"Mommy, I Love You More Than Salt."
A primer on our favorite pantry staple, good ol' sodium chloride.
When my daughters were little, they certainly liked sweets, but they were all about salty stuff. To the point that they would argue over who got to drink the leftover brine (omg gak) after they finished inhaling a container of olives. The title of this post comes from something my older daughter said to me when she was about three years old, and trust me when I tell you that at the time, this was the highest compliment she could have ever bestowed. But whether you’ve fought with your sibling over the last drops of olive juice, or consider yourself decidedly a sweets person, salt plays an important role in all kinds of cooking—it heightens and enhances flavors, but also serves a scientific purpose when it comes to pickling, preserving, and baking.
While the ancient method of harvesting salt from evaporated sea water is still practiced, the most common types of salts are typically mined from underground deposits and then processed to remove impurities. How do I know this, you ask? Well, I gained this knowledge and more after touring a salt mine in Germany (much like this one) while backpacking through Europe post-college, and I have to say my mind was somewhat blown because prior to that trip, I had no idea that salt came from anywhere other than the baking aisle at Shop Rite.
Back then, there were pretty much only two types of salt one could buy easily: table and kosher. Sea salt was considered a delicacy, and forget about exotic varieties such as seasoned or smoked or volcanic. Nowadays, there are plenty of interesting and diverse assortments widely available, which can make it difficult to know what kind of salt you might need for a specific dish or cooking method. So to help dispel confusion, below I break down four common categories of salt we all encounter as we cook and eat, and offer ideas for how to utilize them best:
Table salt
Otherwise known as iodized salt, table salt is commonly found in the saltshakers of the world. Table salt has very fine grains and in addition to containing potassium iodide, some varieties include an anti-caking agent that helps prevent it from clumping (which, gotta say, doesn’t seem to work that well, judging by the number of saltshakers around with rice grains in them). Personally, I don’t use table salt much, but when I do, it’s for very general tasks such as salting pasta water or for using in baking.
Kosher salt
I have a salt dish next to my stove and I use kosher salt in and for practically everything: cooking, baking, seasoning, pickling, brining, finishing. Kosher salt has larger crystals than table salt, which makes it easier to pinch and sprinkle; its texture is light but coarse and it dissolves easily. Be aware that different brands of kosher salt have different levels of salinity—I learned the hard way, for example, that Morton’s brand is much saltier than Diamond Crystal—so be sure to taste before salting.
Sea salt
Collected from evaporated seawater, sea salt comes in many kinds of textures and colors, such as flaky varieties (like the Maldon brand), or grittier types like fleur de sel and sel gris (grey salt). It can also be processed finely like table salt. Since sea salt retains its minerals and impurities, it has a unique flavor. I love using sea salt flakes to finish dishes like roasted potatoes, grilled vegetables, green salads, cookies of all kinds, and candies and caramels.
Pink salt
Mined from caverns inside the Himalayan mountains, this salt gets its pink hue from its extensive mineral content. It comes both finely ground and in larger granules that can be crushed in a salt grinder, and I think it has a spicy flavor. I’ve been gifted Himalayan salt and I love using it to finish dishes that call for a kick in addition to a dash of saltiness.
Salt brings something unique to the table (ahem), and I hope this explainer helps you see how much fun—and flavor—these different types can add to your cooking!