All About Salt
Cooking with Salt
Salt isn’t just a one-size-fits-all seasoning; it comes in a dazzling array of types and flavors, each with its own unique story and character. At its core, salt is sodium chloride (NaCl), but the way it’s harvested, processed, and combined with other elements creates a rich tapestry of tastes and textures.
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Sea Salt, Table Salt, Mineral Salt, Rock Salt… What’s the Difference?
Salt is a chemical compound formed from a base and an acid, and it comes in many varieties. The most familiar form is sodium chloride (NaCl), commonly known as table salt. However, different base and acid combinations produce other types of salt: magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt), sodium carbonate (baking soda), magnesium chloride (road deicer), sodium nitrate (used in smoke bombs and rocket propellant), and potassium nitrate (found in gunpowder), among others.
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Sodium from salt is essential for humans, animals, and even some plants. Natural, unrefined sea salts and mineral salts (also known as rock salts) contain small amounts of other beneficial minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, phosphorus, bromine, zinc, and iron.
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Table salt, on the other hand, is highly refined, removing these trace minerals. It’s often mixed with anti-caking agents that may contain additives like aluminum and silicon.
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While table salt can still season food, pure sodium chloride doesn’t offer the flavor complexity, texture, or rich mineral content found in natural sea salts. These natural salts provide a depth of taste and beneficial minerals that elevate both culinary and health benefits beyond standard table salt.
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Beyond its historical use as currency and in trade, salt has long been essential in the kitchen, dating back to Roman times when it was used to season fresh greens and vegetables. As one of the oldest and most effective preservatives, salt also played a critical role in food preservation before modern canning and processing methods, especially in curing meats and fish. Interestingly, words like "sauce" and "sausage" trace their origins back to salt.
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In cooking, salt does much more than enhance flavor—it contributes to texture and tenderness. When searing meats, salt helps create a savory crust, while in tougher cuts, it breaks down proteins to tenderize. It also tightens the gluten structure in bread, aids caramelization in sautéed vegetables, and brings out the depth in any dish.
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A salt’s unique characteristics—its salinity, flavor, texture, aroma, and color—depend on where it’s harvested and how it’s processed, making salt a versatile tool for every cooking method. For instance, coarse, crunchy crystals are excellent for roasting and grilling, helping retain moisture and juiciness during slow cooking. Flake salts, which dissolve quickly, are ideal for baking and everyday cooking, delivering a burst of flavor without waiting for the salt to fully dissolve.
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Flaky salts add a delicate crunch, making them perfect for finishing touches. A sprinkle of large flake salt on caramel, for instance, provides a satisfying texture contrast and a quick pop of salinity before melting away on your tongue. Fine-grain salts are versatile and practical for everyday tasks, like seasoning pasta water or filling your salt shaker. Ultra-fine, powdery salts adhere smoothly to snack foods, making them ideal for coating tortilla chips, roasted nuts, and especially popcorn, where they evenly distribute flavor without overpowering.
Himalayan Pink Salt
Celebrated for its pure taste, beautiful color, and rich minerals, Himalayan pink salt is the most popular mineral salt available today. Authentic Himalayan pink salt forms deep within Pakistan's Himalayan mountains, where ancient sea beds crystallized long before modern pollutants existed, making it one of the purest salts on earth. Its 84 natural trace minerals give it stunning shades, from soft pinks to deep reds. (This is also where our Cave salt comes from!)
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Himalayan pink salt is available in various sizes for diverse uses—from fine grains for shakers to coarse grains for grinders, or even solid blocks for grilling. As a mild and versatile salt, it works well in any dish, from vegetables and meats to desserts or as a rim for cocktails.
Ocean Salt
"Ocean salt" is salt gathered from the pristine, cold waters of our oceans. This salt is obtained by directing ocean water into large, clay-lined salt marshes, where the sun and wind naturally evaporate the water, leaving behind pure sea salt. Unlike many processed salts, ocean salt is minimally refined, preserving natural trace minerals like iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc, and iodine. These minerals contribute to its bright, clean flavor and subtle complexities, making it both a flavorful and healthier option compared to regular table salt.
