I am asked this all the time. The Molecular formula is the same, all salts are Sodium Chloride (NaCl). All salts came from the sea at some point. If you dissolve most Sea Salts and Table Salt in water, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. That said, why would I pay $15 for a 1.4 oz jar of Black Diamond Flake Sea Salt when Morton’s Iodized Salt is around $0.05 an ounce? These salts are mainly for texture and appearance. Being a chef, I feel that by finishing my dishes with a colorful salt enhances the dishes I am presenting. Even though some salts can get expensive, you are only using a small sprinkle at a time. Not all the salt I use, is used to finish the dish. I do use salt in the preparation, however, I would not use my Black Flake to make a soup for example, I would use a hardier and cheaper Sel Gris.
What is Table Salt?
Regular, or Table Salt, comes from mines that are from long ago dried up seas. It is processed and processed to get all the impurities out and ground into fine crystals, then in most cases Iodine and anti-caking agents are added. I said a moment ago all salts are NaCl, after adding these ingredients to the formula it is not pure Sodium Chloride. If you eat a healthy balanced diet, you will get all the iodine you need, especially of you eat seafood.
What is basic Sea Salt?
Sea Salt is made from evaporating water gathered from the sea. Depending on where the water come from, it could contain some mineral content. The method the water is processed will affect the final product. It generally will be larger granules or flakes, because it is not often ground as much. It will generally have trace minerals, and it usually won’t have the anti-caking agents or the added iodine. Depending on where it came from it could have natural traces of iodine. The cheaper Sea Salts are also made in large batches and are refined.
You could use basic Sea Salt, that has been ground into fine granules and use it the same way you are currently using your table salt. This would be an overall improvement. You are not getting the additives or anti-caking agents. There are not enough minerals present to make a real difference. I am sure that once you make the step to cheaper Sea Salts, you will eventually buy one of the many Gourmet Sea Salts out there. Once you do that, you will be amazed at what you have been missing.
What are Gourmet Sea Salts?
Gourmet Sea Salts can be broken down into several categories depending on how it is harvested and processed. I am not going to get deep into them on this post. They are Fleur de Sel, Sel Gris, Flake Salt, Rock Salt then the Smoked or Infused. Most of them also have a story behind them; where the water came from, when and how the crystals are harvested. I could present a dish and say “I finished this dish with a Fleur de Sel from the Bali Reef, where during the early summer mornings the salt makers wade out and gather sea water in buckets made from local palm trees then through an elaborate solar evaporation process this moist complex salt was made” sounds better than saying, I sprinkled it with salt. Just by saying or knowing something like that, will instantly make you think that this has to be a great dish.
I said you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between Most Gourmet Salts and table salt dissolved in water. There are many them that are flavored in some way, either smoked or infused with another flavor, like lemon or spicy peppers. These obviously would taste different if used in cooking. However, I would still only use these as finishing salts, that way the salt crystals are delivered directly to your tongue giving you that flavored salty pop.
Most of these salts will be used as a finishing salt, meaning it will be sprinkled on you food just before you are going to eat it. In the example I used, the Black Diamond Flake (one of my favorite salts), I would use this to finish something light in appearance, like a caprese salad. The flakes are large, almost pyramid shaped, and they really stand out against the white mozzarella and red tomatoes then add a nice crunch.
Using your salt to finish your dish, you will consume less salt. These salts are not any better for you than other salts, but if you are eating less salt, and still get to enjoy the salty flavor it adds to your dish, then it would help keep you healthier.
Conclusion
Which salt is better? They are all the same, as far as health wise. I think you can tell that I am a huge fan of the Gourmet Salts. I am not saying run out and spend hundreds of dollars on a huge selection, like I did. Switching to a basic Sea Salt for most of your cooking, then pick up one Gourmet Sea Salt to play with and experiment. After all, this is all about what makes you happy.
Maybe pick up a Applewood Smoked Sea Salt and try it on your next steak.
If you would like to try a small sample pack of Fleur de Sel, Flake Sea Salt & Sel Gris, you can get one here.
If you really want to know about salt, pick up a copy of Mark Bitterman’s book Salted Here
11 Comments
Emmanuel Buysse
Great post and good info.
I discussed this with a friend of me, who is a doctor and has a good knowledge about it.
And what he said is that sea salt is basically healthier, as it is more pure than table salt, which he said it can contain some kind of chemicals, which I totally didn’t knew.
Anyway, thanks for sharing it!
Tony
Thank you for the look.
It is healthier, as it doesn’t have any anti caking chemicals added, however it is not healthier as it is still NaCl.
Using less as a finishing salt will have you consume less salt.
Glad you liked my blog.
Thank you,
Tony
Paul
Dear Tony,
Never aware there is this much information involved with salt OMG.
I got great insights from your post. We are using basic Sea Salt and thanks for the in-depth and detailed information on different types of salts. I am also a blogger but I amazed by seeing the knowledge you have on salt alone and your niche is SALT that’s mind-blowing.
