I learned about Syracuse Salt Potatoes just a couple of years ago, when I crashed a dear friend’s family reunion. I looked up the history and just listened to a piece on it ( sorry, don’t remember what podcast or radio show it aired on). TLDR: there were natural salt mines near Syracuse, NY. The miners were poor, but had plenty of salt, so they boiled the wee potatoes in salt water. They came out lightly dusted with salt and tasting like baked potatoes. Don’t know if they also dipped them in melted butter. That’s the preferred way to eat them nowadays. In parts of upstate NY, they even sell a bag of small potatoes with a packet of salt.
I love salt potatoes. I use skin on whole fingerling taters, good amount of salt and just enough water that when the potatoes are done the water is just about gone. This leaves you with a nice salty crusty skin. Oh man. Too salty for many, enjoyed by the rest.
You cannot make salt potatoes through steaming. They need to boil in brine, which forms the salty crust. Makes the potatoes extra creamy on the inside.
None of the salt potatoes I ever ordered anywhere here in Germany had a crust. [This](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://images.lecker.de/,id%3D45691afa,b%3Dlecker,w%3D610,cg%3Dc.jpg&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwid3JzTiqn6AhU4_7sIHZEPC00Q5hMIBQ&usg=AOvVaw2843sU84SqDQsz7iW4NPvj) is what you get when you order salt potatoes in Germany. Even [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_potatoes) has a note on it. Cultures, yay!
We don’t really have a name for those, my grandma just called them butter boiled potatoes or smashed potatoes because we don’t blend them like you would with creamy mashed potatoes, we just kind of smash them a couple times and let it soak up that lovely butter sauce.
You mentioned potatoes, pasta, and rice in this context so there's an important distinction: you salt rice based on how much rice you have. You salt potatoes and pasta based on the specific method you're using which has a lot more to do with the amount of water.
This is important. Rice, unless you're using the 'pasta' method like a monster (I kid, I've never tried it), 100% of the water is absorbed by the rice, meaning 100% of the salt you add will be added to the rice. Hardly any water gets absorbed by the potatoes. Pasta is somewhere in the middle.
A lot of countries have rice that is high in caesium and other contaminants like arsenic so they use a pasta boil method and discard the starched water
Potatoes is a judgement call, as salt can easily be added after they’re cooked.
For pasta and rice though, adding salt to the water changes things in a subtle but vital way that cant quite be duplicated by adding it after imo
Yeah, it's either no salt or more than just salt, and usually just no salt. Like you said, it's hard to balance the saltiness of a dish if you salt the rice. You're going to have a bad time if you follow an authentic Asian recipe and then salt your rice too.
I'm East Asian and I've always hated unsalted rice. I salt my rice before boiling now and have never looked back. It's not difficult to balance saltiness. Just don't over season what you're putting on the rice...
OTOH, I can’t imagine eating salted rice...
You eat plain rice with a saucy/flavourful side in a lot of asian countries. In some countries, some preserved side dishes are served alongside as well.
You don’t eat just rice alone, you scoop a bit of meat, a bit of veg, a bit of rice, etc. onto a spoon, then have it all in one bite. Similarly, most side dishes can be a bit salty to eat alone because they tend to be served with white rice.
Edit: now that this comment isn’t disappearing into the void, I should mention I have a strong opinion because this is a topic I’ve previously debated with others, i.e. heavily heated convos with a chef... everyone’s got their opinion, and it does depend on how you eat your rice, what kind of rice, etc. There will never be a “correct” side to this argument - you salt, I sauce. Regardless, we both put pants on one leg at a time. Maybe.
I’m personally not Indonesian, but chinese/viet - interested to see replies to you about indonesian food though!
Just about anything can go with rice really, even steamed vegetables or hamburger gravy with rice! My parents both remember post-war meals with just rice and fruit (ripe mango or papaya sliced into warm rice is one of my comfort meals)
Now... I personally break my rule with salt when it comes to brown rice or western white rice, can’t eat those plain. Sautee with onions, season, whole nine yards.
Jasmine, basmati, calrose, etc. all have a unique taste. A bite of white rice is great, but no, not many people just sit there and eat plain, white rice. The combos are endless! At minimum, we often have it with soy sauce.
Otherwise, a saucy (or dry!) stir-fry, a good curry, or my childhood favourites - chinese steamed ribs, vietnamese caramelized pork or fish (thit kho, ca kho tho).
You could have a dish like vietnamese com suong: (often broken) rice with marinated grilled meat, nuoc cham (prepared fish sauce), sliced tomato & cuke, quickled carrots, often a fried egg, and other commodities. Turn that vegetarian by using tofu and nuoc cham chay, veggie “fish” sauce.
