For vegetables, a good rule of thumb is to add salt before cooking, specifically when tossing them with oil for roasting or including it in the cooking water or skillet when sauteing.
General Guidance
Based on expert advice, when you're unsure about salting vegetables, it's often best to add salt before the cooking process begins. This helps the salt penetrate and season the food from the start.
Here's how this applies to common cooking methods:
Before Roasting
- Timing: Add salt when you toss vegetables with oil before roasting.
- Method: Combine your prepared vegetables with oil and salt in a bowl, ensuring they are evenly coated, before spreading them on a baking sheet for roasting.
While Sauteing or Boiling
- Timing: Include salt in the cooking water or in the skillet when you saute.
- Method: If boiling vegetables like pasta or potatoes, salt the water. If sauteing vegetables in a pan, add the salt to the skillet, often along with the oil or other initial ingredients.
Special Considerations
While the general rule favors salting vegetables early, there is an important exception:
- Mushrooms: Avoid adding salt too early when cooking mushrooms. Because mushrooms contain a lot of water, adding salt prematurely can draw out this moisture, preventing them from browning properly in the pan. It's better to salt mushrooms closer to the end of their cooking time.
Following these guidelines, particularly the advice to salt vegetables before cooking when in doubt, can help you achieve better flavor in your dishes.
