With a Grain of Salt, You Can't Go Wrong.

Salt in general is needed by the body for their minerals. Sea salt in general contain minerals and trace minerals which may have been stripped from the ordinary table salt. Table salt may not only be stripped of minerals and trace minerals, but may also contain additives, including sugar, anti-caking components or potassium iodide. Table salt is mined from some land-based source while sea salt, which is considered Kosher, is extracted from the ocean.

Salt is not just for seasoning. It plays an important role in brining meat to tenderize it, contrast and accentuate sweetness in desserts, and preserve perishable food for longer period, to name just a few of its functions.

Different salt does taste different and that's why chefs don't use table salt to season if they can manage.

Table salt usually contains iodine, anti-caking agents and even dextrose (sugar), while real salt is salt from sea, underground, or rock without any additives. Kosher salt usually means sea salt with a sticky moist consistency and fine sea salt will cake up over time (If salt cakes up in shaker.).

For different salt, such as kosher versus table salt, you should adjust the amount of salt in the recipe because a teaspoon of table salt weighs about 20% more than a teaspoon of kosher salt. Here is a convert table for your reference.

These days we can find many varieties of salt in local grocery stores and many of them are very affordable especially if you buy them in bulk or loose form.  Some come with lovely colors, such as the pink Himalayan salt, to make it even more fun so don't hesitate to try.

I list some high-end salt among the most expensive just for your information.

Cyprus Black Lava Mediterranean Flake Salt -

This Mediterranean flake salt is dried in lava beds and suffused with activated charcoal for an all-natural detoxifier and is known for its light texture and softer flavor. It makes a great finishing salt.

This salt has thin, crisp pyramid-shaped crystals that adds a stunning visual contrast on lighter colored food, accentuates the flavor of the dish with its unique earthy taste of carbon and provides a nice toothsome crunch that makes for a counterpoint in texture on the food.

Fleur de Sel ( or Flor de sal in Portuguese and Spanish) -

This is known as a French sea salt, literally meaning "flower of salt," and is gathered off France's Atlantic coast, since the seventh century. Beloved by cooks and chefs, these fine, light crystals have a delicate flavor, high concentration of minerals, and distinctive fine crisp texture, making them the perfect finishing salt.

It is a hand-harvested sea salt, collected by workers who scrape only the top layer of salt before it sinks to the bottom of large salt pans. Traditional French fleur de sel is collected of the coast of Brittany, most notably in the town of Guerande (called Fleur de sel de Guerande), but also in Noirmoutier, Iie de Re and Camargue. Spain and Canada also produce high quality flor de sal or fleur de sel these days.

Due to its relative scarcity and its labor-intensive production, fleur de sel is one of the most expensive salt and is not for cooking (what a waste!). It's usually sprinkled on a dish as a finishing touch.

Japanese Moon Sea Salt from Okinawa -

This sea salt is uniquely harvested during a narrow time slot at every full moon. We know how the moon gravitationally creates the ebb and flow of the high and low tides. The full moon also has a gravitational effect on sea water that are denser. At specific intervals, during full moons, sea water is harvested at a depth of 200 meters in the Okinawan sea. Impurities are not found in the collected sea water.

Aguni island finishing sea salt is among the famous Japanese sea salts because they come from mineral-rich, unpolluted sea water and extracted with traditional method that claim to make the salt's crystal similar to French fleur de sel with lovely bitterness to balance or contrast other flavors in seafood or Wagyu beef.

Japanese Seaweed Sea Salt Moshio -

Moshio Japanese sea salt is the earliest known sea salt produced in Japan from thousands years ago and has a unique beige color and a rich flavor from minerals and seaweed. Because of the natural sea minerals and rich umami flavor from the seaweed infusion, it pairs well with traditional Japanese fare such as tempura, sushi, sashimi or grilled seafood.

Pink Murray River Salt Flakes from Australia -

This pink salt flakes have mild flavor and have light, delicate texture that is ideal for a finishing salt. The crystals melt quickly and evenly in mouthfeel as well as in cooking.

This salt is produced naturally from the underground brines that have been laying dormant for thousands of years in Murray Darling Basin in Australia. The Murray River is the greatest of Australia's rivers and its source of water is the snowy Australian Alps. The Murray-Darling Basin's low rainfall and high evaporation combine to concentrate salt in the groundwater. A red pigment, carotene, secreted from the salt tolerant algae into the underground saline waters, makes this salt naturally pink.

Pink Bolivian Rose Andes Mountain  Rock Salt -

It is mined from ancient sea salt deposits in the Andes Mountain Range. The beautiful rose color comes from the minerals contained in the salt.

Red Hawaiian Alaea Salt -

Alaea salt is an unrefined sea salt that has been mixed with a red alae volcanic clay. This solar-evaporated sea salt has a herbal, flowery taste and gets its pink and brownish color from the particles of vocanic red clay on the island of Kauai. It is used by chefs for its unique color and earthy taste, and is prefect for brines, spice rubs, grilled seafood and vegetables.

Sel Gris (grey sea salt) -

Grey sea salt is a moist, unrefined sea salt, usually found in the Brittany region of France's Atlantic coast. Its natural, ligh-grey color comes from the minerals absorbed from the clay lining the salt ponds. The salt is collected by hand using traditional Celtic methods and wooden tools.

Tip: If your sea salt cakes up in your shaker -

Add a few rice kernels in the shaker to absorb the moist. That'll do the trick and keep it dry.

Salt Convert Table (Kosher salt vs table salt) -