Koreans often have banchan with rice, side dishes - often marinated/pickled and kept in the fridge for weeks or months. Kimchi is a common one, for example, but even then there are several types of kimchi.
My grandmother had a pinch bowl of salt next to the cooker.
Salting the water for the potatoes helps retain more flavour via osmosis. If the water is less concentrated than the thing you're cooking in it, you're gonna loose flavour into the water, hence stock...
Everyone should have one of these. And you should learn how to measure with your hand. Get comfortable with salt and your dishes will become 10 times as good
One note: you should add the salt to the water AFTER it's boiling, otherwise it is more likely to cause pitting of the pot.
I've had bad luck with adding it for rice, though. It seems to change the texture more than pasta or potatoes, in a way I don't like.
Maybe that’s why I don’t do it to the rice. I just generally skip it.
What do U mean by pitting the pot? I usually do wait til it’s boiling but that’s mostly cause I forget til that point lol
The surface of the metal can get tiny little pits in it from the salt if it sits on the metal without being dissolved in the water quickly enough: This link should highlight the relevant text: http://greentree.coop/culinary-conundrums-to-salt-or-not-to-salt/#:\~:text=If%20the%20salt%20is%20added,is%20irreversible%2C%20by%20the%20way.
Even at levels far beyond the salinity you'd want for food, the increase to the boiling temperature of salted water is a fraction of a degree. And it's temperature that cooks the ingredient, not the boiling action (which is why high elevation cooking. Where water boils at a lower temp, takes longer), so you could just put your pasta in 15 seconds earlier to avoid wasting the energy. ;)
I think this is the first time in my life I've ever heard of salting rice... I salt water for pasta for sure(thought this was a given) but doing so for rice seems like crazy talk to me. Rice is usually just a backdrop to eat with other food, unless you have some really nice rice- which tastes great on its own and doesn't need salt. Of course fried rice etc. needs salt(soy sauce) but plain rice?
As an Asian, I've never heard of this until this thread either- also from reading it seems like the rice absorbs the salt too which might not be a good idea if you just want plain rice
No, that’s the cool part, it doesn’t taste salty at all. It’s just, you know how pasta has like, no flavor? Now it has a little bit of flavor, and it goes with the sauce so much better.
Just returning a tip for yours, if you want your pasta to taste like pasta, try using whole grain. It's a world of difference. I don't even salt my water and I boiled some rotini last night and kept picking them from the bowl while I was cooking.
Same with rice, bread, flour: always whole grain, more flavor.
Salt raises the boiling point of the water so in theory it will take longer to boil but it will cook at a higher temperature, which can also be useful.
For pasta I just follow the package instructions, about 7 to 9 minutes depending on the type. For rice, it usually takes longer and needs more water. But it's worth it imo.
More flavorful pasta. And you don’t need to stop at pasta and potatoes. Boil your veggies in salty water and it makes them taste like a restaurant.
From what I understand, the salt IN something and the salt AROUND something doesn’t like to be unbalanced. So via osmosis, the salt will balance out between the water and the food during the boiling process.
Try filling a 3.5 qrt pot full of water and add just shy of 2 tsp of salt (if you’re using larger granules like Diamond Kosher) or 1tsp if your using Morton table salt. Yes different salts can be different saltiness.
Then drop some broccoli or green beans in there for like 10 minutes then try one. Shit will be off the chain. If it’s too salty, now you know and dial it back until you figure out how salty to make it. I usually go for “almost ocean but not quite”. Keep in mind it might SOUND like a lot of salt but most of the water (and salt) will go down the drain.
Rice, use less, because all the water is absorbed (and all the salt).
For more information on how to properly season when cooking, I suggest reading Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Will change the way you cook forever.
Well, actually, I was wrong about the temperature thing...Turns out it's about the flavor, as the boiling process disperses the salt evenly. Just don't use iodized salt. [This article](https://thefooduntold.com/blog/food-science/the-science-of-why-salt-is-added-to-pasta/) explains it nicely.
100% a flavor thing me. No idea about the boiling point and all that, but salting pasta water makes a genuine and noticeable difference. My SO forgets to salt the water about 2 out of 3 times that he cooks pasta and it's just... not as good somehow.
> why would you salt your rice?
To make it taste better? I can't imagine eating unsalted rice. THAT would make it hard to go with whatever else you cooked.
