Or on any other (IMHO) inherently, already-salty foods?
The notion is incomprehensible to me - I love pizza as much as the next woman, but pizza, fast-food burgers, fries, canned soup and other such foods already seem to be waaay salty enough as served up.
I know at least four people who automatically put salt on just about everything, without even tasting it to see if it needs (more) salt first. It’s probably no coincidence that each of the four also takes medication for high blood pressure.
I’m still not over people needing to put packets of red pepper and more cheese (parmesan etc.) on their pizza. I might use them, but won’t throw a fit if it doesn’t come with them; some other people do. I also did not grow up with people who treat ranch dressing as a basic condiment but now am surrounded by them. I’ve never heard of salting pizza, ever.
Some people pre-spice (salt and/or black pepper), and there’s not much you can do about it. Drives me bonkers. I’m not offended per se, but I can see how it implies to some cooks that their stuff is underseasoned by default and needs “fixing.” Maybe serve them something that is way oversalted and see if they like it when the add more salt?
I know people who automatically sprinkle their pizza with parmesan cheese, red pepper, and/or hot sauce, but I’ve never seen anyone salt a pizza. Yuck.
I’ll admit to adding red pepper flakes if they’re available, or hot sauce. Because depending on the pizza, spicy heat is often lacking (at least here in the Midwest.)
But SALT? Good God, when I eat a bunch of pizza, I do so knowing that I will be pounding down iced water later because, salty ingredients are an integral part of a pizza. but spicy-hot flavour notes are not, generally speaking, an integral part of a pie and I think they really add another note.
This came about because an employee brought left-over pizza for lunch today and was kind of freaking out because she’d forgotten to bring salt for it. :eek:
I bought a jar of “pizza seasoning” from Penzey’s (a chain of spice stores) last year. I think it’s for making homemade pizza but it also seems to improve the taste of frozen pizza. The first ingredient is salt, but there’s other stuff as well (cracked and ground Indian fennel seed, Turkish oregano leaf and powder, sugar, garlic, Tellicherry black pepper, sweet California basil, white onion, crushed red pepper and cayenne red pepper powder).
I have one friend ( who I haven’t seen in awhile ) who does this. The first time it happened I stared very rudely and asked about it, because it flabbergasted me. I love salty, but even I have my limits.
And pepper too. And pepper flakes and parmesan and Franks and whatever else I feel like at the time. I probably have pizza what, 2 or 3 times a year so I’m not really concerned.
My father does this. Not just with pizzas, but just about anything he eats.
I remember trips to McDonald’s as a child, watching dad lift the top bun off his burger to liberally sprinkle it with salt. Bleh.
I inherited his love for salty things, though, particularly salty junk food like chips, crisps (salt and vinegar is a match made in heaven), crackers, and popcorn, but I avoid them (by never buying them at the shops) because I’d rather not be my father’s weight.
Sorry, don’t mean to put you on the defensive or anything. I just can’t fathom salting bacon (to me, the addition of a little bacon to a dish makes further use of salt superfluous), but vive le difference and all that.
I can’t think of any pre-made foods I add more salt to, besides salt to the pasta water. It never ever occurred to me to salt a pizza ever. Pepper flakes or hot sauce, sure, if it doesn’t already have jalapenos or banana peppers on it. I watched a co-worker dump an enormous amount of salt onto a burger once, I had a horrified look on my face, I’m sure. He thought it was funny, my reaction.
