Types of salt

Morning Glory

Morning Glory

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This came up on another thread:
@The Late Night Gourmet asked: what is the difference between Kosher salt and sea salt?

In the UK we don't get Kosher salt - well I suppose you can get it but its certainly not the norm on supermarket shelves. I notice that lots of American recipes I read specify Kosher salt. I don't know if they do so because Kosher salt is the norm in most households or because its somehow better for the recipe. But whatever the reason Kosher salt seems to be the most popular in the US. What makes it Kosher, I wonder? Short answers please!

Most recipes in the UK will simply say salt and sometimes sea salt. We have something called table salt which is ridiculously cheap. Its about £0.47 (62 cents) per kilo, Sea salt is much more expensive: £2.29 ($3) per kilo. I use both and also Himalayan pink salt and a Mediterranean salt gris sometimes.

What kind of salt do you use and why?
 
I know that Kosher salt has bigger crystals than regular salt. It supposedly enhances flavor. Personally, I use sea salt for most cooking, it has a slightly different taste to regular salt. More salty. I just use plain cheap salt for baking.
I also have the Pink Himalayan salt.
As an off-side: if you are buying salt in the round containers in the US, it doesn't matter the brand, every bit of it comes from the exact same salt mine. I found that very interesting.
 
@morning glory

Part 1) Kosher Salt Process: The piramidal salt crystals of Kosher Salt are generally made by an evaporative process called " The Alberger Process ". The traditional uses for Kosher Salt, have been for removing blood from meats by desiccation.

Part 2) Alot of American Chefs, prefer Kosher Salt in cooking because the crystals are coarse, much larger,and saltier so less is used than normal table salt. It is also a local product produced in North American salt mines.

In alot of E.U. countries salt has been a means of financial prosperity and labor since the 1300s or 1400s.

We are large producers, especially Italy, Portugal, France as well as Spain .. And obviously, The U.K .. Thus, we use local product ..

Part 3) Salts I have:

A) Himalayan Rose Pink Unrefined ..
B) Kala Namak: Black Volcanic Rock Salt ( excellent for Asian Cuisines and Chutney )
C) Crystalline Sea Salt - Portugal ..
D) Flaked Sea Salt or Maldon : Essex Coast, The U. K.
E) Fleur de Sel: France ( wonderful with tomatoes, fresh or tomato sauces )
F) Bio Organic Low Sodium Table Salt

At momento, off the top of my head ..

Here are some good facts on Kosher Salt:

**https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosher_salt
 
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I specify kosher salt in all my recipes specifically because, when most people think of salt, they think of table salt. Because of how much smaller the crystals are in table salt, you'll end up with a lot more salt per measure than you would with kosher salt or sea salt.

Whenever I see a recipe that says sea salt - or any kind of salt - I use kosher salt. And, of course, I taste as I go just to make sure. Now, I see that official sources indicate that there are differences between sea salt and kosher salt:

1 tsp Sea Salt = 1¼ tsp Kosher Salt

Maybe this is why I find myself adding (kosher) salt to recipes that specify sea salt.
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
I specify kosher salt in all my recipes specifically because, when most people think of salt, they think of table salt. Because of how much smaller the crystals are in table salt, you'll end up with a lot more salt per measure than you would with kosher salt or sea salt.

Whenever I see a recipe that says sea salt - or any kind of salt - I use kosher salt. And, of course, I taste as I go just to make sure. Now, I see that official sources indicate that there are differences between sea salt and kosher salt:

1 tsp Sea Salt = 1¼ tsp Kosher Salt

Maybe this is why I find myself adding (kosher) salt to recipes that specify sea salt.
Click to expand...
The only time I worry about exact measurements is when I am baking.
Especially breads.
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
I specify kosher salt in all my recipes specifically because, when most people think of salt, they think of table salt. Because of how much smaller the crystals are in table salt, you'll end up with a lot more salt per measure than you would with kosher salt or sea salt..
Click to expand...

Boy, did I learn that the other day. I ran out of Kosher and French large crystal sea salt, so I dug out a paper "can" of old Morton's table salt to use while brining chicken. Without adjusting the amounts (you should use half the amount of table salt vs. Kosher) the chicken came out really salty and runbery.
 
buckytom said:
Boy, did I learn that the other day. I ran out of Kosher and French large crystal sea salt, so I dug out a paper "can" of old Morton's table salt to use while brining chicken. Without adjusting the amounts (you should use half the amount of table salt vs. Kosher) the chicken came out really salty and runbery.
Click to expand...
I would imagine.
 
buckytom said:
Boy, did I learn that the other day. I ran out of Kosher and French large crystal sea salt, so I dug out a paper "can" of old Morton's table salt to use while brining chicken. Without adjusting the amounts (you should use half the amount of table salt vs. Kosher) the chicken came out really salty and runbery.
Click to expand...
The good news is that these are the best sort of lessons: you won't do that again!
 
I use Maldon salt and also generic sea salt. My hubby likes a lot of salt on his food! This used to be thought to be a bad thing but my doctor now says that it isn't as bad as we thought.
 
I use sea salt, coarse and fine - haven't a clue where it comes from. Maybe in should jump in the car and nip up the road to Maldon for the real McCoy :giggle:. It should last ages because you only need to use about half the amount of sea salt in a recipe instead of table salt. Besides, I only use a very little salt in food anyway. I do use table salt occasionally, usually for brine or if anyone insists on having it on their food - I have only used just under 2 kg of the stuff since I moved into my flat in 1971 - it's still in the original container :laugh:
 
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I use iodised salt and sea salt 'cause that's all we got. If I want brine I use sea salt. If it's just an additive to water for boiling vegetables, I use iodised salt. For sprinkling on chips; iodised salt. Other things, depends what takes my fancy at the time. I'd never heard of Kosher salt up to a couple of years ago but I'm not Jewish.
 
@Yorky, you don't have to be Jewish to use Kosher salt! :D "Kosher" indicates the size and shape of the flakes - larger than grains, and flat. That type of salt is used by Jewish meat processors to draw blood from meat because it's more effective since it's flat.

The Late Night Gourmet said:
I specify kosher salt in all my recipes specifically because, when most people think of salt, they think of table salt. Because of how much smaller the crystals are in table salt, you'll end up with a lot more salt per measure than you would with kosher salt or sea salt.

Whenever I see a recipe that says sea salt - or any kind of salt - I use kosher salt. And, of course, I taste as I go just to make sure. Now, I see that official sources indicate that there are differences between sea salt and kosher salt:

1 tsp Sea Salt = 1¼ tsp Kosher Salt

Maybe this is why I find myself adding (kosher) salt to recipes that specify sea salt.
Click to expand...
Gram for gram, all salt is nearly equally salty. Flakier salt covers more tongue surface than grains, so it seems saltier. However, in emulsion, a gram of table salt will be as salty as a gram of Kosher salt - just smaller in size.
 
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