingredients making them more tender and their flavor more condensed.
Mid-Cooking Salting: For stews or braised dishes, adding salt midway allows for controlled seasoning and prevents over-salting. So slowly here, as you can always add more but not take away.
Finishing Salt: Large-flake salts like Maldon or Fleur de Sel add a delightful crunch and burst of flavor when sprinkled on finished dishes. You can also use less salt overall if you go light or not at all mid-cooking and wait till the end to add this brightness.
Finding Your Signature Flavor
Think of salt as you would any other ingredient with its own qualities and variations. At A Dash Of…, we love experimenting with salts from around the world, each with its own texture, taste, and mineral content. Our mission is to help you discover new salts and explore ways to use more than just one to enhance your meals. Sometimes the story or origin location of a salt is also a fun way to add to a themed menu.
For example, why not use a salt harvested from the Oxacan coast of Mexico when making your mole. Or use a super delicate flaked salt for finishing a chocolate dessert, adding an intriguing contrast to the sweetness and easy melt-in-your-mouth feel. Or use the Asin Tibuok, black salt and see how it transforms Filipino dishes.
Make Salt Part of Your Food Journey
We love shopping at the farmers markets and understanding where our food comes from and the stories around those who produce it. We’re here to share those stories for salt and other ingredients. Is it harvested from volcanic regions, like black lava salt? Or sourced from ancient oceans, like Himalayan pink? Each salt has a unique origin, much like fine wine or specialty coffee, and adds a special layer to your culinary journey.
At A Dash Of…, we’re starting with this key ingredient and invite you to explore our curated selections, experiment with your cooking, and share with others. With our quarterly subscription, you’ll receive a new selection of delights, complete with tips on how to pair them with your favorite dishes.
The Final Dash
Salt may be simple, but its impact is anything but. Join us in celebrating its magic with every sprinkle, every dash, and discover the flavors waiting to be unlocked—one dash at a time.