A Salted

A girlfriend called me over the weekend to ask my opinion about the different salts called for in a recipe she was going to make. OK...most everyone else I know can tell you that was her first mistake. Starting out a sentence with, "So what do you think about…” will land you in a 20 minute chat about the topic. Her question was valid though and it was important that she understood; she wanted to know the difference between regular table salt and kosher salt.

While all refined salt is sodium chloride, all salt is not the same. To start, some salt is mined from ancient seas - taken out of the ground. Other salt is made by drying beds of salt water. Salt, like the kind mom had on the table, has iodine added. Iodine is part of the hormone that regulates your metabolism. Iodine is found in food that comes from the sea or is grown in areas that were once under the sea. For people living in the Great Plain states and away from sea water, Goiter (a disease of the thyroid gland resulting from iodine deficiency) used to be a terrible problem. So salt, which everyone used daily, was fortified with iodine.

Table salt has a granular shape to it. It packs well with other grains in the measuring spoon, so table salt is heavy. Because of its shape, it also takes longer to dissolve on your tongue, leaving the impression that it is “saltier” than other kinds of salt.

What other kinds of salts are there you ask? Well, just about one for every region of every country that is or ever was, by the ocean or sea. But Kosher salt is different. While kosher salt is usually Kosher, as in prepared according to Jewish dietary laws, that’s not why it’s called kosher salt. It’s flat, flake shape is perfect for curing meat, or koshering. Its flakiness means it takes less to fill up a measuring spoon, so kosher salt is light. Kosher flakes hit the tongue and dissolve quickly leaving the impression it is less salty than other kinds of salt.

So back to the difference in the recipe. If the recipe calls for kosher salt and all you have is table salt, reduce the amount of salt you are adding by 25%. 1 tsp kosher = 3/4tsp table. Funny thing is, salt is subjective anyway. I always season my food before I bring it to the table, however I place salt cellars on the table just in case.

After 20 minutes on the phone I think I forgot what the original question was. We ended up talking about the new waffle pan I just got. She asked me what I thought about it and…

Eat well.

Dawn