Why does everyone kill the flavor with salt before tasting the stock?

I was at a pop-up gig in Jersey City last Saturday and watched three different line cooks season the same pot of stock three separate times before it was even close to reduced. Each one added a pinch like they were scared of nothing, but salt multiplies as it reduces, and now the whole thing tastes like the Atlantic. I've been running stations for about 11 years now, and the rule I drill into anyone new is taste at every stage but salt only at the end. Has anyone else had to pull a nearly ruined batch because someone got heavy-handed early, or am I the only one who triple-checks the pass during service?

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the_robin16d ago

But is it really that serious? Salt can be fixed. You can add more stock, you can add potatoes, you can dilute it out. I've seen guys oversalt a sauce and just toss in a knob of butter and nobody at the table said a word. The whole "taste at every stage" thing sounds nice, but during a real rush, you're not doing chemistry experiments. You're trying to get food out. And honestly, three pinches across a whole pot that's reducing? That's barely anything. Unless your cooks are dumping tablespoons in, you're probably fine. Maybe the real issue is your station guys don't trust each other, not the salt.