How to Shake the Habit

“Slowly reducing the amount of salt you use will help your taste buds compensate by identifying the other flavors in foods,” says Cooking Light’s Senior Food Editor, Alison Ashton. We polled the Cooking Light food editors and Test Kitchens professionals for ways to reduce sodium in home cooking without sacrificing flavor. Here are their suggestions:

Because of its larger crystal size, a teaspoon of kosher salt contains almost 25 percent less sodium than ordinary table salt. Kosher salt is inexpensive and easy to find most grocery stores.

Subdivide the amount of salt called for in a recipe, then add small portions as you cook and taste as you go. You may need less salt than you think.

Minimize the sodium from common pantry staples. Shop for no-salt-added products, and read labels to compare sodium levels in processed foods.

Use salt where you want the biggest flavor punch. For example, sprinkling salt on top of home-baked bread provides a burst of salty flavor that isn’t lost as it would be if incorporated with other components.