let's talk about salt

my favorite ingredient & you probably aren't using enough of it.

I have always, always been a huge lover of salt.

when I was a kid, my grandmother used salt more than anyone I knew…and I loved it. she would keep coarse kosher salt in a little pinch bowl rather than a shaker or a grinder. sometimes I would sneak by and just grab a pinch of salt and put it right on my tongue.

now, its important for me to note that not all salt is created equally. however, learning to use salt properly is probably the number 1 way to improve your cooking easily.

I often get comments on my social media stating that there is “way too much salt” in a dish. (a dish of which the commenter has not even tasted, btw). so, I am here to set the record straight: I am not using too much salt. If you enjoy restaurant food more than your home cooking, you should be using more salt too.

note: obviously, do not use more salt if a doctor has advised you to decrease your salt intake. that should go without saying…I am not a doctor.

types of salt

this is important. remember how I said all salt is NOT created equally?

Kosher Salt:

I’m going to say this very clearly, so no one misunderstands me here – Kosher Salt should be your primary salt. You need to have kosher salt in your kitchen.

Okay, now that we’re all on the same page about this, let’s get into it.

Kosher salt is the main salt used by chefs, in restaurants, etc. It is more coarse than the table salt you find in a shaker. Additionally it is less salty than table salt. So, that means if a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and you use 1 teaspoon of table salt, your dish probably will be way too salty.

For reference, unless I specify otherwise, kosher salt is the default in all of my recipes.

It doesn’t end there, though. Kosher salt in general is less salty than table salt. But the most popular brand of kosher salt among chefs is Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. Which, believe it or not, is even LESS salty than typical kosher salt. This means you can be very heavy-handed with it and have a low risk of over-salting a dish.

Okay, I think that about covers kosher salt. Chunkier, less salty, preferred type of salt, Diamond Crystal is the best. Let’s keep movin’.

Table Salt:

Meh, not my favorite.

Table salt is exactly what it sounds like. The little shakers you see on a restaurant table that sometimes have rice in them? That’s table salt.

The stuff that sometimes comes in a cylindrical tube with a pour spout? That is table salt.

In general, I avoid table salt in my home cooking. Sure, I’ll use it at a restaurant if needed, it does the job. But I don’t have any table salt in my kitchen. There’s just no need for it really.

Table salt is significantly saltier than other salts. Again, this is why you may have had a dish turn out too salty in the past. If a recipe calls for kosher salt and you absolutely must use table salt for some reason, divide the amount in HALF. Yes, table salt is at least TWICE as salty as kosher.

My caveat is if you need to salt something like french fries. Then, I think table salt works well.

TLDR: Table salt is absolutely not a necessity in your kitchen. 9/10 times Kosher salt will work just as well or better. Table salt is at least twice as salty, meaning you can easily over-salt your food.

Flakey Salt:

I love flake salt! However, it has distinctly different uses.

You don't cook with flake salt, generally. Flake salt is best for finishing dishes. For example, you just plated a beautifully cooked steak, sprinkling a little flake salt right on the finished dish might give a little extra je ne sais quoi.

Maldon Salt is my favorite and preferred flakey salt. It has big flakes that are quite pretty.

Other Salts:

I imagine the next question is “okay, where does sea salt fall into this?” And, honestly, I don’t use it much either. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad! Whereas most salt comes from salt mines, sea salt is derived from evaporated sea water. It has different minerals and a slightly different taste. Sea salt tends to be much finer than kosher, often acting more like table salt, which is why I generally don’t use it. But sea salt flakes are great!

Flavored salts are…exactly what they sound like. Smoky salt, truffle salt, onion salt, garlic salt, etc, etc, etc. You can use them in dishes as you please, though some are better suited as a finishing salt than others. But, use them while tasting the dish. I don’t ever recommend using a flavored salt to replace the regular salt in a recipe.

How to use salt properly

For the love of god, taste your food while you cook.

More important than anything else, is to taste as you go. You should never ever sit down to have your meal and be surprised with the taste. Start small, add more salt as needed.

If you are using kosher salt, tasting as needed, and adding more than you think you should, you’re going to end up liking the end product. This is why restaurant food is so good. They’re adding way more salt than you think.

Salt has another important function: it draws out moisture. This is why things like fish, steak, tomatoes, zucchini, etc are salted and dried off before cooking. The less moisture in an item, the better sear you’ll get. If you want crispy skin on your salmon, or a golden crust on your steak, or you want to brown the zucchinis, you need to be salting first. Use kosher for this too.

For salting meats and larger items, release the salt from your hand from a high distance above the item. This might look like a pretentious thing chefs do, but it actually helps to salt something more evenly. Plus, it’s fun.

Salt in layers. You may have heard “layers of flavor” on shows like Chopped. Now, that can refer to a lot of different types of flavor, but it always includes salt. Salt brings out the flavors you develop from garlic, onion, herbs, etc. Salting in layers just means to not wait until the dish is almost done to add salt. Salt the meat beforehand, add some salt to the onions to help them sweat down, add salt to the pasta water… you get it. This is why tasting is so important. If you’re salting at multiple stages, you need to be continually tasting to ensure you aren’t over or under salting.

Keep your salt in a little bowl. The exact vessel does not really matter, but I highly recommend salting using the pinch-sprinkle method, rather than a shaker or grinder. That being said, make sure the bowl can be covered if needed and watch out for cross contamination. If you place a piece of raw meat on a board, please do not use the same hand to reach in and grab the salt, unless you wash it in between.

There are, of course, so many other flavor enhancers and elements, but that’s a post for another day.

Please comment any questions or thoughts below! Happy salting!