Season in layers
Salt added early dissolves into the food and spreads through it. Salt added only at the end sits on the surface. Season a little at each stage, then taste at the end.
Reducing a liquid concentrates the salt
Simmering drives off water but leaves salt behind, so a soup reduced by half has twice the salt in every spoonful. Season lightly at the start. Do the final salting when the soup is nearly done and the volume is where you want it.
Test yourself
Questions from the interactive lesson, with the answer and the why.
You're making soup. Why salt the onions at the start and taste again before serving?
Early salt seasons from within, and the final taste fine-tunes it. Salt added early spreads through the food, and a pinch at the end corrects the finish.
True or false: If you taste only at the very end, seasoning is easy to get right.
False. Late fixes have no time to blend in, and a big one is easy to overshoot. Taste along the way.
What went wrong? You salt 2 liters of stock well at the start, boil it down by half, and find it harshly salty.
Boiling off half the water doubled the salt in each spoonful. Water evaporates and salt doesn't, so season lightly and salt again after reducing.
Fill the blank: Water boils off a simmering sauce but the salt stays, so the sauce gets more ___.
Water boils off a simmering sauce but the salt stays, so the sauce gets more concentrated. Less water around the same salt means a stronger taste.
Your soup has enough salt but still tastes flat. What should you try?
A teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Acid brightens muted flavors without adding saltiness.