The Portly Chef

“A man must eat a peck of salt with his friend, before he knows him.” — Miguel de Cervantes

And so, friends, we explore together. A reader asked that I talk about the various kinds of salt that are becoming so popular in the everyday kitchen. Relying mostly on kosher and sea salt myself, I was happy to oblige and increase my knowledge of this delectable rock.

There are very few natural elements that we do not eat. Wood and rock stand among them. However, salt is a frequent exception to that rule. After the jump, I’ll discuss kosher salt, sea salt, Fleur de Sel, canning salt and rock salt.

(Click on each salt’s name for a picture of that salt.)

Kosher Salt

“If you only buy one salt this year make it this one.” I use Kosher salt in all recipes calling for “salt” in the generic term. Most salt (including your daily table salt) is harvested by flooding a salt deposit with water and then removing the water and letting it evaporate either naturally or under artificial conditions, leaving the salt crystals and other minerals (see here). Kosher salt is raked during the evaporation process, resulting in grains with a block-shaped structure. The specific structure of Kosher salt makes it super absorbent, perfect for absorbing blood from meat before eating, as Jewish law requires. The structure also makes Kosher salt easier to handle in the kitchen, actually being “pinchable.” Kosher salt is generally less salty than an equal measure of table or iodized salt.

Sea Salt

Perhaps obvious, but rather than flooding a salt deposit as done with most salt, sea salt is taken from sea water, normally evaporated in coastal reserve pools. Again, sea salt is less salty than an equal amount of table or iodized salt. Sea salt contains a fresh taste, including many minerals found in the sea, rather than being artificially added. Sea salt is popular in cooking fish, boiling shellfish, and most other seafood based cooking. It may also be used as table salt, if found either in the ground form, or its rock form put through a salt mill (particularly if you are using Pacific Sea Salt).

One particular type of sea salt is French Gray Sea Salt, or Sel Gris. Sel Gris normally is an extremely fine salt that is moist. It may be used as a finishing salt on meats (such as carpaccio) or on desserts (such as caramels and brulees). You can also get sea salts in black, brown, and even pink, from India and other countries in that region.

Fleur de Sel

Fleur de Sel is a type of sea salt-specifically the rarer whole crystal form of Sel Gris. The crystals in Fleur de Sel are taken at the earliest form of evaporation, normally during the warmest and sunniest times of year. The fact that they are gleaned from the top of the evaporation pool before they are allowed to settle gives them a pristine white or slightly greyish hue. Fleur de Sel works best where it is a star in the dish, such as on fresh, raw vegetables, or any other dish where the salty flavor would accentuate another simple flavor.

Pickling and Canning Salt

This is salt in its pure form. Close to table salt in grain size, it is used to preserve various fruits and vegetables. Made for making a perfectly clear brine, the salt has no iodine and no additives.

Rock Salt

As implied by the name, rock salt is found in its unrefined, crystal rock shape, much like rock candy. This is the basic salt element (NaCL) and alternatively known as “halite” or table salt. Rock salt is commonly used in making ice cream, in adding it to ice and water to quickly chill a bottle of wine, and in many other everyday kitchen applications. But don’t trust me….Ask An Earth Scientist.

If you can think of any other salts that deserve coverage, don’t hesitate to add them in the comments!

[Additional references: After writing all of this, I found this old post on salt over at Accidental Hedonist and this post at Gourmet Sleuth].