I'm going to be cooking for a dinner party next
month, where one of the guests is on a severely
sodium-restricted diet. How do "salt substitutes"
work in cooking? (I was kind of hoping to do
gumbo and some creole dishes, but low sodium is
likely to be a challenge for that.)


--
Tagon: "Where's your sense of adventure?" | Mike Van Pelt
Kevyn: "It died under mysterious circumstances. | mvp at calweb.com
My sense of self-preservation found the body, | KE6BVH
but assures me it has an airtight alibi." (schlockmercenary.com)

In article >,
(Mike Van Pelt) wrote:

> I'm going to be cooking for a dinner party next
> month, where one of the guests is on a severely
> sodium-restricted diet. How do "salt substitutes"
> work in cooking? (I was kind of hoping to do
> gumbo and some creole dishes, but low sodium is
> likely to be a challenge for that.)

The flavor is nowhere near the same...
Taste it.

I cook low salt all the time and I never miss it.
I substitute a lot of fresh herbs instead.

I don't bother with salt substitute as it tastes pretty vile IMHO.
I've simply learned to enjoy the flavors of food without added salt.

You and the other guests can simply add salt at the table to taste as
needed.

You could also cook his meal separately.

Cheers!
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:

> I've simply learned to enjoy the flavors of food without added salt.

BRAVO!

Me too!

Andy

In article >, Andy <q>
wrote:

> OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
>
> > I've simply learned to enjoy the flavors of food without added salt.
>
> BRAVO!
>
> Me too!
>
> Andy

Oddly enough, after I quit being a saltaholic, I started enjoying food a
lot more. I think I was missing a lot of subtle flavors that were
overcome by salt...
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" > wrote in message
> Oddly enough, after I quit being a saltaholic, I started enjoying food a
> lot more. I think I was missing a lot of subtle flavors that were
> overcome by salt...

The first couple of weeks things seem bland. Not they taste very good. I
use slat on baked potatoes, but that is about all these days. Many
commercial foods are too salty for my taste now.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

> The first couple of weeks things seem bland. Not they taste very
> good. I use slat on baked potatoes, but that is about all these days.
> Many commercial foods are too salty for my taste now.
>

Slat?

Andy
From my old proofreading days

In article >,
"Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote:

> "OmManiPadmeOmelet" > wrote in message
> > Oddly enough, after I quit being a saltaholic, I started enjoying food a
> > lot more. I think I was missing a lot of subtle flavors that were
> > overcome by salt...
>
> The first couple of weeks things seem bland. Not they taste very good. I
> use slat on baked potatoes, but that is about all these days. Many
> commercial foods are too salty for my taste now.
>
>

I agree.
I was amazed that it only took two weeks of going "cold turkey" for food
to stop tasting bland...

Now I can hardly stand bacon or luncheon meats, and the vast majority of
sausages are too salty. I do still have the rare BLT and appreciate ham
or bacon in a bean recipe. I also lightly salt hard boiled eggs.

I buy bulk sausage and cut it 2/3 with fresh meat, then make patties and
freeze. 1 part commercial sausage to 2 parts fresh ground pork and/or
mixed with ground turkey or ground beef.

It's delicious that way.

Eating out is a real challenge as well. Most places DRASTICALLY oversalt
the food if you are used to low sodium!
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

"Mike Van Pelt" > wrote in message
...
> I'm going to be cooking for a dinner party next
> month, where one of the guests is on a severely
> sodium-restricted diet. How do "salt substitutes"
> work in cooking? (I was kind of hoping to do
> gumbo and some creole dishes, but low sodium is
> likely to be a challenge for that.)
>
>
> --
> Tagon: "Where's your sense of adventure?" | Mike Van Pelt
> Kevyn: "It died under mysterious circumstances. | mvp at calweb.com
> My sense of self-preservation found the body, | KE6BVH
> but assures me it has an airtight alibi." (schlockmercenary.com)

Not only do salt substitutes taste pretty bad, but they can cause severe
adverse reactions in people taking certain kinds of blood pressure
medication. My husband is on one such BP med; both the doctor and the
pharmacist warned him to stay away from all salt substitutes. By using a
salt substitute, you may be doing one guest a favor but putting others at
risk. I'd just go for a low-sodium menu and let your other guests add salt
at the table if they think it's needed.

