The largely printed words “ with sea salt,” seem to be appearing on more and more food packages. There is a definite sea salt craze happening in the food world. Even Wendy’s jumped on board with their Natural-cut Sea Salt Fries! It is almost like it is just snowing sea salt in grocery stores. I don’t think food marketers have had this big of a hard-on since the awakening of probiotics acouple of years ago.
The salt sensation may have many people’s heads swimming.
What is the big deal? How come we have never seen the words, “with iodized salt,” in bold letters on a package of popcorn? Is sea salt really that different? What makes it so special? Is it better for me? Should I cook with it? Come to think of it, what is Kosher salt and why are cooks always saying to use it? And this smoked salt I have been seeing…? Pink salt…cool- but huh..? Does the type of salt I use really make a difference in my cooking or is this just some fancy pants bullsh…? Mmm… this sea salt popcorn is good.
Yes, it’s true- the type of salt we use in our food does make a big difference in how it tastes. Of course the food industry is going to put as much spin on a food trend as possible and so we are bound to be fed a little sea salty garbage here and there. The bottom line here is not that sea salt is the best salt, it is rather that different salts have different effects on food- and there are a lot of different types of salts. Beyond making that bag of popcorn taste so good and so different than before, the salt craze has had this wonderful side effect of a growing curiosity about salt among Americans.
So here is the sprinkle:
What is it Salt?
(Disclaimer: This is the nerdy textbook stuff that I find as satisfying as the salt itself. If you don’t give a * and just want to know what to cook with scroll down.)
A crystal composed of two elements:
Sodium + Chloride
This is the basic structure of salt, though it’s not quite that simple. There are one million trillion little sodium chloride couples in one single grain of salt.
Where do we get it?
The three basic ways to obtain salt:
Mined
Because salt is often part of natural rock formations like halite, it can be mined from these rock formations and then processed and converted into edible table salt.
Obtained from the Ocean-
Evaporating ocean water can also produce salt. After all water is evaporated there is a residual of salt and other minerals left behind. This left over pile of minerals can be processed in a variety of ways to create one of the many types of sea salt. Depending on how the salt is processed, sea salt can provide a little more nourishment than other salts due to the additional minerals that hang out when the water evaporates.
In a lab
Like almost anything these days, salt can also be produced from scratch in a scientific lab. You won’t find this type salt on any grocery shelves because it is much more expensive to produce this type of salt than any of the other salts.
Iodized or non-iodized- what’s the difference?
Iodized: When a salt is iodized it simply means that iodine has been added. Why? Originally we started iodizing salt in the United States in the early 1920’s in order to help tackle a widespread health condition called goiter. Goiter is a thyroid issue in which the thyroid grows larger than normal. This condition is often associated with a lack of iodine. Crazy right? We saw a problem, figured everyone eats salt, so we will treat it through that. Now if only we could infuse vegetables into the salt to treat widespread obesity…? No… that doesn’t really work, but isn’t it amazing how drastically different our health epidemics are today? Today iodine deficiency in the United States is significantly less common. Not only do we have iodized salt, but iodine is also added to numerous other foods and food products. It is even added to animal feed yielding meats and dairy products with higher iodine content.
Non-iodized: As the name suggests, this type of salt simply has not been iodized-meaning that no iodine has been added to it. This type of salt is produced by evaporating ocean water and using the salt crystals that are left behind. Nonetheless, there are trace amounts of naturally occurring iodine in non-iodized sea salt. This stuff naturally has 2 mcg of iodine per gram and iodized salt has 77 g of iodine per gram.
Which is Better?
It’s kinda’ personal. The Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board recommends 150 mcg of iodine per day for adults. Because today Iodine is prevalent in so many foods, it is very unlikely that you are under doing it and also unlikely that you are over doing it. So, unless you suspect that you are deficient in iodine and would like to up it with the type of salt you use, the question of iodized or non-iodized appears to be mostly a matter of personal preference. In regards to cooking the iodized or non-iodized is rarely prevalent. Rather salt discriminations in the kitchen are those that pertain to quality,Texture (with a capital T) and flavor. Coincidentally, many of the salts ideal for cooking are free of any additives including iodine. For me this is a bonus, in that my salt choices work optimally in the kitchen, and they also fulfill the little purist bitch within.
Different types
Beyond the iodized/non-iodized difference there is a plethora of different types of salt. Truly the salt world is exciting and slightly overwhelming. The three most basic categories of salt are table salt, sea salt and Kosher Salt. Within these categories, exist even more specific types of salt. Most, but not all of the fun, unique gourmet cooking salts fall into sea salt family.
