9. Salt with Style

Some of the salt used in foods is an automatic or learned response. You throw salt in the water for boiling pasta. You add salt to a pot of boiling vegetables. You sprinkle salt on potato wedges before roasting. The truth is, it’s easy to skip that step and save salt for finishing a dish. For finishing, choose a specialty salt for the most impact. A fine grind sea salt has the same amount of sodium as regular iodized salt, but flavors and colors are unique and set the mind and palate up to enjoy a food.

Staging tip: Since the terms “low sodium” and “low salt” have come to mean deprivation for some folks, entice guests and family by describing a dish as cooked with “a touch of sea salt.”

View Recipe: Grilled Zucchini with Sea Salt