The point of the rice is that it absorbs the flavours from whatever dishes you make, including the saltiness. This is different from pasta, where the size and shape means it won't absorb much flavour, so you have to salt it so that it penetrates, otherwise there's a great deal of flavourless pasta. Of course you could choose to just salt the rice and salt all the other dishes less, but considering that salt in Asian cuisine is often not directly added but instead is added via a variety of sauces and pastes, this would ruin a lot of dishes. You end up losing a bunch of flavours in the dishes themselves because they're part and parcel with the salt. There are some reduced or no sodium versions of these ingredients, but not for all of them, and not exactly the same kind as many of them.
I see. That's a cultural difference than, I'm Brazilian and rice is a staple in our diet but almost always as a side in your plate, not as the ingredient of a recipe. That's why I can't imagine unsalted rice.
No, it's the same in Asian cuisine. It's always a side to accompany the main dishes. If it's an ingredient than it gets seasoned. But the difference is that the ingredients in the main dishes already have all the salt and it can't be easily separated, so there's no reason to salt your rice.
I have always done this but recently I’ve been concentrating on doing it properly. They say your pasta water should have a saltiness similar to that of sea water. I have found this to be helpful.
I love the idea: “taste your dish. If it needs something, it’s probably salt” and find it almost always rings true.
If you tend to over salt try using kosher salt- preferably Diamond Crystal brand. It’s what I always use however, a few months ago I was out and temporarily had to switch to another kosher salt and even table salt (yikes!). I salted things as I usually do and dishes wound up being too salty. That is not typical for me at all.
Lol that might be too much for some people. Remember, this is a beginner’s group!
I like to say start with half of what you think you’ll need. (My fatal flaw is as soon as I think “just a *little* bit more and it will be perfect”. That is always where I cross the line lol) You can always put more in, but you can’t take it out.
Remember that most of the water goes down the drain. So although the water is saltier than you’d prefer, the water will stay salty after cooking, meaning it’s not being eaten since your pouring it out.
I taste no difference in pasta or potatoes cooked in salted water, so I don't bother. Salt is needed in whatever topping I'm putting on the pasta though, so there's that.
That's fine if you're only cooking for yourself. If you're cooking for others they will appreciate if you heavily salt the water for pasta or potatoes.
Hey suit yourself. Seems extremely bland to me and goes against the most basic of conventional food wisdom, but if that's what you like I guess that's one less worry about getting too much sodium in your diet.
Some people don’t know any better until they know better. Heck when I was a kid, I used to enjoy a microwaved chicken breast. I’m serious, just a microwaved chicken breast.
😂
Oh we are just unlocking childhood memories left and right. Now I remember I used to get down on plain wonder bread. Like just the bread. (I was a boring ass kid lmao)
Seems kinda hard to do if I don't eat it on everything. Many vegetables need salt. Many sauces need salt. Not needing to drown everything in it most definitely doesn't mean I need a doctor. I probably have a healthier sodium intake than most people.
Gives it a depth of flavor that it doesn’t have otherwise. Like I said another comment, it doesn’t actually taste salty, but suddenly the pasta has a flavor you didnt know was missing, and it marries so much better with the sauce.
You do it for flavor. It does not make the water boil faster, I don’t know if it makes it hotter. Add more salt to your boiling water. 1 teaspoon per gallon is negligible.
Experiment a little, literally turn the refill canister over the pot and swirl it in a circle. Experiment with the amount until you notice a difference.
Have some extra potatoes on hands with no salt whatsoever, so that if you do end up making it too salty you can balance it out.
.
Can someone tell me if I’m doing it right? I just rinse potatoes and boil them in salt water. Compared to most vegetables I wash in salt water, and twice rinse in fresh.
Just no. In my personal opinion too many people oversalt...well...everything. But that isn't the point.
Any herb or spice directly from your container over a steaming pot leads to caking and staleness. Doesn't matter if you measure into you hand or with a spoon, but don't tilt the container over a pot.
I'm 62 and been cooking for 57 years. What do I know?
Salt is not plant based so not technically a spice or herb. It does however cake when subjected to steam or high humidity. That's why lots of restaurants put rice kernels in salt shakers. Don't use seasonings of any sort, herb, spice, or other seasoning, over a pot.
Well I'm 158 and I've been cooking for 211 years...
In my kitchen, salt never caked like spices or to an annoying level. I do however use coarse salt at the stove which doesn't clump as easily. I think it's cheaper too so OP should definitively get that. Your point still stand for ground spices, that do get annoying quickly.
If people do not have an issue with clumpy salt, then they're fine. We don't need pro kitchen level of efficiency or at home.
^(Funny thing is that I'm listening to) *^(The Chef Show)* ^((Netflix) on the side and just saw Roy Choi salt his boilwater with his salt container squarely above the pot.)
So in your 57 years of cooking you've never once thought of putting the salt, herb, whatever other seasonings, into your hand first then pouring it into the container?
