Is Salt Good for You?

Meat: For better browning, pat steak dry and sprinkle on coarse salt just before you plop it into the pan. Some cooks salt tougher cuts such as brisket ahead of time to tenderize them; others don’t think it’s necessary. If you decide to, use about 1 teaspoon kosher salt per pound of meat and let it rest for 30 minutes per ½ inch of thickness, Duguid says. To season ground meat (beef, pork, or poultry), mix in about ½ tablespoon of kosher salt per pound.

Soups, sauces, and braises: Working in your preferred salt throughout the process of cooking liquids creates a more complete flavor, says Stephen Chavez at the Institute of Culinary Education. It can also reduce the sharpness of strongly flavored ingredients like onion and kale.

Vegetables: In addition to softening potent flavors, salt breaks down plant fibers to shorten cooking. To keep watery veggies like eggplant and zucchini from getting mushy, sprinkle with kosher or fine salt about 10 minutes before cooking, then pat dry.

Pasta: Nonna was right: Salting the water gives pasta flavor. Go with a tablespoon of table or fine sea salt—they dissolve fastest—for every 4 quarts of water and 1 pound of pasta. It won’t absorb much: Some research shows that when pasta is cooked in about that same amount of salted water, it has no more than 130 mg of sodium per cup.

Grains: To bring out the nutty flavors in brown rice and farro, toast them in a pan, then add water seasoned with around a teaspoon fine or ½ teaspoon kosher salt per cup of uncooked grain.

Eggs: Adding a pinch of kosher or sea salt before whisking for a scramble or an omelet helps loosen protein bonds. “This creates fluffier eggs,” Chavez says. Let the whisked egg sit for a few minutes to allow the salt to dissolve.