Don't pass the salt
In response to concerns these days about eating healthier, the food industry and restaurants are offering more organic foods, heart-healthy dishes, and -- yes -- lower sodium products. But the news reports I heard today said that we're eating more sodium than we did in the '80s when the FDA urged a voluntary cutback.
Salt isn't a huge health concern for me personally (I have the blood pressure of a snake), so I use it in my own cooking -- maybe more than I should. It still outrages me to go to a good restaurant and not be able to taste the flavors of the dish because of oversalting.
At the same time, I sort of sympathize with the cooks. It must be hard to judge how much salt should go in the food you're preparing. If there's not enough, cranky restaurant critics are going to say the dishes are tasteless.
Comments
You can always add more salt, but you can't subtract it! I am for undersalting and letting people season the food to their taste.
Posted by: Fairfax | November 29, 2007 9:46 AM
I wonder how much of this might be related to restaurants sourcing their ingredients from vendors like Sysco. I mean if they are buying the over-salted ingredients they really have no control other than sourcing their ingredants from someplace else.
Posted by: Paul | November 29, 2007 9:57 AM
chefs season to taste. if a chef has the minimum required training ( fundamentals, techniques, sourcing/i.d of ingredients, etc ), a palette and credible training then seasoning will always be subjective.
Posted by: curious4food | November 29, 2007 10:30 AM
I seem to more often run into under-salted food. I particularly hate French fries that aren't salted, as it's hard to get salt to stick to them if it's not put on right when they come out of the fryer.
Posted by: Hal Laurent | November 29, 2007 11:45 AM
Your buddies over at Petit Louis oversalt everything to the extreme.
Posted by: Mary | November 29, 2007 12:41 PM
I just called my lunch today a box of sodium - microwave lunch that had 65% according to the label. Yum!
Posted by: Eric | November 29, 2007 2:27 PM
I frequently read that "chefs season to taste." However it is their taste. I prefer no salt and then I can season to my taste.
Posted by: Charles Grene | November 29, 2007 6:15 PM
I agree with Mary. My husband and I ate at Petit Louis one Saturday night this fall. We are not complainers by nature, but my husband had to return his it was so salty, the Saturday special I had was barely OK and the diners at the neighboring table had the same experience. I expected more from Petit Louis and will not return any time in the near future.
Posted by: Susan BK | November 29, 2007 8:17 PM
Alas, I have grown tired of meals akin to a salt lick. Salt has crept ever so steadily into our countries diet that most don’t realize how over salted the food they eat has become. It’s those darn taste buds that tend to crave what one gives them. If I had a vote, mine is for “Let me do it at the table”.
Posted by: Bill | December 3, 2007 4:36 PM