Karen

Karen wrote:
> "Mike Van Pelt" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>I'm going to be cooking for a dinner party next
>>month, where one of the guests is on a severely
>>sodium-restricted diet. How do "salt substitutes"
>>work in cooking? (I was kind of hoping to do
>>gumbo and some creole dishes, but low sodium is
>>likely to be a challenge for that.)
>>
>>
>>--
>>Tagon: "Where's your sense of adventure?" | Mike Van Pelt
>>Kevyn: "It died under mysterious circumstances. | mvp at calweb.com
>> My sense of self-preservation found the body, | KE6BVH
>> but assures me it has an airtight alibi." (schlockmercenary.com)
>
>
> Not only do salt substitutes taste pretty bad, but they can cause severe
> adverse reactions in people taking certain kinds of blood pressure
> medication. My husband is on one such BP med; both the doctor and the
> pharmacist warned him to stay away from all salt substitutes. By using a
> salt substitute, you may be doing one guest a favor but putting others at
> risk. I'd just go for a low-sodium menu and let your other guests add salt
> at the table if they think it's needed.
>
> Karen
>
>
>
Watch the sausage in the Gumbo, pretty much sodium in sausage.

--
Del Cecchi
"This post is my own and doesn’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions,
strategies or opinions.”

OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:
: Oddly enough, after I quit being a saltaholic, I started enjoying food a
: lot more. I think I was missing a lot of subtle flavors that were
: overcome by salt...
: --

I'm afraid that my husband's overdone that part. Since he
started eating salt-free he's complained more and more about
flavor enhancers -- he doesn't want basil or oregano in his
spaghetti sauce; most garlic flavored foods have too much garlic;
only heat boosters escape: hot fresh peppers; black pepper;
mustard powder and seeds; fresh ginger in moderation.

Unfortunately, it's made me much less enthusiastic about cooking.

--thelma
: Om.

In article >,
Thelma Lubkin > wrote:

> OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:
> : Oddly enough, after I quit being a saltaholic, I started enjoying food a
> : lot more. I think I was missing a lot of subtle flavors that were
> : overcome by salt...
> : --
>
> I'm afraid that my husband's overdone that part. Since he
> started eating salt-free he's complained more and more about
> flavor enhancers -- he doesn't want basil or oregano in his
> spaghetti sauce; most garlic flavored foods have too much garlic;
> only heat boosters escape: hot fresh peppers; black pepper;
> mustard powder and seeds; fresh ginger in moderation.
>
> Unfortunately, it's made me much less enthusiastic about cooking.
>
> --thelma


That's odd...

I've gotten to be MORE fond of herbal flavorings!
I do admit tho' that I'm getting to like garlic less and less which is
wierd since I used to adore garlic. For some reason, the flavor of
garlic tends to stay in my mouth for several hours and it makes me
nauseous. Fresh is worse than powdered about doing that. OTOH, I can use
all the roasted garlic I want.

The sauce I made the other night was heavy with fresh basil and it was
wonderful. ;-d

My housemate hates Oregano, but marjoram seems to work better anyway and
it's not as overpowering.

You may just want to start playing with stuff you've never tried before.
Experiment and see what happens?

Rosemary
Thyme
Parsley
Celery
Dittany
SMALL amounts of sage
green onions
Shallots
Scallions
Salt free lemon pepper
White pepper
Ground orange peel
Powdered shitake mushroom
Sesame seeds
Marjoram
Savory
Fresh rather than dried Basil
Cinnamon (in tiny amounts can be interesting, especially in Italian
recipes)
Cocoa powder (unsweetened)
Curry powder
Sunflower seeds
Poppy seeds

Wish bone brand italian salad dressing or honey dijon dressing for meat
marinades

"Lite (low salt) soy sauce

Bragg's Liquid Aminos

That's pretty much my arsenal in my cabinet/frige at the moment. :-)

Hope that helps?
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

Mike Van Pelt wrote:

> I'm going to be cooking for a dinner party next
> month, where one of the guests is on a severely
> sodium-restricted diet. How do "salt substitutes"
> work in cooking? (I was kind of hoping to do
> gumbo and some creole dishes, but low sodium is
> likely to be a challenge for that.)

