How the experts use salt in their cooking – and why

The science of how salt affects the taste of food is more complicated than you might think – but it's vital to understand if you want to improve your skill in the kitchenFerran Adrià once declared salt "the only product that changes cuisine". This is because, as he and all seasoned cooks know, sodium chloride not only adds saltiness, which human beings innately adore (because we need it to live), but it also skews the overall flavour to positive effect. It makes food sing by suppressing bitterness, enhancing sweet and savoury, and turning up the volume on the aromas. But how on earth does it do all this?Bye-bye bitterThe bitter-reducing ability of salt is a marvel. It is why coffee aficionados add an undetectable pinch to their grounds before brewing, says Barry Smith of London University's Centre for the Study of the Senses. And why a saline olive is the perfect bedfellow to the bitter, liquorice finish of a valpolicella. But it is not easy to uncover the precise mechanics of this culinary godsend, what with it occurring on a molecular level. We do know that it is a physiological phenomenon, rather than cognitive. Even if there isn't enough salt in our mouths for us to consciously taste it, the effect will still happen. And if you stimulate one side of the tongue with salt, and then put something bitter such as quinine on the other side, the salt will generally not suppress the bitterness. The two tastes have to be hitting the same receptors for it to work. Put very simpl...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 28, 2014 Category: Science Authors: Amy Fleming Tags: theguardian.com Blogposts Food & drink Life and style Food science Source Type: news