What Are The 14 Different Types Of Salt And How To Use Them

Oct 04, 2018

The element sodium chloride, better known as salt has been an important part of our lives since the beginning of time. We'd be lost cooking in the kitchen without it, and many foods wouldn't be the same unsalted. Too much salt is bad for you, they say, yet the human body can't survive without a little of it.

Salt is used to flavor food, preserve food, in healthcare, industry, and more. You may be surprised to learn that there are over a dozen different kinds of salt, each with their own different properties and uses. Take a look at these 14 types of salt, their peculiarities, and ways to use them.

Table salt is the most common salt of all. You'd be hard-pressed to find a home without it. It comes to our shakers from natural salt deposits in the earth that are heated to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. Manufacturers add iodine to table salt. That's important to prevent hypothyroidism and other health conditions.

Lots of recipes call for kosher salt because it's flaky and dissolves quickly helping to spread flavor. Coarse, and crystal-like, it's used to cure kosher meats. Like table salt, it comes from mines in the earth, but it can also come from the sea. It contains no iodine.

Sold unrefined and grainier than table salt, sea salt is favored by health food advocates. It has a trace of iodine as well as zinc, potassium, and iron. As the name implies, it comes from the sea. It's processed through evaporation. It's tastier than table salt, but sadly, it may contain micro-plastics because of pollution. Use sparingly.

Himalayan pink salt is also harvested by hand but from a special salt mine in the Himalayan Mountains. The purest salt of them all, it contains about 84 different elements and minerals. This pretty pink salt isn't limited to cooking for its uses. You'll find it in cosmetics, body products, and lamps.

With its odd irregular shape, flake salt is big on flavor but low in minerals. The low-mineral salt stands out from the rest due to its shape and intense flavor. The delicate flakes are extracted from seawater by evaporation or boiling. Because it dissolves so quickly, it elevates the flavor of anything from meats to chocolate. Use it as a finishing salt.

Smoked salt adds a special touch to meat and vegetable dishes. It's created by smoking the salt similar to smoking meat by using different types of bark-free wood for about two weeks. It turns out to be very aromatic. Hickory, oak, applewood, alder wood, and mesquite are all popular woods used.

Pickling salt is sea salt that has been refined to remove the trace minerals that would cause discoloration. It's pure sodium chloride, no additives, no iodine, and no-anti-caking agents. This salt makes it possible to enjoy tasty pickles and preserve foods by canning. It's possible to make pickles with kosher salt, but the results aren't the same since it dissolves more quickly in the brine.

Sometimes called Prague powder, curing salt is a combination of sodium nitrate and table salt. A bold pink color, it's important in the meat-curing process because it prevents the growth of Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism. Of course, it can't be used as a finishing salt; it's toxic to humans in high doses. The levels of nitrate on the cured meat, however, aren't harmful when ingested.

If you've ever had sore muscles, sunburn, or constipation, you've likely used soothing Epsom salt. It's used externally as a soak and mixed with water to take internally where it draws water into the colon to clear blockages. Epsom salt's main ingredient is magnesium sulfate. Although not used in cooking, Epsom salt is used to make beer and tofu.

Did you learn something new about salt? Are you ready to try some of them? Spread the word about their benefits and uses.

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!