Overheard a line cook say "salt is just crunchy water" and I still can't process it

Dude was in the middle of a brutal Friday rush and just casually dropped that while seasoning steaks. It made me stop for a second because honestly it sort of makes sense in a weird way? Salt dissolves and carries flavor so I guess it IS like water's solid cousin. But also no. I've been thinking about it for 3 days now. Anyone else ever hear something so dumb it actually changed how you think about ingredients?

3 comments

3 Comments

betty_perry245d agoMost Upvoted

Heard a chef once call garlic "fancy salt" and it stuck with me for weeks. That line cook is onto something though because salt really does act like water in a way, pulling flavors out and making things taste more like themselves. Never thought about it as crunchy water before but I can't unsee it now. Makes you wonder what other dumb food truths are out there waiting to be said.

wader715d ago

Watching a cooking video where a guy called cumin "earthy pepper" and that one stuck with me too. Salt is basically a flavor amplifier, right? It doesn't add a new taste, it just makes whatever's already there louder. Garlic does that but adds a little kick too. I bet the dumbest truth is that cilantro tastes like soap to some people because it's literally a genetic thing, not them being picky. That's a real food truth hiding in plain sight. Bet there's a ton more like that.

gavin_kim5d ago

Nah. Garlic's got its own flavor. Salt's just a volume knob.