At Vegas Uncork’d, at the Border Grill lunch, a woman sitting near us received her first course, the corn arepa with lobster salsa and a fried egg and without touching it asked the waiter for some salt. The waiter paused for a quick second and then said, “sure,” returning moments later with a little dish filled with table salt. The fact that it was in a dish and not a salt shaker suggested that this request was not a common request at Border Grill. The woman proceeded to sprinkle salt all over her food and then, satisfied, she started eating.
Later on, Diana and I talked about this and of course we were judgmental. “What kind of person puts salt on their food without tasting it first? How did she even know that it needed salt which, by the way, it didn’t?”
Thinking about it more, though, I realized that I have some family members who sprinkle salt on their food before eating it. When I think about “why” it has very little to do with loving salt and a lot more to do with control. Maybe sprinkling salt on your food before eating it is a way of stamping it, of making the dish your own even if the dish doesn’t need it in any way?
Does anyone else know people who do this? Any idea why they do it? Inquiring minds want to know.
Here in the Midwest, the practice is common, and I think it stems from a lot of bland, plain, homecooking. That comment makes it sound as if I am a snob about home cooks, which I absolutely am not. (How could I be? That is what I am…and I try to embrace all levels of cooking.) However, there seems to be an entire generation (or two) of prairie farm and ranch wives that only season with salt and pepper and then mostly at the table after the food is prepared. Bland. The only seasoning in their pantries for savory food is paprika…and it is only sprinkled on deviled eggs.I cringe whenever I see food salted before tasting when dining out, and want to cry when it happens at my table (and I don’t have a salt shaker, either).
Bingo. My mom and grama were both raised in the Midwest, and while both good cooks, salt and pepper was pretty much all they used, and as far as salt, they used way too much.
My husband salts everything before tasting it! It drives me nuts! He puts salt in his beer, on watermelon and of all things-chinese food!! Can you imagine?? I just shake my head….
I took a psych class in college that discussed this occurrence specifically. Apparently, people who do this are sometimes considered to be less self-conscious, because they don’t care about offending the cook by “seasoning” their food before tasting it.
That’s actually one of my biggest pet peeves. I hate when people modify food without trying it first. My dad is guilty of it. He douses things in hot sauce without trying it first. Or he’ll cover pasta with cheese and crushed reds without trying it. Drives me insane.
It’s fairly well documented that as people age, taste perception decreases. (For example: http://chemse.oxfordjournals.org/content/26/7/845.short) There are a number of other reasons for depressed taste perception as well. Perhaps the woman is aware of her decreased sense of taste, and thus prophylatically salts all her food?
I hate it when someone does that to food I’ve cooked. My husband is guilty of this. He heavily salts his food when he’s cooking and he will still salt again before tasting. I’ve hidden all the salt a few times before serving to make a point. I find it incredibly offensive.
My mom does this with everything she eats that is savory. It makes me crazy but I think her Midwest roots have something to do with it. Most folks I know that grew up on the west coast-ish don’t salt before tasting.
I always thought it was more about habit…and usually on things like potato dishes, eggs and veggies….almost like “it was bland that one time, so now this “dish” will always need salt”…..but then I also grew up in a house where almost nothing was salted or was low salt…..too much actually burns my mouth…..LOVE PEPPER:) I adhere to tasting before I salt.:)
My mom does this, and my husband. I used to, but I’m much more careful with my salt now. And if a salt shaker is not on the table at a restaurant, I don’t ask for one. But I wouldn’t judge if someone did, there are more important issues to get angry over. Salt? Nah.
She might have been a supertaster or a runner and be used to food wanting/needing more salt than anyone else ever puts — that’s my sister 🙂 She hates when no salt is available for that reason.
I’ve never paid attention to if it’s done before tasting or not, but my dad sprinkles salt on everything. I think in his case it has to do with taste. I always attributed it to the fact that he grew up in a home of modest means. I assume meals were stretched. And I assume salt was used to flavor those meals to compensate for lack of other flavors. I believe he grew accustomed to eating salty foods, and that is now the way he prefers them. A lot of assuming on my part, but it always made sense to me.
My dad has almost no sense of smell, and with it, very little sense of taste. He tends to drown his food in salt or marinades before eating, so that he can better taste things. I do find it a bit cringey, and wish he wouldn’t both out of embarrassment and concern for his health. However, I know that if I were in his position I would probably do the same thing, because I’d be frustrated about not being able to taste anything otherwise.
I often salt food before tasting it. It doesn’t have anything to do with whether the food is well seasoned or not, rather I love the taste of fresh salt on food.
I agree. Unless the cook has over salted the food, I find the addition of salt results in a taste I enjoy. Why does it bother others? That to me is a far more interesting question.
