Unseasoned food

[ChangeAgainAgainAgain]

I've eaten at a few other people's houses in the last couple of months, and I've really noticed the absence of seasoning, and no salt or pepper mills on the table.

I grew up in the 80's, where salt was added in cooking to everything, so obviously it's great for health that we're no longer adding salt to vegetable water etc.

I don't generally add salt to cooking, but I always put salt and pepper mills on the table, and would generally add some to my plate.

I've recently been served meals such as grilled salmon, boiled baby potatoes, steamed veg, with no seasoning, no herbs, not even butter or EVOO on the potatoes. Or a roast dinner, no seasoning added in cooking at all, not even on the potatoes. No salt and pepper mills on the table. Honestly to me, these meals taste super bland.

Now, I'm an old fogie, and the people hosting me have been various ages, but all younger than me. Is this just how it is now? People's palates have changed?

So, AIBU to say that whilst not adding excessive salt in cooking is a great thing for health, it's normal/polite to have salt and pepper mills on the table?

IANBU - bring on the salt and pepper
IABU - times have changed. Cruet sets have no place in the modern world!

It would never even enter my head to put salt and pepper on the table - not through rudeness but because i've not done this for 30 or 40 years. Of course if someone asked I would be more than happy to supply it. And if I was cooking a meal for a guest I would have added appropriate seasoning to the cooking.

When you stop adding salt at the table food may taste bland for a wee while until your taste buds adjust. After that you can taste all the natural flavours.

I shayed with a friend once who is quite into cooking. And a t table she offered to pass me the salt. When I refused and said I didn't need it and that the food was lovely she told me I couldnt possibly eat it without adding salt and she proceeded to grind salt on to the food on my plate. I was absolutely astounded when she did it. And very put out.

I prefer bland food without seasoning but i am a health freak. Maybe its how they enjoy their food. I eat steamed fish and veg every day. Its delicious as it is. Salt bloats me.

I don't like unseasoned food but I season it (well) during cooking. For this reason I wouldn't automatically put salt and pepper on the table as it wouldn't occur to me (with a few exceptions*), but I wouldn't think it was rude at all if someone asked for it.

*Salt for eggs, black pepper for pasta dishes etc

I don't like salt, I never add it on top of my food, I remember when my mum used to get chippy teas and try tell me there wasn't salt on the chips, then moan when I couldn't stomach them. She used to tell me theres no way I could taste it.

I think so many foods, pre packet foods mostly are already salty enough that no one really needs more, or everything just tastes like salt.

HOWEVER, to my surprise, at my kids birthday party a few weeks ago (5 & 6 year olds) soo many kids asked for salt for their chips / pizza / burger. (Including one of mine!!)

So I guess lots of families absolutely still do salt.

I'm a garlic girl, I'll add garlic to almost anything though! Vinegar too.

I don't like it when people season without tasting - but I would always put salt and pepper out. just like you put out mayo, chilli, ketchup, mustard if the meal suits.

It's inhospitable if you are cooking for guests. Everyone has different tastes, so I cater for them, and don't judge.

Salt and pepper are necessary as are mint sauce, horse radish and mustard on a roast. And butter on new potatoes!

Are you the Tabasco lady from Come Dine with Me? If so, you're a legend here 😃.

I lodged with my cousin years ago. They didn't even put salt in their homemade bread. It was really unpleasant.

I requested salt once and her youngest asked "why does Nap want salt?"

Cousin's DH told her I was salt addicted. He's very judgy.

He used to make Blackberry and redcurrant crumble without sugar. Puddings shouldn't make you go 😖!

Funnily enough, he's changed his mind now and his food is perfectly edible.

I season everything, in layers throughout the dish. Salt and pepper available on the table too

I wouldn't call it rude, it's just not very thoughtful given that your guests may have different tastes and preferences to you.

I season everything but tend not to add salt at the table.

The amounts of salt you use in home cooking are really low compared to processed foods.

No I don’t think this is “just how it is now,” i think it’s your friends and family. Well, from my experience anyway, no one I know does this. My partner is in his 20s, I’m in my 30s and we both use a lot of herbs, spices, flavoured oils, lemon and lime juice etc in our cooking. My group of six girlfriends and I have a rotating “Dinner Club” where we take it in turns to host once a month and they all cook and season beautifully. So does my mum in her 60s. Went on holiday with my boyfriend’s friends who are in their 20s and we took it in turns to cook in groups. All meals were lovely and seasoned.

It wouldn't occur to me to add salt to water.

I have started adding a bit of salt to oats and roast chicken as I had very low blood pressure and GP said it was OK.

I also add salt to mashed potato now which I didn't used to do. Though I don't eat the mash it's for DH and DD.

I cooked without salt when weaning both of my children, as we were giving them the same food we ate. I did manage to get the food not to taste bland, mainly by adding things like tomato puree and lemon juice to stews etc. But because we eat very little processed food which would have salt in, I found with DC2 that I was feeling very slightly nauseous most of the time. Once I realised that I was not getting enough salt, and started to get some medicinal crisps into me (when babies not looking), I was fine. Our bodies need salt, obviously not too much, but not none.

Just ask for salt? It’s not rude to do so. It’s only rude if you ask for and salt the food before even tasting it.

'Seasoned beautifully' for you and your friends but that's because you all have similar tastes.

Once person's 'beautifully' can be another person's 'under seasoned' or 'over seasoned'.

There are no rules when it comes to personal taste.

I would always expect S&P on the table and would always provide it. I season everything too, it’s weird to see unseasoned food. I found out the other day that my friend cooks his (unseasoned) chicken by boiling it and I wanted to cry for him🤣

salt & pepper is down to preference. I don’t use a lot of it as I have small children but often add my own to certain dishes after cooking

I also grew up on the 80s and thank the gods of becoming a young adult in the 90s that i was able to manage my own foods. I absolutely hate salted food, I don’t taste ‘enhanced’ I taste salt - I like my food to taste exactly as it does unseasoned. I don’t really know why anyone else cares tbh. You do you and all.

I always use salt in my cooking, it enhances the flavours of everything else. I really couldn’t be doing with plain chicken, potatoes and vegetables - food is a pleasure as well as fuel and well cooked, well seasoned food is a joy. I do provide salt and pepper at the table because tastes vary but the food comes to the table seasoned.

WTF is Basic White People'ing?

I mean it's not how I would choose to cook chicken but I have done it that way occasionally for young children or the dog and it's fine. It tastes of chicken by itself. It's not an enhanced taste and not how I would leave it for myself but it's not tasteless.

I use all those things, herbs, spices, juices etc. I'd add salt & pepper too.

When I say I don't season in cooking, I'm more talking about the teaspoonful of salt my mum would add to anything boiled - potatoes, veg, pasta, rice etc. I will lightly season other stuff (e.g a roast chicken would have fresh thyme and a cut lemon shoved up it's bum, salted butter rubbed under the skin of the breast, and a crack of black pepper over the top. I'd then have s&p on the table too, for people to add according to their taste.)

It's a actually healthier to add salt at the table rather than in the cooking process as 'surface salt' on the food impacts a much saltier taste than when used in cooking, so much less salt is needed to give the same flavour enhancement.

I think it’s meant to be an insult but it’s so stupid I cannot be sure.