6 votes

My oatmeal says to add salt to the water before boiling

Posted by ProfessorRiffs

But my grits say to add the salt with the grits, after the water boils. Why the difference? Always been curious about this.

9 comments

  1. SleepyGary
    (edited )
    Link
    I think there are a lot of untested old wives tales when it comes to making food (e.g., the searing to keep juices in myth persists despite being debunked.) A lot of recipes, especially from...

    I think there are a lot of untested old wives tales when it comes to making food (e.g., the searing to keep juices in myth persists despite being debunked.) A lot of recipes, especially from manufacturers are simply so to get a consistent taste. Seasoning before you cook allows it to be absorbed more thoroughly so you get a more subtler and even flavour, adding seasoning after makes the seasoned areas more concentrated with flavour. That said adding salt to the water before boiling before you put oats in vs adding salt and grits to the boiling water probably is not going to make a huge difference one way or the other and is simply recipe preference.

    6 votes
  2. [6]
    SaucedButLeaking
    Link
    The grits have you add salt after boiling for flavor. I was going to say that adding salt to the oatmeal water is to raise the boiling point, but according to this, the effect is negligible....

    The grits have you add salt after boiling for flavor. I was going to say that adding salt to the oatmeal water is to raise the boiling point, but according to this, the effect is negligible. According to this, it looks like adding salt to the water makes it boil faster because the salt absorbs heat faster than pure water does

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      merick
      Link Parent
      There's a caveat there. That assumes you're replacing some of the water with salt, not adding salt to the water. When you're cooking, you'll be adding salt to the water which will make it...

      According to this, it looks like adding salt to the water makes it boil faster because the salt absorbs heat faster than pure water does

      There's a caveat there. That assumes you're replacing some of the water with salt, not adding salt to the water. When you're cooking, you'll be adding salt to the water which will make it technically boil slower.

      From the full answer in the linked question:

      This only works if one adjusts the volume of the water so that the salt is a part of the test pot. If one puts two quarts of water into two pots and then adds salt to one, the pure water boils faster. It is only in the pot that has less water, with the salt contributing to the combined mass, that the salt water boils more quickly.

      5 votes
      1. SaucedButLeaking
        Link Parent
        Ah, I missed the "this only works" part. Thank you!

        Ah, I missed the "this only works" part. Thank you!

        1 vote
  3. smartyhands
    Link
    Does not matter. As mentioned, there are very slight, perhaps even unnoticeable, differences between salted and non-salted cereals. However, there is no chemical difference between adding salt...

    Does not matter. As mentioned, there are very slight, perhaps even unnoticeable, differences between salted and non-salted cereals. However, there is no chemical difference between adding salt prior to, or immediately after adding cereal to boiling water. A spoon of table salt will dissolve almost instantly in a pot of boiling water, much faster than sugar.

    IMO, the proper amount of salt is the essential ingredient to good oatmeal.

    1 vote
  4. Halfdeaf
    Link
    Grits absorbs more water than oatmeal at a slower rate. The best way to make grits is low and slow. In the process more water and thus sodium is absorbed. This doesn't actually explain why one...

    Grits absorbs more water than oatmeal at a slower rate. The best way to make grits is low and slow. In the process more water and thus sodium is absorbed. This doesn't actually explain why one needs salt added first but the other after. Grits is in my experience less consistent when cooking so it's always better to taste as you cook.

    I could be over thinking this and the two different manufactures just have different salt philosophies. In the end it really doesn't matter when you are absolute sure about the salt volume you want.