# Why do food judges complain about lack of salt?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-food-judges-complain-about-lack-of-salt/835920>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 23, 2019, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-food-judges-complain-about-lack-of-salt/835920 "2019-06-23T05:10:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-food-judges-complain-about-lack-of-salt/835920/41 "2019-06-28T03:43:04Z")

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> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> I’m not one for adding salt and find the claim that salt beings out flavor ludicrous: salt makes things taste salty, just like pepper makes things taste like pepper.
> 
> That’s ok on some foods like French fries, but I prefer food that you can either actually taste the unsalted flavor, or you use another spice to enhance it.
> 
> People are so accustomed to salt that things without it seem wrong. But a grilled steak is delicious with nothing but peppercorns.

Except…salt is one the four basic tastes, isn’t it? Pepper is not. Salt, sweet, bitter, sour? Sugar doesn’t just make things sweet, some things DO indeed need sugar. Why shouldn’t it be the same for salt?

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**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-food-judges-complain-about-lack-of-salt/835920/42 "2019-06-28T09:25:46Z")

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> [@running\_coach](#):
>
> Make a loaf of bread from scratch and leave out the salt. Get back to us on the taste.

It’s been a while, but…

After being on a low-salt diet for a year as a child, I found store-bought bread almost inedible because of the saltiness. And later, when I was making bread from scratch every week, yes, I didn’t use any salt.

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