Canned food: Mission Umm Pestable

Editor's note: What happens when you have an epidemic and have extra time on the hands of a bored political reporter at home? Christopher Kane, author of LA Blade Staff, has decided to pursue his second love and passion for cooking and is now sharing the results in a new weekly Sunday column.

WASHINGTON - Today, I have some space to speak on the subject of salt, which seems appropriate in light of Justice Samuel Elliott's strong salty drafting of the American Reproductive Freedoms Act.

A few years ago, Tina Fei caught some annoyance for a Saturday Night Live sketch in which she joked about banging on a sheet cake to make the Nazis feel better about marching from Charlottesville. However, five years later things are still bad, so let's talk about food and pretend that this country is not slipping into the nightmare dystopia envisioned in Margaret Atwood's "The Handmade Tale". Okay fine? Okay fine?!

Why am I offering salt instead of recipe in today's column? Well, the reason is to know the different types of minerals and how to use them for maximum effect (taste. I am talking about taste.) For cooking and cooking. Absolutely necessary. (Also, spoiler alert: there's a prescription at the end. You're welcome.)

I don't know you, but I can tell you that you are not cooking your food properly. The reason is that most people do not; Because the institutional knowledge of chefs and skilled home chefs about salt, for the most part, did not shape consumer behavior the way it should.

After reading this column, I want you to look at the plate in the picture here with three mounds of small white crystals and be able to recognize them as types of salt; I think they were. Hey, no decision from me!

If you want to consult Gordon Ramsay or Anna Garten or [your favorite culinary artists] on their methods and preferences, practically everyone will recommend kosher salt for most spice purposes and more. Would suggest that you finish with at least one of the most delicious and sweet dishes. Sea salt or flour de-cell.

(Table salt, which has a high cube-shaped crystal and sodium content, should not be used for any of these purposes. But before you throw it away, make sure that You are getting plenty of iodine from other sources in your diet, because it is a food. Essential Nutrition.)

With significantly less sodium in volume and an uneven, flaky texture, Diamond Crystal Kosher is the brand of choice for salt as you will be less likely to season your food more, and Crystal adheres to this. You will be cooking instead of bouncing because there is a risk of table salt.

A few guidelines:

When cooking, you should usually season your dish several times, adding a pinch of salt after each ingredient or ingredient has hit the pan. For example, if you start a soup with carrots, celery, and onions, then season the vegetables together, and then you add beans or chicken stock or whatever. Repeat later.

You should always season raw meat with kosher salt, one teaspoon per pound.

If you are boiling pasta or potatoes, add more salt than you think is necessary. Spoon water - it should be compared to seawater.

Practice Chop a tomato and sprinkle a pinch of salt on the fruit. Repeat the exercise with unsalted cooked potatoes (or rice, or uncooked vegetables; you'll guess), it will eventually become intuitive, but as you use the power of salt and get over it You will learn to do, you will spoil some dishes. It's worth it, trust me.

Fleur de sel and Maldon celestial sea salt are not interchangeable at all. The former is more expensive and often comes in yellow or gray, which is why it is cut by hand. Regardless, they do basically the same thing: enhance the flavor and appearance of your dishes. You will notice that the surface area of ​​both salts is much larger than that of kosher or table salt crystals, but they taste lighter because they are hollow (which also makes a good crunch). And seriously, look at the watermelon salad pictured here. One of the reasons for this is that the kickbox is visually sprinkled with malden at the top of all recipes. It can make a bowl of microwave ramen noodles sophisticated.

Mix equal parts of watermelon and cucumber to make watermelon salad. Sprinkle with good olive oil and top with herbs like calendula or basil. Season to taste with kosher salt, measure as you go. When they start to taste delicious, double the amount of smoke and sprinkle spice on your salad. Finish with Flour D Cell or Malden Flaky Sea Salt.