Salt

One of the most important skills to learn as a cook is how to taste. Taste is the sensory perception of sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (some would consider metallic another primary taste); these are the basic primary tastes. Flavour is the combined effect that the primary tastes and other volatile chemical compounds found in food has on sensory system. Everyone tastes something every day of their life but we seldom pay close attention to the taste and flavours being encountered.

The job of a cook is to prepare flavourful foods and to do so requires understanding of taste and flavour. Seasoning foods during the cooking process is the most fundamental technique that will have the most profound impact on the dish's final flavour. Seasoning is a fundamental technique.

The use of salt in cooking is complex even though the application of salt appears to be simple. Under seasoned foods are bland while foods that are over seasoned are unpalatable. Perfectly seasoned food brings flavours forward, awakes the palate and makes us crave for more. It is understanding these effects that salt has on foods that must be understood.

A cook must understand these effects and apply them while cooking in order to win the perfect flavour. Want a simple demonstration on the effects of salt? Eat a slice of tomato and then try one with a pinch of salt. Salt is really wonderful stuff.