Well I think we have to start by asking: is there are a “right” amount of salt to a dish? Having cooked with 50 chefs for my cookbook, I can tell you what they would say: “yes.” When they season food they do it very specifically and when the plate goes out, it tastes like they want it to taste. Now if you disagree with the chef and think it needs more salt, by all means, I believe you should be able to add more salt. That’s your prerogative. But that only makes sense to me if you taste it first. What confuses me is adding salt before tasting. That, to me, is like getting engaged before going on a date or signing up for a marathon before jogging one mile. You have to taste to know if you like it or not…at least give the chef a chance. Especially if you consider cooking an art and you think of what chefs do as an expression of something creative; would you start “boo”-ing a show before the curtain went up? Or write an IMDB review before watching the movie? Taste first and then salt with impunity.
As a chef, I totally agree. It drives me bonkers when someone seasons their food without tasting it. My father pours mountains of pepper on his food without tasting it, making it unedible. I’d never really thought about the control thing but knowing him that makes total sense. If I’m doing my job properly then you shouldn’t have to season it when it comes to the table. I’ll never forget culinary school, I’d be in line to have the chef taste my dish and I’d constantly hear him/her say ‘more salt, needs more salt.’ Seasoning is beaten into us when we are learning how to cook.
I second that! I do it all the time regardless if it was me who cooked the food or somebody else 🙂
Both my parents do this. I have no idea why. The thing that really gets me is that they are both fantastic cooks and are diligent about tasting food as they cook it, only to sit down with a plate that they prepared for themselves and they STILL salt it. I think maybe they just really like the taste of that fresh, unadulterated salt. Because as we all know, adding salt at different points during cooking imparts completely different qualities to a dish. I guess the sprinkle on top has its pure place for some people.
my fiance does this. I cook for her every night, and almost every night she puts salt on before tasting it. It used to offend me, like a warrantless judgement against the food I made. I’ve learned to not let it bother me any more. It’s no secret that she loves salty food.I like your idea though about control. I don’t think she wants ownership of the dish, like you described, but I do know she thrives in controlled environments and is disturbed by chaotic ones.Anyway these days I cook for my palate and her stomach. I keep her fed so she stays happy. But I hone my craft for me and my edification.
I agree with the author that tasting the food first is key before adding salt. To me, when I have people over for dinner and I see them salt the food before tasting sort of insults me. In addition, its plain unhealthy and unnecessary.
As a matter of fact yes, my husband does it and it drives me nuts. what’s worse is he has to see the salt or he feels he has to add it. I salt the dish throughout cooking it to develop the flavors, but no matter if he sees me do it or not he’s adding salt before he eats it.
I think there are a variety of reasons why people do this, several which are listed below. What is more interesting, I think, is why people think this decision has anything to do with them. If they are in a restaurant, then it isn’t really a casual observer’s business how people eat — if anything, that is between them and the establishment. If it is in a home, I guess I can see where this might raise some eyebrows. However, I don’t think people who do this are thinking “wow this food is bland. Better coat it with some salt! Who thinks this is good?” More then likely they are thinking “I’d like some fresh salt on this.” OR they are not thinking at all, it is just a knee jerk reaction.
Is it not generally the case that people become accustomed to a certain amount of salt due to the number of taste receptors that respond to that amount of salt – so food tastes bland without it? If you eat less salt, you eventually express fewer salt flavour receptors, so food tastes satisfying at a lower salt level. So perhaps auto-condimentors are so accustomed to highly salted food that they know that any prepared food will be too bland straight away.
I thought it’s because in English cooking, the cook is not meant to put any salt at all in the food, and it’s up to the diners to do it for themselves. That way people can control how salty their food is. This generally doesn’t happen in Asian cooking though.
I have a low threshold for salt, so I don’t like really salty things. The only thing I salt without tasting first is a poached egg, which I know benefits from the merest sprinkle of salt.I used to work with a woman who ate Lean Cuisines every day at lunch. She literally had her fork in her right hand and a salt shaker in her left hand and salted every bite before she put it in her mouth. She explained one day that she just loves the taste of salt and always heavily salts her food. (Ugh – but to each their own, I guess.)
I have seen this many times in restaurants and it is that blind sort of way people sprinkle salt up and down their food like they’re planting seeds that I find quite astonishing, especially if they haven’t tasted first! It must taste pretty awful!
There is a story that has gone around for years regarding the gentleman who founded j.c. penny’s – when he first started out, he would interview everyone personally over lunch. He judged them based on whether or not they tasted their food before putting salt on it. Here’s an interesting story on it – guess I’m not the only one who heard about that (http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/salted.asp)
I was specifically scrolling for this story – hoping someone had added it!: )
What? you’ve met my husband? it’s an unconscious thing, a habit of long standing unless I call him on it. Can I blame his mother??