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Ocean salt is commonly sourced from the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans and comes in a variety of grain sizes, from coarse to extra-fine.
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Sea Salt
"Sea salt" is a general term for unrefined salt sourced directly from a living sea or ocean. Like ocean salt, it’s collected through natural evaporation, using sun and wind to remove the water. Because sea salt is typically unrefined, it retains trace minerals from its source, making it a flavorful and potentially healthier choice compared to standard table salt.
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Common sources of sea salt include the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
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Mineral Salt
Mineral salt, like Himalayan pink salt, comes from ancient salt mines formed by evaporated oceans and seawater deposits from long ago. Its unique colors, ranging from deep red to soft pink, are due to naturally occurring trace minerals that lend it a more delicate flavor compared to sea salt. With its stunning rosy hue and distinctive taste, Himalayan pink salt stands as the most popular mineral salt today.
Fine Grain Salt
Among the different salt grain sizes, fine and coarse grains are the most commonly found in grocery stores. Fine-grain salt, typically used as table salt, is ready for everyday use in shakers, seasoning, sautéing, or baking. Coarse-grain salt, on the other hand, requires a grinder or mill to break down before use.
Course Salt
Coarse salt consists of larger salt crystals, perfect for grinding fresh sea salt over meals. Unlike finer-grained salts, coarse salt is less sensitive to moisture, resisting caking and making it ideal for long-term storage. Use a grinder to finish dishes with a sprinkle of freshly ground salt, or incorporate the large crystals to form a salt crust on meat or fish, in brines for pickling, or to enhance the flavor of soups, stews, and pasta.
Smoked Salt
Smoked sea salts bring a bold, woodsy flavor to dishes, making them an exciting addition to gourmet cooking. Ideal for grilling or oven roasting, smoked sea salt imparts a natural, rich flavor. Look for varieties that are naturally smoked without added liquid smoke flavoring, which can add bitterness. The highest quality smoked salts are slow-smoked over real American wood planks, allowing the salt crystals to absorb 100% natural cold smoke for an authentic taste.
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Perfect for adding a true smokehouse essence to soups, salads, pasta, and sandwiches, smoked sea salt is essential for preparing salmon. Available in fine, coarse, and flake grain sizes, it’s a versatile choice for enhancing your favorite recipes.
Flavored Salts
Flavored salts let you get creative in the kitchen, opening up a world of possibilities beyond traditional seasonings. Premium flavored salts combine whole, natural ingredients with sea salt crystals, delivering flavors even bolder than typical seasoning blends. Choose flavored salts made through a 100% natural process, where whole ingredients are fused directly with sea salts—these offer a purity and depth of flavor that artificial flavors and processing can't match.
Organic Salt
In the United States, the USDA does not classify salt as an item that can be certified organic because it contains no carbon compounds. While salt cannot be certified organic by the same standards as plants, agriculture, or livestock, several organizations in other countries have established strict guidelines for salt production. These standards ensure the purity of the water, cleanliness of the salt beds, and proper harvesting and packaging techniques, all aimed at maintaining the highest quality.
Kosher Salt
"Kosher salt" can describe two types of salt. One is a flake salt specifically named for its role in preparing meat according to Jewish dietary laws. It has fewer additives and offers a cleaner, more balanced taste compared to table salt. These flakes dissolve easily and have a milder flavor than processed table salt. Kosher salt can also refer to a very light, flaky salt with pyramid-shaped grains. Due to this unique structure, a pinch of kosher salt contains less salt than a pinch of table salt, making it a favorite for topping pretzels and rimming margarita glasses. It’s important to note that not all kosher salt is derived from the sea.
Pretzel Salt
Pretzel salt features medium-to-large crystals with a flat surface and translucent appearance, providing a satisfying crunch and withstanding high heat. While best known for topping pretzels, this versatile salt is also excellent in spice blends, rubs, for rimming margarita glasses, or adding a savory touch to dinner rolls, granola bars, and chocolates.
Finishing Salt
Finishing salts are the finest specialty salts, often hand-harvested from select regions around the world and prized for their unique textures, like moist crystals and delicate flakes. Known for their satisfying crunch and quick dissolve, they deliver a burst of pure, intense flavor with each bite. Finishing salts enhance the natural flavors of any dish and add an elegant, shimmering touch to the table. Their diverse colors and delicate flakes make them beautiful garnishes for every meal.
