# Do you salt your food?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [December 2, 2011, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807 "2011-12-02T05:42:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/1 "2011-12-02T05:42:25Z")
Do you salt your food after it has been prepared?
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/2 "2011-12-02T05:45:52Z")
If I’ve done the cooking, it already tastes the way I want it to. Otherwise I taste it first.
I was in a restaurant in Amsterdam, and saw a woman empty practically half a salt shaker onto her food, without even tasting it first. I wonder what her blood pressure was.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/3 "2011-12-02T05:50:20Z")
Usually, no. Depends on who’s making it. My mother tends to undersalt, but I’m fine everywhere else pretty much.
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### Author:  [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/4 "2011-12-02T05:58:55Z")
It depends what the food tastes like without it. 😛 If it wants some salt, then I put some in. Otherwise I leave it alone. Although I’m a salt-and-savory-aholic, and have been known to snack on bullion cubes, I do appreciate subtle flavors. Just…sometimes a little salt makes it that much better.
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### Author:  [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/5 "2011-12-02T06:01:29Z")
I salt steak and other types of beef. Otherwise, no, not really.
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/6 "2011-12-02T06:09:30Z")
I use some half-and-half salt when I’m cooking, but I almost never salt food after it’s been prepared. There isn’t much food that North Americans eat that isn’t loaded with sodium already, and I like to taste the actually food tastes, not just salty taste.
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### Author:  [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/7 "2011-12-02T06:24:10Z")
You didn’t make an option for tasting it first.
In my opinion it’s an insult to the cook to season without at least trying a bite.
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### Author:  [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/8 "2011-12-02T06:32:13Z")
I _sometimes_ put salt on chips. That’s it, though.
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/9 "2011-12-02T06:36:08Z")
I don’t like food that’s “too salty” and hardly ever salt anything before I have tasted it. It always puzzles me to see others grab a salt shaker and cover whatever it is before even tasting it.
I’m more apt to pepper things I have yet to taste, but that’s also a moderation thing.
I don’t add sugar to things either, unless they really need sweetening.
ETA: What **zoid** said.
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### Author:  [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/10 "2011-12-02T06:41:23Z")
Salt is my favorite food. I love salt. I salt everything, especially pasta, potatoes, rice, and vegetables. Salt, salt, salt. I do not have high blood pressure.
Being forced to eat say, potatoes, without salt would be like a form of torture.
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### Author:  [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/11 "2011-12-02T06:42:29Z")
> [@zoid](#):
>
> You didn’t make an option for tasting it first.
I had thought about that, but kind of assumed that nowadays most folks test their food prior to salting. But then again what do I know? 🙂
Plus, adding this option would have resulted in more non-mutually exclusive options.
> [@zoid](#):
>
> In my opinion it’s an insult to the cook to season without at least trying a bite.
Agreed
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### Author:  [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/12 "2011-12-02T11:29:00Z")
Moving thread to Cafe Society, old salts.
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### Author:  [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/13 "2011-12-02T11:41:12Z")
Somewhere between rarely and never.
I do use a little salt when cooking, of course. But something that comes to me in a restaurant, or that someone else has prepared - nope. I dislike salty foods like chips and salted nuts, most canned soups and fast food is unpleasantly salty and makes me super-thirsty.
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### Author:  [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/14 "2011-12-02T11:46:45Z")
> [@Zeldar](#):
>
> I don’t like food that’s “too salty” and hardly ever salt anything before I have tasted it. It always puzzles me to see others grab a salt shaker and cover whatever it is before even tasting it.
>
> I’m more apt to pepper things I have yet to taste, but that’s also a moderation thing.
>
> I don’t add sugar to things either, unless they really need sweetening.
>
> ETA: What **zoid** said.
Ditto. I’m a little sensitive to the taste of salt (and get bloated from it relatively easily), so I tend to under-salt things when cooking and to taste my food before I reach for salt, if ever. I’m not much of an autocondimentor to start with, though, as I tend to taste a little bit before I put sauces, spices, etc. on the prepared food I’m eating.
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### Author:  [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/15 "2011-12-02T12:03:41Z")
If I prepare it, no, but I might if others cooked it.
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### Author:  [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/16 "2011-12-02T12:06:54Z")
> [@Hilary\_Algar](#):
>
> Do you salt your food after it has been prepared?
Not generally, but I am partial to the taste of salt. So there are some foods where the saltiness is part of the enjoyment (buttered corn, eggs, sea salt on a good steak).
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### Author:  [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/17 "2011-12-02T12:36:38Z")
I don’t like lots of salt, so I don’t use much when cooking. And I’ll taste before reaching for the shaker. I’ve quit eating canned soups because they’re all so doggone salty, plus my homemade soups are so much better anyway… 😉
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### Author:  [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/18 "2011-12-02T12:37:42Z")
My wife cooks with quite a bit of salt, so usually I don’t add more.
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### Author:  [@highrollinwooded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/highrollinwooded)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/19 "2011-12-02T13:19:56Z")
Confirmed saltaholic here…salt on everything…salad, pizza, etc, although I NEVER add it to my baking, other than bread. My dad used to be on my ass everytime he saw me salt something. BTW, my blood pressure runs low/normal.
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### Author:  [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2011, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-food/604807/20 "2011-12-02T13:26:29Z")
I salt starches—potatoes, rice, pasta—and vegetables, but usually don’t salt the meat. I do like a lot of salt on my potatoes. Butter too.
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