It's a magnifying glass for flavour. If something is just tasting "salty" than it has obviously been over-done, but just because you've had bad luck with seasoning is no reason to discount it completely.

If something has been seasoned with salt properly it oughtn't to taste salty. It should be that you can discern the other flavours more sharply.

I take it you don't eat bread then? Try a loaf with no salt (I have, in Tuscany they don't put salt in their bread), then you will understand how salt and proper seasoning works.

I am terrible with salt, I think I am addicted. My worst habit it a shake of salt and pepper on my toast! I know...that's really bad. In my defence, I only eat ready meals once a week, very rarely have takeaways and most of my food is simple, home cooked food. But I do get though a multipack of crisp every week. The reason I shake salt on my food at the table is because my partner hates it so we don't add it at the cooking stage.

Recent medical test are fine and my doc hasn't told me cut salt out...but I know I'm eating too much - food just tastes so much better with it, though. I tried replacing it with dried garlic powder or mild chilli powder...not the same.

I'm a bit all over the place with salt.

I put a little bit in when boiling spuds, and rice, mainly because mum used too, I think because it draws out the starch or something (I may be talking crap here)

Then again, the OH and myself have fights when making a stew in the slow cooker about how much salt to add, she wants to add more than me and I protest because I don't like the taste of it that way.

But if we are having oven chips or wedges, the first thing I do at the table is sprinkle salt over them.

Then again I like unsalted crisps.

So I guess, for me it depends on the dish/food being served.

Adding salt to starchy food when boiling it increases the temperature at which the water boils and increases starch gelation which can improve the texture of foods like rice.

No need to turn the water into brine, but a small amount of salt does help.

You learn something new every day. I certainly wasn't aware water could reach a higher temp than 100c when boiling.

It's just personal taste really but I never salt vegetables or potatoes, my husband likes salt so he salts at the table as it's easier to do that than take it out.

Pasta needs a little salt I don't eat rice but IMO that needs more than salt to make it edible.

I do tend to add herbs and pepper to foods I am cooking as that IMO adds and aids the flavour of the foods far more than salt can. Cheese sauce I add a little mustard and no salt and everyone says that tastes far more cheesy than many sauces they have had.

Presumably the same reason that water freezes at below zero when salt is added.