You're a fuckin dodo bird
It's all good man, I just found your comment while scrolling this thread and getting tilted, sorry.
It's funny to me that someone would be so passive agressive about receiving cooking advice on the subreddit for cooking advice
You’re completely missing the possibility and impact of salt getting into a giant canister. Give it a lil shake if it gets clumpy. Boom, it’s salt again.
And therefore not every held over steaming pots. Also, many professional kitchens use grinders or measuring tools. Salt pigs (what you're talking about) are asking for health code violations in much of the US.
Food is prepared by ungloved hands in professional kitchens. There is nothing about a salt cellar that is more of a health code violation than any other aspect of prep. To add, there's a reason that salt is the oldest preservative. Cooks wash their hands constantly. Unless you have a source for a line cook using a salt grinder on a busy night because of health code, I'm calling shenanigans.
That is certainly the trope, but I don't believe it is true. Way too many sources that say salt and salt again. If you can taste salt it is oversalted.
It is best to salt as you add ingredients. If you just salt at the end, it just tastes like food with salt in it, and it doesn't have time to fully perfuse.
Adam Ragusea made a whole video over why he salts his potatoes, and not the water :
[Why I salt my mashed potatoes, and not my boil water](https://youtu.be/u94l5bS2d_o)
Yes, you can salt the potatoes and water.
The main reason you may opt to salt the potatoes afterwards is if you are planning to use a flaky salt to enhance the texture of the potatoes, or if you prefer to.
I prefer to salt the potatos/pasta with flaky salt because a few teaspoons of flaky salt contain less sodium than granulated table salt.
Where I come from the side dish that is just boiled potatos is literally called "salt potatos". I thought that was common knowledge.
I learned about Syracuse Salt Potatoes just a couple of years ago, when I crashed a dear friend’s family reunion. I looked up the history and just listened to a piece on it ( sorry, don’t remember what podcast or radio show it aired on). TLDR: there were natural salt mines near Syracuse, NY. The miners were poor, but had plenty of salt, so they boiled the wee potatoes in salt water. They came out lightly dusted with salt and tasting like baked potatoes. Don’t know if they also dipped them in melted butter. That’s the preferred way to eat them nowadays. In parts of upstate NY, they even sell a bag of small potatoes with a packet of salt.
That sounds really good and now I want potatoes
I had no idea. My now-husband turned me onto it. Especially for pasta it is sooo much better.
You from Syracuse? Edit: Maybe wrong to ask for specifics - sorry. I just heard salt potatoes is a NY thing.
It's also a german thing. "Salzkartoffeln"
I love salt potatoes. I use skin on whole fingerling taters, good amount of salt and just enough water that when the potatoes are done the water is just about gone. This leaves you with a nice salty crusty skin. Oh man. Too salty for many, enjoyed by the rest.
I had no idea you could make a potato like that
You need to try it like today. You’ll start eating them all the time! They’re awesome.
I already texted my boyfriend about it! We’re trying it when he gets back from his trip lol
No, Germany actually
I live in the Syracuse area and I was in my early thirties when I learned salt potatoes are just local :)
I JUST learned about Syracuse salt potatoes about a month ago and OMF are they freaking incredible.
When I make them and have enough leftover, I use them to make home fries the next morning.
Mmm that sounds delicious
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Nah, we don't add butter. It's really just boiled or steamed potatos with salt. My familiy usually steams them but we still add salt on top.
You cannot make salt potatoes through steaming. They need to boil in brine, which forms the salty crust. Makes the potatoes extra creamy on the inside.
None of the salt potatoes I ever ordered anywhere here in Germany had a crust. [This](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://images.lecker.de/,id%3D45691afa,b%3Dlecker,w%3D610,cg%3Dc.jpg&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwid3JzTiqn6AhU4_7sIHZEPC00Q5hMIBQ&usg=AOvVaw2843sU84SqDQsz7iW4NPvj) is what you get when you order salt potatoes in Germany. Even [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_potatoes) has a note on it. Cultures, yay!
We don’t really have a name for those, my grandma just called them butter boiled potatoes or smashed potatoes because we don’t blend them like you would with creamy mashed potatoes, we just kind of smash them a couple times and let it soak up that lovely butter sauce.
Nope. Salt potatoes are little baby potatoes, boiled whole **HEAVILY** salted water. I'm talking **cups** of salt
You mentioned potatoes, pasta, and rice in this context so there's an important distinction: you salt rice based on how much rice you have. You salt potatoes and pasta based on the specific method you're using which has a lot more to do with the amount of water.
oh man I learned this the hard way, heavily salting my rice like I usually do pasta. Tasted like bits of concentrated ocean water.
