# Should steaks be salted before or after cooking? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 14, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408 "2009-08-14T14:55:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/1 "2009-08-14T14:55:59Z")
My mother claims that if you salt steaks before grilling them, it dries them out. Thus, when eating at her house I have to salt my steak afterward. Does salting beforehand noticeably dry out the meat, or is this just a myth? ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/2 "2009-08-14T14:58:30Z")
Salt will draw some water to the surface of the meat (along with water-soluble proteins that will help with the Milliard reaction to get that oh so delicious brown crust on the steak,) but not enough to dry it out. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/3 "2009-08-14T15:00:13Z")
Every place they show on DDD season meats before cooking. I always do the same, and my steaks are nice and juicy. I think your mom’s problem is that she over-cooks them. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/4 "2009-08-14T15:01:11Z")
Who puts salt on steak? It only makes them taste salty, and steak is not potato chips. Use fresh ground pepper instead. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/5 "2009-08-14T15:06:00Z")
Actually, salting steaks very liberally for an hour or so and then rinsing the salt off before cooking can make a choice cut of meat taste like prime, as explained [here](http://steamykitchen.com/163-how-to-turn-cheap-choice-steaks-into-gucci-prime-steaks.html). I’ve tried it, and it does work. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/6 "2009-08-14T15:07:57Z")
Came in here to post exactly what \*\*Alice \*\*said. I love that technique. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/7 "2009-08-14T15:16:25Z")
I’ve never heard of that technique! Right, I’m buying me some choice steak over the weekend… ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/8 "2009-08-14T15:28:19Z")
I just want to say that if you wait until your steak is cooked to season it, it is never as good. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/9 "2009-08-14T15:40:41Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Who puts salt on steak? It only makes them taste salty, and steak is not potato chips. > > Use fresh ground pepper instead. Salt and pepper are not mutually exclusive. And if you’re putting so much salt on something that they taste like potato chips, you’re doing it wrong. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/10 "2009-08-14T15:52:14Z")
In their _Big Damn Book of Sheer Manliness_, the van Hoffman brothers outline a method of cooking steak that uses several **boxes** of kosher salt. I’ve tried it. Wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/11 "2009-08-14T15:54:22Z")
If you want to dry something out, use a marinade containing a fair amount of salt and let it sit overnight. IME that can be like one step toward making jerky. The length of time you expose the meat to the salt is the issue. Salting just before grilling is fine (and preferable to after). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/12 "2009-08-14T16:02:02Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Salt and pepper are not mutually exclusive. And if you’re putting so much salt on something that they taste like potato chips, you’re doing it wrong. Any salt is too much. I love the taste of steak, not the taste of salt. We don’t have a salt shaker in my house and usually leave out the salt from any recipe we make (with a few exceptions – usually bread (though we reduce the amount) and potato latkes). This isn’t due to health or diet issues – I want to taste steak, not salt. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/13 "2009-08-14T16:04:58Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Every place they show on DDD season meats before cooking. > > I always do the same, and my steaks are nice and juicy. I think your mom’s problem is that she over-cooks them. Nope. They come out nice and medium rare. The steaks aren’t dry; I think that myth is just something she heard somewhere and stuck with it. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/14 "2009-08-14T16:09:58Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > Nope. They come out nice and medium rare. The steaks aren’t dry; I think that myth is just something she heard somewhere and stuck with it. Probably. You’ll never change her mind, either. 😃 **Chuck** , are you a supertaster? That might explain your apparent sensitivity to salty tastes, because I find that salt enhances flavors, while you seem to think it masks them. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/15 "2009-08-14T17:30:53Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Any salt is too much. I love the taste of steak, not the taste of salt. > > We don’t have a salt shaker in my house and usually leave out the salt from any recipe we make (with a few exceptions – usually bread (though we reduce the amount) and potato latkes). This isn’t due to health or diet issues – I want to taste steak, not salt. I’m going to agree with silenus. Salt should be enhancing the flavor of the food, not adding a salty flavor (much more prevalent when you add it after cooking). I’d guess you’re much more sensitive to the flavor than most, as salt is an essential ingredient in all cookbooks and cooking courses. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/16 "2009-08-14T17:46:48Z")
Salting beforehand to improve the cooking process is definitely good stuff. I believe Alton Brown said on an episode of Good Eats that there’s a chemical reason to add a dash of salt to almost any meat immediately before eating, but I’ll be darned if I can recall it. My girlfriend cooks up a magnificent steak with a broiler, a small dash of Lawry’s, and prime cut ribeyes from our local butcher / blues guitarist. Thanks, OP, now I’m starving. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/17 "2009-08-14T19:31:56Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I’m going to agree with silenus. Salt should be enhancing the flavor of the food, not adding a salty flavor (much more prevalent when you add it after cooking). I’d guess you’re much more sensitive to the flavor than most, as salt is an essential ingredient in all cookbooks and cooking courses. Exactly. Salt is a flavor amplifier/enhancer–it’s an essential part of cooking. Perhaps you are just more sensitive to sodium than most, but a sprinkle of kosher salt (just pick up a pinch and sprinkle it over your steak) brings out the meatiness of the steak. I do believe a lot of food is oversalted (pretty much all convenience and fast food), but undersalted food to me tastes bland and is only slightly less of a culinary sin than oversalting (as you can correct for undersalted food.) As to the OP, I always salt and pepper a few minutes before cooking. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/18 "2009-08-14T19:57:51Z")
I can’t remember whether I got this from _Cook’s Illustrated_ or _Good Eats,_ but it goes like this. You can coat your grill with oil, or you can make the steak coat itself with its own juice. Grilled juice tastes better than grilled oil, so the writer suggests lightly salting both sides of the steak 10 minutes before grilling. The amount of juice lost is negligible, and most of the salt is lost along with the juice. I like it. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/19 "2009-08-14T20:23:32Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Any salt is too much. I love the taste of steak, not the taste of salt. > > We don’t have a salt shaker in my house and usually leave out the salt from any recipe we make (with a few exceptions – usually bread (though we reduce the amount) and potato latkes). This isn’t due to health or diet issues – I want to taste steak, not salt. But isn’t salt one of them spices that actually _enhance_ taste…? At least that’s what I’ve heard or read (from reownoed chefs) and experienced. Of course, if you use too much of it, it is not good. But if you use little of it, meat tastes more meat,potato more potato, etc, not more salt. As adults, our tastebuds aren’t what they used to be, so we put on some salt, and voila!, there it is. Of course, I might be wrong. Nonetheless, I put some salt on before cooking, OP. ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408/20 "2009-08-14T23:22:16Z")
When you do the technique mentioned above and crust the steak in salt, make sure to use coarse salt, not table. I’ve found that the perfect steak can be achieved by, crusting it top and bottom with kosher salt, letting it set for an hour or so, rinsing it off, blotting it dry, coating it lightly with olive oil, then lightly reapplying a pinch of kosher salt and a pinch of fresh ground black pepper to each side, then either grilling it or frying it in 2 T of olive oil and 2 T unsalted butter. Works every time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-steaks-be-salted-before-or-after-cooking/506408.md?page=2)