Why over salting your pico de gallo makes you a better cook

Рет қаралды 105,362

Күн бұрын

Pico de gallo is a wondrous collection of fresh diced tomato, onion, serranos, cilantro, and lime but if not for one ingredient this salsa will forever spiral into a bland hell. That ingredient? Salt.
Links & Stuff
► Pico de gallo Recipe: www.ethanchlebowski.com/cooki...
► Join our Cooking Community: community.ethanchlebowski.com/
SOURCES:
► Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat: amzn.to/3iMG8gN
►Music by Epidemic Sound (free 30-day trial - Affiliate): share.epidemicsound.com/33cnNZ
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
► Connect with me on social:
- Instagram: / echleb
- TikTok: / ethanchlebowski
- Twitter: / ethanchleb
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
► Useful Kitchen Gear
- Budget Whetstone for sharpening: amzn.to/31MlFDf
- Salt Pig: amzn.to/37Xi5XZ
- Scale: amzn.to/2Cu5HmP
- 8-inch Chef's knife: amzn.to/2QLYvWr
- Nicer 8-inch Chef Knife: amzn.to/2W06SR1
- Magnetic Knife Rack: amzn.to/2YYs5ML
- Cast griddle: amzn.to/2BGS5oo
- Baking Sheet: amzn.to/3aE9dq3
- Wire Rack: amzn.to/2YeC9lM
- Saucepan: amzn.to/3gBjmY3
- Wood cutting board: amzn.to/2Qkw1UQ
- (NOT cheap) Amazing Pan: amzn.to/2rW8wYY
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MISC. DETAILS
Music: Provided by Epidemic Sound
Filmed on: Sony a6600 & Sony A6400 w/ Sigma 16mm F1.4
Voice recorded on Zoom H4n with Behringer Mic
Edited in: Premiere Pro #Salt
Affiliate Disclosure:
Ethan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Episode Premise: (0:00)
Intro: (0:28)
How salt works: (0:49)
The goal of using salt: (1:27)
The Salting Experiment: (1:57)
Key Takeaways: (3:31)

Пікірлер: 272

@FrostedFlakes1800 4 жыл бұрын

Can't wait to show this to my mum to show her that salt isn't to make things salty, don't be scared of it mum.

@oscallibur5597 4 жыл бұрын

I feel you

@danieldanielson2324 4 жыл бұрын

Oh man. If only Ethan can make this in Spanish then I’ll show it to my mother. The other day I witnessed her throw pasta in not yet boiling hot unsalted water. Needless to say, I ate a bunch of fruit and skipped on dinner.

@dianalyman5950 4 жыл бұрын

Caution: before snarking at your mom about her salt intake, ask her if she is on high blood pressure medication or her doctor recommendations to avoid it at her age. P.s. you don't have to be aged to have high blood pressure.

@FrostedFlakes1800 4 жыл бұрын

@@dianalyman5950 bruh she fine she just never used to season her food, chill my guy 😂

@johnadamczyk6213 3 жыл бұрын

in my experience you'll just get yelled at and told to get out of the kitchen lol. some people just don't understand salt

@oMoyzee 4 жыл бұрын

Hey Ethan, it'd be cool if you made a video showing us how to properly use MSG in cooking! I feel like it gets a bad rep still, but I would like to start using it to enhance my dishes, I just don't know how and in what kinds of food!

@Solbashio 3 жыл бұрын

msg is op, someone needs to nerf it

@crow6477 4 жыл бұрын

I feel like your videos are not only entertaining and aesthetitcal but also I love the reasoning and explanations behind improving your cooking. Like adding vinegar to boiling potatoes. You're a cooking Chad

@DanliciousFood 4 жыл бұрын

That's a really great way to season any sort of salsa, divide it into portions, salt one till it's oversalted but knowing where it sits best with your tastes, then bringing it back down by putting additional salsa and acid back in! Never really thought of it this way before, thanks, Ethan!

