Salt (merged topics)

[mamster]

I was going to say we only have Diamond Crystal kosher, but actually we have a tube of large-crystal supermarket sea salt for putting on focaccia. If I ever made pretzels, it would probably work on pretzels, too.

[Miss J]

I have fleur de sel, coarse sea salt, sel de gris and Malden (which is my everyday salt).

I feel inadequate. I want pink salt. And like Kiku, I want to know if kosher salt is anything like Malden. I remember that Akiko went on a HUGE search for it in London, but I can't remember what the outcome was.

[Blondie]

Fleur de sel, kosher, coarse sea salt, Hawaiian pink,

I have these plus Malden. The fisherman can't figure out why I need five different kinds of salt. He's a minimalist and thinks it's bizarre.

[stellabella]

fleur de sel [unopened as yet, a recent gift]

pickling salt

table salt, which isn't really used for anything

fresh out of sea salt--need to go to market

for cooking i use diamond crystal kosher--i keep it in a squat willoware cellar and just pinch out what i need.

i adore salt cellars. i always feel sad when a guest comes over and asks, Uh.....what dis? How i use it?

[vengroff]

Kosher. That's it.

Ditto.

[JAZ]

I have about 10 types, because I had to do a tasting for the book I'm working on. I'm of the opinion that the main detectable differences are in texture (although you can smell the iodine in the iodized stuff if you dissolve it in hot water). For anyone interested, there are a few interesting articles on the subject -- one in Robert Wolke's book What Einstein Told His Cook and one in Jeffrey Steingarten's latest, It Must Have Been Something I Ate. Cook's Illustrated also did a comparative tasting, which was interesting but of course much less entertaining that either Wolke or Steingarten.

[tommy]

here is another interesting salt thread.

[eat2much]

I seem to have begun an interesting collection of different types of salt. I know that it is a matter of taste but do each of these varieties have their special uses or am I better off saving money and shelf space and concentrating on one or two different types. I think the only type of salt missing from my pantry is plain old "table salt". There are a million uses for kosher salt, gros sel de mer for fish in salt crust, sel de camargue or maldon salt for salads, etc. Haven't figured out what to do with the alea salt from Hawaii yet ....suggestions?

[torakris]

Check out this threada on salt:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...t=15332&hl=salt

I have always kept table salt around for baking and just two days I made a cookie recipe from the Babbo cookbook that called for kosher salt, so I used it and on certain bites I could actually taste the salt melting in mouth and was quite put off by it.

I think I am definitely go to stick with table salt for my baking needs.

[eat2much]

merci!

[Stone]

I don't have time to read this entire thread. Is there a consensus on whether the type of salt makes a difference when it's dissolved and cooked into a dish? As opposed to sprinkled on top?

[Marlene]

For the table we keep rock sea salt in a salt grinder. Although I love salty snacks, I hardly ever cook with salt. Or very very little. I find people will salt to their taste at the table usually.

[Stone]

Interesting, but it doesn't answer my question.

[Marlene]

Interested in your thoughts on how you like to cook with salt and how you like to eat it.  I'm sure Fat-guy and those of you more schooled in the culinary arts could tell me the basic philosophies of cooking with it.  Sea salt?  Sel de mer?  regular old iodized?  While you're cooking, or after it's on your plate?  Do you add it to everything or believe it destroys the true flavor of food?  For instance, I have a thing with salt on steak.  I have to have it, and find I keep adding it as I eat it.  It never tastes over-salted to me, and never as delicious without it.  However, I never salt steamed vegetables.  With tomato sauce, I find that the flavors never seem to come alive without a good dose of it.  Also, do you have gripes about restaurant cooks over-salting, under-salting?  And how do you find that very fine powdery salt used on salted almonds and other savories?  <p>Soy sauce, fish sauce?  

Geeze, I had to go back and read the question(s). I cook with soy sauce all the time. I don't know why, I just love things cooked with soy sauce. I very seldom find restaurants oversalting things. Undersalted if anything. I love the powdery salt on almonds etc.

bertter?

[torakris]

I don't have time to read this entire thread.  Is there a consensus on whether the type of salt makes a difference when it's dissolved and cooked into a dish?  As opposed to sprinkled on top?

I think it depends on what kind of dish you are talking about.

For stew, sauces etc, I prefer the slightly subtle difference of salting before serving and I use kosher salt (mostly) or maldon sea salt (salads, roasts,etc).

I only use table salt in baking, I tried using kosher salt in 2 recipes from the Babbo book, where he says kosher, but in both I would bite into a salt pocket and I didn't care for it.

As for a consesus...........

I don't feel like re-reading it either!

[indiagirl]

I don't have time to read this entire thread.  Is there a consensus on whether the type of salt makes a difference when it's dissolved and cooked into a dish?  As opposed to sprinkled on top?

Stone, I just read the whole thread. Synopsis as follows (I'll take a check in the mail )

- Clear opinions (not a majority of posters, but a majority of opinions voiced in this regard) that when dissolved in food, ytpe of salt does NOT make a difference

- Most people have some type of fine salt and some kosher salt at home. Some people have "fancy" salts.

- On top of some dishes, the "fancy" salts make a difference but is rather expensive.

- The texture of coarse salt makes it easier to measure.

- Iodized store bought salt has a metallic taste.

- "Fancy" salts are a scam!

Now to my post. I use fine salt from my neighborhood food co-op and also keep kosher salt. I use them interchangeably. I almost always add salt during the cooking. They're in a jar and I use my fingers to measure them out. Regular old shaker on the dinner table.

Growing up in India, where salt is a critical ingredient and considered to be essential to bringing out the flavor in a dish, adding salt at the table is sometimes considered an embarassment to the cook.

On the flip side, traditionally, when plates are set out for a meal, the basic "condiments" are always served in the plate before the food is, these being, salt, a wedge of lemon, pickle, raita, pappadums.

Anyone remember the story of the princess who was banished because she said she loved her father more than salt? Here is a Russian version.

[NeroW]

Vinegar is also used to enhance flavors.  I always make sure to use at least a little of both when I cook.

Is it possible to award a Noble prize to folks that invented sea salt and vinegar potato chips?

Sea salt . . . vinegar . . . potato chip . . .

[torakris]

India girl,

Wow! thanks for taking that job on!

If you have some time would you mind tackling the Balic Bio thread next?

[indiagirl]

if no one contests my summary here

this is, after all, eGullet

[Elissa]

i like sea salt rocks, freshly pounded a bit in lava bowl often with white pepper corns. nothing fancy, but the baleine is good and i've liked the disposable med sea salt mill.

isn't there however some kind of fancy hawaiian salt that's actually sposed to pack a punch? saw it last in california....

Edited April 16, 2003 by lissome (log)

[Marlene]

if no one contests my summary here

 

this is, after all, eGullet

not this girl! you rock. Nice and concise.

[Elissa]

can you use anchovies in place of salt?

[Marlene]

can you use anchovies in place of salt?

I'm thinking it would depend. Salt has just kind of a salt taste. Anchovies have kind of well, a fish taste. It would depend on how many you used and what the end result you wanted I guess. But then, I'm not a fan of anchovies either

[awbrig]

can you use anchovies in place of salt?

Not on top of popcorn...

[Stone]

can you use anchovies in place of salt?

Not on top of popcorn...

They're great mushed into ice cream.