Why Salt Types and Grain Size Matter
Rock salt, sea salt, and fine table salt do not have the same salinity: because their grain sizes differ, the same measuring spoon can hold different amounts of actual salt. Since fine table salt packs more tightly, the same volume can provide 40–50% more saltiness than coarse salt.
If a recipe does not specify the type of salt, coarse or crystal salt is generally assumed. If you have fine salt, use about two-thirds as much instead of the same measure, then taste and adjust. Salt sprinkled with your fingertips should always be coarse-grained: fine salt sticks to your fingers and can pour out uncontrollably.
Early Salting: Letting Salt Penetrate the Meat
Salting meat at least 40 minutes before cooking, preferably one night before (dry brining), allows the salt to penetrate the meat and increases its water-holding capacity; combined with resting, this produces a noticeably juicier result.
A window in between—salting and cooking within 5–15 minutes—has the opposite effect: the salt draws moisture to the surface but does not have time to penetrate back into the meat. That moisture evaporates in the pan, and the meat dries out. Either salt the meat immediately before cooking or at least 40 minutes ahead; avoid the interval in between.
Salting Cooking Water
Pasta and vegetable cooking water should be as salty as seawater—about 10 grams of salt per 1 liter of water (1 level 15 ml measure). Salt penetrates directly into the food’s cells rather than staying on the outside; pasta cooked without salt in the water tastes flat, no matter how good the sauce is later.
You do not need a scale to check the saltiness of cooking water: taste it. It should taste lightly salty, close to seawater; if it tastes bland, it needs more salt.
Salting Vegetables to Draw Out Moisture (Dégorger)
Sprinkling sliced eggplant, cucumber, or zucchini generously with salt and letting it sit for 20–30 minutes draws out excess water from the cells, along with compounds that contribute to bitterness in eggplant. When the time is up, thoroughly pat the salt and released moisture from the vegetable’s surface with paper towels.
This step is especially important before frying: when a vegetable that still contains excess water hits hot oil, the oil splatters and the result is soft and greasy rather than crisp.
Finishing Salt
Coarse finishing salt in flakes or crystals is sprinkled over a dish just before serving to add texture and a sharp burst of salt, not to do the main seasoning. It does not replace the fine salt added during cooking; the two serve different purposes.
The Habit of Tasting as You Salt
Rather than adding all the salt at the end, add small amounts and taste as you go through different stages of cooking for a more balanced result. Each layer carries its own seasoning; adding it all at the end leaves only the surface salty.
Salt is the least expensive ingredient in a recipe but the one that makes the biggest difference: a little salt added at the right time is always better than a lot added at the wrong time.