Adding salt to soup during the cooking process rather than at the end is a common culinary practice that serves a few purposes. Here are some reasons why your mother might advise you to add salt during cooking:
Flavor enhancement: Adding salt early in the cooking process allows it to dissolve and distribute evenly throughout the soup. This helps to enhance the overall flavor of the soup by allowing the salt to penetrate and season the ingredients as they cook. The flavors meld together more effectively, resulting in a well-balanced taste.
Ingredient seasoning: Salt not only adds overall flavor but also helps to season the individual ingredients in the soup. By adding salt early on, it ensures that the salt has time to infuse into the vegetables, meats, or other components of the soup, enhancing their taste and making them more palatable.
Proper seasoning control: Adding salt gradually during the cooking process allows you to have better control over the level of saltiness in the soup. You can taste and adjust the seasoning as you go, ensuring that the soup is properly seasoned throughout. This way, you can avoid oversalting the soup by adding too much salt all at once.
Cooking chemical reactions: Salt can affect the texture and behavior of ingredients during the cooking process. It can help to tenderize certain vegetables, draw out moisture from ingredients like mushrooms, or influence the cooking time of some legumes. Adding salt at the beginning ensures that these chemical reactions take place as intended.
It's worth noting that individual tastes and preferences vary, and some people may choose to add salt at different stages of cooking or even at the table. The key is to find the method that suits your desired taste and allows for proper seasoning control.