The only salt substitute that works for me is sour salt -- citric acid.
As a table condiment, usually in lemon pepper -- pepper, sour salt,
lemon rind, maybe a couple of other ingredients. Penzeys has Florida
Seasoned Pepper, which has a few more ingredients.

The salt-eaters can salt their food, can't they?

--
Dan Goodman
Journal http://www.livejournal.com/users/dsgood/
Clutterers Anonymous unofficial community
http://www.livejournal.com/community/clutterers_anon/
Decluttering http://decluttering.blogspot.com
Predictions and Politics http://dsgood.blogspot.com
All political parties die at last of swallowing their own lies.
John Arbuthnot (1667-1735), Scottish writer, physician.

In article >,
(Mike Van Pelt) wrote:

> I'm going to be cooking for a dinner party next
> month, where one of the guests is on a severely
> sodium-restricted diet. How do "salt substitutes"
> work in cooking? (I was kind of hoping to do
> gumbo and some creole dishes, but low sodium is
> likely to be a challenge for that.)

Just make dishes where the salt can be added at the table and leave the
salt out of the dish when you cook it. That way, those who want to add
salt can add it, those who don't can avoid it.

Mike Van Pelt wrote:
> I'm going to be cooking for a dinner party next
> month, where one of the guests is on a severely
> sodium-restricted diet. How do "salt substitutes"
> work in cooking? (I was kind of hoping to do
> gumbo and some creole dishes, but low sodium is
> likely to be a challenge for that.)

Perhaps you should seriously consider changing your menu, it's not
really possible to do low-sodium justice to those particular dishes.
And why should all the other guests be deprived of a decent meal
because of one person... unless you are willing to prepare a separate
portion for that one guest (which isn't a really big deal) I would
recommend you alter your menu to something more basic and omit the salt
entirely, like roast chicken, baked fish, London broil, etc., all can
be seasoned with spices and herbs... place shakers on the table.

Sheldon

Mike Van Pelt wrote:
> I'm going to be cooking for a dinner party next
> month, where one of the guests is on a severely
> sodium-restricted diet. How do "salt substitutes"
> work in cooking? (I was kind of hoping to do
> gumbo and some creole dishes, but low sodium is
> likely to be a challenge for that.)
>
>
Soups are hard to do low salt, so is bread. Stews ight be easier,
garlic can add intensity to dishes, so can rosemary, thyme,. basil, fats.

I would ask the guest in question what things work for them, maybe
starting with their favorites rahter than starting from what is NOT
allowed.

On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 11:05:12 -0500, "Dan Goodman" >
wrote:

>> I'm going to be cooking for a dinner party next
>> month, where one of the guests is on a severely

When ONE GUEST is severly on anything......I would advise them of the
menu and let them decide IF they would like to attend.

The rest of the world doesn't have to BEND to a singular/particular
venue.

In article >,
Ward Abbott > wrote:

> On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 11:05:12 -0500, "Dan Goodman" >
> wrote:
>
> >> I'm going to be cooking for a dinner party next
> >> month, where one of the guests is on a severely
>
> When ONE GUEST is severly on anything......I would advise them of the
> menu and let them decide IF they would like to attend.
>
> The rest of the world doesn't have to BEND to a singular/particular
> venue.
>

Tsk!

Everyone should eat low sodium. ;-)
It makes food taste better, but that's just a personal opinion.

Personally, I don't every ask anyone to cook low sodium.
I just take my torosemide for the next couple of days and drink a lot of
water, and that flushes it out.

They should have medication to manage the condition.

If it were me, I'd make them a separate meal, but I cook low sodium all
the time now anyway so any guests that I have for dinner are going to
have to salt their own food, and I provide the salt at the table.

Just my 2 cents!
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

"Andy" <q> wrote in message
>
> Slat?
>
> Andy
> From my old proofreading days
>

Yes, like regular table salt, only in thin long pieces