How do potatoes work against salt
For people cooking now and then it is common knowledge that you have to add an extra of salt if you're including potatoes in your meal.
But what is the (biological? chemical?) reason that potatoes - at least for our taste buds - cushion salty tastes?
Best Answer
I see two possible reasons for such a statement. First, it could be that traditional home cooks are accustomed to salt vegetables on a very rough basis, using some homemade rule like "a teaspoon for one pot of soup", and potatoes being blander (less sour, less aroma) than many other vegetables, they prefer to add more salt to potato-heavy meals to achieve a similar level of seasoning-ness.
The second could be a logical derivative of the idea that adding potatoes fixes oversalted soups. If they are an antidote for salt, they need more of it to reach normal saltiness when added deliberately, right? Only the problem here is that they are not a magical anti-salt thing at all. They don't really "fix" the soup, they are just a convenient way (cheap, bulky) to provide dilution in the salty soup, reducing the average saltiness of the chewed potato-stock mixture in the mouth.
Both are not really good reasons to stick to the rule. The second one is plain wrong, and the first is overly simplistic. The better way is to adjust your seasoning based on all factors of the recipe, not just the presence of potatoes. And always taste test when adding seasonings.
So, to sum it up, there is no such reason at all. Your assumption is based on misunderstandings and kitchen myths.
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Quick Answer about "How do potatoes work against salt"
The potato is the best known and most used vegetable when desalinating a dish which is too salty. Indeed, this vegetable is rich in starch, a substance that readily absorbs excess salt. To do this, simply peel one or two potatoes.How do potatoes reduce salt?
The theory is that a potato is the perfect vehicle to absorb excess salt. Just throw it into the pot and simmer it for awhile, remove it after it's absorbed some of the salt, and you're left with less-salty soup. No need to add more liquid or other ingredients to help disperse the extra salt.Do potatoes really absorb salt?
Well, potatoes don't pull salt out of anything. They do absorb water, though\u2014and if that water happens to be salty, they'll absorb salty water. But they're not absorbing salt in particular. Potatoes are amazing, but they're not capable of reverse osmosis.Can a potato remove salt from soup?
To combat salt, place a peeled raw potato into the pot of cooking soup. The starchy tuber will absorb liquid and some of the excess salt. You'll need to remove the potato once it's fully saturated with extra salt, but before it's fully cooked, about 30 minutes.How do potatoes absorb flavor?
An easy win is to rinse off the excess starch. Place the potatoes under running cold water and keep rinsing until the water runs clear. This literally opens the floodgates to accept more flavour into the spud. That said, the dense texture is still going to block out most flavourings.How to Make Salt Baked Potatoes
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Answer 2
When you cook potatoes in water, about 70% of potassium and 55% of sodium can be lost in the cooking water (NutritionData). Potassium has a similar effect on taste as sodium, and with so much potassium and sodium lost, potatoes will have bland taste.
Potatoes cooked in vapour (steaming) will keep most of the potassium, so you might have no desire to salt them at all.
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