Salt ratios and salt math
How much salt goes into a dish, how do you train your palate, how do you calculate salt?
How much salt goes into a dish?
A dish takes salt equal to 0.8–1.2% of its total weight. Salt touches the tongue directly on raw vegetables, so the ratio drops to 0.7% for them. Cold food tastes less salty. That is why a dish served cold gets slightly more salt.
| Use | Salt ratio | Note |
|---|---|---|
| General salting | 0.8–1.2% | By total weight of the dish |
| Raw vegetables | 0.7% | By weight of the vegetables |
| Pasta water | 1% | 10 g per liter |
| Dry brine (meat) | 1% | 12–48 hours before cooking |
| Wet brine | 5–6% | Chicken, turkey |
| Lactic fermentation | 2–3% | Cabbage, vegetable pickles |
| Cucumber brine | 3.5–5% |
When a dish contains salty ingredients such as cheese, olives or pastırma (Turkish air-dried cured beef), reduce the added salt. Taste the dish with that ingredient already in it.
Dishes built on this rule: Shepherd's Salad · Horiatiki · Red Lentil Soup · Omelet · Rice Pilaf
How do you train your palate for salt?
You train your palate for salt by tasting water at three different salt ratios. Put 200 ml of water in each of three glasses. Add 1 g salt to the first, 2 g to the second and 3 g to the third. These amounts make 0.5%, 1% and 1.5%. Taste the three in order and remember the taste of the 1% water. If you compare your food with that taste, you can salt it without a recipe.