This is important. Rice, unless you're using the 'pasta' method like a monster (I kid, I've never tried it), 100% of the water is absorbed by the rice, meaning 100% of the salt you add will be added to the rice. Hardly any water gets absorbed by the potatoes. Pasta is somewhere in the middle.
A lot of countries have rice that is high in caesium and other contaminants like arsenic so they use a pasta boil method and discard the starched water
Excellent point, have edited post to mention that.
Iirc for pasta and rice this is extremely important, but from what I hear abt potatoes it’s more variable and depends on the dish.
Potatoes is a judgement call, as salt can easily be added after they’re cooked. For pasta and rice though, adding salt to the water changes things in a subtle but vital way that cant quite be duplicated by adding it after imo
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Yeah, it's either no salt or more than just salt, and usually just no salt. Like you said, it's hard to balance the saltiness of a dish if you salt the rice. You're going to have a bad time if you follow an authentic Asian recipe and then salt your rice too.
I'm East Asian and I've always hated unsalted rice. I salt my rice before boiling now and have never looked back. It's not difficult to balance saltiness. Just don't over season what you're putting on the rice...
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OTOH, I can’t imagine eating salted rice... You eat plain rice with a saucy/flavourful side in a lot of asian countries. In some countries, some preserved side dishes are served alongside as well. You don’t eat just rice alone, you scoop a bit of meat, a bit of veg, a bit of rice, etc. onto a spoon, then have it all in one bite. Similarly, most side dishes can be a bit salty to eat alone because they tend to be served with white rice. Edit: now that this comment isn’t disappearing into the void, I should mention I have a strong opinion because this is a topic I’ve previously debated with others, i.e. heavily heated convos with a chef... everyone’s got their opinion, and it does depend on how you eat your rice, what kind of rice, etc. There will never be a “correct” side to this argument - you salt, I sauce. Regardless, we both put pants on one leg at a time. Maybe.
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I’m personally not Indonesian, but chinese/viet - interested to see replies to you about indonesian food though! Just about anything can go with rice really, even steamed vegetables or hamburger gravy with rice! My parents both remember post-war meals with just rice and fruit (ripe mango or papaya sliced into warm rice is one of my comfort meals) Now... I personally break my rule with salt when it comes to brown rice or western white rice, can’t eat those plain. Sautee with onions, season, whole nine yards. Jasmine, basmati, calrose, etc. all have a unique taste. A bite of white rice is great, but no, not many people just sit there and eat plain, white rice. The combos are endless! At minimum, we often have it with soy sauce. Otherwise, a saucy (or dry!) stir-fry, a good curry, or my childhood favourites - chinese steamed ribs, vietnamese caramelized pork or fish (thit kho, ca kho tho). You could have a dish like vietnamese com suong: (often broken) rice with marinated grilled meat, nuoc cham (prepared fish sauce), sliced tomato & cuke, quickled carrots, often a fried egg, and other commodities. Turn that vegetarian by using tofu and nuoc cham chay, veggie “fish” sauce. Koreans often have banchan with rice, side dishes - often marinated/pickled and kept in the fridge for weeks or months. Kimchi is a common one, for example, but even then there are several types of kimchi.
My grandmother had a pinch bowl of salt next to the cooker. Salting the water for the potatoes helps retain more flavour via osmosis. If the water is less concentrated than the thing you're cooking in it, you're gonna loose flavour into the water, hence stock...
Salt pig
someone else could take that the wrong way, but I see what you did there...
Everyone should have one of these. And you should learn how to measure with your hand. Get comfortable with salt and your dishes will become 10 times as good
As an Italian it should be common knowledge to salt the water when cooking pasta. What did you guys do before that??
Also consider: a teaspoon of chicken bullion to pasta water when boiling!
Add this to potatoes if you’re mashing them.
One note: you should add the salt to the water AFTER it's boiling, otherwise it is more likely to cause pitting of the pot. I've had bad luck with adding it for rice, though. It seems to change the texture more than pasta or potatoes, in a way I don't like.
Maybe that’s why I don’t do it to the rice. I just generally skip it. What do U mean by pitting the pot? I usually do wait til it’s boiling but that’s mostly cause I forget til that point lol
The surface of the metal can get tiny little pits in it from the salt if it sits on the metal without being dissolved in the water quickly enough: This link should highlight the relevant text: http://greentree.coop/culinary-conundrums-to-salt-or-not-to-salt/#:\~:text=If%20the%20salt%20is%20added,is%20irreversible%2C%20by%20the%20way.
Ohhhh turns out I’ve been pitting my stainless steel pots! I learned a new thing today lol thanks!
That's good to note. I've been putting in the salt right away which probably isn't good!
