“[T]he primordial condiment that was prepared by the earth billions of years before early humans ever learned to enliven their food with it.”
-Harold McGee
We start with salt. We must. Before history, before tools, before technique. We start with salt, a basic taste. That to which other food is compared. A fundamental descriptor, the basest ingredient. The brine of ocean, the salinity of blood. It is in us, of us. Keeps equilibrium.
There is no other ingredient more important to cooking than salt. It is one of our five or six basic tastes. But salt brings more than saltiness. It livens all flavors, coaxes aromas from food. Damps bitterness. Without salt, our food would taste shallow, less like itself.
And so first we learn of salt. We must use it. It is singularly important, before all else.
“What’s the most important thing for a cook to know in your kitchen?”
[Keller] paused, then said, “Seasoning.”
“What do you mean, seasoning?”
“Salt and pepper.” He paused again. “Salt, really.”
“The most important thing for a cook to know is how to salt food?”
“That’s right,” he said.
-Michael Ruhlman, The Elements of Cooking
Chuck Roast
Ingredients:
Chuck roast
Kosher salt, for its shape
Technique:
Salting
Methods:
Pan sear
Roast
From the fridge to the counter. Salt liberally, both sides, and use more than you think you should. Then let the meat come to room temperature. While you wait, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and heat a pan on medium-high.
Check the pan with a hand outstretched mere inches from the surface. When it’s engine hot, place the roast in the pan and let it sear for sixty seconds. Flip the roast and sear for the same amount of time. If you desire, and your roast is thick enough, sear the sides. Then place it in a roasting pan, cover with foil and put in the oven. Do what you enjoy for 20 minutes for each pound the meat weighs. When it’s finished, pull the roast from the oven, let rest five minutes, then carve into thin slices. You can top with the juices from the pan or save them for later.
Salt is vital to food. It preserves the pickle, melds in complex reactions not fully understood. It textures cheeses, improves the crumb color and grain of bread. I keep a small shallow bowl in my cupboard, scatter salt unafraid. And taste, taste, taste.
One Comment
Interesting subject. Looks like you’ll have a good blog.