When is the Right Time to Add Salt While Cooking?

Salt is a wonderful ingredient that can totally transform the taste of your dish. But the biggest challenge while using it is to understand how much is required. Too much or too less salt both can alter the taste of the dish totally and therefore, it is important to sprinkle just the right amount. One way to go about this is to stick to the recipe and keep tasting after every addition till you feel satisfied. If you've added too much salt by mistake, there's a way to sort that out too. In gravy dishes, you can add a potato to soak up the salt or blend some coconut milk, squeeze a lime or sprinkle a pinch of sugar to balance out the flavours.While the amount of salt used matters, so does the time of using it. Sometimes the salt doesn't blend properly in your dish and you're left with salty crystals in your mouth on tasting. Therefore, it is important to add salt at the right time to get the perfect delicious dish. Here are some tips that you must keep in mind while salting and you'll never have to worry. A lot of it depends on what you are cooking.1. Meat
Now, we all know that a meat curry can be a tad complicated to make with the variety of spices and masalas that are used. You would hate to ruin a dish that takes some skill to prepare. So, remember, while cooking meat always add salt in the beginning. As the meat is cooked, the cells tend to close up and shrivel and the meat may not be able to absorb the flavours, It is best to add salt to raw meat along with other dry spices so that all the flavours are absorbed well on cooking and this will also give it a richer flavour. For meat and chicken, a salt brine may work but avoid it for pork as it might get spongy if brined. 
 _{While cooking meat always add salt in the beginning. Photo Credit: Istock}2. SoupIt is important to make sure that your dish thoroughly absorbs the salt and it is evenly distributed. You don't want to have a salty aftertaste. Salt dissolves evenly and easily in water and so in soups, you can add it as late as you would want to. It is easy to mix and blend it. 
 _{In soups, you can add it as late as you would want to.}3. Rice and PastaStarches also require a bit of salt to infuse flavour but it all depends on how well you've incorporated it. It is good to add a pinch of salt in the water while boiling rice and pasta. These starchy foods tend to take up all of the salt and become more flavourful. You have to add the salt while boiling them, sprinkling it later will not have the same effect. 
 _{Starches also require a bit of salt to infuse flavour. Photo Credit: Istock}4. BeansYou may have not known this but it is often suggested to soak beans such as kidney beans, chickpeas or black eyed peas in salty water overnight before you cook them. You can sprinkle some right at the beginning or in the end, but not while cooking as that may make the beans turn hard. 
 _{Soak them in salty water overnight before you cook them. Photo Credit: Istock}5. Sauteed VegetablesWhile sauteing vegetables remember to add salt right in the end if you want a crunchy and caramelized texture. Salt tends to draw out the moisture from vegetables and so, if you add it in the beginning you will get soggy and limp veggies. This trick works well for all the vegetables that have high water content such as mushrooms and tomatoes.(Also read: 10 Best Mushroom Recipes)_{Add salt right at the end if you want a crunchy and caramelized texture. Photo Credit: istock}Finally, with these genius tips up your sleeve you'll never have to bother about the salty consequences, Happy cooking!