Anyone else use kosher salt besides me and Aja?

[11antoniacourt]

I was just drooling over the pictures of Aja's spinach/couscous/tomoato salad and noticed she uses kosher salt. My husband and I have been using it forever. We buy it in the box and keep a one cup sized-container on the stove. When we need salt we just take a pinch out of it whether it be a big pinch or a small pinch. Just wondering if anyone else does this. Back when we had discretionary money I once sent my husband to cooking school with Jacques Peppin as an anniversary gift. I'm pretty sure we started doing the kosher salt thing then.

[pirtybirdy]

Same thing as sea salt, no? You mean the big salt crystals? I thought the only reason something is called kosher, is when it's blessed by a rabbi. Sea salt is good for spaghetti water and such. I use it for that.

[11antoniacourt]

I've never bought sea salt. I always just buy the kosher in the box. I wonder if it's the same?

[eefanincan]

I think it's fairly similar to sea salt - which I've just started using. Can't say I notice a huge difference though as I don't use that much salt. I got the salt in one of those grinder things @ Cosco--love it!

[Twirley]

I've been using sea salt for years - I don't know why but it tastes better than regular salt. I heard they put something in table salt to make it white whereas they don't need to with sea salt...maybe that makes a difference.

[maycm]

I understood the difference between Sea/Kosher salt and the regular stuff to be the size of the crytals, and cooks on TV use it as it’s easier to sprinkle and measure (by the hand).

Kosher salt is called as such because it is used in the process of making meat kosher (it helps draw blood out of the meat)

[Aja]

I was looking for info for you .....

heres a couple of things .......

: What is the difference between kosher salt, sea salt, and table salt?

A: For the cook's purposes, the main difference between salts is in their texture. Table salt's fine granules dissolve quickly, making it the preferred salt of bakers. Sea salt and kosher salt possess larger, irregular grains that add a delightful crunch and hit of briny flavor when sprinkled on food at the last minute. Generally, savvy cooks prefer kosher salt when cooking, since its coarse texture is easier to take a pinch of when seasoning savory dishes.

Chemically there is little difference between kitchen salts. All are at least 97 1/2 percent sodium chloride. But there are significant differences in the provenance and processing of these salts.

Table salt is mined from underground salt deposits, and includes a small portion of calcium silicate, an anti-caking agent added to prevent clumping. It possesses very fine crystals and a sharp taste. Because of its fine grain a single teaspoon of table salt contains more salt than a tablespoon of kosher or sea salt.

Sea salt is harvested from evaporated seawater and receives little or no processing, leaving in tact the minerals from the water it came from. These minerals flavor and color the salt slightly. However, because these salts often come at a dear price, it is worth keeping in mind that they lose their unique flavor when cooked or dissolved.

Kosher salt takes its name from its use in the koshering process. It contains no preservatives and can be derived from either seawater or underground sources. Aside from being a great salt to keep within arm's reach when you are cooking, it is particularly useful in preserving, because its large crystals draw moisture out of meats and other foods more effectively than other salts.

–Food Network Kitchens


And ........

Salt
Whether mined from caverns where the sea once roamed or raked by hand to dry on a foreign beach, salt has recaptured the world's imagination. Culinary and cultural histories are flying off bookshelves and exotic salts like Hawaiian Red, Fleur de Sel and Danish Smoked are prized for their flavor, sparkle, color and crunch and are lining up in cooks' larders. Coarse or fine grain, cubed or flat, every chef has his or her favorite salts for cooking as well as finishing.

The kitchen of Milwaukee's upscale Osteria de Mondo stocks four different salts: fine grain sea, course grain sea, kosher grain (versus flaked) and iodized "table" used for pasta-cooking water.

Many chefs rely heavily on kosher salt for food preparation because it is additive free and saltier by weight. But in a taste test Osteria's owner and executive chef, marc Bianchini, whose career spans more than 15 years in Italy, San Francisco and New York City, couldn't discern a difference in pasta cooked with kosher salt and the iodized table salt he uses.

Bianchini likes to sprinkle coarse grain sea salt on dishes like seared tuna to create differences in each bite - a technique he says many chefs use. Fine grain sea salt, like all sea salt, harbors minerals that create a distinct personality, so Bianchini uses it in more delicate fare. "You'll never tell in chili if sea salt was used, but in a simple fish consommé you'll notice a difference -- it's a little more earthy," he explains.

Finally, he seasons meats and roasts with the course-grain Kosher salt because it has more body and stands up to the meat.

Bianchini has sampled exotic culinary salts at home, but he hasn't brought them to the restaurant -- yet. "Economically, I don't think it's worth it," he says, adding that it might make sense to, if treated like fresh ground pepper, using one grinder that is shared by the entire restaurant.

While salt doesn't spoil, iodized salt may turn yellow over time, although it's harmless to ingest. To properly store salt, keep it away from humidity and strong smells - its legendary properties as a food preservative also make it adept at absorbing moisture and odor. "We have a separate room for dry storage," Bianchini says. "We put out what we expect to go through, then marry it at the end of the night. We go through it fast."

http://www.pizzatoday.com/makeline_articles.shtml?article=MzYxM3N1cGVyMzYxMHNlY3JldDM2MTc=

I just have always preferred Kosher salt .......

[Twirley]

Think I may look for some kosher salt - I always wondered why I could never taste the salt in my chilli or on my roast meats. Thanks for the article, Aja - most interesting.

[Skylace]

I've used kosher salt and sea salt. I love them both.

[11antoniacourt]

Thanks for the research and great information Aj.

[misslisalynn]

I use mostly my sea salt for table use and kosher salt for cooking but I do make sure me and my family do use the iodized table salt at least once a week as the body needs the iodine found in table salt to prevent goiter.

[eefanincan]

I saw this on Martha Stewart yesterday and thought of this thread:

[TheCaptain]