add a pinch of salt

Meaning

This expression means to add a very small amount of salt, typically the amount you can hold between your thumb and index finger. It is used in recipes to enhance the flavor of a dish without making it taste salty. It can also be used metaphorically to mean not believing something completely (often 'take with a grain of salt').

Examples

• Before serving the soup, make sure to add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavors.

  Before serving the soup, make sure to add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavors.

• You should always add a pinch of salt to your chocolate chip cookie dough.

  You should always add a pinch of salt to your chocolate chip cookie dough.

• If the sauce tastes a bit flat, just add a pinch of salt and let it simmer.

  If the sauce tastes a bit flat, just add a pinch of salt and let it simmer.

• I usually add a pinch of salt to my oatmeal in the morning.

  I usually add a pinch of salt to my oatmeal in the morning.

• The recipe says to add a pinch of salt, but I think it needs a bit more.

  The recipe says to add a pinch of salt, but I think it needs a bit more.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Please add a finger of salt to the pasta.

  ✓ Please add a pinch of salt to the pasta.

  'Finger of salt' is not a natural English expression. 'Pinch' is the correct culinary term for a tiny amount held between two fingers.

• ✗ Add a pinch of salt of table.

  ✓ Add a pinch of table salt.

  This is a word order error. 'Table salt' is a compound noun, so 'table' must modify 'salt' directly.

Related Expressions

Practice

• The soup is almost ready; just ___ to balance the sweetness.

  💡 A tiny amount of salt held between your fingers.

  Show answer

  add a pinch of salt

• When baking cake batter, always ___ to enhance the chocolate flavor.

  💡 Put a very small amount of salt in.

  Show answer

  add a pinch of salt