Foodie Question of the Day
September 3, 2008
Let’s talk salt. Do you kosher?
Seems like every food network personality uses kosher salt. I know I could do a google search for all the pros and cons but I’d like to hear from fellow foodies. Do you taste a significant difference between regular table salt and kosher salt in your baking and/or cooking? Why would you use one over the other?
Entry Filed under: Foodie Question of the Day. .
11 Comments Add your own
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <pre> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed
1.
Julie | September 3, 2008 at 10:05 am
We use sea salt. Not sure the difference… we have regular iodized salt too… guess it’s all a matter of opinion.
That’s probably why you’re doing a poll. :)
2.
Natalie | September 3, 2008 at 10:08 am
This is me being a scaredy cat in the kitchen. I use kosher when it calls for it because I don’t want to mess up the recipe!!
But — I know that some people use kosher instead of sea salt because it’s cheaper. And by some people, I mean Dooce — she did a video on making edamame and said that.
3.
nikki57 | September 3, 2008 at 10:20 am
I can’t taste the difference so I just use iodized salt because the container is smaller. Damn kosher salt box is huge and is not convenient to have wondering around the kitchen
4.
LyB | September 3, 2008 at 10:37 am
I love to use kosher salt. I have a small container that I fill up every once in a while and then I can just pinch whatever I need and sprinkle it into a recipe. Also, it’s pretty useful when you need to dip measuring spoons in there. Tastewise, I’m not sure there’s much of a difference but I like the flakiness of kosher salt. Long enough answer for you? lol!
5.
Kat Graz | September 3, 2008 at 11:23 am
OK here is the science geek in me.
Iodized salt and kosher salt weigh different amounts for their volume. For example a cup of iodized salt can weigh abot 10 ounces but a cup of Kosher may only weigh 6-8 ounces. (depending on the type of Kosher because the crystals are different sizes in each brand) Therefore if a recipe requires a cup of kosher salt and you used iodized salt you more than likely would have a much salty product. I will typically use what ialways use Kosher salt I don’t like the taste of salt at all so having it be a little less salty is fine with me.
6.
slush | September 3, 2008 at 11:51 am
I have both and use both. It all depends which is easier to find when Im baking. My spice cabinet is a mess. For everyday, I have a salt shaker with iodized.
7.
Tanya | September 3, 2008 at 12:00 pm
I’ve been using kosher salt in my cooking for a number of years, back to when I started culinary school because that’s what they use for everything, so it’s become a habit. I do remember a specific reason why kosher was preferred over other salts, but I can’t remember it now.
8.
Jen | September 3, 2008 at 12:57 pm
I use both but tend to use iodized when I’m baking and kosher when I’m cooking.
9.
Jenny | September 3, 2008 at 5:56 pm
One I can pipe in on!
I use kosher salt but keep a shaker with regular table salt in it, for people who need it, though mostly we only salt fries and corn on the cob.
I find things are not as salty when I use the kosher, plus we don’t really need the extra iodine in salt anymore. Also, kosher salt dissolves much more easily in recipes than table salt does.
Of course if I want the salt to stand out and have a texture on something, thats what sea salt and fleur de sel are for. :-)
10.
Amber | September 4, 2008 at 5:32 am
I use kosher salt for cooking, it makes me feel all cool and special like the TV chefs, LOL. ;)
11.
Barbara | September 5, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Regular table salt has the iodine, of course, but also some anti-caking ingredients. Some people claim to be able to taste the difference. I haven’t tried.
I like to use table salt in baking because the big flakes of kosher salt are not a good idea in things like piecrust, cookies, etc. I suppose I could buy a salt grinder, but why bother.
For things where there is enough liquid and stirring to dissolve the salt nicely, I use whatever is handy.
For texture, like sprinkling on baked goods, I use kosher, or fancy sea salt if I’m in a la-di-dah mood. I really can taste the difference in the fancy sea salts if I put a bit on the tip of my finger and taste it. It must be all those interesting impurities! But for some uses, that subtle flavor difference is going to get lost anyway. I try to save the fancy, expensive stuff for when it will really make a difference.
I also use kosher for brining and pickling because it is more pure than table salt. Just keep in mind the difference in weight and adjust for it accordingly.