My husband often adds Sriracha to whatever I’ve made before tasting. It bothers me a bit, but I’ve opted to keep quiet about it so we can both enjoy our dinner and marital harmony.
I really like salty foods, I’d rather eat something salty than something sweet almost any day of the week but I always taste first prior to applying salt to my foods. When I see people do this I wonder if they’ve become so accustomed to the salt only taste that they can’t taste the nuances of food and the notes of flavour that a good chef imparts on a dish.
I think this practice is just innate in many people. Growing up I would slather cheap Costco burgers in lawrey’s seasoned salt. I built up a salt tolerance such that everything needed additional salt to be anything other than bland. Adding salt before tasting meant I wasn’t going to waste that first bite. 🙂 I’ve long since replaced super-salty with an appreciation for subtlety in favors, but I’ve been there, done that, and not going to judge.
It rather annoys me when certain restaurants do not have salt and pepper on the table because they assume the food they are preparing is seasoned to perfection. Not always the case. Then, those of us who enjoy more salt than others are considered a-holes for asking.
I dont know of anyone that does this and I’ve never seen anyone do it at a restaurant, but I’d imagine its habit when it’s done before tasting the food. I think food that’s not salted properly is a violation. If a restaurant can’t get salt right, there are probably much larger issues to discuss. That said, I usually always have to salt prepared foods I buy at Whole Foods. I give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they’re under-salting for people that are on low sodium diets.
I completely agree with Adam about giving the chef a chance. Though, as I cook, I have realized that I have a taste for low salt, so when others try my food which I think is perfect, they think it needs salt. What to do about that? When something is perfectly salted for someone, for me it’s too salty! I don’t think it’s something that affects all my dishes, but I imagine in the professional world there is a right and wrong, and probably an explanation…
The founder of J.C. Penney department store had a litmus test for potential employees. He took them to dinner and if they salted their food without tasting it first, he would not hire them the story goes. More a waste of salt if not needed than a taste preference.
I think some people are so used to eating bland boring food that needs salt, that salting-before-eating just becomes a habit they don’t think twice about. I’m still super judgemental about it though.I actually get equally annoyed when i’m asked if i want fresh pepper on my meal before i’ve tasted it. How do i know if it needs pepper? Gimme a second here!
I think this might be shocking: but what if this lady had eaten there before, and already knew their food (especially the fried egg where you’d surely see the salt on it if it was salted after frying by the kitchen!) was never salted to her taste buds?! I salt or pepper things in various establishments that don’t suit my salt/pepper taste buds after my first visit (however, fried eggs actually always get both without a taste -it’s a fried egg, i know how i like them if they are cooked right – which i can see), without even thinking about it sometimes. Glad to know people’d judge me without knowing if I’d been there before and already knew how I found the place’s food. What snobs!
Salting food before tasting is a common test used during job interviews/meetings that are held over a meal. It is considered an issue of “assuming” and prejudging without the facts. Another test is how many time you push the elevator button!!!
My dad used to tell me the J.C. Penney fable as well, in an effort to teach me that salting food before tasting it would render me uncouth and unemployable. My mom was also one to cook without very much (or “enough”) salt at all, so I never craved the taste. As a result I never asked anyone to “pass the salt” until I got much older. In learning to cook, I have realized certain foods “need” salt to have any flavor at all, but the only time I really ask for it at a restaurant is, for instance, of the diner variety for bland scrambled eggs, and then I’m more likely to ask for Tabasco anyway.
My ex used to do this and it drove me nuts. I was sooo tempted to sabotage him, and make something super-extra salty to teach him a lesson. I never did, though — couldn’t bear to ruin a nice meal!
It’s one of my pet peeves. Is putting black pepper on food without tasting it the same thing? I do that all the time.
People are addicted to the sodium chloride… your body craves it so they get used to the taste and just put it on everything. Gross.
I grind my coffee beans fresh every morning. I used a Chemex. And, just before I put the hot water on top of the grinds, I sprinkle on a few grains of Kosher salt. (Way back in the 1970’s I had heard that the tiny amount of salt would enhance the flavor of my beans. (And, yes. I like to have a salt shaker handy. Always, too, sprinkle first if I’m eating breakfast out, and I get eggs. And, potatoes. If french fries have been salted by the cook, you could tell.
Oh my, I had salty coffee in the Galapagos last year and I was horrified! I’m curious, can you actually taste the salt in it?
