Chef Shares 3 Unexpected Uses for Salt in the Kitchen

You might think that salt only has one purpose in life: to make your bland food tasty. After all, what would an ear of corn or a slab of meat be without a sprinkle of our favorite seasoning? But, the truth is, we’ve all been putting salt in a box. There’s more to the seasoning than we might think, some clever uses for it in the kitchen that we would never have anticipated. Moral of the story? Don’t underestimate your regular old table salt.

America’s Test Kitchen is going to show us three of their favorite ways to use salt that the average cook may not have thought up. With just a sprinkle of the good stuff, these chefs can keep their greens vibrant, their coffee fresh, and their scrambled eggs fluffy. And that’s only the beginning.

Vibrant Greens

The greens in question? They’re of the bean variety…green beans, of course. To keep your beans not only flavorful but a lovely green color, include salt in your boiling water. Boiling water without salt will cause the chlorophyl in the beans to break down and leave you with an incredibly unappealing color. The chefs suggest that you add 1 1/2 tsp. of salt for every quart of water to get the best flavor and presentation possible.

Sweeten Your Coffee

Little known fact, but salt reduces bitterness. One of the things that can get especially bitter in the kitchen? Coffee. Add a pinch of salt to every quart of coffee grounds for smooth, sweet coffee that has lost its bitter tendencies.

Perfect Scrambled Eggs

A sprinkle of salt will leave you with the best scrambled eggs of your life. Promise. When you’re getting ready to scramble your eggs, add a sprinkle of salt. As it does with meat, salt breaks down the proteins in eggs, making it so that the protein and the egg can’t form too tight of a bond. This will keep your eggs tender and prevent them to getting dry. Try a 1/4 of a tsp. so things don’t get TOO salty.

 

Truthfully, this is only the start of ways you can use salt in your day-to-day life! Not all of these uses even involve the kitchen; salt has a long reach in your life, as it turns out.

In the kitchen, salt can eliminate fish odors, the smells off of cutting boards, prevent mold on food, keep milk fresh, and assist in peeling eggs. As far as cleaning goes, salt can help to break down grease and grim off of pots, pans, and cups! You can even remove soot and rust stains off various parts of your decor using essentially only salt.

For personal use, try incorporating salt into your pedicure routine! Adding salt to your foot soak helps exfoliate the old layers of skin off your feet and leaves them soft to the touch. You can even use the magic of salt to help heal bee stings. Is there anything salt can’t do?

Do you have a creative use for salt in your home or in your kitchen? Share your salty hacks in the comments section below.