Choosing the right kind of salt for your cooking is essential for all cooks. Salt is an essential part of everyday life, and without it, we would have a significantly different existence. Choosing the right type of salt can be complex. Salt forms part of every food chain, it is also essential to life and the human body in particular, but we all don't have to eat foods to which salt has been added. That being said, salt's role in cooking is undeniably essential. Salt can be flavor personified and really helps to bring out the flavor of other foods. The different types of salt on the market offer different variations on a similar flavor that can make all the difference. This article will go through many salts and demonstrate what type to use in which situation.
Table salt forms most of all purchased salts and is the go-to for most of us. This salt is commonly iodized, making it highly desirable for many cooking situations. Iodine is essential to our health but can be depleted slowly through our bodies. Therefore we must add it back into our diets in some way or another. One can add table salt with or without additives such as anti-caking agents, which help prevent your salt from sticking together when exposed to moisture in the air.
Sea salt is a 100% natural salt mined from the earth. Something unique about its taste is its deep, rich flavor that perfectly compliments seafood and meat. The difference is especially evident when using sea salt on vegetables, as it truly enhances their taste and makes them more delicious than they would typically be. Sea salt can also be used in baking, and adding herbs to your foods can be a very successful way of making your food healthier.
Smoked salts have been produced through the controlled process of smoking, which then causes the salt to get even richer in flavor and become more desirable for cooking foods with intense flavors such as meats, vegetables, fish, etc. There are many types of smoked salts, and the flavor that each one offers is unique, so you can experiment and find which one, or a combination of them, works for you.
Kosher salt is an additive-free type of salt mined from below the earth's surface. It has a coarse, flaky texture which means it does not stick together when exposed to moisture in the air as other kinds of salt can do. It also means that it is an excellent choice for slow cooking, and why it is often used as a finishing salt on meats, vegetables, and fish.
Pink Himalayan salt is not all it seems. It is very similar to regular, non-pink sea salt, but it has a beautiful, attractive pink color and an interesting story about where it has been mined. Although there are health benefits to consuming this pink salt instead of white table salt, these differences are less significant than their aesthetic appeal really.
Celtic sea salts are yet another type of natural sea salt mined from the ocean or other bodies of water. They vary slightly in their color depending on location and other factors, but they are one of the most expensive types of salts available. Again, like the Pink Himalayan salt, this is due to its aesthetic allure more than its actual usability in cooking.
Black salt has undergone a lengthy process of evaporation which forms it into a coarse, very dark, and fragrant type of salt with a rich taste and smell. It is essentially used as a substitute for black pepper but can be used in other ways to add flavor to your food or beverages. It goes particularly well with lamb and yogurt-based products.
Rock salt is yet another natural form of salt that has been mined from rock deposits below ground level. Its texture has a beautiful grain, making it very easy to use for cooking and baking, but it does not dissolve as quickly as other salt forms. Rock salt can add flavor and sweetness to your food but should not be confused with table salt mined from the table rock.
