Recently while dining with Carol at Maldaner’s, Chef Higgins had me taste vinegar salt. He was using it for his own interpretation of fish and chips. I recommend trying it and utilizing it in your cooking for a new taste.
Carol and I have tried to reduce our daily salt intake. Charlyn Fargo Ware, culinary medicine educator and dietitian at SIU School of Medicine, believes that most people do not require additional salt since we consume enough salt from our normal daily eating choices. She reminds us not to eat too many processed foods because they can be very high in salt content.
For flavoring when cooking she suggests “using more herbs and lemons.” This month’s article is all about salt and some various types; there are many. Salts can be classified by how they are harvested, how much moisture they contain, the size of the grains, color and the minerals they contain.
Salt is one of the five basic taste sensations (salty, sweet, sour, bitter and umami). Its ability to preserve food, enhance flavor, texture and bind proteins together, makes it essential for cuisines around the world.
When I think of salt, my early memories are the round blue container with the young lady under her umbrella: Morton’s Salt. Table salt is what we used for cooking and filling up our saltshakers. It is primarily sodium chloride, mined from underground deposits and now includes added iodine to prevent iodine deficiency. Starting in the 1920’s, iodine was added to salt as an easy way to prevent goiters: enlargement of the neck. Most chefs will agree that iodized table salt usually does not add much flavor to your food other than saltiness, since most of the minerals have been processed out.
Kosher salt: Kosher salt is less processed than table salt, although it is still primarily made up of sodium chloride. Kosher salt normally has much larger crystals than table salt, and the size will vary by brand. Kosher salt, which has a coarse and uneven grain and no iodine additives, is one of the main types of salt we see on grocery store shelves and in recipes today. It has numerous cooking and baking benefits: Kosher salt can be kosher, but so can any salt that’s produced under kosher guidelines and supervision. Its name comes from the ancient Jewish practice of using coarse-grained salt to drain blood from meat, as eating meat containing blood is forbidden in certain Jewish traditions. There are no bitter-tasting additives (such as iodine or fluoride) so it tastes quite pure compared to table salt. Not all kosher salt is technically kosher — if you’re looking for kosher salt (as in, salt manufactured under kosher guidelines and standards) look for a package that is labeled “kosher-certified.”
Sea salt: Sea salt is sourced by evaporating ocean water or the water from saltwater lakes. It is less processed than table salt and retains trace minerals that add flavor and sometimes color to the salt. Sea salt is a type of salt that is available in everything from fine grains to larger crystals. Sea salt can be used in almost any cooking or baking recipe, especially if it is a fine sea salt. Charlyn says it is a “myth that sea salt is healthier than normal table salt.”
Pink salt is one that I am seeing being used more. Himalayan salt is the most popular and is a rock salt mined from the Punjab region of Pakistan. Pink salt retains its minerals, and some believe it is a healthier form of salt. You can use pink salt in pretty much any cooking and baking. It is one of the ingredients in the seasoning salt I use in my air fryer for preparing whole chickens.
Fleur de sel: Fleur de sel translates to flower salt in French. It sounds very fancy and is becoming more available in stores. It is very labor intensive to produce and is the most expensive type of salt. Fleur de sel is the salt that forms as a thin crust as seawater evaporates. It is harvested by hand using salt pans or marsh basins. Seawater is drawn in to evaporate, then the salt that floats on the surface is harvested as fleur de sel and the rest of the salt is collected as regular sea salt. The fleur de sel crystals are then placed in special boxes to dry in the sun. Fleur de sel is used most as a finishing salt.
Pickling Salt: Anyone that cans or has pickled summer vegetables is familiar with pickling salt. It is pure sodium chloride and does not contain any anti-clumping agents or additives. The granules are very fine and dissolve easily in brines. It is important to store it in airtight containers away from moisture to prevent clumping.
Celery Salt: I am a Chicagoan and one of the ingredients for a true Chicago hot dog is adding a dash of celery salt, a mixture of common table salt with ground celery seeds. Of course, an authentic Chicago hot dog person knows never to add ketchup.
Do you have a bottle of seasoning salt in your pantry? It is normally a blend of salt, herbs and spices. The most common seasonings are onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. I have been using “McCormick’s All-Purpose Seasoning” with Himalayan pink salt, onion, sea salt, black pepper, garlic, lemon peel, red bell pepper and parsley
My thanks to Charlyn Fargo Ware for her assistance with this article. She will be teaching two classes this fall as part of our Community Education Culinary Series. “Learn To Prepare Sourdough” is Saturday, Sept. 9 and “Cook the Book-Christmas Movie Classics” will be Friday evening, Dec. 1.
From working many years in the restaurant industry and knowing everyone likes their steak prepared a different way, I believe my ending quote for this article is quite appropriate:
“You have to take criticism with a grain of ‘salt’ because you’re never going to please everybody.”
About
Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.
Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.