I have no idea. But my husband sprinkles a super fiery spice blend over all his food without tasting it. It drives me absolutely insane! We now have a rule in place that he has to take one bite of everything before “ruining” it with his spice.
My reverse pet peeve is restaurants that don’t salt to be “healthy.” Certain things (like FRIES) need to be salted immediately or the salt just doesn’t stick.
I grew up with a bit of an aversion to salt- my parents (who are both fantastic cooks) were not excessive salters. It would be treated a flavor, rather than a necessary part of every single dish (like many people I know). So while I can appreciate a perfect piece of mozzarella lightly salted, I could never imagine salting a dish without tasting it.
Even though I’m with you on salting before tasting, I’ve got to say, I’d rather I were the one salting my food than have a restaurant’s chefs assume for me a. that I wanted salt at all and b. how much. Not everyone has a high-salt palate, and I’d rather taste fresh ingredients untrammeled by automatic “seasoning” back in the kitchen. If chefs used nutmeg or caraway as carelessly as they do salt, people would be choking.
Some people who can’t taste things as well as they used to (particularly older people) oversalt their food in the hope that it will bring their taste buds to life. Also, salting can be a cultural thing, too — not just among Midwesterners (so true, Fran!), but among Latinos as well as other folks.(In fact, table salt is so popular in Mexico that Mexico City launched a campaign requiring restaurants of all varieties to only provide salt shakers upon request, rather than having them out on the table at all times: http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/apr/15/mexico-city-aims-to-shake-out-salt/.)
I’ve never understood people getting offended by this. As a salt fan, I don’t salt food because I think it was made wrong or because its bad. I’m not passing some cruel judgement on some poor innocent cook/chef. I like salt! Now I don’t salt everything, but starch sides (corn, most potatoes that aren’t always salted) and side dish veggies (peas, green beans, asparagus, etc) will get salted by me.Now the people I don’t understand are those who put hot sauce on everything – especially the super-hot sauces. Salt can enhance the flavors of a dish. But what is the point of dousing food with something that totally replaces its flavor with its own and then burns your tongue so bad that you can’t taste anything else either?
Perhaps for the nutritional value? Protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, etc. are not dependent on the taste of the food.
my housemate did it when I cooked for her; I used to get offended, but after a while I thought ‘sod it, let her ruin her meal’. I think a lot of the time it’s a force of habit.
I was once guilty of this, even after I embarked on my ‘foodie’ journey. Not until I started working in a restaurant and witnessed how meticulously foods are tasted and adjusted–with salt being most important among those adjustments–did I realize that I should trust the professionals…at least for one bite 🙂
As much as I hate it I have to admit that I do that ALL THE TIME. Cant help it!
Adam-I have a friend who used to salt her food (heavily) before tasting it. She said she did it because other people’s food is NEVER salty enough for her. Once when she had breakfast at my house I tasted her unfinished fried egg and ALL I could taste was salt. I then told her that she doesn’t ever taste the food she is eating-all she is tasting is salt. This was about 5 years ago. Fast forward to now and she had breakfast at my home recently. I watched as she didn’t salt her food at all. I asked her about it and she said she discovered that I was right (heaven forbid) and that she really didn’t ever taste the food. When she stopped salting her food she discovered some wonderful flavors. So this is a happy ending.
Oh you indignignant know it all. I LOVE Salt! So Leave me be please. Do NOT judge me in the free, first world. What do you know of my needs for flavor? My goodness. You are all a bunch of self-righteous pains in the butt! I adore salt. I can most certainly taste the food “underneath” and the salt adds a desirable layer above the natural food favors and enhances it for me. I definitely do not just Taste salt!! Know it all. I am an adult and am capable of respecting the nouvelle vague of salt-less cooking sweeping americas (not Europe’s FYI) contemporary restaurants, so do me the same courtesy. Hand me the shaker! Perhaps my body has different needs to yours? ( I do work out quite a bit). I love salt, the new wave of hysteria surrounding it and demonizing it on health grounds is controversial and speculative. Stop being so offended, you over sensitive babies!! Grow up. Respect the salt. Leave my taste buds to me to determine.
When I first moved out on my own, many, Many years ago, I always salted my food because I knew it wouldn’t taste ‘right’ if I didn’t. It wasn’t until a year or two later that a boyfriend said, ‘You know honey, you tend to oversalt things a bit.’, and he meant before they even got to the table! I realized at that point that my mom had always used a LOT of salt and started cutting way back. Several years later that stood me in good stead when I married an auto-salter who developed high blood pressure. At that point I almost eliminated salt from the cooking phase completely. I find in MOST, not all cases, that salt added at the table seems to come through more strongly and not nearly as much gets used.