Fleur De Sel
The rare and delicate Fleur de Sel is considered the pinnacle of finishing salts. Meaning "Flower of Salt," it’s often hailed as the "caviar of salts" by chefs worldwide. True Fleur de Sel comes exclusively from France’s Guérande region along the Atlantic Coast, where young salt crystals naturally form on the surface of evaporation ponds. Skilled salt harvesters, known as paludiers, gently rake these crystals using traditional wooden tools. Ideal weather conditions are essential for a successful Fleur de Sel harvest, which can only occur once a year in the summer.
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Much like fine wine regions, different areas within Guérande yield salts with unique flavors and aromas.
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Flake Salt
Flake sea salt consists of large, airy crystals that resemble snowflakes. True flake salt is crafted by evaporating seawater using natural sunlight and wind, creating a concentrated salt brine that’s then transferred to open evaporation pans. The brine is gently heated until delicate, pyramid-shaped salt crystals form, resulting in light, flaky sea salt. Flake salt varies in size, from substantial pyramid shapes to ultra-thin, delicate flakes.
Grey Salt
Sel Gris, or grey salt, is a moist, unrefined sea salt sourced from France's Brittany coast. Its light grey hue comes from the minerals absorbed from the clay-lined salt ponds where it’s harvested. Using traditional wooden tools and methods dating back to the Iron Age, harvesters carefully collect this unique salt by hand.
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In recent years, grey salt has become popular in the culinary world for its distinctive flavor and color. It’s available in coarse grain for finishing or pinching, stone-ground fine for use in shakers, and extra-fine velvet grain, ideal for sprinkling over nuts or popcorn.
French Sea Salt
French sea salts are hand-harvested from the pure waters of the Atlantic, remaining unrefined to retain a wealth of trace minerals naturally found in seawater. French Grey Sea Salt, or Sel Gris, is gathered using traditional techniques, with skilled artisans relying solely on wooden tools. This careful process preserves both the pure, delicate taste and the uniquely moist, crystalline texture of the salt.
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With a slightly lower sodium chloride content than typical sea salts—around 94% depending on the harvest—French sea salts are perfect for sprinkling on salads, freshly cooked vegetables, or grilled meats. Sel Gris comes in different grain sizes: brut or tamisé grains, ideal for pinching or keeping in salt cellars, stone-ground fine for shakers, and an extra-fine velvet grain that’s perfect for sprinkling over snacks like nuts and popcorn.
Mediterranean Sea Salt
Salt has been harvested from the Mediterranean Sea for centuries. Nearly every country along its coast produces this salt, which is sold worldwide. Mediterranean sea salt is a common ingredient found in shakers, sprinkled on snack foods, and used in frozen and prepared meals.
Grinder Salt (known as Mill Salt)
Grinder or mill salt refers to large, dry salt crystals ideal for grinding, regardless of the salt type. These larger grains work well in a mill, and their low moisture content helps the salt flow smoothly. Grinder salt is commonly used for adding flavor at the table when a finer, premium finishing salt isn’t necessary, and it’s also great for cooking to achieve a freshly ground salt flavor.
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For best results, use a salt mill with a ceramic or plastic grinding mechanism. Metal grinders, including stainless steel, will rust and corrode over time when exposed to salt.
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Hawaiian Sea Salt
Alaea sea salt is a traditional Hawaiian table salt known for its use in seasoning and preserving foods. It is enriched with naturally occurring volcanic red clay, known as "Alae," which infuses the salt with trace amounts of iron oxide, giving it its signature red hue and a subtle, earthy flavor. Alaea sea salt is the authentic choice for traditional Hawaiian dishes like Kalua pig, poke, and Hawaiian jerky, and it enhances the taste of prime cuts like prime rib and pork loin.
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Black Hawaiian sea salt, or Hiwa Kai, features activated charcoal, which lends the salt a unique black color, silky texture, and notable flavor-enhancing qualities. Although not in large enough quantities to serve as a detox supplement, the activated charcoal in Hiwa Kai adds a bold visual contrast and an appealing taste to dishes, making it a striking choice for culinary presentation.
