What Salt’s In Your Cupboard?

3 days ago, I fancied myself rather salt savvy. My pantry was sporting the 3 most basic types of salt: iodized table salt, kosher salt and Mediterranean sea salt; and I felt confident in my salting endeavors.

But that was 3 days ago.

Since every kitchen has a cupboard, and every cupboard tells a story, it was interesting for me to learn there’s more to salt than meets the shaker. How about the fact that there are over 2 dozen varieties of culinary-use salt? No, that’s not counting brands. That’s just basic varieties.

If you happen to be a gourmet chef, have ever been to culinary school or even attended a gourmet-cooking class, you’re probably familiar with the many varieties of salt. But if you’re a home cook, even a very good home cook, or perhaps a new cook at a bed & breakfast inn, chances are you may not be familiar with all the salt choices you actually have.

While by no means a comprehensive study of salt, or meant to be taken as medical or dietetic advice, the following outline is enough to get you in the know, regardless of your cooking level.

Table Salt

• Plain (a.k.a. Non-Iodized) Salt – Most often, plain table salt is mined from naturally occurring salt deposits that have been brined and evaporated, leaving cubes of salt which are then refined; less often, plain table salt is processed from solar evaporated sea salt beds wherein sea salt is evaporated, brined and refined–typically for more agricultural or commercial uses; if intended for commercial food uses, this salt typically undergoes an additional processes of vacuum evaporation; plain salt typically contains anti-caking agents.
  
• Iodized Salt - Plain table salt to which iodine has been added (iodine, an important trace element, acts to ensure proper thyroid function;) some may be sensitive to iodized salt’s slight, metallic flavor; like plain salt, iodized salt typically contains anti-caking agents.
• Pickling Salt, Canning Salt – Typically fine grained and sold in larger quantities; lacks the addition of iodine and calcium silicate as an anti-caking agent, but can include sodium ferrocyanide (as yellow prussiate of soda,) used as an alternative anti-caking agent.
  
• Popcorn Salt - fine grained; light and flaky salt; flakes increase salts ability to adhere to foods; typically non-iodized; usually contains an anti-caking agent.
  
• Pretzel Salt – Large grained; does not melt quickly.
  
• Seasoned Salt – Plain or iodized table salt with any variety of herbs added.
  

Kosher Salt - Obtained from brined salt that is continually raked during the evaporation process; additive free; developed in accordance with Jewish dietary laws to prepare kosher meats; coarse and flaky; weighs less in volume than table salt; good all-purpose salt.

Sea Salt

• Black Salt (a.k.a. Kala Namak and Sanchal) – An unrefined, mineral salt; pinkish gray to tan rather than black; typically used in Indian cooking; possesses a sulfuric flavor.
• Grey Salt (Celtic Sea Salt or Sel Gris) - Refers to naturally moist, coarse, mineral-rich salts harvested off the coast of France; hand harvested and labor intensive; good with salads, vegetables and meats.
• Coarse Salt (Gos Sel or Gale Grosso) – Large-grained crystals of sea salt, can be ground fine or used as-is; stores easily; use in soups, stew or pasta dishes; excellent for salt crusts on meat or fish.
• Smoked Sea Salt – Naturally smoked over wood fires, infusing sea salt with a deep, smoky flavor. Adds a nice touch to soups, stews chowders and meats.
  

Finishing Sea Salts - Tend to pair nicely with salads, fresh and cooked vegetables, and grilled meats and fish.

• Flake Salt - Special process wherein sea salt is reduced to light, flaky crystals.
  
• Fleur de Sel (a.k.a Flor de Sal) – Crystals skimmed from the top of sea salt evaporation ponds, harvested under specific conditions by skilled Paludiers (salt farmers.) True Fleur de Sel comes from the Guerande region of France, while Flor de Sal is Portuguese.
• French Sea Salt - Harvested from Atlantic sea water off the coast of France; unrefined and mineral rich.
  
• Fumee de Sel - Adapted from Fleur de Sel; cold smoked using Chardonnay oak chips from French oak wine barrels; possesses a rich, smoky flavor with hints of oak and Chardonnay.
  
• Grinder Salt - large sea salt crystals suited to grinding in salt mills
  
• Hawaiian Sea Salt (Alae, Alaea, Hawaiin Red Salt; also Hawaiian Black Salt) - Hawaiian Red Sea Salt is produce by adding iron oxide from Hawaiian volanic, baked, red clay; distinctive pink to orangey-brown color; pleasing flavor good for roasting, grilling, sauce, spicy foods, soups and meats; Hawaiian Black Sea Salt has purified lava added and possess a slightly sulfuric, nutty flavor.
  
• Italian Sea Salt (or Sicilian Sea Salt)- Produced from Mediterranean waters along the western Sicilian Coast; rich in minerals; typically lower in sodium content than table salt; flavorful without being overpowering.

Certified Organic Salt - Produced under strict guidelines pertaining to water purity, salt bed cleanliness, harvesting and packaging; typically governed by 1 of 2 organizations: BIO-GRO Certification-New Zealand and Nature & Progrés Certification-France .

Rock Salt (Halite) - Naturally occurring and mined from salt deposits from which most table salts are produced and produced for human consumption. Unrefined and non-human consumption rock salt can be used for icing down churns in hand-cranked ice cream tubs or for chilling kegs of beer. Other (also not for human consumption) unrefined rock salts can be used alone or in combination with additives for melting ice from roadways.

Lite Salt - A blend of 50% salt and 50% potassium chloride; typically iodized; typically contains an anti-caking agent.

Salt Substitute – Not technically a salt; contains only potassium chloride.

Sour Salt – Not a salt, but rather citric acid.

Now that you’ve been officially saltified—shop around. Pay a visit to your local markets (grocery, natural, gourmet and otherwise,) or go shopping online. I can guarantee there are many more varieties of sea salt on the market! Experiment, but most of all, have fun! Cooking should be enjoyable—a feast for five senses, not just a celebration for the taste buds and tummy.

Who knows? When you find the perfect salt(s), it just might spark a difference in the way you view and taste your favorite cuisine!

Thank you for visiting Inn Cuisine! Be sure to check out the newly remodeled Recipe Index and subscribe to Inn Cuisine's free RSS feed (also available via email) so you never miss a recipe. Need more ways to stay connected? Follow Inn Cuisine on Facebook & Twitter!

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tagged as: a guide to salt, black salt, canning salt, certified organic salt, coarse salt, cooking with salt, culinary salt, flake salt, fleur de sel, french sea salt, fumee de sel, gray salt, grinder salt, hawaiian sea salt, iodized salt, italian sicilain sea salt, kosher salt, lite salt, pickling salt, plain table salt, popcorn salt, pretzel salt, rock salt, salt, salt reference, salt substitute, salt varities, sea salt, seasoned salt, sel gris, smoked sea salt, sour salt, table salt, types of sea salt, types of table salt, what kind of salt to use when cooking