Some people like to add salt while stir-frying, but this is actually unscientific and may have adverse effects on health. In fact, the timing for adding salt varies depending on the dish. Let me introduce it to you in detail:
1. Add salt when cooking is almost complete: When making dishes like quick-fried pork slices, double-cooked pork, stir-fried cabbage, stir-fried garlic stalks, or stir-fried celery, it's best to add the ingredients to a hot wok with high heat and ensure they make a "sizzle" sound. Adding salt at the right time when the dish is stir-fried through will result in a tender, not tough, dish with less nutrient loss.
2. Dishes where salt is added before cooking: When steaming large pieces of meat, because the pieces are thick and no seasonings can be added during the steaming process, salt and seasonings must be added all at once beforehand.
When making fish balls or meat balls, add an appropriate amount of salt and starch to the minced meat first, mix well, and then add water. This allows the meat to absorb enough moisture.
For some dishes that are quick-fried, stir-fried, or deep-fried, adding salt to the raw ingredients and mixing them thoroughly before coating them with batter can make the batter adhere tightly to the ingredients and prevent it from separating.
3. Dishes where salt is added just before serving: For cold dishes like凉拌莴苣 (cold lettuce) or cucumber, adding too much salt will cause them to lose their crispiness as their juices seep out. If you add salt just before serving, let them marinate briefly, drain the excess water, and then add other seasonings, they will be crispier and more delicious.
4. Add salt at the very beginning of cooking: When making braised pork or braised fish pieces, after stir-frying the pork and pan-frying the fish, add salt and seasonings immediately, then bring to a boil over high heat and simmer over low heat.
5. Dishes where salt is added after cooking is done: For meat soups, bone soups, chicken feet soups, chicken soup, duck soup, and other non-vegetarian soups, add salt for seasoning after the soup is fully cooked. This allows the protein and fat in the meat to dissolve more fully into the soup, making it more savory. The same principle applies when stewing tofu; add salt after it is cooked.