@hilotakenaka 4 жыл бұрын

SortedFood also explored the relation with salt as well, and they said that in addition to the acid, you should probably add something sweet in as well, as sugar helps balance the two This is why lime juice works so well; it's already quite sweet

@kukri52231 4 жыл бұрын

I love how your videos teach us the why behind cooking techniques instead of just being a recipe channel

@FrostedFlakes1800 4 жыл бұрын

I'm actually quite curious, I know salt is used to amplify the flavour of a dish but what role does black pepper play? 9 times out of 10 when a recipe calls for salt it calls for black pepper alongside it, and I was wondering if you could use your big food science brain to explain why. Thanks.

@Anthony-qx1ps 4 жыл бұрын

Just for flavor, black pepper goes with most things. Adds a little heat

@FrostedFlakes1800 4 жыл бұрын

@@Anthony-qx1ps Thanks, I assumed so but I thought I may be missing something as unless its really pronounced like in cacio e pepe or added just before serving I'm never really able to tell its there. Thanks again

@PotatoPirate123 4 жыл бұрын

The piperine present in pepper stimulates the taste receptors and makes things even tastier. For this reason it is the perfect accompaniment to salt as it also doesn't have an overbearingly associative flavour profile like other spices - basically it can meld perfectly with everything from a steak to a strawberry

@EthanChlebowski 4 жыл бұрын

Black pepper is a spice just like chile powder or cumin so it's for flavor more than anything. Pepper is just the default spice used over the years. For example, a steak with just salt is still amazing, a steak with just pepper, not great!

@user-qk8lm3se7q 4 жыл бұрын

i kinda find black pepper underappreciated because people are so used to using like a couple of cracks in the dish. once i started using a lot more pepper i feel like a lot of food i make started to taste much better.

@xTechnoWOW 4 жыл бұрын

I definitely tend to under-salt things rather than over-salt, so this is a perfect experiment for me!

@HowToCuisine 4 жыл бұрын

Almost 200k, so happy for you! Congratulation! 😍🔔

@adrianthomas4163 4 жыл бұрын

Will try this today. BIG thanks for your theory videos E! I really dig them a lot and I like learning they why behind things and how they work! Salting is the biggest area I have to work on.

@paulasimson4939 4 жыл бұрын

Dang, you put so much effort into your content! So appreciated.

@keyurmacwana2943 3 жыл бұрын

Today i made the best lemonade of my life. Thank you Ethan for encouraging me to try out different concentration of salt. Earlier i used to believed that amount of salt is always fixed in any recipe.

@bleutitanium6513 4 жыл бұрын

Ethan ! What a great video... Love it. I always enjoy your Salt Videos. * salting watermelon was awesome!!! This is such a basic concept, but not many people seem to understand it. You are a great instructor. Keep doing these instructional videos, and we will all become better cooks !!!

@wonderworld3509 4 жыл бұрын

Happy 200K dude!

@WildDanHibiki 4 жыл бұрын

Your channel is growing so damn quick, well deserved!

@elbarndengreg7554 3 жыл бұрын

Great experiment

@xtsdagger6956 4 жыл бұрын

Learning stuff in under five minutes. Excellent!

@swagmcbuttz638 4 жыл бұрын

That’s a good looking salsa 💃

@EthanChlebowski 4 жыл бұрын

Thank ya!

@duanevan9791 3 жыл бұрын

BOOK IDEA!! This is a great approach to a pinnacle idea. I hope you’re taking you’re own notes for stuff like this that you can publish one day. Keep it up!

@queeny5613 4 жыл бұрын

I have never made this, but it looks great

@kevowski 4 жыл бұрын

Great advice 👍🏻

@soulechelon2643 4 жыл бұрын

literally just oversalted my eggs right before watching this, haha. Even more hilarious - my eggs had pico de gallo mixed in.

@ErikNiit 4 жыл бұрын

I'm missing the point of oversalting it, why not just stop when it's good? Or was that just to show how you can salvage a dish you put too much salt in?

@FrostedFlakes1800 4 жыл бұрын

just answered your own question chief

@jaylenc_ 4 жыл бұрын

perhaps because pico de gallo is a side dish which accompanies other things, so it is like a condiment so it should be too salty/strong - think how strong ketchup is on its own for instance.

@waaahl 4 жыл бұрын

A very "clickbaity" title.

