Daily Halacha: Salting Beans and Other Foods on Shabbat

Is it allowed to put salt on beans on Shabbat?

According to halacha, it is forbidden to add salt to beans or lentils on Shabbat, even if they were already cooked in their shells. This is because salting them at that stage can be considered a form of processing or softening the food, which is not permitted on Shabbat.

However, if the beans were cooked with salt before Shabbat, then it is permitted to add more salt to them on Shabbat. In that case, the salt no longer changes the nature of the food, so it does not fall under any prohibition.
This ruling is based on Shulchan Aruch 321:6 and Kaf HaChaim.

What about salting other foods like eggs or vegetables?

There are many foods that are not affected or changed by salt in a significant way. These include eggs, meat, and cooked vegetables. It is permitted to salt them on Shabbat, even if you are salting more than one piece.

Still, it's important to keep one key rule in mind, you may only salt food for immediate use. Salting food in advance for a later meal is not allowed on Shabbat, even if the food itself may be salted.
This halacha is explained in Shulchan Aruch and Chazon Ovadia.

From “Ach Tov V’Chesed – Daily Halacha” by Hidabroot