Crawfish boil

No one can help you without your recipe. It could be anything from too much water, to not enough seasoning, to not letting them soak long enough. It could also be that you have a bunch of other crap in the boil that soaks up seasoning - too much corn, potatoes, sausage, and other ransom things you may throw I.

But, a staring point is that you only need enough water to cover the crawfish. So if that’s all the water you are using, then it’s likely one of the other things that you need to adjust.

Why people want crawfish so hot most
Can’t enjoy is beyond me…

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It could also be that you have a bunch of other crap in the boil that soaks up seasoning - too much corn, potatoes, sausage, and other ransom things you may throw I.

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I don't understand this. How do vegetables that are absorbing seasoned water take anything away from the crawfish also absorbing seasoned water? The vegetables don't remove salt / spice from the water that would otherwise be soaked up by the crawfish. If anything, vegetables have water content and may dilute the water some if you put enough of them, and depending on the vegetable type.

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What is the most recommended method to remove salt from a dish that's been oversalted?

Hint: It involves a vegetable that is used in most crawfish boils

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Please explain how a potato can selectively remove salt from the rest of the broth of a dish.

Hint: you can easily find the answer through ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini, or any web search

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Hint: you can easily find the answer through ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini, or any web search

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There you go. Directly from Grok:

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Yes, potatoes can soak up seasoning, but how well they do so depends on their form, preparation, and the type of seasoning used. Here's a breakdown:

Porous Nature: Potatoes, especially when cut, mashed, or cooked, have a porous structure that allows them to absorb flavors from seasonings, marinades, or cooking liquids. Starchy varieties like Russets are particularly good at this due to their high starch content and fluffy texture when cooked.

Preparation Matters:

Raw Potatoes: When raw, potatoes are denser and less absorbent, but cutting them into smaller pieces or scoring them can increase surface area for seasoning penetration.

Cooked Potatoes: Boiled, roasted, or fried potatoes absorb seasonings better. For example, boiling potatoes in salted water infuses them with flavor, and roasting with oil-based seasonings (like herbs, spices, or garlic) allows flavors to seep in as the potato softens.

Mashed Potatoes: These are highly absorbent due to their creamy texture, especially when mixed with butter, cream, or broth, which act as carriers for seasonings.

Type of Seasoning:

Dry Seasonings: Spices like paprika, garlic powder, or cumin stick well to potatoes, especially when combined with oil or fat, which helps the flavors adhere and penetrate during cooking.

Wet Seasonings/Marinades: Liquid-based seasonings (e.g., soy sauce, vinegar, or herb-infused oils) can soak deeper into potatoes, especially if marinated for a few hours before cooking.

Salt: Potatoes absorb salt well, particularly during boiling or when tossed with salt post-cooking while still hot.

Tips for Maximum Flavor:

Toss potatoes with seasonings before cooking to allow flavors to meld during the process.

Use oil or fat to help dry seasonings stick and penetrate.

For boiled potatoes, add salt or aromatics (like garlic or herbs) to the cooking water.
Let seasoned potatoes sit for 10-15 minutes before cooking to enhance absorption.
In short, potatoes are great at soaking up seasonings, especially when cooked or prepared to maximize surface area and exposure to flavors.

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Well, that wasn't your argument. I know you said "soak up seasoning", but correct me if I'm wrong, what you actually meant was remove seasoning from the rest of the pot, making the water / broth less salty / spicy.

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Cooked Potatoes: Boiled, roasted, or fried potatoes absorb seasonings better. For example, boiling potatoes in salted water infuses them with flavor, and roasting with oil-based seasonings (like herbs, spices, or garlic) allows flavors to seep in as the potato softens.

Salt: Potatoes absorb salt well, particularly during boiling or when tossed with salt post-cooking while still hot.

In short, potatoes are great at soaking up seasonings, especially when cooked or prepared to maximize surface area and exposure to flavors.

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Of course potatoes absorb the spicy water while soaking. So does mostly any other food you throw into a pot full of broth. What you posted from Grok does not refute my argument. Potatoes do not have magical powers to extract spice and salt from a broth, making the rest of the broth less salty or spicy.

