Why Does Salt Make Food Taste Better?

Salt doesn’t just make things salty! It has a lot of different effects on how we perceive flavors!

Hosted by: Hank Green
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[hikuro]

"But your body can't just make sodium from scratch. It's an element, and YOU ARE NOT A STAR!"

Gee thanks, Scishow.

[jim]

All you suckers going out to the store to buy salt. I just sneak onto my neighbor's yard and lick the salt block he leaves out for deer.

[shrimpbisque]

I always wondered why cookie recipes usually call for a bit of salt. Thanks, SciShow!

[MusiCaninesTheMusicalDogs]

Salt is being portrayed so well here I actually think from now on I'll eat only salt and nothing else.

[DriftyG]

This was an informative episode and it was tied into the advertisement brilliantly, well done.

[DS-Pakaemon]

Oh, that's why when my girl is salty and angry she looks so sweet. Thanks SciShow

[SciencewithKatie]

Salt makes things sweeter? Is that why salted caramel is so darn good? 😍

[riverw]

This might be the best, and most effective, ad spot I've ever seen.

[DistortedBird]

Every time that I see a title like this that makes me think, "Isn't the answer obvious?" I know that I have to watch it, because there must be something I am missing. Otherwise there wouldn't be enough to make a video on. Sure enough, I learned a lot. Great job.

[MmeHyraelle]

Tip : If you drink insta coffee and find it really bitter, add like 10 grains of salt ( a pinch ) and it will reduce by a good amount the bitternes of it. Fats can helps too, like milk being used, but a pea sized butter droplet can totally make a difference.

[johnbagel]

“At the most basic level humans like salt”
I think that refers to us being salty all the time. Basic humans.
Wait, this video is only five minutes long! I wish I could get more sci show.
Edit: it isn’t even four minutes with ad. ;.;

[vineetdm]

Thank you for finally making a video on this on YouTube

[ezra]

cant believe "mouthfeel" is a legit scientific term and charles boyle didn't invent it

[ChainsGoldMask]

My mom told me over thirty years ago that adding salt to the grounds of coffee will make it less bitter

[maryseeker]

One time I thought I was drinking regular coffee and it was decaf and it’s because the lady was put in a tiny amount of salt in it. I was so convinced that it was regular coffee I even got a little revved up as if I was drinking regular coffee. But I was not. So I asked what brand of coffee was this.Answer was that salt was put in there

[JohnTavastian]

One time I went on a 2-day hike and when I got back I wondered why my food was missing salt, I added some and ate it. The next day I ate the same food (it was homemade so I still had some) and I noticed it tasted salty, I did not add salt to this portion the day before. Our brains make you feel like your food is not salty enough if you are missing salt.

[cbsboyer]

Suddenly, the saltiness of some codeine cough syrups makes perfect sense. Codeine is bitter, and chasing straight codeine with something sweet to get rid of the taste (like when a codeine phosphate tablet prematurely disintegrates before you can get it down) doesn't really work and is kind of nasty. Thank you Hank and the SciShow crew.

[kinglooper]

Wow that AD read was worked in really well and added to the video. Great work guys, I suddenly have an interest in flavored salt :)

[Anthaliel]

I'm putting salt on my coffee from now on :)

[medalinaciri]

Man idk why but I just love Hank so much, from the way he enunciates words and speak to the way he moves while doing it <3! *nohomo just to be sure*