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I find that I use much less salt when I use sea salt. The sea salt does not have added iodine, so if one is prone to thyroid problems it would be important to find an alternative source of iodine.
I also use sea salt exclusively for many years now. It's used like a regular salt for all dishes that need salt added.
The real differences between sea salt and table salt are in their taste, texture and processing. Table salt is heavily processed to eliminate minerals and usually contains an additive to prevent clumping.
The texture and shape of the crystals must also be considered, as those qualities fundamentally impact salt's taste and how it interacts with food.
I buy Maldon sea salt from a UK store.
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Iodine
Quote:
Originally Posted by masonsdaughter
I find that I use much less salt when I use sea salt. The sea salt does not have added iodine, so if one is prone to thyroid problems it would be important to find an alternative source of iodine.
Not just folks with thyroid issues but iodine is needed in most peoples diet (unless one lives on seafood) and exclusive use of non iodized salt can lead to an iodine deficiency and that's not good.
Use regular iodized salt once in a while to get your iodine.
"By weight, sea salt and table salt contain the same amount of sodium chloride."
I know, it's shocking, coming from the normally unimpeachable Mayo Clinic, but this is actually dead wrong. Morton's table salt contains 99.5% sodium chloride. Various natural sea salts I am familiar with typically assay out at between 82 - 87% sodium chloride.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DontLookPhoto
Not just folks with thyroid issues but iodine is needed in most peoples diet (unless one lives on seafood) and exclusive use of non iodized salt can lead to an iodine deficiency and that's not good. Use regular iodized salt once in a while to get your iodine.
Let's be clear that the iodine added to iodized salt is completely artificial, and the process was invented by public health officials during the Depression because people's diets were so poor, and iodine deficiency was rife, so goiter incidents had skyrocketed. So the thinking was... "Everybody needs iodine... everybody uses salt... let's put an iodine supplement in salt and then everyone will get it."
With proper attention to your diet you can disregard iodized salt completely. Many other sources of iodine may be used with or as an alternative to sea salt or table salt:
Quote:
"Healthy Theory lists fish, milk and potatoes among the top sources of iodine. Almonds and dark greens such as spinach are also listed as key sources of this mineral."
It's also worth noting that seaweed and other sea vegetables and sea salt are all prized by "natural foods" cooks for the iodine and other trace minerals they contain.
Now, back to the question of taste. Not only does sea salt taste different from mined salt, as iodized salt tastes different from non-iodized salt, various sea salts taste different from each other, and they have different textures, which all give different taste sensations when sprinkled on food. I learned this a decade ago when a chef in NYC showed me something startling... 4 bites of the same food, each topped with a sprinkle of a different kind of salt... and they all tasted different! Years later a top-rated sushi chef showed me the same thing with a bowl of fresh edamame and several different kinds of sea salt. It was hard to believe there was so much difference between them, but the moist grey salt from France, for example, was very different from the crunchy rectangular crystals of an English salt, which differed again from a "softer" South Pacific salt. Even the varying shapes of the crystals resulting from different methods of harvesting the salt make a difference in the way they "feel" in the mouth, which is part of the experience called "taste."
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I haven't purchased table salt in over a decade and no goiter yet. I recently discovered the pink Himalayan salt at Trader Joe's for just $1.99 with a built in grinder. I also have coarse and fine sea salt, and kosher salt for brining.
OpenD, which type of salt did you find best complemented the edamame?
It depends on what I want it for: we do use table salt on our food, like eggs, etc but there are some things that just taste better with Sea salt...I love it on grilled veggies for instance...Thus I think there is a place in a pantry for both. One thing I found out the hard way: don't use it when making pie crust unless you cut the amount in 1/2. I know better, but grabbed it a few years ago to make my crust for pumpkin pie. We are still talking about it. Every Thanksgiving we are reminded not to let mom or grandma, depending on who is talking bring the pumpkin pie...
I know, it's shocking, coming from the normally unimpeachable Mayo Clinic, but this is actually dead wrong. Morton's table salt contains 99.5% sodium chloride. Various natural sea salts I am familiar with typically assay out at between 82 - 87% sodium chloride.
Let's be clear that the iodine added to iodized salt is completely artificial, and the process was invented by public health officials during the Depression because people's diets were so poor, and iodine deficiency was rife, so goiter incidents had skyrocketed. So the thinking was... "Everybody needs iodine... everybody uses salt... let's put an iodine supplement in salt and then everyone will get it."
With proper attention to your diet you can disregard iodized salt completely. Many other sources of iodine may be used with or as an alternative to sea salt or table salt:
It's also worth noting that seaweed and other sea vegetables and sea salt are all prized by "natural foods" cooks for the iodine and other trace minerals they contain.
Now, back to the question of taste. Not only does sea salt taste different from mined salt, as iodized salt tastes different from non-iodized salt, various sea salts taste different from each other, and they have different textures, which all give different taste sensations when sprinkled on food. I learned this a decade ago when a chef in NYC showed me something startling... 4 bites of the same food, each topped with a sprinkle of a different kind of salt... and they all tasted different! Years later a top-rated sushi chef showed me the same thing with a bowl of fresh edamame and several different kinds of sea salt. It was hard to believe there was so much difference between them, but the moist grey salt from France, for example, was very different from the crunchy rectangular crystals of an English salt, which differed again from a "softer" South Pacific salt. Even the varying shapes of the crystals resulting from different methods of harvesting the salt make a difference in the way they "feel" in the mouth, which is part of the experience called "taste."
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Great post ^^^!
I personally use only sea salt, and I used different kinds - fine, coarse and pink Himalayan. These salts definitely taste different and I love them. I use such a small amount of salt, they last me a long, long, long time. I could never go back to that cheap table salt.
OpenD, which type of salt did you find best complemented the edamame?
They all tasted good, but the one I liked best was an English sea salt that had thin, flat crystal, more like tiny flakes. They added a crunch that was delightful.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gypsychic
I personally use only sea salt, and I used different kinds - fine, coarse and pink Himalayan.
Keep in mind that Pink Himilayan is a mined salt. The main difference from Morton's is that it hasn't had the trace minerals and organic matter that give it that color refined out of it.
Red Hawaiian Salt and Black Hawiian Salt are two unusual traditional sea salts that are harvested from sea water by evaporation in big pans made from red or black volcanic clay. In the process a small amount of the clay gets mixed in with the salt, giving it a characteristic look and taste.
Moist grey "fleur de sal" from France is harvested by raking off the crusty tops of the crystals that form in the salt pans. Different harvest techniques, and different water quality in various parts of the world all contribute to the subtle differences between types. Want something different? Try smoked salt! I use it to rim the glasses for a crazy "margarita" that's popular around here made with juice from prickly pear cactus fruit. Sorry, I can't say the name here.
Personally I use Si Salt as my kitchen "go-to." It's made in Mexico, and was recommended to me years ago for its high mineral content. Very consistent quality. I buy it in health food stores, but it's also available on the internet.
I am a sea salt fan. I alternate between kosher and basic sea salt for basic salting. And I used sea salts and flavored salts for finishing. I have this lemon sea salt that is amazing...and goes with everything.
Play around. I love the interesting textures and flavors you get from the different salts. I like the black lava salt too for the color! Smoked salt is awesome too!
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Iodine