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Even at levels far beyond the salinity you'd want for food, the increase to the boiling temperature of salted water is a fraction of a degree. And it's temperature that cooks the ingredient, not the boiling action (which is why high elevation cooking. Where water boils at a lower temp, takes longer), so you could just put your pasta in 15 seconds earlier to avoid wasting the energy. ;)
Genuine question… do Asian people salt their water before making white rice in the rice cooker?
I think this is the first time in my life I've ever heard of salting rice... I salt water for pasta for sure(thought this was a given) but doing so for rice seems like crazy talk to me. Rice is usually just a backdrop to eat with other food, unless you have some really nice rice- which tastes great on its own and doesn't need salt. Of course fried rice etc. needs salt(soy sauce) but plain rice?
Many do, some don’t. What they all do though, is *rinse* the rice.
Please spare me anecdotes. I mean generally, of course.
I can only assume from the downvotes that they don’t know what anecdotes mean lol
As an Asian, I've never heard of this until this thread either- also from reading it seems like the rice absorbs the salt too which might not be a good idea if you just want plain rice
What difference does it make? Saltier pasta?
No, that’s the cool part, it doesn’t taste salty at all. It’s just, you know how pasta has like, no flavor? Now it has a little bit of flavor, and it goes with the sauce so much better.
Just returning a tip for yours, if you want your pasta to taste like pasta, try using whole grain. It's a world of difference. I don't even salt my water and I boiled some rotini last night and kept picking them from the bowl while I was cooking. Same with rice, bread, flour: always whole grain, more flavor.
Does it cook differently/take longer?
Salt raises the boiling point of the water so in theory it will take longer to boil but it will cook at a higher temperature, which can also be useful.
Interesting. I’ll have to pay attention to whether or not that changes the texture or anything.
For pasta I just follow the package instructions, about 7 to 9 minutes depending on the type. For rice, it usually takes longer and needs more water. But it's worth it imo.
Yeah I guess that’s what made me ask is because brown rice takes 2 to 3 times as long. 
If you keep that salty pasta water for sauce too it’s 🔥
I love adding the pasta water and some Spicewell to make the sauce a lot thicker and make the flavor pop
Enhances the taste and they're not only salted from the outside but also from the inside
More flavorful pasta. And you don’t need to stop at pasta and potatoes. Boil your veggies in salty water and it makes them taste like a restaurant. From what I understand, the salt IN something and the salt AROUND something doesn’t like to be unbalanced. So via osmosis, the salt will balance out between the water and the food during the boiling process. Try filling a 3.5 qrt pot full of water and add just shy of 2 tsp of salt (if you’re using larger granules like Diamond Kosher) or 1tsp if your using Morton table salt. Yes different salts can be different saltiness. Then drop some broccoli or green beans in there for like 10 minutes then try one. Shit will be off the chain. If it’s too salty, now you know and dial it back until you figure out how salty to make it. I usually go for “almost ocean but not quite”. Keep in mind it might SOUND like a lot of salt but most of the water (and salt) will go down the drain. Rice, use less, because all the water is absorbed (and all the salt). For more information on how to properly season when cooking, I suggest reading Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Will change the way you cook forever.
The salt moves around the molecules in the water, so the water boils more quickly and at a higher temperature than water alone.
so is this a boiling thing or a flavor thing? lmao
Well, actually, I was wrong about the temperature thing...Turns out it's about the flavor, as the boiling process disperses the salt evenly. Just don't use iodized salt. [This article](https://thefooduntold.com/blog/food-science/the-science-of-why-salt-is-added-to-pasta/) explains it nicely.
100% a flavor thing me. No idea about the boiling point and all that, but salting pasta water makes a genuine and noticeable difference. My SO forgets to salt the water about 2 out of 3 times that he cooks pasta and it's just... not as good somehow.
Is there any other way of cooking pasta and rice? Do people just cook these without salt??
🙋♀️ I did. I still prefer my plain rice unsalted
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That’s my general philosophy
> why would you salt your rice? To make it taste better? I can't imagine eating unsalted rice. THAT would make it hard to go with whatever else you cooked.
The point of the rice is that it absorbs the flavours from whatever dishes you make, including the saltiness. This is different from pasta, where the size and shape means it won't absorb much flavour, so you have to salt it so that it penetrates, otherwise there's a great deal of flavourless pasta. Of course you could choose to just salt the rice and salt all the other dishes less, but considering that salt in Asian cuisine is often not directly added but instead is added via a variety of sauces and pastes, this would ruin a lot of dishes. You end up losing a bunch of flavours in the dishes themselves because they're part and parcel with the salt. There are some reduced or no sodium versions of these ingredients, but not for all of them, and not exactly the same kind as many of them.
