WEBVTT - Are Different Types of Salt Really That Different?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff Lauren Volga bomb here. Salt is perhaps the

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<v Speaker 1>most used seasoning in the world. It's also a food preservative,

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<v Speaker 1>and most of us use it every day without really

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<v Speaker 1>thinking about it. But some recipes call for different kinds

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<v Speaker 1>of salt, from kosher salt to flaked sea salt, to

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<v Speaker 1>pink or black salt. But is it really important which

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<v Speaker 1>one you use. All of the salt that we eat

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<v Speaker 1>is at its base the same crystalline mineral compound sodium chloride,

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<v Speaker 1>but in specialty spice shops and other cooking stores you

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<v Speaker 1>can find dozens or over a hundred types of salt.

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<v Speaker 1>Even these are produced in different regions and in different ways.

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<v Speaker 1>Salt comes from all over the world and is either

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<v Speaker 1>mined or evaporated from seas, oceans, and salt lakes. And

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<v Speaker 1>just like terroir makes a difference in how wine tastes,

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<v Speaker 1>place and source explain why salts have different flavors and

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<v Speaker 1>colors and us is and so, just like all wine

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<v Speaker 1>is fruity, it comes from grapes. After all, all salt

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<v Speaker 1>is salty. But there's more to it than that. Table salt.

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<v Speaker 1>Perhaps the most common variety, and what's in most salt

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<v Speaker 1>shakers is also the most processed. It's mind either brought

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<v Speaker 1>up as rocks, as in rock salt, or dissolved underground

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<v Speaker 1>and then evaporated later. Table salt is treated to have

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<v Speaker 1>fine grains and to avoid caking. It's also often fortified

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<v Speaker 1>with iodine, chemical that our bodies don't make, but that's

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<v Speaker 1>essential for proper thyroid function. In the US, the practice

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<v Speaker 1>of iodizing salt began in the nineteen twenties as an

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<v Speaker 1>inexpensive and effective means of combating iodine efficiencies, which are

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<v Speaker 1>common in many spots around the globe. Kosher salt is

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<v Speaker 1>also usually mined, but it comes in larger crystals than

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<v Speaker 1>table salt, and the crystals are flaky and course, and

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<v Speaker 1>this makes them great at drawing out moisture for meat.

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<v Speaker 1>Kosher salt got its name because of a Jewish kosher

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<v Speaker 1>tradition requiring all meat to have the blood removed before eating.

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<v Speaker 1>Since this type of salt can do that easily, it

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<v Speaker 1>became known as kosher salt. Most kosher salt is not iodized,

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<v Speaker 1>nor does it typically contain anti caking additives. Since the

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<v Speaker 1>crystals are larger it's these larger crystals that make kosher

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<v Speaker 1>salt favored by some chefs, who find it easy to

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<v Speaker 1>pick up with their fingers and sprinkle over food. Larger

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<v Speaker 1>crystals are also a little easier to control, which means

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<v Speaker 1>less over or under salting. A Many chefs also feel

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<v Speaker 1>that iodised salt has an off putting flavor. Meanwhile, there

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<v Speaker 1>is a wide variety of sea salts, and the flavors

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<v Speaker 1>of that salt can vary based on where the salt

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<v Speaker 1>water was obtained. A most grocery store sea salt is

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<v Speaker 1>evaporated through man made means instead of naturally, but more

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<v Speaker 1>expensive sea salts come from shallow pits or pans of

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<v Speaker 1>sea salt that are allowed to evaporate naturally, and the

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<v Speaker 1>salt crystals are then harvested. A salt from the top

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<v Speaker 1>of the pans is usually white and neutral and flavor,

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<v Speaker 1>such as Florida. Cell salt from the bottom of the

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<v Speaker 1>pans usually has some color and more nuanced flavor due

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<v Speaker 1>to extra compounds in the salt picked up from the

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<v Speaker 1>water or the pans, such as cell gree or gray

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<v Speaker 1>sea salt. The sea salt produced via natural evaporation can

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<v Speaker 1>also have a variety of textures. For example, Maldon Sea salt,

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<v Speaker 1>which comes from England's East coast, is known for its wide, flat, fragile,

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<v Speaker 1>crunchy flakes. But mind salt can also have different colors

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<v Speaker 1>and flavors based on where it comes from. For example,

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<v Speaker 1>Himalayan pink salt comes from a mine in Pakistan that's

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<v Speaker 1>the second largest salt mine in the world and one

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<v Speaker 1>of the oldest. It's believed that Alexander the Great discovered

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<v Speaker 1>the location circuit three D and twenty b C, and

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<v Speaker 1>the pink color comes from traces of rust in the salt. Meanwhile,

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<v Speaker 1>black salts are made by adding charcoal of some kind

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<v Speaker 1>during production. Hawaiian black lava salt incorporates coconut charcoal, Cypress

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<v Speaker 1>black flake salt uses soft woods from the area, and

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<v Speaker 1>smoked salt can be made by evaporating the water out

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<v Speaker 1>of salt water or over smoky fire. The added compounds

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<v Speaker 1>in these salts can change the taste. Smoked salt in

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<v Speaker 1>particular has a powerful flavor, but there's more to our

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<v Speaker 1>flavor experience of salt than taste alone. For one of

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<v Speaker 1>the articles this episode is based on how Stuff Works.

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<v Speaker 1>Spoke via email care and Page, co author of The

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<v Speaker 1>Flavor Bible with Andrew Dornenburg, Page said the texture is

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<v Speaker 1>a key aspect of mouth feel, though, which is often

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<v Speaker 1>a function of the size of the salt grain. Very

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<v Speaker 1>fine grains will melt into a dish more easily, while

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<v Speaker 1>crunchy coarse grains will add texture to the dish. Think

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<v Speaker 1>about how the coarse salt adds to the crunchiness and

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<v Speaker 1>deliciousness of a hard pretzel. The size of the salt

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<v Speaker 1>grain also makes difference in how the salt is used.

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<v Speaker 1>A fine salt is more often used during the cooking process,

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<v Speaker 1>while larger grain salt is sometimes used just before serving,

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<v Speaker 1>what chefs call finishing salt. Page explained finishing salts are

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<v Speaker 1>those whose flavor and texture are not enhanced by the

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<v Speaker 1>cooking process and should be added at the very last

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<v Speaker 1>minute to a dish. If you're in a jam, you

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<v Speaker 1>certainly can swap different types of salt for each other,

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<v Speaker 1>just beware of the quantity you're using, as you can't

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<v Speaker 1>substitute one for the other at a one to one

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<v Speaker 1>ratio most of the time. Due to the difference in

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<v Speaker 1>grain sizes, More table salt would fit into a teaspoon, say,

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<v Speaker 1>than kosher or flaky sea salt. So you need to

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<v Speaker 1>use more kosher or flaked salt if you're swapping it

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<v Speaker 1>for table salt, or use less table salt if you're

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<v Speaker 1>substituting it in Many chefs keep a variety of salts

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<v Speaker 1>on hand for different effects. Try some yourself to see

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<v Speaker 1>how they work. Today's episode is based on the articles

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<v Speaker 1>What's the Difference between Kosher Salt and table Salt? Written

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<v Speaker 1>by Belinie Rin Zeph McManus and all Salt is Not

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<v Speaker 1>the Same written by Sean Chavis on house to works

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<v Speaker 1>dot com. Breen Stuff is production of by Heart Radio

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<v Speaker 1>in partnership with hous to works dot com, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>produced by Tyler Clang. Four more podcasts from my heart

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<v Speaker 1>Radio visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows. M h