science around you : salt

Salt is the most common ingredient that people used in the cook. Edible salt or in chemical term we called it sodium chloride (NaCl) is an ionic compound that can be found mostly at the ocean and extracellular fluid. Here are types of common edible salt that can be found in our daily life

• table salt
• iodized salt
• coarse salt
• rock salt

Tips that you can used in your kitchen

1. If you are planning to add salt to boiling water for pasta or vegetables, wait until the water boils before adding it. Salted water takes longer to boil.

   

2. The addition of salt to vegetables and pasta results in a firmer texture

   

3. Do not add salt before whipping egg whites. The salts pulls out the moisture which will not only increase whipping time, but decrease volume, texture and stability.

   

4. Humidity and moisture will cause salt to clump and stick together. Add about ten grains of raw rice to the shaker to absorb the moisture and keep the salt flowing freely
5. Salt pulls juices out of the vegetables. This is a good thing for some watery vegetables like cucumber and eggplant in some dishes, but if you want mushroom to remain plump, add the salt at the end of cooking.
6. A salted warm dish will not taste as salty when cold because chilling reduced salty flavoured.