What Makes Each Type of Salt Unique?

Salt is one of the most frequently used ingredients in the world – and for good reason. When used in moderation, it's vital for health and elevates otherwise dull dishes to new heights. While most people immediately reach for iodized table salt, salt comes in a wide variety of textures and flavors that will affect the final product. Take a look at some of the most noteworthy types of salt below.

Types of Cooking Salt

Cooking salt serves several purposes in the kitchen. It can bring out the best flavors in everything from stews to sautéed vegetables and acts as a drying agent in recipes that use yeast to ensure the dough rises properly. By adding salt to raw meat before it's seared, you can draw moisture out of the top layer to form a crisp crust, effectively trapping juices in the center and adding texture to the final product.

Table salt: Table salt is the cheapest and most widely available type of salt in most parts of the world. It's mined in massive volumes and heavily processed to remove impurities. Most table salt is infused with iodine when it is processed to help prevent a variety of health problems that can result from iodine deficiencies, such as hypothyroidism, heart issues, and complications in pregnancy.

Sea salt: Although sea salt encompasses several other types, its most common form is comparable to a coarser, less-processed version of table salt. When seawater evaporates, sea salt is left behind, along with many other minerals and nutrients not found in table salt. Its granules are noticeably larger than some other types of salt, which can have a great effect on the texture and flavor profile of the food it seasons.

Kosher salt: Kosher salt gets its name from the Jewish religious practice of kashering, which involves drawing blood out of meat with salt before it's cooked. Coarser than table salt, kosher salt is an excellent catchall seasoning because it can be used to draw moisture out of meat for a seared crust while also dissolving well in mixes and doughs.

Smoked salt: Because salt absorbs and enhances flavors, it's an excellent way to impart the smokiness of tree bark to a variety of meats and vegetables. Common types of wood used for this process include mesquite, applewood, and hickory, but even more complex flavors can be created with the addition of spices and herbs. The smoking process can take as long as two weeks, but the burst of flavor it adds to food makes it well worth the effort.

Pickling and curing salts: These types of salt serve the very practical function of preserving food so its storage life is drastically extended. Curing salt is usually bright pink due to the inclusion of red dye, giving cured meat its iconic pink hue. When food is preserved through the canning process, pickling salt is used instead. Because it is finer than table salt and lacks iodine, pickling salt dissolves completely in brining liquid without clouding it.

Types of Finishing Salt

Instead of being added to food in the preparation stage, finishing salts are sprinkled over dishes as they're plated. They are less refined than salts used for cooking and often contain impurities and trace amounts of other minerals that add an extra dimension of flavor to the cooked product. For the most part, these salts are much more expensive than standard table salt, so they should be used sparingly for special occasions or meals.

Fleur de sel: With a name that means "flower of salt," it's no surprise that fleur de sel is very delicate in texture. It is so fragile that it's still harvested by hand by workers called paludiers, who use wooden rakes to draw the salt to the edge of the water so it can be placed in a box and dried out. Because it is such a luxury, this salt is generally reserved as a last-minute touch for high-class dishes.

Sel gris: Meaning "gray salt" in French, sel gris is harvested from the same location as fleur de sel, but this is a coarse, moist salt raked from the bottom of salt pans, a process that gives it its gray hue. It is also known as Celtic salt and works best as a way to give cooked meat and seafood a distinctive briny flavor.

Flake salt:Like standard sea salt, this type is gathered by heating seawater until it evaporates and leaves salt granules behind. However, flake salt is much thinner and wider than most other kinds of salt, so it'll dissolve quickly and is especially good for giving cooked food an extra burst of flavor.

Himalayan pink salt: Mined in Pakistan's Punjab region, Himalayan salt is highly recognizable due to its unique pink hue. Besides serving as a finishing salt with a taste similar to table salt, it can be cut into baking stones, plates, and even shot glasses for specific drinks.

Red Hawaiian salt: Red Hawaiian salt, also called Alaea salt, is a deep red color because it has been mixed with volcanic clay. Although it's used as both a finishing salt and as a seasoning for traditional Hawaiian dishes, such as poke and kalua pig, it was also historically used to bless and purify important items, including canoes, temples, and tools.

Black lava salt: Striking in its dark appearance, black lava salt is sea salt infused with charcoal to give it a smokey flavor profile, and there is some evidence that activated charcoal can help remove toxins from the body. Because it may affect the appearance of food, this salt is best used as a garnish on finished dishes and not for cooking purposes.