ARTICLE CATEGORIES
Salt Institute
Experienced cooks and chefs alike all have their go-to types of salts and brands preferred. From sea salts, to real salt, to kosher salt, to iodized salt…well, you get the picture. The options are endless. We are here to help you understand the difference – let Caitlin’s knowledge gained from hours of culinary classes benefit us all. Here’s the lowdown told from Caitlin’s point of view:
When I first started culinary school, it was so hard for me to learn to add salt. I don’t like things too salty normally and it seemed that every dish I handed to my chefs needed more salt. After a personal lesson from Chef McGuiness on mashed potatoes I finally got it!
Salt is what creates natural flavor in dishes, and with the right amount it makes an amazing meal! It all goes back to chemistry. Sodium chloride is the scientific name for salt, and because of the number of ions it connects perfectly with water and draws out the moisture. The less moisture, the more flavor. Just think about that for a minute.
Remember, you can always add more salt to a recipe, but you can’t necessarily reverse the process completely. So, don’t dump a tablespoon of salt into a recipe, but always only add a pinch at a time.
When you are shopping for salt you’ll see there are many different types and it can get a little confusing. Let me break down my two go-to salts: Iodized Salt and Kosher Salt. For sure, there are many salt companies who sell gourmet salts and those can be fun to sue, but for the everyday purposes, these are the two I reach for.
Iodized Salt: The classic table salt is usually iodized salt, which means it has been through a chemical process to make it the way it is. Usually when using this salt you don’t need as much because it is more potent than Kosher salt. Iodized salt is great when baking because of its fine texture, it’ll dissolve easier in batters or dough.
Kosher Salt: Then there is Kosher salt which is my personal favorite. It comes in boxes and it’s coarser in texture makes it easier to just add a pinch into your dishes. It isn’t as intense in flavor as the iodized salt so you can add a little at a time and control your salt content better. When buying Kosher salt, this is one of the few times in which I would suggest a very specific brand – Morton’s Kosher Salt. Some of the store brand salts tend to have large granules and look like the salt on top of a pretzel. For me, that is too big.
Big picture, and generally speaking, when it comes to cooking, buy low sodium products when you can. By buying lower sodium products, you in turn control the amount of salt in your dishes. If you start a soup off with a super salty store bought broth, then you in turn will have a super salty soup without having added any salt.
And finally, you may wonder why I don’t reach for sea salt (as many have heard of this). I consider sea salt to be the organic cousin of salt. It is my experience that it tends to be more expensive, it cannot be found in every grocery, and the large granules are just too much for me (think of those salts on a hot pretzel again).
That’s a little salt 101 for you. Now, its up to you to determine what works best for you!
