Giving salt and pepper a fair shake

[Food Network Fan]

Giving salt and pepper a fair shake

By Christine Stutz
Examiner Correspondent 12/3/08

Executive chef Michael Costa grinds a custom salt mixture in the dining room of Pazo in Baltimore. Costa has been using seasoned salt and pepper in his dishes for many years. "This is something the home cook can easily do as well," said Costa. Kristine Buls/Examiner Good cooks know the importance of proper seasoning. But with dozens of salt and pepper varieties available, it can be difficult to know which to choose and how to use them. Nick Ciotti, sales manager for Vanns Spices and a trained chef, attributes the current salt craze to the popularity of TV cooking shows.
Professional chefs have long preferred kosher or sea salt to standard iodized salt, and savvy home cooks are following their lead.
“If you change just one thing in your kitchen, start with the salt,” TV chef and author Michael Chiarello has said.

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[Food Network Fan]

Two things that really are the spice of life. Everything from eggs to burgers are so much better with a little of each.

[FoodieDoug]

Couldn't agree more. First things I grab when I'm at the table are the salt and pepper shakers.

[Pluff Mudder]

On a good cut a meat all you need is good salt and freshly ground pepper to bring out it's meaty flavor. I've had some where people have put so much other stuff on the meat that's all you taste. When I have meat... I want it to taste like meat, not like an entire rosemary plant. My BIL's GF did that one time with roasted chicken breast. She piled so many fresh rosemary pieces on top on the chicken before she baked it, that's all you could taste... that was after you dug a piece of chicken out from under the mountian of clippings.

[FoodieDoug]

On a good cut a meat all you need is good salt and freshly ground pepper to bring out it's meaty flavor. I've had some where people have put so much other stuff on the meat that's all you taste. When I have meat... I want it to taste like meat, not like an entire rosemary plant. My BIL's GF did that one time with roasted chicken breast. She piled so many fresh rosemary pieces on top on the chicken before she baked it, that's all you could taste... that was after you dug a piece of chicken out from under the mountian of clippings.

Guilty! I've gotten carried away with the herbs a time or two when I've done a chicken in the smoker. The smoke flavor would have been adequate.

[Pluff Mudder]

Yep. With my smoker I've found that using the KISS principle is the best way to go. First time I did ribs, all I could taste was the rub I used. Now, it's usually just salt, pepper some garlic powder and let the smoke do it's magic.