So Many Different Types of Salt out there, What Kind Should I Use?
Even though salt is regarded as being one of the most simple cooking ingredients, in all actuality there’s much more to it, than you may know. For starters, there are different kinds of salt and they each have their own characteristics that make them slightly different, so what kind should you use? While some are highly concentrated, other types of salt dissolve easier than others. In fact, if you aren’t aware of the differences between different types of salt, you could end up over or under-salting your food. Let’s take a look at different kinds of salt and when to use them.
Video Overview
1) Sea Salt
Chances are that, if you’ve heard about different kinds of salt before, you’ve heard about sea salt. Sea salt us less concentrated and finer than the traditional salt that we use. Sea salt is a popular choice amongst seafood restaurants, because its fine crystal makes it the best type of salt to use on delicate foods like shellfish and fish. Additionally, because it disperses evenly, sea salt is great for baking as well.
2) Iodized Salt
Iodized salt, commonly referred to as table salt, consists of anti clumping agents, which contribute to its distinctive metallic taste. Because of the fact that it’s highly processed, it has a weaker flavor and salinity than traditional salt. Meaning, you would have to add a greater amount of iodized salt, to get the same level of saltiness that you would get from using regular salt. Iodized salt is ideal for people who have to watch their sodium intake.
3) Coarse Salt
Coarse salt, also come from the sea. However, unlike sea salt, it’s more concentrated and doesn’t dissolve as easily. Most chefs proclaim that coarse salt should be used as a topping at the end, as opposed to using it as an ingredient in the cooking process.
4) Flaky Salt
Most people enjoy flaky salt more so for its texture than its taste. It has a distinctive crispy texture, which makes it great for adding a finish touch to a dish which has already been prepared. Based on the fact that it’s more expensive than other kinds of salt, most people who love it tend to avoid using it for general cooking purposes, and save it for special occasions.
5) Pink Himalayan Salt
Pink Himalayan salt, as its name suggests is pink in color as a result of its potassium, calcium and magnesium content. These extra chemicals which are not found in other types of salt, gives it a distinctive flavor. Most chefs proclaim that it’s ideal for finishing a dish.
6) Kosher Salt
Despite its name, kosher salt, isn’t exactly kosher. But, it’s called that due to the fact that the best use for it is to kosher meat, which is a process by which blood gets removed from the meat. Many chefs use kosher salt, because it has a low salinity which means that it’s quite difficult to over salt foods that you use it on.
With all these types of salt, we hope we answered your question of “what kind should I use?” At our Spice station online store, we also have an abundance of salt blends, including chile lime salt, and garlic pepper salt.
For something even more interesting and fun, check out our Hiwa Kai Black Lava Salt!
