The 10 most expensive types of salt.

  Can you imagine cooking with a salt that costs around $35.00 per ounce?  You realize that is $560 per pound!  To me that is mind boggling.  I assume there must be something really special about these products.

I finally splurged on the Hawaiian ones, Gros Gris and a Himalayan one.  I got a little of each but it lasts a long time because I use just a pinch to finish my cooking.

This list is from most expensive down to not as expensive.

1. Amethyst Bamboo Salt at $38.50 per 1.2 ounce bottle.  This particular salt has been roasted nine times in an aged bamboo vessel capped with clay.  The salt is roasted with a pine wood fed fire at a temperature almost as high the melting point of salt.

2. Korean Oyster Bamboo salt at at $28.50 per 1.2 ounce bottle.  This is another bamboo salt that has been pulverized into a fine powder.  It is only roasted one time and is referred to as a lesser salt because its only been roasted once.

3. Hana Flake salt for $17.25 per 1.2 ounce container. This Japanese flake salt glimmers in the sunlight due to its semi-transparency.  It is a bright white in color.  It is formed from evaporated brine.

4. Kamebishi Soy salt at $17.25 per 1.2 ounce bottle. It comes form Japan and is a robust salt flavored with soy sauce.  The salt is made when the company evaporates their fermented aged shoyu sauce which has 14.5% salt.  The resulting product is sold.  I looked on Amazon and They charge almost $30 for a just over 2.8 ounce container.

5. Black Truffle Salt for $16.50 per 1.2 ounce bottle. This particular salt is a finishing salt which is salt laced with bits of truffles. It is categorized as having meaty flavor.

6. Iburi Jio Cherry Smoked Salt for $16.50 per 1.2 ounce container.  This is a particular sea salt that is smoked using the Iburi smoking technique often used to preserve daikon radish for the winter.  Salt is smoked by being hung above dried cherry wood being burned.

7. Saffron Salt at $16.50 per 1.2 ounce bottle.  Saffron salt is simply a good quality saffron mixed with salt.  The cost is due to the cost of Saffron.

8. Kiluaea Onyx Black salt is only $12.00 for a 1.2 ounce bottle. This salt is produced in one place on the island of Molokai in Hawaii.  The salt is evaporated with black lava rock and combined with charcoal. 

9. Oshima Island Blue salt for $13.25 per 1.2 ounce jar.  Although the name implies the salt might be blue, it is actually sparkling white.  It is produced on the Oshima Island in Japan.  It is sun dried and filled with minerals.

10. Takesumi Blue salt at $13.00 per 1.2 ounce jar. This last one is a bamboo salt in which the Japanese deep sea salt is placed inside bamboo and totally burned. 

I never realized there were so many interesting types of salt out there.  I'm thinking of blowing the money for the soy salt because I love the flavor of a good Shoyu.

What Do You Know About Salt?

  What do you know about salt?  I have it in my house.  I have the regular iodized salt, pickling salt, and salt to melt the ice on the walkways.  I recently bought some of those fancy gourmet salts, the ones from around the world.

So let me share some information with you on ten types of salt you might just have around your house.

1.  Table salt which is exactly what it sounds like.  It is on that table shaker.  It is refined from mined underground salt, not sea water.  It often has additives such as iodine and anti-caking agents which do not work well in extremely humid climates such as Hawaii.  Mom always put rice grains in her salt shakers to keep the salt from caking.

2.  Kosher salt could be from either the sea or earth and is quick dissolving. It acquired its name due to its use in preparation of meet according to Jewish preparation rules but not all salt labeled as kosher is actually kosher meaning it does not meet all kosher.

3. Sel Gris meaning "Grey Salt" is prepared through the use of evaporation.  Ponds of salt water are evaporated, leaving the salt at the bottom..  This is also known as "Celtic Sea Salt".  It is good as both a cooking salt and a finishing salt.  A finishing salt is an unrefined natural salt used at the last minute to flavor the food.  you do not cook with it.

4.  Gros Gris is a salt with large crystals.  The crystals are large enough to use in a salt grinder.  It is best used to create a salt crust on meat.

5. Flake Salt - is made from boiled or evaporated brine.  The salt has fewer trace minerals but it is a great finishing salt for salads.

6. Fleur de Sel are crystals that are harvested from the top of the same evaporation ponds where Sel Cris is collected.  The delicate crystals are used for finishing.

7. Hawaiian Sea Salt may be either red or black depending on where it comes from.  The red comes from a mineral in volcanic baked clay while the black gets its color from added charcoal.  The crystals may also be fine or course but this is a great salt to add to meats.

8. Smoked Salt is slow smoked over a fire to help the crystals absorb the flavor.  It is great used with hearty meats or potatoes.

9. Flavored salt can be flavored with just about any flavoring such as truffles, lemon, herbs, etc.

10. Himalayan salt is mined from ancient sea deposits in Pakistan.  It ranges in color from white to pink to red and is often cut into slaps so as to be used like a plate.  The salt has the ability to hold heat at a certain temperature for a period of time so the slabs can be used to serve a variety of foods.

I have several of these salts in my house.  Its great to know more about them.  I hope you enjoyed learning something from them.