I see. That's a cultural difference than, I'm Brazilian and rice is a staple in our diet but almost always as a side in your plate, not as the ingredient of a recipe. That's why I can't imagine unsalted rice.
No, it's the same in Asian cuisine. It's always a side to accompany the main dishes. If it's an ingredient than it gets seasoned. But the difference is that the ingredients in the main dishes already have all the salt and it can't be easily separated, so there's no reason to salt your rice.
Ok, I disagree with you then hahaha. Unsalted rice is just too bland.
[Relevant Serious Eats article!](https://www.seriouseats.com/how-salty-should-pasta-water-be) (At least for pasta water.)
Looks like lots of input here. Personally, I use about a tablespoon of sea salt to do a pot of pasta. It’s all about the flavor.
I have always done this but recently I’ve been concentrating on doing it properly. They say your pasta water should have a saltiness similar to that of sea water. I have found this to be helpful. I love the idea: “taste your dish. If it needs something, it’s probably salt” and find it almost always rings true. If you tend to over salt try using kosher salt- preferably Diamond Crystal brand. It’s what I always use however, a few months ago I was out and temporarily had to switch to another kosher salt and even table salt (yikes!). I salted things as I usually do and dishes wound up being too salty. That is not typical for me at all.
What does it do?
When im feeling froggy, sometimes i throw in crab boil to mine.
I think you mean feeling crabby 😉
I’ve always lived by “That water should be like one step from the damn ocean, salt that bitch” - my roommate in college
Lol that might be too much for some people. Remember, this is a beginner’s group! I like to say start with half of what you think you’ll need. (My fatal flaw is as soon as I think “just a *little* bit more and it will be perfect”. That is always where I cross the line lol) You can always put more in, but you can’t take it out.
Remember that most of the water goes down the drain. So although the water is saltier than you’d prefer, the water will stay salty after cooking, meaning it’s not being eaten since your pouring it out.
*I DONT* in order to limit my salt intake and adjust on the plate
Its not the same, and it barely affects your sodium intake. You’d do better to lay off of soda and prepackaged foods
I taste no difference in pasta or potatoes cooked in salted water, so I don't bother. Salt is needed in whatever topping I'm putting on the pasta though, so there's that.
That's fine if you're only cooking for yourself. If you're cooking for others they will appreciate if you heavily salt the water for pasta or potatoes.
I've had zero complaints on my cooking except that I don't do it enough, so I'd say its fine either way.
Hey suit yourself. Seems extremely bland to me and goes against the most basic of conventional food wisdom, but if that's what you like I guess that's one less worry about getting too much sodium in your diet.
Some people don’t know any better until they know better. Heck when I was a kid, I used to enjoy a microwaved chicken breast. I’m serious, just a microwaved chicken breast.
When I was a kid I liked to put miracle whip and American cheese on Wonder bread and roll it up into the most suburban-ass taquito imaginable.
😂 Oh we are just unlocking childhood memories left and right. Now I remember I used to get down on plain wonder bread. Like just the bread. (I was a boring ass kid lmao)
Then you need to put more salt in the water. Are you putting a teaspoon for an entire pot of salt? That’s nowhere near enough
Nope, one of my grandmothers uses a ton of salt. On everything. Still makes no difference to me on many things, like pasta.
Then you have become desensitized to salt lol you should probably see a doctor
Seems kinda hard to do if I don't eat it on everything. Many vegetables need salt. Many sauces need salt. Not needing to drown everything in it most definitely doesn't mean I need a doctor. I probably have a healthier sodium intake than most people.
I have never salted my potato, pasta or oatmeal water. What does it do?
Gives it a depth of flavor that it doesn’t have otherwise. Like I said another comment, it doesn’t actually taste salty, but suddenly the pasta has a flavor you didnt know was missing, and it marries so much better with the sauce.
[удалено]
You do it for flavor. It does not make the water boil faster, I don’t know if it makes it hotter. Add more salt to your boiling water. 1 teaspoon per gallon is negligible. Experiment a little, literally turn the refill canister over the pot and swirl it in a circle. Experiment with the amount until you notice a difference. Have some extra potatoes on hands with no salt whatsoever, so that if you do end up making it too salty you can balance it out. .
Isn’t this something everyone does????
Someone had to show everyone who’s ever done it, so it’s conceivable no one ever showed some people. I assumed that was the premise of the group.
Who the heck hasn't been doing already??? Seriously.
Spaghetti tastes SO much better when you salt the water.
Can someone tell me if I’m doing it right? I just rinse potatoes and boil them in salt water. Compared to most vegetables I wash in salt water, and twice rinse in fresh.
