mastery of salts

I'm intrigued by various salts and their uses for cooking and baking. Obtaining the right level of saltiness in your food is really an art in itself. Here are some notes on kosher, sea and table salts from bonappetit.com...

Kosher Salt

Kosher salt, usually sold in large boxes, is ideal for salting water when cooking pastas or vegetables, for brining, and for many other cooking uses. It's additive-free, coarse-grained, and has a fine flavor.

Many recipes call for kosher salt rather than table salt but be careful: The two are not interchangeable; 1 teaspoon of table salt is equivalent to 1 1/2 tablespoons of kosher salt.

We use kosher salt for salting our steaks and other meats, as well as for salting our boiling water. We keep a small dish within reach of the oven/stove, ready to use.

Sea Salt

Sea salt has a bracing marine flavor, and is best sprinkled on food just before eating. Certain sea salts are rich in minerals, which gives them an off-white or gray color. Fleur de sel is an especially valued type of French hand-harvested sea salt.

Sea salt has a nice flavor and is great for finishing cooked foods. I love dark chocolate coated caramels with sea salt - the salty, sweet combination complements each other so well. mmmmm...

Table Salt

Table salt is inexpensive common white salt; it's very fine-grained and contains additives that help it flow easily from shakers. It's used in cooking and as a condiment, especially when bigger grains of sea salt and kosher salt are not desired.

Sea salt and kosher salt are not interchangeable: 1 teaspoon of table salt is equivalent to 1 1/2 tablespoons of kosher salt.