Kosher Sea Salt
Kosher sea salt is a great addition to your kitchen pantry. While it technically never goes bad, proper storage will prolong it’s freshness and flavor. Also, the larger granules do not lend themselves well to table salt shakers, so it s best served at small, open tabletop salt shaker tables. In very humid climates, open tabletop salt shakers can eventually cause clumping (especially of natural sea salts which do not contain anti-caking ingredients). When purchasing kosher sea salt or table salt, remember that the kosher symbol usually represents the sea salt portion, and not the table salt.
Salt is the key to any healthy diet. Without salt, our food would not be as appetizing or as healthy. There are many different types of salt, and even more different methods of using them. Be sure to read up on the specific type of salt you prefer, as taste varies from type to type. Here is a brief breakdown of the most common table salt and what type you will want to buy:
Oceanic or seawater sourced salts come from various sources including seaweed collected from the ocean floor. As its name suggests, its color is greyish grey, which helps the salt retain its natural properties of moisture and nutrients locked in during harvesting. It is ideal for cooking meats and for making stock with any number of recipes – it will help cut down on the water you need to cook your foods in!
Most kosher salt will fall into one of two categories – kosher sea salt and kosher salt chloride. Kosher salt chloride is used mostly for baking, although it has an additional use in pickling and preserving foods as well. Kosher sea salt has its color graded from light ochre to pinkish grey, with each color representing the amount of minerals naturally present in the mineral. Light orange kosher salt tends to have a higher sodium content than kosher sea salt. Pinkish grey kosher salt is saltier and is ideal for sprinkling or adding to soups and stews.
Most kosher salts are harvested in the Dead Sea, a region of the Dead Sea located about three hours east of Haifa, Israel. The Dead Sea’s salt content is so high that there is no longer any harvest from it. As a result, all kosher salt on the market is harvested in the Dead Sea itself, from the wells where it was first mined centuries ago. Many kosher sea salts contain a high sodium content and should never be used in any preparations for meat or seafood. This is especially important if you are watching your salt intake, as the effects of high sodium content can be harsh, even when using kosher salt for salty treats such as ketchup, salad dressing and sea food such as oysters, clams and mussels.
Because kosher sea salt is not produced in the field by people who actually live on the sea, the salt is considered one of the more “refined” grades of kosher salt available on the market. Kosher sea salt is a great product for seasoning and cooking meats and fish, but its use is limited by the fact that it must be fresh to be beneficial for the majority of people. To receive the most benefit from kosher salt kosher cooking herbs, or even organic herbs, can be used instead.
To be able to use kosher salt, one would need to obtain kosher certification, which can be achieved by passing an examination administered by the Orthodox Union. Since kosher salt is produced according to strict regulations, the kosher salt used for food preparation must also meet these standards, ensuring maximum nutritional value and the absence of any harmful chemicals. There is no substitute for kosher salt when it comes to table salt, sea salt or baking soda. However, because kosher salt can only be produced with a very precise process and high standards, it is often considered somewhat inferior in comparison to its natural and organic alternatives. Despite this, kosher salt remains a popular kosher product for many people, as its use promotes a sense of spirituality in many people.
Though there are many sea salts on the market, kosher sea salt has maintained its consistent popularity over the years, and for good reason. Its use as a table salt and/or in the kitchen is a sign of sophistication and Jewish belief. This wide appeal has led to kosher salt being used as a theme in many Jewish inspired cuisine and Jewish inspired websites. Many chefs will use kosher salt in their recipes, and some chefs will purchase kosher salt from a kosher salt dealer, since kosher salt is a non-toxic substance that is safe for consumption by anyone.