What if there's no salt for cooking at home

When cooking at home without salt, salty seasonings such as soy sauce, oyster sauce, and shrimp skin can be used as substitutes. Lemon juice, vanilla, and other seasonings can also be used to enhance the flavor.

1. Salty seasoning replacement

Soy sauce contains natural salt produced by soybean fermentation, which is suitable as a substitute for salt when stewing or cold mixing. Oyster sauce is made by boiling oysters, with a strong salty and savory taste, suitable for adding in small amounts when stir frying. After drying, the salt content of shrimp skin is concentrated, and it can be crushed and used as a seasoning, especially suitable for soups and seafood dishes. These substitutes need to be carefully controlled in dosage to avoid excessive sodium intake.

2. Natural ingredients enhance freshness

Soaking dried mushrooms, seaweed and other dried goods can release glutamic acid, enhancing the freshness of food. Tomatoes produce a natural sour and sweet taste when heated, which can reduce the need for salty taste. The caramelization reaction produced by stir frying onions and garlic can also enrich the layering of dishes, making it suitable for making salt free braised dishes.

III. Sour Balance Flavor

The sour taste of lemon juice or vinegar can stimulate the taste buds and reduce dependence on salty taste. When making cold dishes, apple cider vinegar can be used to replace some of the salt, and a little rice vinegar can be poured before stir frying to enhance the freshness. The sour taste of yogurt or tomato sauce is suitable for pairing with meat, as it can soften the texture and mask the low salt taste.

4. Seasoning with Herbs and Spices

Fresh herbs such as basil and rosemary can be chopped and directly mixed into salads. After dry frying, spices such as cumin and Sichuan peppercorns are ground into powder, which can give food a special aroma. Curry powder, five spice powder and other composite spices can provide multiple flavors at once, suitable for replacing salt when stewing.

Fifth, Cooking Method Adjustment

Using baking or roasting can cause Maillard reaction on the surface of ingredients, producing a crispy taste similar to salty aroma. When steaming fish, ginger slices can be added to remove the fishy smell, and soy sauce can be used to supplement the salt content. When simmering soup slowly, the original flavor of the ingredients is concentrated by extending the boiling time, reducing the need for additional seasoning.

Long term low salt diet should pay attention to nutritional balance, and consume potassium rich foods such as bananas and spinach to help balance sodium and potassium. When purchasing salt substitutes, it is recommended to choose low sodium products. hypertensive patients are advised to consult daily reserves of small packaged salt for emergency use before use, and store it in a dry and sealed container to avoid clumping. Gradually reducing the amount of salt during cooking can help the taste buds adapt to light flavors and cultivate healthy eating habits.