Salt is a crystalline mineral made of two elements, namely sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl). Sodium and chlorine are substances that the body needs, because they help the brain and nerves to transmit electrical impulses. Salt is used for a variety of purposes, the most common of which is to flavor food. However, salt can also be used as a food preservative, as bacteria are difficult to grow in a salt-rich environment.
You could say, salt and cooking cannot be separated. Food may taste less delicious and tasteless if it is not added with salt. Salt is arguably one of the most important cooking ingredients in the world. But did you know that there are different types of salt in this world. Well, the salt that we often cook is table salt. In addition to table salt, here are other types of salt that you need to know:
Fine Salt (Table Salt)
Refined salt or table salt is the most common salt and is often used in cooking purposes. Salt is fine because when it is made, the salt is ground and most of the impurities and minerals are removed.
However, one of the drawbacks of fine salt is that when ground salt it can clump together. For this reason, various substances called anti-caking agents need to be added, so that the salt can be ground finely. Refined salt contains almost 97 percent sodium chloride or even higher. However, in many countries salt also contains added iodine.
Sea Salt (Sea Salt)
Sea salt is made by evaporating seawater. Like table salt, it is high in sodium chloride. However, depending on the source and how it is processed, it usually contains various minerals such as potassium, iron, and zinc. The darker the sea salt, the higher the concentration of impurities and trace nutrients. However, due to marine pollution, sea salt also harbors a number of heavy metals such as lead.
Sea salt can contain microplastics, which are microscopic pieces of plastic. The health implications of microplastics in food are unclear, but they pose a relatively low health risk. Unlike regular refined salt, sea salt is coarser, as it is less finely ground.
Himalayan Salt (Pink Himalayan Salt)
Most of the Himalayan salt is mined at the Khewra Salt Mine in Pakistan which is the second largest salt mine in the world. Himalayan salt generally contains a certain amount of iron oxide (rust), which gives it a pink color. This salt has small amounts of calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium. Therefore, Himalayan salt contains lower sodium than refined salt and sea salt.
Kosher Salt
Unlike the previous salt, kosher salt has a coarse and flaky structure. Kosher salt tends to contain additives such as anti-caking agents and iodine. Keep in mind, a teaspoon of kosher salt is much lighter than a teaspoon of regular salt. Therefore, avoid replacing one salt with another in a 1:1 ratio. This can make the food too salty or too bland.
Celtic Salt
Celtic salt has a grayish tint and contains very little water, which makes it quite moist. In particular, Celtic salt offers a number of minerals and is slightly lower in sodium than regular table salt.
Those are the types of salt you need to choose. Through the explanation above, you may already know which types are healthier and which are high in sodium. If you want to buy Smoked salt you can buy here lafayettespices.com
