Seasoning

Hadley_191877

Hey guys. Just wondering what the reason is to salt your protein or vegetables after you cook them instead of before. For instance, lots of people season their steak before they put in in the pan. Versus chefsteps does it after.

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Comments

brian_martin2001

it's because the salt immediately begins drawing water out. when you put the food in a hot pan, it loses that much more water, giving it a more dense, as CS describes "hammy" texture. because most folks want the salt strictly for taste, adding it on after has a significantly lesser effect on the texture of the food, especially because in most cases it's to be consumed almost immediately after cooking.

Afonso_Tito_de_Morais_164825

Think of it as quick-curing a steak. That's kinda what happens when you preseason. As Brian described, it gives a hammier texture.

HammeredChef_DEFINITELY_does_NOT_work_at_22134

Do an inexpensive and quick comparison, bag 2 chicken thighs, one seasoned with salt and the other one not. Cook in immersion to suggested time and temp and see how much liquid the salted thigh has in the bag vs the unsalted....that is your flavor in the liquid of the salted bag.

Invocking WINE disclaimer ...

Johan_Edstrom_5586

Lots of people drench their steak in syrupy sauces and condiments, adorn them with soapy Christmas tree ornaments and slice them the wrong way too quickly, doesn't mean it is good eats. Salt pulls out liquid and cures, meat actually tastes really good on its own, salt after is a flavor enhancer, as is perhaps a little butter as fats can help convey flavor.

bkeene12

I think it is going to boil down to personal preference. These guys just want to show you all the possibilities and let you take it from there.

artstype

Salting the surface of meat can help to form a crust (drying the surface so it doesn't "steam"), but I prefer to artificially "dry-age" it in the fridge by wrapping it in paper towels and putting it on a rack in the fridge for a while. People who are supposed to watch their salt intake (and as Myhrvold has pointed out, this is controversial) do well to salt at the point of service with large crystal-type salt to get maximum flavor with minimum sodium. A lot of chefs like to salt at every point in the preparation to "develop" flavor. Many ways to skin a cat...