Today's Tip: Isn't all Salt just Salt?

So what's all the hype about kosher salt or sea salt?  Is it really that different than regular table salt?

I had the same questions - I mean, I felt really cool using sea salt to cook with because I saw "real" chefs using it. But then I started wondering why...so here are some details on each kind of salt.  Read on and then decide which is best for you!

Table salt…this is a fine grained salt used by most of us in salt shakers and in our home kitchens. This salt is pretty neutral in flavor and dissolves quickly in warm water. Table salt also contains anti caking additives, which make it flow nicely even in humid weather, and has iodine for health reasons.  Iodine is an essential element of the body used by the thyroid to create thyroid hormones, and is essential in concentrating milk for nursing infants. It's also used by the prostate, adrenals, ovaries, salivary gland and more. Basically every gland and mucosal lining uses iodine.

Kosher salt…Kosher salt is simply salt free from additives. Kosher salt can be finely grained or slightly larger, and is most often used by home cooks in canning or meat brines. The lack of additives makes for clearer brines, and does not impart any unwanted additive flavors over long preservations. When making pickles or curing ham…you'll probably want to reach for the kosher salt. Kosher salt does not contain iodine, so if you solely use kosher salt make sure you get proper iodine intake.  You can get iodine from drinking 8oz. of lowfat or skim milk, eating the skin on your potato or various types of white fish & other seafood such as shrimp.

Sea salt…sea salt is harvested after piping sea water onto a flat field, allowing the sun to evaporate the water, and collecting the salt that remains. Sea salt is often prized by cooks as it offers are more complex taste. Sea salt contains additional fine deposits of other minerals which accounts for its varied and complex taste. The area from where the salt is harvested, and the mineral properties of the water in that location, affect the flavor. Sea salt can come both finely grained or more granular in nature.  The iodine that sea salt retains from the ocean may be insufficient, so users should pay attention to the iodine contect of their product to avoid any health risks.

Fleur de sel…very expensive sea salt from the northern Atlantic coast of France. The slightly gray salt from this reason is complex and elemental in nature and very prized…the fleur de sel is the very top of the evaporated salt layer, and is comprised of flake like crystals of salt, perfect for sprinkling on a great steak after cooking. The texture and crunch of this pricy sea salt is as prized as the taste. Again, fleur de sel does not contain iodine, so you should get your daily recommended amount from other foods.

Industrial or rock salt…salt sold in large crystals, not processed and full of impurities, this salt is normally used as road salt, ice cream machine salt, etc.

Other sea salts…there are salts of varying hues harvested from all of the world's oceans, and they all offer a subtle difference in taste.

Some of the better sea salts are very expensive, and although many chefs swear by them, when used as dissolved within food taste tests have failed to notice any distinction or discernable difference. When sprinkled on food table side though, you can taste and feel the difference.

Regarding iodine, the daily intake for teens & adults is 150 micrograms & 90-120 micrograms for children.