And, when you donate, you'll become a member of The Splendid Table Co-op. That is significant and I think it will make a big difference. How much salt does meat absorb from a brine? I think a lot of people think they're going to automatically make savings if they switch to kosher -- that's not always the case. But many people have been told to watch their sodium intake for health reasons. Sidney Fry answered these questions and more by conducting kitchen and shopping experiments with salt for the article “The Truth About Salt in Your Food,” published in Cooking Light. SF: Yes, you could. But we found the majority of the salt is taken in during the first 12 hours. If you have high blood pressure or are at risk, you may be concerned about the sodium in your drinking water. Your gift only takes a few minutes and has a lasting impact on The Splendid Table and you'll be welcomed into The Splendid Table Co-op. Before developing the show, she worked in film, video and television, including stints at Twin Cities Public Television, Paisley Park, and Comic Relief with Billy Crystal. Luckily, one could easily purchase a salt meter (Google this) and then measure the salinity of your water before boiling, then the salinity of the water after boiling to figure out how much salt was "removed" from the saltier medium in an attempt to create the balance between the two. SF: What's actually in it and what you're actually going to consume. SF: You would think that with a coarser-grind salt there's less of it in a tablespoon than a finer grind because the crystals are bigger and there's actually less of them in the tablespoon. Salt is salt. She also survived a stint as segment producer on The Jenny Jones Show. SS: The sodium content is about what's actually in the package? Which has more salt: french fries or a milkshake? SS: So you could actually limit some of the saltiness by brining it less than that? We rely on you to do this. You've just made distilled water. If you're watching your salt, you're going to need to watch it whether it's sea salt, kosher salt or fine table salt. How much salt does meat absorb from a brine? Can you rinse salt off canned vegetables or beans? We actually found that it doesn't automatically yield sodium savings. To evaporate water to obtain salt, place the salt water in a wide, shallow dish. It's all sodium basically, or it's all 40 percent sodium. Which has more salt: french fries or a milkshake? Ham, by the very nature of the processing procedure, a salty meat. But we also found that the increase was far less significant during the second 12 hours. Here is a little un-scientific test. SS: What about canned beans or canned vegetables? February 21, 2016 6:12PM edited February 2016 When they were boiled in the water, 80 percent of that sodium came out in the water while it was cooking. We looked at some numbers across the board of different types of food that had the same amount of sodium: A milkshake has the same amount of sodium as a small container of french fries. How much of that salt really stays in the pasta? To continue eating ham even when on a low-salt diet, simply remove the salt from the ham before cooking it. SS: What about measuring salt? SS: Do you have any overall advice for people who are watching salt? For other types of meat, you can counter the salty flavor with an acidic sauce. To remove salt from meat like bacon, boil it and then cook it in olive oil. Your taste buds often don't ever pick up on that. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in three American adults has high blood pressure. You can control a lot of the sodium you add to your food in your home. I think the same would translate for vegetables or anything that is in a salty brine solution. SF: I think one big part of it is to look at the labels on the food that you're eating. Mom's Chicken with Turmeric Tahini, Chickpeas, and Onions, Staying Close, Even When Distant with Sam Sanders and more, Donate today for as little as $5.00 a month. Sally Swift is the managing producer and co-creator of The Splendid Table. This shape offers … Salt is an essential ingredient in the kitchen. Each week, The Splendid Table brings you stories that expand your world view, inspire you to try something new and show how food brings us together. Donate today for as little as $5.00 a month. Splendid Table Co-op members will get exclusive content each month and have special opportunities for connecting with The Splendid Table team. An easy weeknight recipe and more, delivered once a week. SF: I think the longer you brine it, it is going to continue to take up some amount of salt. We ran a study with some soba noodles that the label says contained 400-600 milligrams of sodium. SS: Particularly if you're someone who holds back a little pasta water to moisten things up in the end, right? Do you add more salt if you keep it longer in the brine or is there a point when it just has absorbed all of the salt it's going to absorb? Sidney Fry, assistant editor of nutrition at Cooking Light, answered these questions and more by conducting kitchen and shopping experiments with salt for the article “The Truth About Salt in Your Food.". Canned beans are often added to soups -- things that you're adding a lot more sodium to anyway. SS: What about when you brine something? How to Neutralize Salty Meat | Livestrong.com If you rinse them, can you remove any of the salt that's added to those cans? Evaporation works the same way, just at a slower rate. Ham's distinct flavor means that for some dishes, only ham will do. Sidney Fry: Only about 3 percent of the salt is absorbed from the water into the pasta, but if that water really is as salty as the seawater, that could end up being 800-900 milligrams of sodium, depending on how much salt you're starting with. SF: We actually found a 40 percent reduction in sodium when we rinsed and drained canned beans. It's a community of like-minded individuals who love good food, good conversation and kitchen companionship. When you're eating out and you're eating processed foods and fast foods, that's where when you're not in control; you never know how much sodium you're really getting. Sally Swift: I was raised with an Italian mother who insisted that the pasta water had to taste like the sea or there was not enough salt in it. The hot dog is nor porous, so the cooking water isn't going to get inside in order to remove sodium. When all of the water has boiled off, the salt will remain in the pot. Boil hot dogs in water - remove hot … Can-tastic recipes to create simple, delicious & versatile meals, Food safety and the coronavirus with food science writer J. Kenji López-Alt, Slow cooker recipes for easy big batch cooking and meal prep. For instance, when a recipe calls for a tablespoon of iodized salt, if you use a coarser salt are you getting less sodium? Can you rinse salt off canned vegetables or beans? Take One Can. It's always better to start with less.