Why does salt make such a big difference in recipes or adding it to food? Adding a little makes such a big difference. Why?

Question

Edit: Thank you everyone for your responses! I’ve learned so much reading through them and I’m happy to have sparked an engaging discussion!

In: 7186

Answer 1

I don’t know the science behind this, but as someone who’s been cooking for a long time, when you add the salt during cooking matters a lot. I salt (lightly) and add seasoning at multiple stages of cooking. For a lot of boiled food, like rice, if you don’t add salt during cooking it will never taste right no matter how much salt you add later.