Know Your Salts
A little salt makes pretty much everything taste better, and it’s a staple of most cook’s spice racks. Not all salts are the same, however. There are few types of salt that you should be familiar with when cooking.
Table Salt
Table salt, also known as common salt, consists of tiny, uniformly shaped crystals created during rapid vacuum evaporation. It usually includes anti-caking agents that help it pour smoothly.
HOW WE USE IT: Fine-grain table salt dissolves easily, making it our go-to for most applications, both sweet and savory.
SHOPPING TIP: Avoid iodized salt, which can impart a subtle chemical flavor.
Kosher Salt
Coarse-grain kosher salt is raked during the evaporation process to yield flaky crystals originally used for koshering meat. Unlike table salt, kosher salt doesn’t contain any additives.
HOW WE USE IT: Kosher salt is our top choice for seasoning meat. The large grains distribute easily and cling well to the meat’s surfaces.
SHOPPING TIP: The two major brands of kosher salt—Morton and Diamond Crystal—work equally well; however, their crystal sizes differ considerably, and this makes a difference when measuring by volume. Use this conversion: 1½ teaspoons Morton kosher salt = 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Sea Salt
Sea salt is the product of seawater evaporation—a time-consuming, expensive process that yields irregularly shaped, mineral-rich flakes that vary in color but only slightly in flavor.
HOW WE USE IT: Don’t bother cooking with pricey sea salt; we’ve found that mixed into food, it doesn’t taste any different than table salt. Instead, we use it as a “finishing salt,” where its delicate crunch stands out.
SHOPPING TIP: Texture—not exotic provenance—is the main consideration. Look for brands boasting large, flaky crystals such as Maldon Sea Salt.
