[nataliste]

Acid-sugar taste-hacking is something that has bothered me for quite a while.

We know that sodium consumption can be drastically reduced by adding salt at table rather than adding it directly to food. Why doesn't this happen with sugar? Why not make desserts that take advantage of the fact that surface sugar will make it seem to be sweeter than it actually is and just have table sugar?

[crazygringo]

First of all, surface salt doesn't taste nearly as good as food that is salted throughout. Every chef knows this. Not to mention that salting foods before cooking changes their texture as well. This is why a steak that is salted an hour before grilling is far more flavorful and has a better texture than one cooked without salt, but salted at the table. And it's not a subtle difference, either -- we're talking night-and-day.

And dessert basically goes the same way -- I honestly can't even imagine what something like a cherry pie would be if it were cooked without sugar, and then you were expected to dump sugar on top. But it would not be good.

[throwitaway222]

That might be true, but it takes toooo much salt. So I prefer to salt after cooking, right before eating because it requires way less and gives roughly the same effect.

The reason a chef "knows this" is because if you judged their food with or without salt, the salt one would win, so in the end they're required to add waaay to much salt, when the tongue just needs those surface crystals.

Healthier to salt after, and therefore cook your own food.

[ink_13]

> gives roughly the same effect

It does not, and that can (and has been!) be empirically shown. Salt gets into the food and changes both chemical properties and how it responds to cooking. Pre-seasoned meats, for example, are more tender.

If you prefer to salt at the table, by all means, eat your food however you like it, but it is simply false to claim that there's no difference or "chefs just add too much salt".

[crazygringo]

> Healthier to salt after

It's not. Unless you have hypertension or some other medical condition around salt, there's no reason to restrict your salt intake.

For the average person, the level of salt in restaurant food has no unhealthy effects whatsoever. Amounts in excess of your daily requirement are simply excreted in urine.

[magicpin]

Just because low sodium is an effective treatment for certain conditions does not mean it should be the default option.

Many athletes especially in very hot climates need high sodium, sometimes up to 8 grams a day.

[beeboobaa]

That would require the company to

1) Care about their customers' health, which they have no reason to

2) Be willing to risk brand damage by exposing how much sugar is in their garbage

3) Be willing to "burden" users with the task of adding sugar which isn't "convenient"

It's far easier to just feed people garbage while you're making $$$

[Scoundreller]

> 3) Be willing to "burden" users with the task of adding sugar which isn't "convenient"

Some people like rituals with their addiction.

Seeing the sugar being added may create the perception of more sweetness than there is. (But also guilt, so it can go both ways).

[zozbot234]

You can make fine powdered sugar at home with a coffee-grinder, but it will absorb moisture over time so the industrially-made variety has additives to prevent that.

[JohnFen]

I actually do this instead of buying powdered sugar. I make my own brown sugar instead of buying it as well. Both are very easy to do, so I just make it on an as-needed basis. That way, I don't have to worry about storage and the considerations that come with it.