Essential Uses of Salt in the Kitchen: A Culinary Companion

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Hi Wonderful Chefs,

It has been a pretty while since I published an article here, but I hope everyone is great and you're having a fantastic weekend. In this article I would like to write about a "forgotten seasoning" - Salt, you know it plays an indispensable role in our kitchen, but yet it is normally looked down on. Well, beyond enhancing flavor and elevating the taste of our meals salt is important for both cooking and food preservation. Salt is an essential ingredient in baking, brining & even curing. it's versatile and can be found in almost every kitchen around the world. Salt aids in balancing flavors & also contributes to the overall cooking process, it can impact food's texture & even safety.

Today, I will share with us the various applications of Salt 🧂 In our homes, because having this understanding will harness our cooking potential, & turn ordinary meals into culinary delights. So stay connected!

Uses Of Salt In The Kitchen:

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1) Odour Removal: after washing chicken, fish, meat, or slicing onions, you can eliminate the doors of these things by washing your hands with salt water.

2) Extinguishing Fires: Use salt to put out grease fires or small kitchen fires.

3) Pepper in Eyes: this is what we don't wish anyone, but it does happen accidentally (pepper gets in your eyes); in this case, a pinch of salt in your mouth will neutralize the heat.

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4) Pasta/ Noodles Cooking: Add a drop of vegetable oil to salty boiling water to keep Pasta or Noodles from sticking.

5) Always use salt to wash your fresh vegetables, like cucumber, carrots, and even tomatoes to remove some residual germs.

6) Bitter Leaf Preparation: this one is for my fellow Nigerians and Cameroonians who used to cook bitter leaves (Vernonia amygdalina), so to remove the excess bitterness before cooking, just soak the leaves in salt and hot water.

*7) Preservative: Salt is a preservative for meat, fish, and vegetables, inhibiting bacterial growth.

8) Pest Control: Yes salt can be served as a pest 🪳 control, just mix it with detergent & it will be effective against ants and cockroaches in your kitchen.

9) Tomato Freshness: To maintain & restore the freshness and firmness of your overripe tomatoes Soak them in cold, salty water overnight.

**10) Lemon Storage: You can keep the freshness of your cut lemon for up to 3 days by sprinkling salt on cut lemons.

11. Milk Preservation: To prolong the freshness of your liquid milk, Add a pinch of salt to it.

12) Pepper Residue: some of us have a very sensitive hand, so if we touch peppers, maybe while washing them to use for cooking, we will feel the hot sensation for hours. You don't have to worry about this again because all you need now is to rub salt and vegetable oil on your hands to remove the hot sensation after handling the pepper.

13) Fermented Locust Beans: you can preserve your fermented locust beans 🫘 for years by mixing them with salt.

14) Egg Boiling: if you want to prevent eggshell from cracking while boiling and make peeling easier add a pinch of salt in boiling water

15) To prevent your storing containers from stinky just add a pinch of salt to empty the containers.

16) Rice Shaking: To remove excess starch from your rice soak it in hot water and salt.

17) Parboiling Rice: Always use salt while parboiling rice it will quickly eliminate starch.

18) Sanitizing Sponges: Soak your kitchen sponges in hot salty water to kill bacteria and germs.

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19) Meat Tenderizing: to improve your meat texture salt will break down tough proteins.

20) Cutting Board Stability: Always sprinkle salt on the chopping board when you want to cut your vegetables it will keep them from sliding around while cutting.

In conclusion, salt is much more than just a seasoning; it is a fundamental ingredient that enriches our food preparation techniques & cooking practices. You can use salt to bring out the natural flavors of other ingredients; you can use it to preserve your foods, & enhance the texture of our baked goods, etc. Salt just has multifaceted roles that are vital in making delicious and safe meals. As chefs, if we recognize & embrace its versatility, home cooks will be fun, and we can elevate our culinary skills & explore new dimensions of flavor in our cooking. So next time you reach for that salt shaker, remember the good impact this simple and unique mineral has on your kitchen and your food!