What Are The Different Types Of Salt?

One of the five fundamental taste sensations, salt is necessary for both human and animal health. For individual use on food, salt is frequently found in salt shakers on diners’ dining tables and is used in a variety of cuisines. Many processed foods also contain salt as an ingredient. About 97 to 99 percent of sodium chloride makes up table salt, a refined salt. To make it free-flowing, anti-caking agents like sodium aluminosilicate or magnesium carbonate are typically added. It is easy to find iodized salt because it contains potassium iodide. To absorb extra moisture and aid in breaking up salt clumps that could otherwise form, some people place a desiccant in their salt shakers, such as a few grains of uncooked rice or a saltine cracker.

Salt has no calories either. One of the most coveted tastes by people is salt, which can reduce bitterness in foods like cruciferous vegetables and fruit and add texture and crunch to pretzels. In addition, Bread’s the biggest culprit in US Salt intake. We mine it from the sea and thousands of feet beneath the Earth’s crust because it is a crucial nutrient. Almost every dish we prepare in the kitchen, including curries, desserts, salads, soups, etc., contains salt as an ingredient. However, in most households, we only use two to three salt lists at most, and we probably aren’t even aware that other salt varieties exist or not.

Different Types of Salt 

1. Table Salt

Table salt also referred to as iodized salt, has incredibly fine grains, potassium iodide, and an anti-caking agent that helps keep it from clumping. Table salt shouldn’t be used in savory recipes because the anti-caking agent can impart a metallic flavor when used in large quantities. However, since baking recipes of this type typically only call for modest amounts of salt, it can be used in that context. In everyday cooking recipes, baking, last-minute seasoning, etc., it is used.

2. Kosher Salt

Choose kosher salt if you can only fit one salt in your panty. Its light but coarse texture helps you avoid over-salting and makes it simple to dissolve. It is very reasonably priced and suitable for all applications. One thing to remember is that the salinity of various kosher salt brands will vary. For instance, the Diamond Crystal brand of kosher salt is about 1.5 times saltier than Morton’s brand. So, if you must switch brands for some reason, make sure to taste the food first before adding salt.

3. Himalayan Pink Salt

Himalayan pink salt, the purest of all salts, is obtained from the Khewra Salt Mine in the Pakistani Himalayan Mountains. This salt, which is easily recognized due to its pink hue, is made up of all 84 natural minerals that can be discovered in the human body. Use Himalayan pink salt to season food due to its high cost and robust flavor. It is employed in cooking, lighting, spa treatments, and other activities. On the other hand, there are strong reasons why Himalayan salt lamps are effective for spas and yoga studios.

4. Sea Salt

Sea salt, which is obtained from evaporated seawater, can taste either strongly or mildly salty, depending on the location from which it was obtained. Sea salt can have a complex flavor because it also contains a lot of minerals, but because it is fine or medium-grained, it can be used in both savory and sweet recipes. Sea salt is frequently sprinkled on roasted vegetables and added to desserts that contain chocolate.

5. Celtic Grey Sea Salt

Celtic sea salt, also called sel gris (French for gray salt), is gathered from Atlantic tidal ponds off the coast of France. The minerals that are left over after the seawater evaporates are what give it its gray hue. Use as a finishing salt on grilled meat or seafood, roasted vegetables, or both.

6. Fleur De Sel

French for “flower of salt,” fleur de sel is derived from evaporated seawater, just like Celtic sea salt, but it is only found along the Brittany coast. Many people say that this salt tastes and smells like the sea. The fact that the salt is moist makes it quite sticky, but the moisture also makes the saltiness last longer on the tongue. As a finishing salt, it works best.

7. Flake Salt

Flake salt is made from evaporated seawater, just like sel gris and fleur de sel, but it has a very different shape and consistency. Flake salt has a very bright flavor and a low mineral content. It is thin, light, and occasionally shaped like pyramids. It’s best used as a finishing salt due to its high cost. Try adding it as a sprinkle to cookies or salads.

8. Red Hawaiian Salt

Sea salt is combined with volcanic clay, which is rich in iron oxide, to create red Hawaiian salt. It is described as having a nutty flavor. It is ideal for garnishing finished dishes because of its striking red color. The Hawaiians use it to prepare native foods as well as to bless, clean and cleanse their homes, temples, and other structures.

9. Black Hawaiian Lava Salt

It is created from seawater that evaporates in bodies of water found on cooled lava flows. The extracted crystals are combined with detoxifying activated coconut charcoal. As a result, it has a flavor that is nutty and hardened, making it ideal for garnishing. Because of its antioxidant and detoxifying components, great for skin, digestion, and general health.

10. Smoked Salt

Cold smoking salt for up to two weeks with wood such as alder, apple, hickory, or mesquite produces smoked salt. Depending on the kind of wood used and the amount of time smoked, its flavor and color can change. Use it to give savory dishes like chili or barbecue sauce a smoky flavor.

11. Himalayan Black Salt

This reddish-brown salt, also known as Kala Namak, is made by cooking rock salt with charcoal, herbs, seeds, and bark in a furnace for 24 hours. Kala Namak means “black salt” in Nepalese. It is frequently used in vegan recipes to simulate the flavor of eggs because of its distinctive flavor and smell, which is frequently compared to that of a soft-boiled egg.

12. Pickling Salt

This coarse salt variety is devoid of minerals, iodine, and caking agents. Due to its fine granules and lack of additives, it is perfect for pickling. To keep moisture out and prevent clumping, pickling salt needs to be stored in an airtight container. This can be used to pickle or can fresh fruit or vegetables.