@EthanChlebowski 4 жыл бұрын

I like to say you can't learn what properly salted food tastes like without knowing what over-salted food tastes like! For example, the pico tasted good after the first little sprinkle, but if I stopped there I would have missed out because it tasted much better after the second pinch. I'm not saying you should purposely over salt your pico every time you make it, the experiment is to help learn what both ends of the salt spectrum taste like!

@stephenasunnamedsource2943 4 жыл бұрын

We all have our own preferences when it comes to food. By Ethan salting the pico de gallo he was able to find what i refer to as the "sweet spot" or what we feel is the perfect amount of salt for this dish. It'll change for all of us bc we all taste food differently. Example: Joshua Weissman has this saying "a recipe is just a guide." I tried his Tres Leches cake but i noticed that his wasn't dripping. With my Hispanic background ive been taught that if a Tres Leches doesnt have a puddle of sweetness blessed by the gods at the bottom it isnt worthy. I made a couple adjustments to the measurements and lets just say i have pending request to make it for the holidays.

@jgoodwin6901 3 жыл бұрын

Mate I love your videos, such a unique approach. I watch a lot of cooking videos, but the only ones that I would watch for entertainment are yours and Josh Wiseman’s. Both equally interesting and entertaining, but for completely different reasons. Keep it up!

@jonathanharmeyer2255 4 жыл бұрын

Never knew that about acid, thanks for the tip

@Frescovalance 4 жыл бұрын

Damn that tomato is looking mad thicc

@EthanChlebowski 4 жыл бұрын

Yessir.

@rayvg7709 4 жыл бұрын

Quarantine is doing things to us... We shall not speak of what I'd do to that tomato.

@HALO-2304 4 жыл бұрын

@@rayvg7709 Just be sure to wear a condiment!

@VONonDemand 3 жыл бұрын

@@EthanChlebowski was the tomato orange?

@mauz791 4 жыл бұрын

Same in desserts as well, salt truly is amazing

@jaymjacinto 4 жыл бұрын

You're about to hit 200k anytime this week now congrats! I've been here since 40k it's crazy how far you've come in such a short period of time. It's like I'm watching a combination of Babish and Weissman at the same time. Love your content man and keep up the good work💯

@evanmnbishop Жыл бұрын

Whats it like now?

@stephenasunnamedsource2943 4 жыл бұрын

Ive learned more practical lessons from this mans channel in the past month than in my entire 11th and 12th grade of highschool.

@afafssaf925 4 жыл бұрын

I like this format where you go straight to the point, more like Adam Ragusa. Great work!

@SamHear 4 жыл бұрын

Congrats on 200k subs

@hamtaro_bear 4 жыл бұрын

This is cool, thought I was gonna learn about pico de gallo but learned a cooking fundamental instead 10/10

@TheHilltopperNation 3 жыл бұрын

This was actually very helpful because I’ve made pico a few times and it never tastes right. It always seems like it’s missing something and it might be more salt

@paulmcclure8317 4 жыл бұрын

1:56 ooh my man is stepping up the editing (and it's always been pretty freaking good to begin with)! Tremendous info presented equally well.

@World0fWowcraft 4 жыл бұрын

Me: gotta try salting more My Blood pressure: please don't

@GrizzAxxemann 4 жыл бұрын

Do what I do: Flush the system with more beer.

@boatworkstoday 4 жыл бұрын

Hey Ethan, just wanted to give a heads up that the end screen covers up all the Patreon supporters lol :-) Really enjoy the channel!

@xdptwin1 4 жыл бұрын

hmm I am on desktop and don't have this issue. I assume you are on mobile right? Either way, he might want to change it up.

@shawndidstuffbeforehehadki806 4 жыл бұрын

And subscribed. Great content!

@istarzgirl 4 жыл бұрын

Congrats on 200K! Also, I'm wondering if you could do some ice-cream or cold drink recipes? I'm hitting a heatwave and although I can appreciate the good 'ol airconditioner, I'd like to have some cold foods as well.

@ignacioquintana4158 4 жыл бұрын

master of pico

@edadankmemes 4 жыл бұрын

Honestly this applies to everything. By overdoing things like your seasoning, drawings, writing, etc, you find where your limits are.

