Before You Salt That Soup, Be Sure To Check What's Already In The Pot (Here's Why)

Adding salt to soups is a surprisingly delicate task. Given the volume of that bubbling cauldron on your stove, it seems like it could take a whole lot of seasoning before you get anywhere near risking it being oversalted. In general, this is true. Soups have a lot of water in them, and without a good amount of salt, they can be quite bland. But there is a fine balance between a soup that proudly announces its flavor and one in which the salt levels sting your tongue. One thing you need to know about salt is that it doesn't just make things taste salty, it is also a flavor enhancer. It brings out the intricacies of all the ingredients used. Without the right amount, you don't taste anything. But with a little too much, the brininess can be overpowering. With a dish like a soup that involves so many ingredients in one pot, you need to take all of those flavors into account and wait until near the end of the cook time to apply your final seasoning touches.

Depending on the soup or stew recipe you're making, you may be adding ingredients that already have a fair amount of salt to them. Broth and bouillon obviously come with a fair bit of sodium, but so too do things like sausage and bacon. As these simmer in the soup, they slowly release that salt into the broth. For this reason, it is best practice to hold the salt until the end of the cook time. When it is just about ready, give the soup a taste and add salt a little bit at a time until it reaches that perfect salinity to lift all of the components into a perfect harmony.

But what if it's already too late? Maybe you were overconfident with your seasoning or forgot that the recipe called for a couple tablespoons of soy sauce near the end — whatever the reason, it happens to the best of us, and there are easy ways to fix an over salted soup. The simplest way to bring down the saltiness of a soup or stew is dilution. Adding some water to the pot will quickly temper that salt. The downside, of course, is that it also dilutes all of the other flavors. If you've been simmering that pot all afternoon to create a rich broth, this can be a real disappointment. It's a good first step, but if you feel that flavor slipping away alongside the salt, there are a few other tricks you can try that involve diluting the soup with extra ingredients.  

Adding potatoes is a fix for over salted soup, as they will soak up a bit of the sodium, but in this case you're also adding some nice hearty tuber to the mix. Similarly, a touch of cream or other dairy will dilute the salt while also bringing up the soup's overall richness. Instead of dilution, another trick that can help restore balance is adding a touch of sweetness or acidity. A sprinkle of sugar or a squeeze of lemon can alleviate the taste of too much salt by providing a counterpoint on the palate. It doesn't actually decrease the salt level, but it does reduce its dominance. Still, while these tricks can be effective, an ounce of prevention — or perhaps a half teaspoon here — is worth a pound of cure, as they say.