So let's learn about salt and how to use it so everyone is happy.
First, some definitions:
📍 An ion is a particle (little part) that has a positive ( مثبت ) or a negative ( منفی ) electrical charge ( چارج). Salt is made up of positive ions and negative ions. The number of positive ions in salt is the same as the number of negative ions, so salt is "neutral" ( خنثی ). The positive charges in salt are not stronger than the negative charges. And the negative charges are not stronger than the positive charges. They are the same.
📌 How does this affect ( تاثیر گذاشتن ) cooking?
This is all because of how the atoms in salt interact ( تعامل داشتن ) with the atoms in food.
📍 • atom: the basic unit or building block ( بلوک ساختمانی ) of all material (مواد) things.
Salt makes food taste better because it hides bitter flavors in food and increases ( افزایش ) sweet flavors. You use just a little salt when cooking sweet things, but more salt when you are cooking savory things. (Savory things are meat, potatoes, soups, nuts, eggs.)
If you use too much salt, you will taste only the salt and not the food! (That's when your dad is not happy.) But if you use too little salt you will taste more of the bitter flavors ( طعم های تلخ ) in the food. (Then your mother is not happy.) You need to learn how much salt is right for each food and recipe ( دستور آشپزی ).
When you eat salt in food, the water that is naturally in your mouth (your saliva / بزاق ) dissolves ( ذوب شدن ) the salt and blends it with what you are eating.
📌 Now let's find out why salt dissolves in water.
Salt dissolves in water because of electrical ( برقی ) charges ( چارج). The positive charges in water molecules are attracted to ( جذب شدن به ) the negative charges in salt. And the negative charges of water molecules are attracted to the positive charges of salt.
So the water molecules pull apart ( جدا کردن ) the salt ions, breaking the bonds ( پیوندها ) that hold them together. After the salt parts are pulled apart, they are surrounded ( احاطه کردن ) by water molecules. When this happens the salt is dissolved ( ذوب شدن ).
To dissolve salt more quickly ( به سرعت ) in water, stir it with a spoon. Stirring increases ( افزایش ) the temperature ( درجه حرارت ) of the water molecules and makes them move and hit each other more.
The fastest way to dissolve salt is to heat the water on the stove or over a fire.
📌 Are there other ways to use salt?
Clean up a dropped egg. If an egg breaks on the kitchen floor, sprinkle salt on the egg and leave it there for 20 minutes. You'll be able to clean it up easily.
Stop a grease fire. Pour salt on top of a grease fire to stop it. (Never use water on a grease fire.)
Test for rotten eggs. Put an egg in a cup of water. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. A fresh egg will sink, but one that's rotten ( پوسیده ) will float ( شناور ).
Keep windows frost-free. Dip a sponge into salt water and rub it on windows, and they won't frost up even when the temperature goes below 32 degrees.
Keep potatoes and apples from turning brown once they're sliced. Put them in salted cold water.
👍 Question of the day: Do you know where cooking salt comes from? (Answer below.)
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The salt we use in cooking usually comes from the ocean or from rocks.