@isaacwakefield5915 4 жыл бұрын

That tomato was gorgeous

@danielmoore2065 3 жыл бұрын

This is such a great video. BUD

@JustSimplyBrandon 4 жыл бұрын

It’s so coincidental how Adam Ragusea recently answered a question regarding what skill every home cook should at least master and his answer is, basically, adjust ingredients to your taste, like salt. Somehow, both his response and this video really go hand in hand together.

@NickCombs 4 жыл бұрын

Nice to see you educating people on fundamental kitchen skills. You could also do one on the misconception that sweetness counters bitterness or saltiness, along with how to correctly use fats to counter sourness. Also, I have a question: does umami (msg being the purest example) fit into these equations at all? My tests have been inconclusive In some foods it kicks the flavor up to amazing, and in others it feels oddly out of place, and I'm still trying to figure out what determines that.

@stevenrobinsonmusic 4 жыл бұрын

You are EASILY going to be at 1 mil subs by the end of 2020

@zertbrown4642 3 жыл бұрын

this guy's kitchen is underrated

@jakethesnake17 4 жыл бұрын

Hey Ethan! Loved this vid. Can you one day talk about sugar and balancing it with acidity? Always wondered how that worked! Thanks again for the great vid as always.

@Banditxam4 4 жыл бұрын

This guy is a genius

@rubensouto3996 4 жыл бұрын

I love that he always drops the food lol I wonder if it’s intentional.

@TheDeathmail 4 жыл бұрын

You know, misusing salt can still be an experience... I misused salt when cooking meats many times (still ate the food), but now, I know around how much salt I would actually need...

@bib144 4 жыл бұрын

Can you make a video about properly using msg? Many people made video about how msg isn't a bad thing but i never saw a video about which foods you can use msg or how much you should add.

@stupidhipsterdoofus3278 4 жыл бұрын

I was was eating watermelon while watching this and by the end of it put some flaky sea salt on it and WOW! it was so much tastier afterwards

@zeebadeedooda 4 жыл бұрын

Which bench knives do you use/buy? I have been searching for a good one! Can you possibly link all the ones you own?

@matthewbuchalter 4 жыл бұрын

the orange tomato is so distracting

@Solbashio 3 жыл бұрын

Heathen

@ebbyc1817 4 жыл бұрын

I find it interesting how you can keep adding salt to something, and not taste it, and then you add that extra pinch and boom, it's too salty. I had no idea what pico de gallo was so thanks for my 'something new' today😊

@Jdizz812 4 жыл бұрын

Congrats on 200k before it happens!

@randommcranderson5155 4 жыл бұрын

This same sort of way of learning to dose food and balance the acid/salt/etc is the key to making good hummus as well. You can give two people the same ingredients and same recipe for hummus but the one who understands balancing out the lemon, salt, garlic, and tahini will make good hummus, and the other will just make the recipe.

@LuhDuckster 4 жыл бұрын

since I started oversalting everything I make I became a better cook

@AudreysKitchen 4 жыл бұрын

As a kid, I would cook and my dad always criticized my food, saying that I oversalted it. So I became very sensitive to oversalting and am great at not doing so. But I actually undersalt a little bit, I'm finding now. So I'm bringing that level up again.

@jigsaw9749 2 жыл бұрын

My best snack is juicy Orange Slices with pink salt and some pepper. honestly the best

@HALO-2304 4 жыл бұрын

I made the 3 ingredient tomato sauce, but it was just a bit tart. Would I add salt or something else?

@johnshea1888 4 жыл бұрын

If you could recommend one cookbook, what would it be ?

@KidoKatsuragi 4 жыл бұрын

That's a good exercise. Now go to the next level: add third component - sugar. Sugar can balance both salt and acid.

@mattmertens3967 4 жыл бұрын

I find something like pico where there is alot of water inherent in the veg if you salt a little heavily and then let it sit for a while like at least half hour then drain the excess liquid you get rid a lot of the salt and intensify the flavour , then rebalance the salt and add lime after otherwise you waste alot of it.

@rubensouto3996 4 жыл бұрын

Almost 200k! What a journey! Are you gonna make a 200k video?

@doncarlsen2692 4 жыл бұрын

Any chance you can do some more of dad's sausage recipes? Sweet & hot Italian sausage, Polish, Bratwurst?