May I ask…
In the southern part of India in our food we use a lot of salt…
Often it is advised to intake less amount of salt for good health. May I ask what is the amount of salt one need to intake per day? Please advice.
Wishing you great success!
Paul
Tony
Paul,
I am glad you enjoyed reading my blog.
The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2300mg of salt, or 1 tsp. The average person (probably American) consumes closer to 3400 mg of salt. The problem is that so many people eat processed foods that are full of salts.
If you are preparing your own food the majority of the time, you can control your salt intake much easier. However, you do need to make sure that you are getting enough salt. Not getting enough salt is just as bad as getting too much salt. Often the symptoms are similar between too much and too little salt.
I absolutely love Indian food. That is about the only food I make at home for myself. I have found that most of the dishes I make use very little salt. As salt is a flavor enhancer, I find that the dishes are extremely flavorful and do not have the need for much added salt. I think I have about 8 different kinds of lentils in my cabinet right now. But my favorite by far is Masoor Dal. I cook it up with tomatoes, onions & ginger then finish it with toasted garlic, cumin seeds, black onion seeds, mustard seeds & fenugreek seeds. Very little salt needed.
I am hungry now…
Thank you
Tony
Stefan
There’s so much to talk about such a simple ingredient as salt. I too love salt history and salt stories that’s why I like this website you make.
I live in Thailand and we, of course, use sea salt. It’s quite cheap here and sold in 10 kilo bags or bigger. The grains are rather big so we have to reground them to use as a finishing salt.
The only problem I see here is, that due to high humidity in the air the self grounded salt sticks too much. I told my wife to put some rice into the salt jar before adding the rice but then she shake the jar and all the salt was mixed with raw rice lol.
Do you know about the rice from the orient desert, I don’t remember details?
Tony
I know!!
I was amazed when I started leaning about how in-depth this topic is.
Not sure how big your crystals are, but you could use bigger crystals for finishing. If I were you, I would just leave the salt in a jar that you can reach in a take a ‘pinch’ out. You can control where and how much you are putting on, and slight clumping will not matter.
If it gets to moist, you can always lay it out on a tray in the sun or in an oven set at at very low temp until it drys out. There is a salt called Sel Gris that is a very moist salt. The benefit of a moist salt is that it wont get dissolved as easily into your food, so will get the crunchy texture when you use it as a finishing salt.
I don’t know about the rice from the orient desert. My favorite rice is basmati, very flavorful.
Thank you
Tony
eohia
I love your exposition on table salt and sea salts. I learnt a lot.
Albeit, the part I loved most is when you described your dish with a story about how the gourmet sea salt was gotten. Truly it will make such a dish sound and look great.
Just wished you had included some lovely pictures of dishes, showing sprinkles of gourmet salt.
Mike
I tend to try and limit my overall salt intake, but i have never tried a gourmet salt before. At least not knowingly. In your opinion, what would be the best gourmet salt to try for someone with no experience with them. What kind of dish would be the best to use it on so i could get a full idea of what they taste like and what to look for in a gourmet salt?
Thanks for the article it was very interesting.
Tony
Mike,
Glad you liked my article.
My post Cooking with Sea Salt, gets into just that.
If you are a steak eater, I would suggest a smoked salt. I would prepare your steak, then slice it and eat a slice. Then sprinkle a little on your next slice and see how it changes the flavor. Next cut a slice and sprinkle a little of whatever your go to salt by your stove is. Which did you like best? There is no right or wrong answers here…this is all about your taste.
If you like more delicate dishes, I would get a jar of Murray River Flake and do a similar experiment with something you like…Grilled Asparagus? Fresh Tomatoes? Mixed Greens w/ a drizzle of olive oil?
I would but the smallest containers of salt, even the smallest will give you plenty of opportunities to try them out and decide what you like. I have over 100 salts, always fun to try different ones.
Thank you for the comment and keep reading as I post more.
Tony
Maggie20
I stopped using table salt and started using Pink Himalaya salt because I heard that its the healthiest option compare to table salt or sea salt. What do you think?
I only know sea salt, table salt and Himalayan salt but I never heard of black diamond salt. when I go to the store I will start paying attention to the different types of salt. I am sure I have seeing it maybe just never paid attention. Thank you for the idea. Next time when I will make dinner I am going to try the Applewood smoked sea salt on my steak. Thank you for this informative article.
Tony
Thank you for checking out my blog.
Himalayan salt does have a higher mineral content than a lot of the salts out there. However once you get away from table salt, that has the anti caking chemicals, they are all similar in regards to health. Personally I very rarely use Himalayan salt in my dishes. It is harder, from large blocks and has to be ground finer. I do have Himalayan salt lamps, candle holders, shot glasses and salt cooking blocks…so I have a lot of it around.
My preference tends to lean towards the flake salts. I like the light crunch with the bigger size. You see them perched on your dish adding another visual aspect to your dish.
I think you will love the smoked salt. Not sure if you will find black diamond in stores, other than the stores that will gouge you on price. I recommend looking for it on line.
Thanks for the comments, hope I helped you understand salt more.
Tony