Kala Namak
Kala Namak, or Indian black salt, is an unrefined mineral salt with a unique pearly, pinkish-gray color rather than true black. Known for its bold sulfuric aroma and flavor, it has become popular in vegan cooking to impart an egg-like taste to dishes like tofu scrambles. Kala Namak is widely used in authentic Indian cuisine and adds a distinctive touch to recipes, including mango smoothies.
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Table Salt
Table salt is the most common type of salt found in kitchens. Unlike sea or ocean salt, it originates from rock salt, typically mined from salt deposits. After mining, table salt is refined to remove most minerals, leaving primarily pure sodium chloride. This process results in a salt that tastes blander and slightly more bitter than unrefined salts, and it lacks the trace minerals that can provide additional health benefits.
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Most table salt is available in two forms: plain or iodized.
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Iodized Salt
In the 1920s, during the Great Depression, American salt manufacturers began iodizing salt by coating it with iodine in partnership with the government. This initiative aimed to address widespread iodine deficiency, which was causing goiter—an enlargement of the thyroid gland—in certain regions of the country.
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Today, it's understood that most people need less than 225 micrograms of iodine per day. Natural sources like seafood, dark green vegetables, and sea salt contain trace amounts of iodine, making additional supplementation unnecessary if these foods are included in a balanced diet.
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And now you know why NaCl (salt) tastes different depending on its source! It all comes down to those trace minerals and the method of extraction. Each variety carries its own unique mineral content and texture, which influences not just the taste but also how the salt interacts with other ingredients. Some salts dissolve quickly, while others crunch and linger, enhancing the overall experience of a dish.
So, while all these salts share the same basic chemical structure, their diverse origins and processing techniques create a delightful world of flavors, each waiting to tantalize your taste buds!
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Check out recipes that pair well with the salt we sell - CLICK HERE
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Watch videos about salt! https://www.britannica.com/science/salt/images-videos
Salt and Sodium - Which salt is best for high blood pressure?
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The terms "sodium" and "salt" are often used interchangeably, but they refer to different things.
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Sodium: Sodium is a chemical element (symbol: Na) and a mineral essential for many bodily functions. It helps regulate blood pressure, maintain fluid balance, and is necessary for muscle and nerve function. Sodium itself is found in many foods naturally, particularly in vegetables, meats, and dairy products, and it’s also added to processed foods.
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Salt: When we talk about "salt" in the context of food, we’re usually referring to sodium chloride (NaCl), a compound composed of sodium and chlorine atoms. Table salt, sea salt, Himalayan salt, and other culinary salts are all variations of sodium chloride. Salt is the primary source of sodium in the diet and is widely used as a seasoning and preservative.
The main difference is that sodium is a component of salt. While salt contains about 40% sodium by weight, the remaining 60% is chloride. When we consume salt, it’s the sodium in it that affects our health, particularly in terms of blood pressure and heart health. This is why dietary guidelines focus on limiting sodium intake rather than salt specifically, although reducing salt consumption is one of the easiest ways to cut down on sodium.
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When it comes to high blood pressure, the type of salt you use is less important than how much you consume. Since it’s the sodium in salt that can contribute to high blood pressure, almost all salts—whether table salt, sea salt, or Himalayan salt—have similar sodium levels. While there may be minor variations in sodium content depending on the salt's origin or how it’s processed, these differences are too small to significantly impact blood pressure.
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For those with high blood pressure, or anyone looking to prevent it, the most effective approach is to actively reduce overall salt intake. This can be achieved by cutting back on processed and packaged foods, which often contain high amounts of hidden sodium, and by limiting added salt when cooking or seasoning meals. Opting for fresh ingredients, herbs, and spices can help bring out flavors without adding sodium.
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Lowering salt intake is a medically recommended approach for managing blood pressure and supporting heart health, as excess sodium can lead to fluid retention and increased pressure on blood vessels. While switching to a different type of salt may seem appealing, focusing on overall consumption will have a far greater impact on your health and blood pressure management.