Salt. What salts do you keep? Do you have different salts for different purposes?

Well you guys all have to admit that smoked salt is quite different in that it's...smoky!

And yes, there might be no discernable difference in most salt flavor wise, but there is difference in some salt on a nutritional level (iodized salt, additional minerals, etc.). People who don't eat seafood need to be careful about using only non-iodized salt as it can affect the thyroid...not getting enough iodide affects thyroid hormones. Seafood is high in iodide.
 
badjak said:
It's very difficult to find non-iodized salt here.
And if you do find it, it's highly expensive as it will be sold as a specialty salt
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But it's okay for it to be iodized for health reasons, like some flours are fortified with B vitamins and milk is fortified with vitamin A&D (at least in the US).
 
JAS_OH1 said:
But it's okay for it to be iodized for health reasons, like some flours are fortified with B vitamins and milk is fortified with vitamin A&D (at least in the US).
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Absolutely...
Funny thing, anything written about pickling always emphasizes "use non-iodized salt".
Since I can't find it, I have always used iodized and it works perfectly well.
Leading me to think that it is one of those things someone once said and everyone repeats without testing
 
badjak said:
Absolutely...
Funny thing, anything written about pickling always emphasizes "use non-iodized salt".
Since I can't find it, I have always used iodized and it works perfectly well.
Leading me to think that it is one of those things someone once said and everyone repeats without testing
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I'm glad it works for pickling!
 
I don’t think all salt does taste the same but I’m with you that the flavours the same for a lot of them, so this is going to sound a bit contradictory 😂 -
Smoked and flavoured salts aside the way the salt adheres and spreads on what it’s being used with varies a lot. Just for example ultra fine salt or flaked sea salt for example have a very different effects on how a steak tastes.

I don’t think I truly understood the effects of grain size until spending a lot of time in spain. Their table salt is a larger grain than in the UK, imperceptibly so and I ruined quite a few dishes before I understood what was ‘wrong’ with the salt I was using.

It’s not something I can fix either because it looks identical (unless you do a side by side comparison) so you automatically revert to treating it like the salt you’re familiar with.
In the end I travelled to the Brit store to buy British salt. I’m clearly not alone because they even though the shop is very small they sell six different types of salt! 😂
 
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TastyReuben said:
like salt!…because it’s all just salt!”
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That's all very well, but if you taste salt on its own, which is really a sort of dumb thing to do, you will notice a difference.
There's a little village on Margarita island, just off the coast of Venezuela, called Pampatar. In the ancient indigenous language, that means "the village of salt". The salt available there was intense, with loads of trace elements (I imagine) probably because of its proximity to the Caribbean and the intense 40C + temperatures every day. Same goes for Indian namak, or black salt; there's a distinctly sulphuric taste to it.
But like I said, you can taste chocolate on its own, you can taste beer on its own, but salt? You can just sort of imagine "hey, what are doing this weekend? Want to come to a salt tasting? ":stop::stop:
 
I forgot one -
a jar of very coarse sea salt - which I use for salads - they don't dissolve fast/much, so it's like 'pop rocks' in the salad - little bursts of salt flavor as one munches thru . . . .
interesting add - but not to be overdone....
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
I realise I have a few different salts for different purposes. I wondered what everyone else keeps and what they use them for?

I have -
Regular fine table salt (usually a big bag for curing).
Fine sea salt (general cooking).
Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt (in a grinder on the table).
Smoked crystal salt (also in a grinder on the table).
Cornish flaked smoked sea salt (love adding this to a lot of things).
Garlic salt (usually when making a breaded coating or crust for something).
Lemon and Black pepper Salt (on roast potatoes or sprinkled on otherwise bland carbs).
Malden’s sea salt flakes (back up if I run out of Cornish flaked smoked salt).
And not sure if it counts - Celery salt (for the obvious Bloody Mary and eggs).

I also use soy sauce and liquid amino’s for salt.

What’s your preference and is there a particular salt you feel you need for a particular dish?
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I have regular table salt, sea salt, and black salt. I also have celery salt that I rarely use. I use table salt for everyday cooking, sea salt for salads and barbecues, and black salt for vegan dishes like scrambled tofu to add some umami flavor.
 
YogChakra said:
I have regular table salt, sea salt, and black salt. I also have celery salt that I rarely use. I use table salt for everyday cooking, sea salt for salads and barbecues, and black salt for vegan dishes like scrambled tofu to add some umami flavor.
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Ah black salt. I’ve heard that ones a bit different due to a sulphur (amongst other things). What is the taste difference between that and normal table salt?
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
Ah black salt. I’ve heard that ones a bit different due to a sulphur (amongst other things). What is the taste difference between that and normal table salt?
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Mine has a definite 'eggy' taste to it.

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Black salt (namak) has a definite eggy taste, undoubtedly due to the fact that it's a volcanic salt. Hydrogen sulphide is present.
However, mix some in your tamarind chutney or make a spice mix (masala) like chaat masala, and sprinkle it on the vegetable mix, and wow! It takes the dish to another level.I love it!
 
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