On the Plate, a Pinch or a Pound?

From the New York Times Column City Critic:
Ever since Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced his salt reduction initiative this month, people on all sides of the issue have developed a case of high blood pressure. Some scientists have gone on as though that white powdery substance were the most dangerous biological weapon on the planet. Meanwhile, some chefs and diners have responded as though the city were stationing armed police officers in kitchens and bodegas lest anyone make a move for the Doritos.

People, relax. In the right amounts, salt is a fine thing. And as for the guidelines, which focus on “packaged and restaurant foods,” they’re voluntary.

Packaged foods are an easy target, often so gunked up by chemicals that it takes a pile of salt to get any flavor at all. As for restaurants, the salt initiative seems to be aimed at fast-food joints, but salt plays an important role in nicer kitchens, too — the kind where actual human beings cook actual food.

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