Buzz
In 2017, videos showing Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe dramatically sprinkling salt on slabs of meat went viral. His quick rise to fame earned him a global following and the iconic moniker, “Salt Bae.”
The internet's fascination with Gökçe’s stylish seasoning technique suggests there's something captivating about seeing salt and other spices fall onto food from a height. It adds an element of elegance and offers an extra moment to appreciate the artistry of cooking. However, chefs don’t use this method only to impress an audience—there must be another reason for the technique.
As The Kitchn explains, the reason for this technique is that seasoning from above ensures a more even distribution of herbs and spices. When cooking something that requires constant stirring, you can easily sprinkle a clump of ground cumin without much hassle. However, when working with ingredients that need to stay mostly still, like meat or delicate vegetables, even seasoning from the start is key.
While the idea behind the hack seems sound in theory, you might be curious about its practical effectiveness in actual kitchens. Researchers from Cook’s Illustrated ran an experiment where they sprinkled ground black pepper on chicken breasts from three different heights: 4 inches, 8 inches, and 12 inches. The one sprinkled from 12 inches was by far the most evenly coated. And a distance of a foot is likely all you need—going higher could result in some of the seasoning ending up outside of your plate or pan.
