What are the different types of salts in the worl???

Culinary Salt

As we browse recipes it is common to see other types of salts besides common table salt in the ingredient list. The most common variations are Kosher and Sea Salt.

Culinary Salt Descriptions

How Salt Is Made

All culinary salts are derived by evaporation. Table salt is made by driving water into a salt deposit (in a mine). This process forms a brine which is then evaporated leaving dried "cube-like crystals that look like granulated sugar". The salt is then refined. Kosher salt is made in a similar fashion except the brine is raked continually during the evaporation process. The resulting product has a light and flaky texture. Sea salt is evaporated sea water. All salts are nutritionally the same. Sea salt has trace amounts of minerals not found in mined salt.

Black salt named Kala Namak in India, is really a blend of minerals characterized by a strong sulfur odor. It is commonly used in snack foods in North India.

Fleur de Sel de Guérande is the premier quality of Grey Sea Salt from France. Before the evaporation process is complete a light film of salt forms. This is harvested and sold as Fleur de Sel. (See more about Grey salt below).

g r e y s e a s a l t

Grey salt (sometimes sold as "gray" salt) sel gris is organic sea salt from the coastal area of Guérande, Brittany, France. The salt is "moist" and unrefined. It remains a light grey, almost light purple color because of the clay from the salt flats where it is collected. The salt is not collected by machine but by hand using traditional Celtic methods. It is available in coarse or stoneground fine grain. It is considered by many to be the best quality salt available. This salt has really gained fame in the main stream culinary world in the last few of years.

Hawaiian sea salt is produced from the Hawaiian waters. A natural mineral called "Alaea" (a red clay from Kauai rich in iron oxide) is added to the salt to add beneficial trace elements to the product. This natural additive is what gives the salt it's distinctive pink color. It is said to have a more mellow flavor than regular sea salt.

k o s h e r s a l t

Kosher salt is an additive-free coarse-grained salt. It is used in the production of Kosher meats to draw blood out of the meat. (Read more about the Koshering process) The salt is also preferred by some chefs because it disperses more readily. By nature of it's "flake" texture it melts easily and is lighter (less dense) than table salt.

Lite salt is a mixture of salt and another substance such as potassium chloride. Read the label. Don't bother using these products unless you have a medical reason to do so.

Pickling Salt - Pickling salt is fine-grained salt that does not contain iodine or anti-caking preservatives which cause darkened pickles and cloudy brine.

Popcorn Salt - This is just a superfine, flakier crystal version of table salt. We can't think of any real good reason to use it.

Pretzel Salt - A large-grained salt that does not melt quickly. The preferred salt for pretzels, salted bread sticks.

Rock Salt - Is a large crystal salt that is a slightly grayish color. It is less refined and still contains minerals that are removed from normal table salt. Rock salt is has a few culinary uses such as in mechanical ice cream makers and is sometimes used a a bed for serving certain types of shellfish.

Salt substitutes, are available for people on low-salt diets. They contain little or no sodium normally made of potassium chloride.

f i n e s e a s a l t

Sea salt is produced by evaporating sea water. This process is more expensive than salt produced from mines. Sea salt comes in fine-grained or larger crystals. Many of these salts are refined and use some of the same additives as table salt. Read labels carefully. The crystal variety can be crushed in a mortar and pestle or a salt grinder.

c o a r s e s e a s a l t

Seasoned salt is regular table salt blended with other herbs such as celery, onion, and garlic.

Smoked Salt has become very popular in the culinary scene. High quality smoked salt has actually been smoked with specialty woods such as Alder Smoked Salt or Fume de Sel - Chardonnay Smoked Salt which is smoked in old wine barrels. Lower grade salts just have artificially smoked flavoring added. Smoked salt can be used on meats, fish or vegetables.

Sour salt is not salt at all but it is citric acid. It is used to add an extra tart flavor to sour dough and rye breads. It may be used in canning to prevent fruit from turning dark.

Table salt is the most commonly used salt. It is a fine-grained and looks the same in appearance as fine grained sea salt. Iodized salt is just table salt with Iodine added.

GourmetSleuth's Culinary Salts

Try some of our intriguing culinary salts available now at Gourmetsleuth.com:

Black Salt Kala Namak - 10 oz jar

Grey Salt, Coarse - 8 oz jar

Fume de Sel - Chardonnay Smoked Salt- The best of the best! Fumée de Sel.This is unlike any smoked sea salt available. Know as the "caviar of salts" our smoked Fleur de Sel is cold smoked with Chardonnay oak chips to preserve the mineral content and natural flavor of the salt. 6 oz in reusable tin.

Salish

Alder Smoked Salt - 10.5 oz jar

Hawaiian Sea Salt - 10.4 oz jar

Bali Coconut Lime Smoked Salt - 8 oz jar

Peugeot Salt Mill - Designed specifically for use with moist salts, won't clog, rust or corrode.

Sodium chloride (a type of table salt) is the most basic salt.

Salt is more than a flavor jump-start. It is one of the four basic flavors and an essential nutrient that our bodies rightfully crave. Often incorrectly referred to as sodium, salt consists of 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chloride. While all salts originated from the sea, a number of the major North American salt mines are nowhere near a presently existing ocean. Salt is concentrated in underground deposits in unexpected places such as Kansas, Ohio, and Michigan, which were at one point covered by the ocean.

As a general rule, use coarse salt crystals in cooking water or to sprinkle onto or into foods for seasoning. Fine-grained salts are preferred for most baking because they measure and dissolve evenly. Here's a guide to common forms of salt available today.

Table Salt : Once of the most widely used salts, table salt goes through a refining process that removes traces of other naturally occurring minerals. Chemical additives such as sodium silicoaluminate, calcium phosphate, or magnesium carbonate are sometimes blended in to prevent clumping. Table salt and iodized salt are preferred in baking for their fine-grained texture and accuracy of measure.

Iodized Salt : A form of table salt, iodized salt is fortified with iodine that was lost during processing. Iodized salt was the first "functional food", fortified in the early 1920s in response to a Midwest-focused epidemic of gioter (hyperthyroidism) that was caused by iodine deficiencies.

Kosher Salt : This inexpensive coarse salt is evaporated from a brine, usually under specific conditions approved by the Orthodox Jewish faith. It contains no additives or added iodine. Kosher salt is popular among chefs because its coarse texture makes it easy to pinch up between you fingers and sprinkle onto foods. Measure for measure, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt contains less salt than the same amount of table or iodized salt.

Sea Salt : Available in both fine and coarse grains, sea salt has become increasingly available in markets but at a higher cost than table or kosher salt. Sea salt is made from evaporated sea water. Some salt farmers evaporate the water in enclosed bays along the shoreline, then rake up the salt by hand. This type of salt tends to include several naturally present trace minerals, such as iodine, magnesium, and potassium, which give sea salt a fresher, lighter flavor than standard table salt. Expensive varieties, such as sel gris, Esprit du Sel, and Fleur de Sel from France are usually gray in color and slightly moist. These are best used where their tremendous flavor and presence is pronounced, such as on a boiled potato or a slice of tomato. You can also get pink, brown, and black sea salts from India.

Rock Salt : Sold in large crystals, rock salt has a grayish hue because it is unrefined. Rock salt makes a great bed for serving oysters and clams. Or combine it with ice to make ice cream in hand-cranked ice cream makers.