If you had asked the question in the correct way, "can potatoes remove salt from food like soups", you would have gotten this answer:

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The idea that potatoes can remove salt from food, particularly soups or stews, is a widely discussed culinary myth. Here are some sources that address this topic, based on available web information:
The Spruce Eats (2019): This source explains that adding a potato to an over-salted dish doesn’t selectively remove salt. Instead, it absorbs some of the liquid, which includes salt, but the overall salt concentration in the dish remains largely unchanged. The article emphasizes dilution as the most effective method, such as adding more water or other ingredients to balance the saltiness.

The Kitchn (2015): A test conducted with chicken broth showed that simmering a potato in salty broth for 30 minutes did not significantly reduce the saltiness. The potato absorbed some broth and salt, but the effect was minimal, and the starch it released could alter the dish’s texture undesirably. Dilution with water or adding other ingredients like rice or pasta was recommended instead.

Fine Dining Lovers (2020): This source debunks the potato myth through an experiment using a refractometer to measure salt concentration before and after adding a potato to a salty dish. The results showed no reduction in salt concentration, confirming that potatoes cannot selectively absorb salt. It suggests alternatives like diluting with liquid or using acidic ingredients like lemon juice to mask saltiness.

Lifehacker (2021): This article clarifies that potatoes absorb liquid, including salty water, but do not selectively remove salt. The salt-to-liquid ratio remains nearly the same, making dilution with additional unsalted ingredients or liquid a better solution.

Reddit r/Cooking (2014): A discussion thread notes that the potato method is a myth, as potatoes absorb salty liquid via osmosis but don’t reduce salt concentration. Some users mention that starch or sugar released by the potato might mask saltiness slightly, but dilution with more food or liquid is the only effective fix.

X Post by @krishashok
(2020): A post on X suggests that a peeled potato can marginally reduce salt in gravies through osmosis, as salt moves into the potato due to lower salt concentration inside it. However, this is not supported by scientific evidence from other sources, which indicate no significant salt reduction.

Summary: The consensus across these sources is that potatoes do not effectively remove salt from food. They absorb liquid, which may include some salt, but this doesn’t reduce the overall salt concentration. Effective methods include diluting with water, broth, or other unsalted ingredients, or using acid (like lemon juice) or dairy to balance the flavor. If you’d like me to dig deeper into any specific source or method, let me know!

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Experiments have been done to test the salt content in water before and after potatoes were introduced, and there was no significant change.

Here's some more info Do Potatoes Remove Salt From Food? Food Mythbusting

The same goes for absorbing other spices. The reason potatoes are used to tame a dish that has too much heat is because they are dense and won't absorb as much of the spicy broth, so the potatoes themselves won't taste as spicy. So if you are eating the more bland potatoes along with something more porous, like meat, then the dish will not taste as spicy. If you removed the potatoes from the dish and just ate the rest of it, it would still taste just as spicy as before.

fricking using Grok for this, lol.

My MeMaw taught me if you threw too much cayenne into a dish, throw in a half of a potato.

My bad, wasn't aimed at you.

I have zatarains hot seasoning 4.5#

2lbs cayenne

8oz concentrate
Oranges
Onions
Minced garlic

Should I empty a bag in the pot and see how much water I need so I’ll know?

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I have zatarains hot seasoning 4.5#

2lbs cayenne

8oz concentrate
Oranges
Onions
Minced garlic

Should I empty a bag in the pot and see how much water I need so I’ll know?

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If this is all you have in the pot, then it should be hot enough. So it's either a water issue or you aren't letting them soak long enough.

To check for the water issue: Put the crawfish in the basket. Put the basket in the pot. Fill until water covers crawfish. Pull the basket out, and that is your water line (and should remain mostly constant forever). Dump the dirty water and then refill to the water line with clean water and start boiling.

Another thing that can happen is that your powder might be clumping at the bottom. It's best practices to add the powder seasoning once the water is boiling so that it doesnt all go straight to the bottom. I would still make sure that you scrape/stir the bottom with your paddle after you add the seasoning - even if you add when boiling. For the liquid, I typically add as soon as I cut the fire and then stir it in for the soak. Probably not necessary and can probably be put in during the boil, but I have been doing it that way forever, so I just keep doing it.

For soaking, how long do you soak? It should be a minimum of 25 min and then taste every 5 min after that. I will sometimes have mine sit for 35+ min to get it to where I want.