@mateussilva9477 4 жыл бұрын

Dude, I´m a big fan of yours, and would like to know if you would do some recipes from other countries like mine (Brazil)??

@comestiblesegunlaleyjudia 4 жыл бұрын

Pico de gaio jajaj, nice video bro.

@natejohnson2099 4 жыл бұрын

You’re serving Samin Nosrat well, Ethan.

@greatjuankenobi217 7 ай бұрын

I love salt 🧂!!!

@chase6428 4 жыл бұрын

Salt is gods greatest creation

@jonathandill3557 4 жыл бұрын

On a side note, I discovered Mexican commercial salsas like Herdez seem to be made for unsalted or lightly salted chips and are way too salty with typical salty American chips.

@kars9512 4 жыл бұрын

Nice

@1DrowsyBoi 4 жыл бұрын

Nice

@miguelsalazar9215 4 жыл бұрын

That tomato is making me doubt my non-colorblindness. I know it's meant to be that color, but I can't help feeling something's off.

@chicoskid 4 жыл бұрын

Where can I get that salt cellar?

@qweqwe1324 4 жыл бұрын

Thx man! Always educating. (Btw I mean this with sincerity and no disrespect, but you look like such a 90's cop lol =)

@nickv5131 4 жыл бұрын

HECKIN RIGHT BROTHER

@IcyqtLoL 4 жыл бұрын

ETHAN WHAT IS THE MINI CLEAVER THAT YOU HAVE

@proteins327 4 жыл бұрын

I showed my mom this video and now I cook my own food

@solonsaturngaming3727 Жыл бұрын

No Joke i did once in my High School Cooking Class Got a B- as She said "I Oversalted the Pico De Gallo and that's why i got a B- instead of a A" as i was watching my friends Grandma who makes it every time they have Authentic Tacos and she always does this and it makes it so good.

@danielkwon6047 4 жыл бұрын

How does acid neutralise salt?

@sheesh2327 4 жыл бұрын

Some guy trying to criticise my pico de Gallo: um..... uh.... OVERSALTED! Yeah... ummm, it’s oversalted! Yea thats it. Me: aww thanks.

@WarChortle 4 жыл бұрын

Everyone loves some salty pico

@luisbetancuresteban3073 2 жыл бұрын

Dude where you get those transparent food storage thing

@g.sdelancy9844 4 жыл бұрын

Reminds me of Bahamian conch salad 🤤🤤🤤🤤🍅🌶🍋🧅

@Llllillilililililillll 4 жыл бұрын

Was expecting Mario to pop out of your salt holder :)

@gustavodavila7192 4 жыл бұрын

Next time add some mango or pineapple to your pico de Gallo, to eat with your “tacos al pastor”. Trust me, I’m Mexican. Following all your videos! Regards from Cancún

@maksymstrut8687 4 жыл бұрын

you should make a video of how to fix a over salted soup. i believe that you get a cheese cloth, put some flower in to it and then just tie it up and submerge in the soup/stew. at least that is the theory. never had to use this technique since im not stupid enough to over salt my food, but yea. a bit of research would be nice.

@chanceDdog2009 4 жыл бұрын

What about MSG? Instead of salt?

@aa-wi3wt 4 жыл бұрын

"A master of pico" Laughs in chilean

@JuanCarlosNeria 4 жыл бұрын

try the pico with some oregano, its so so good. source: mexican

@priayief 4 жыл бұрын

I find that most recipes use far too much salt for my liking. Yes, I know the difference between table salt and (say) Kosher salt. I usually follow most new recipes rigidly (including yours) but more often than not I find the end product too salty. Maybe it's and acquired taste. I liked your tip of adding an undiluted ingredient to lessen the salty taste and maybe I'll try adding some form of acid if my result is too salty. Like your videos. Always interesting. Thanks. ... and perhaps there may be other viewers like me who have the same reaction to "over-salted" recipes?

@magnusnordstrom3927 4 жыл бұрын

Oh yeah, salt, acid and dilution. It's how professional chefs turn 100 servings of sauce into 150 and you'll never even know. 👌

@mr.zardoz3344 4 жыл бұрын

I think the salt content of pico de gallo should reflect what its used for. Tortilla chips usually are salted. Its a condiment used in many variations. Its better to under salt then over salt it imo.