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.