Table salt:
Table salt’s fine granules dissolve quickly. While this quality makes it preferable for baking, it is not the ideal for most other cooking. The quickly dissolving tiny granules can result in a salty flavor spreading quickly all over or all throughout a food, creating an overall salty flavor that dominates a dish. It is difficult to create layers of flavors and celebrate nuance with this meager salt.
Use it for…?
For baking and when you don’t have anything else.
Kosher salt:
Granules of Kosher salt are bigger and more irregular than those of table salt, due to an alteration in the evaporation process when producing the salt. This salt dissolves more slowly than table salt, which is in part where it gets its’ name; it is the ideal salt for Koshering meat. Koshering meat involves the careful removal of all blood from the animal. The precise size and slow dissolving quality of this salt cause it to efficiently draw blood from uncooked meat, making it perfect for the Kosher curing process. Hence, Kosher Salt. In addition to its’ blood sucking qualities Kosher salt is most chefs’ and cooks’ favorite standby salt. The granule size (not too big, not too small,) makes it incredibly versatile. Kosher salt can come from the sea or from underground sources.
Use it for…?
Pretty much anything. The larger granules allow you to use less and taste more. Dissolving slower than table salt and faster than most other gourmet salts, really makes this salt the very happy medium. With this salt you can achieve more pronounced nuances in a dish without getting major spontaneous explosions of salt in a bite. While those are fantastic, they are not desirable for every dish and there are other salts for that.
Sea salt:
Such a huge category! There is practically a sea full different types of sea salt. Types vary depending on what part of the ocean they come from as well as how they are processed. The term generally indicates an unrefined salt that comes straight from the waves, leaving the salt with natural traces of other minerals, including iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc and iodine. These residual minerals in pure sea salt seem to lend unique subtleties to the bright clean flavor of salt from the sea.
Use it for…?
Sea salt is great, especially when it is unprocessed. What to use it for totally depends on the type of sea salt. For example, coarse sea salt, flake sea salt, fine, sea salt etc. Each one is unique.
Flake salt:
Think snowflakes. Delicate, complex flakes that dissolve in your mouth slowly. Also, both will make you smile. This special salt requires unique measures to obtain. Each flake is actually is tiny pyramid shaped crystal. The size of these crystals is what distinguishes one flakes salt from another.
Use it for…?
Flake salt is best used as a finishing salt. This way the complex and delicate flakes can be most appreciated. Try sprinkling some over heirloom tomatoes, sashimi grade salmon, fresh melon, over a salad or on top of a light dessert mousse. So that the complex and delicate flakes can be most appreciated. The world of flake salt genuinely gets me too excited for most people’s tolerance. Some of my favorites are Maldon, Fleur de Sel and New Zealand Flaky Sea Salt.
Coarse Salt:
Big chunks of salt. Many different types of salt come in this petite pebble form. One of the prettiest and most popular is Himalayan Pink Salt. Though sea salt, smoked salts and numerous others come in this form. Coarse salt often goes hand in hand with a grinder.
Use it for…?
My favorite for grinding into salads. These big little rocks tend to be drier than other salts and therefore maintain their structure better than other salts when they hit the moisture of great olive oil on greens. Then you get fresh salad bites with those wonderful spontaneous salt explosions that I mentioned before. Before grinding this type of salt, is also great for baking a whole fish in salt. This classic method involves packing an entire fish in a cocoon of coarse salt and baking it in the salt- pretty fab.
Hawaiian Red Sea Salt:
Also known as Alaea, this traditional Hawaiian Red Salt is spectacularly unique. The addition of volcanic baked red clay, “Alae,” is what gives this salt its’ red color. While the purpose of adding the clay is to enrich the salt with iron oxide, it also imparts a subtle earthiness and tones the sharpness of the salt down to a uniquely mellow sea salt.
Use it for…?
Traditionally this red salt is used for Kalua pig and other traditional Hawaiian dishes. This salt is an excellent match for pork loin. Also, the mellow nature of this salt lends itself to creamy sweets like fresh mango, banana and vanilla ice cream.
Smoked Sea Salt
Smoked sea salts are salts that have been smoked in cold smokers or slow-smoked over real wood fires to infuse the salt crystals with natural smoke flavor. Be careful when purchasing smoked salts because sometimes, salt makers cheat and add smoked flavor. Adding this flavor is not the same and can actually create a very unpleasant bitter aftertaste in the salt. Any salt can be smoked and the process adds a unique smoky flavor. Imagine that. Smoked Maldon Sea Salt is one of my favorites.
Use it for…?
Smoked salts are great for grilling and roasting. Try using smoked salt when roasting a whole chicken or turkey. Sprinkle some smoked flake salt over grilled corn and other grilled veggies. Also smoked salt is great with the creaminess of salmon. Another unique combo is the sweet smokiness of smoked salt and caramel.
Ovenhappy 
