When to add salt to promote browning
I just read on www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com that they recommend not salting beef before cooking:
"Salt beef after cooking or browning. Salt draws out moisture and inhibits browning."
I was taught to salt beef first to let it draw moisture to the surface and promote a nice brown crust. Typically, I'll take a steak out of the refrigerator, salt and pepper both sides, and let it come up to room temp while my skillet or grill is heating up. Am I wrong?
egbluesuede
Mar 28, 2007 12:08PM
Salt won't draw out a signficant amount of moisture unless you leave it for quite a while. The few minutes it takes for your pan to come to cooking temperature won't make a difference, especially if you're using kosher salt.
That being said, it's not the salt that creates the nice, brown crust. It's the proteins in the meat on the hot pan that does it...it's called the "Maillard Effect".
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I agree. A good hot pan/grill/broiler will undo anything a little salt has done. I will always salt a steak and let it come up to room temp. at least 30 minutes before cooking.
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That reminds me of something that really irritated me at the time (and I've obviously been holding a grudge way too long...) Several years ago I took one of those half day cooking classes at the CIA in Hyde Park NY. We were braising short ribs, and I forgot to salt and pepper the ribs before starting to brown them. After they'd been browning, say, 5 minutes or so, I remembered and put the salt and pepper on. The instructor basically said that my meal was irrepairably damaged by my failure to do it before. I didn't feel qualified to argue with her, but it seemed unlikely at the time that it could make a whole heck of a lot of difference.
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I'm in with you guys, too-
I treat my seasonings in a multi stage process (sorta)- I'll season a hunk of meat as soon as I pull it from the fridge. If by the time it has come up to temp the surface looks really wet, I'll pat it with a paper towel (dry=good sear). The seasoning should have had ample time to be absorbed via osmosis into the surface of the meat. Really, though- how much moisture has been wicked out? 1/4 teaspoon on a 12 oz steak? The heat of the grill/salamander/pan (even in a home kitchen) would boil that away too quickly to lessen the sear.
DGresh- I think the CIA chef was being a little too reactionary- to be sure, building a braised dish happens by seasoning at every stage- seasoning the meat before the browning does indeed produce a particular flavor, but after 3-5 more bouts of added seasoning and a three hour braise, the difference between preseasoned and unseasoned shortribs is quite negligible.
There are folks among the Chowhounds that suggest adding S&P at the end of the cooking process for the most impact... I respectfully disagree- if the food has been seasoned from the beginning, it should not need a last minute adjustment.
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No, you are absolutely right and the beefwhatsfordinner ding dongs are clueless.
You need to salt it before you cook it.
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well, i dont think the answer is as clearcut as it seems. salting anything that contains SOME moisture (water content in other words) will draw out that moisture. at least somewhat. in veggies (which contain a lot of water) this is incredibly noticeable and WILL most definately affect the browning process. water coming to the surface of something will work against the browning (or Maillard in proper terms, yes) process. i agree with other posters that salting meat before browing is the best method, because the flavor will be much much better, and the meat will still brown. no probs. if you are sauteing veg tho, i would say high high heat with oil and salt only towards or at the end of the cooking. mushrooms seem to be some kind of exception to this tho and im always reworking my mushroom sauteing/cooking/frying methods.
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Interesting enough, in this months Cook's Illustrated Kitchen Notes section, they also say to not salt meat right before cooking. They say that salt draws moisture to the surface of the meat, which is detrimental to the browning process. They do say that if salt is left on the meat for at least 40 minutes, it breaks down enough for the meat to reabsorb its juices again and negates the problem.
Is salting really only about flavor then? If so, maybe they are correct to instruct us to salt after cooking and not worry about the whole issue.
It sounds like it isn't a big deal either way, and that a good hot pan or grill is going to give me a nice crust on my steak. If salting right before cooking is convenient to me, I shouldn't worry to much about how it will affect my steak. I should probably focus more on cooking it to the right temperature.
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advance salting is an advantage - long enough for the salt to draw out the moisture and for the salted moisture to be drawn back in - see Judy Rodgers and Zuni Cafe Cookbook for proper explanation of how this works . . .
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every professional chef i've ever worked with salts and peppers and then puts the meat in a hot pan to sear it, even if it's to be finished in the oven. steakhouses salt and pepper then put in the salamander or on the grill. seasoning before searing will get the flavor *into* the meat. doing so afterwards will just season the surface.
as others have said, it's not the salt that encourages browning, it's the heat, and most home cooks don't cook at sufficiently high heat anyway.
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I am a chef and have always made it a practice to salt JUST before cooking.
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yeah, ive worked in a lot of restaurant, and while im no chef at all, all the ones ive known have always seasoned liberally before any heating. afterwards, too, but def beforehand.
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Just my experience but I find a steak has a much more delicious crust if I salt it liberally BEFORE cooking. If I try to salt afterwards, the salt is not incorporated in the crust and I do not enjoy the steak as much. I have found the same thing to be true with roast chicken skin.
I think its interesting how much more impact you get when you flavor the outside crust of food. For example, you get a lot more mileage out of sugar if you use it to coat the outside of a cookie or treat than you do if you mix the same amount of sugar in the dough.
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