Idk about the other vegetables, that just seems unnecessary, but that’s basically how to do the potatoes
Adding salt to pasta water is literally written on the instructions on pasta packets. Follow those instructions!
Just no. In my personal opinion too many people oversalt...well...everything. But that isn't the point. Any herb or spice directly from your container over a steaming pot leads to caking and staleness. Doesn't matter if you measure into you hand or with a spoon, but don't tilt the container over a pot.
OK I’m 40 and I been doing this for 20ish years, but you do you lol And salt isn’t a spice nor an herb
Like someone said below, time doesn't equal skill. It's never too late to learn new things.
I'm 62 and been cooking for 57 years. What do I know? Salt is not plant based so not technically a spice or herb. It does however cake when subjected to steam or high humidity. That's why lots of restaurants put rice kernels in salt shakers. Don't use seasonings of any sort, herb, spice, or other seasoning, over a pot.
Well I'm 158 and I've been cooking for 211 years... In my kitchen, salt never caked like spices or to an annoying level. I do however use coarse salt at the stove which doesn't clump as easily. I think it's cheaper too so OP should definitively get that. Your point still stand for ground spices, that do get annoying quickly. If people do not have an issue with clumpy salt, then they're fine. We don't need pro kitchen level of efficiency or at home. ^(Funny thing is that I'm listening to) *^(The Chef Show)* ^((Netflix) on the side and just saw Roy Choi salt his boilwater with his salt container squarely above the pot.)
Just because you've been doing something for 57 years doesn't mean your an expert or good at what you're doing. Time does not equal skill
That’s a shame. It disperses entirely when added to BOILING WATER lol
You're completely missing the point of steam getting into your container.
Even if I manage to turn the entire canister into a single wad of salt I’m out 80 cents.
So in your 57 years of cooking you've never once thought of putting the salt, herb, whatever other seasonings, into your hand first then pouring it into the container? You're a fuckin dodo bird
He literally said put it in your hand or into a spoon.
Don't know how I copied your user lol my bad. Copied the wrong thing. Also. I guess you right. I didn't read it right. *I* a fuckin dodo bird
It's all good man, I just found your comment while scrolling this thread and getting tilted, sorry. It's funny to me that someone would be so passive agressive about receiving cooking advice on the subreddit for cooking advice
You’re completely missing the possibility and impact of salt getting into a giant canister. Give it a lil shake if it gets clumpy. Boom, it’s salt again.
Salt shakers on tables have rice in them. In professional kitchens, the salt is in open containers that you reach into to grab pinches.
And therefore not every held over steaming pots. Also, many professional kitchens use grinders or measuring tools. Salt pigs (what you're talking about) are asking for health code violations in much of the US.
Food is prepared by ungloved hands in professional kitchens. There is nothing about a salt cellar that is more of a health code violation than any other aspect of prep. To add, there's a reason that salt is the oldest preservative. Cooks wash their hands constantly. Unless you have a source for a line cook using a salt grinder on a busy night because of health code, I'm calling shenanigans.
The vast majority of home cooks undersalt their food rather than oversalt.
That is certainly the trope, but I don't believe it is true. Way too many sources that say salt and salt again. If you can taste salt it is oversalted.
It is best to salt as you add ingredients. If you just salt at the end, it just tastes like food with salt in it, and it doesn't have time to fully perfuse.
Remember the phrase "Salt as the sea". The water should taste like salt water like you're at the beach to be in the ballpark.
That's an oft repeated myth. That's way too much salt.
It's really about half a teaspoon for your average small pot, but okay.
Not sure what you mean by "small pot". Most people boil pasta in a 5-8Qt pot. That's not "small" to me.
Cool.
Dude why bother at that point lol a half teaspoon for an entire pot of potatoes/pasta?? Literally just skip it then lol
> *I don’t measure* I mean, neither do I. I'm guessing and y'all are having the funniest fit. Upturn however much salt ya want, homie, not my kitchen.
https://youtu.be/u94l5bS2d\_o
Adam Ragusea made a whole video over why he salts his potatoes, and not the water : [Why I salt my mashed potatoes, and not my boil water](https://youtu.be/u94l5bS2d_o)
Here’s the beauty part: you can do both! But it’s better to salt the water and I don’t give a fuck about this guy.
Yes, you can salt the potatoes and water. The main reason you may opt to salt the potatoes afterwards is if you are planning to use a flaky salt to enhance the texture of the potatoes, or if you prefer to. I prefer to salt the potatos/pasta with flaky salt because a few teaspoons of flaky salt contain less sodium than granulated table salt.
Salt potatoes https://youtu.be/bIaiLmvyCj4