Salt of the Earth

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You have permission to publish this article in its entirety, electronically, or in print, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication, if possible, would be appreciated.
Or an e-mail informing the writer of your use. "Salt of the Earth!" By Susan Rutter ©2002 Healthy YOUbbiesSaltiness is one of our fundamental aspects of taste,along with the ability to determine if foods are sweet,sour or bitter.
The perception of salt is highly personal, based on the salt content of one's saliva and how much you're used to using. This influences how you season your cooking and food at the table.
Add salt in small amounts as you cook since an oversalted dish is difficult to correct. If oversalting does occur, adding a peeled,quartered potato to a soup or stew will absorb some excess salt, or adding more water, bland starches or vegetables will absorb and increase the volume of the oversalted dish.
In less saucy dishes, a splash of lemon juice, vinegar or wine can help balance too much salt.Use of Salt:------------Salt has many other functions in cooking other thanseasoning. It is a natural preservative that inhibitsthe growth of preserve foods such as cod, and, inthe past, bacon and salt pork.
Salt is added to butterand cheese to prolong their refrigerated shelf lifeas well as for flavours. In yeast breads, salt controls the growth of the yeast, slowing the rising time and also adds structure to the dough by strengthening the protein in flour called gluten.Salt is also useful for pickling, helping to create anenvironment in which harmful bacteria are unable tolive.
Salt i often used to draw out bitter juices form eggplant and excess moisture from cucumbers. Addedto water in which vegetables are boiled, salt improvesflavour and raises the boiling point of water slightly,enabling the vegetables to cook a little quicker.
Usedthis way, salt also helps to retain the colour andnutritive value of vegetables. Since salt can also lower the freezing point of water, it is added to the ice packed around ice cream freezers so that the iceremains frozen long enough to set the ice cream.Salt Types:---------------Table: A fine-grained salt that contains an anti-cakingagent (to prevent clumping) and iodine.
Iodine has been added to table salt since the 1920s to supplement iodine-deficient diets and reduce the incidence of thyroid gland abnormalities such as goitre. Table salt disperses easily in dry ingredients, making it suitable for baking recipes.Kosher Salt: A refined salt that is coarser than tablesalt.
It contains no additives and is often preferredfor its fresher flavour and texture. It is easy to pinch and sprinkle, yet it dissolves quickly.Coarse or Pickling Salt: While coarser than koshersalt, like kosher salt it does not have any additive that might cloud pickles.
This salt can also be used for cooking and baking.Rock Salt: A coarse-grained, non-edible salt usedwith ice to pack around the outside of an ice creamfreezer to speed the rate of freezing.Sea Salt: Obtained from the sea, it is sold in avariety of textures. Coarser textures may be used in salt mills.
Fine sea salt can be intensely salty, souse sparingly. Notable varieties are Fleur de sel, adelicate white salt from the northern Atlantic coastof France.
Considered by many to be one of the best,it is a favourite of French chefs. Celtic sea salt,called grey salt, or sel gris, comes from the saltpans of Brittany, France and are hard, moist crystals.
Maldon in Essex, England. It is delicate,briny and fast dissolving.
Countless salts, includingflavoured salts, are available from many countries.Considered artisan salts, sea salts have more complexflavours with subtle nuances and are best used as acondiment after cooking.Nutrition:Salt, also called sodium chloride (NaC1), is anessential element in our diets. It performs theessential function of maintaining the equilibriumof body fluids, helps regulate blood pressure andvolume, facilitates the transmission of nerve impulses,and plays a vital role in heart and muscle contractions.A hearty adult requires on six to eight grams of salta day, but with the modern dependence on fast foodand processed food, many people consume much more.According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, "MostCanadians/Americans consume an average of twoteaspoons of salt (12 grams) each day." Excessive saltintake does not cause high blood pressure.
However,it is estimated that up to 50 percent of people withexisting high blood pressure (or hypertension) areunable to handle sodium properly and are consideredsalt sensitive. Reduce salt intake can help those people manage high blood pressure, along wit eating a low-fat diet.Iodine is added to salt to ensure Canadians get an adequate amount of this nutrient.
The NationalAcademy of Sciences recently increased theRecommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for iodineto 150 micrograms pre day for both adult men andwomen. The body uses iodine to make thyroid hormones,which regulate growth, development, reproduction,body temperature and metabolism.
Besides iodizedsalt, seafood and plants that grow in iodine-rich soilare the best sources of the mineral. Sea salt maycontain a trace amount of naturally occurring iodine.A Canadian study found that sea salt containsapproximately 1.2 micrograms pr gram of iodine,compared to 76 micrograms per gram for iodizedtable salt.
Interestingly, while processed foods tendto be high in salt, most food processors do not useiodized salt. However, modern diets that includedairy products and a variety of vegetables usuallyprovide enough iodine.======================================================Susan Rutter: author, publisher, nutritionist, instructorHelps the public make healthy choices and changesin their lives.
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