Himalayan vs regular salt

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Only difference is colour - one is pink and "regular" salt here in North America is white.

They are both salt. Salt is Salt. Same same. No difference.

Ooops, I'm wrong - one is more expensive than the other. Still both salt. Salt is still salt. Same same. No difference (other than colour).
 
Table salt is more refined. There is more NaCl in table salt than in Himalayan salt because the pretty pink salt has less refinement. Therefore it has many minerals and trace elements that are not found in our pearly-white table salt. Minerals like potassium, magnesium, and iodine along with around 70-80 other things. Plus, it is PINK. I mean anything pink makes food taste better. ;)
 
lol - yup, pink has to taste better!

and here now starts a new discussion on the various salts, with the various minerals and other trace elements that people prefer. Love it.
 
LOL @dragnlaw - yes, suckered me in!
Agreed that salt is salt, but sort of disagree as well.
Woe betide you should you try to substitute large flakes of sea salt for a cooking salt in a baking situation - just won’t work.
Same as understanding that a finishing salt is exactly what it says on the tin. Salt for presentation purposes.
MSG is a kind of salt and it’s used widely in Asian cooking for good reason. In Asian cooking, the results are highly dependent on balance of flavour, and MSG has qualities that define that.
Where I do certainly agree is that claims that only salt from the seas of the northern Baltic region, or salt that has been blessed by local shamans are healthier and better tasting - arrant nonsense.
Like anything in cooking, understanding your ingredients and using good products are key.
 
Limiting the discussion to NaCl, all salt is sea salt. The difference is the impurities in pink, black, brown or other colored salts. Grain sizes differ too. From fine grained table salt to kosher salt and finishing salt. Using expensive fancy salts is intended for finishing. They're not intended to be added to a recipe and cooked with the other ingredients.
 
Kosher salt is just not a thing in Australia. It’s probably just the name, we will have it, but it will be called something else.
Is it like course salt, which my research suggests, or is there something else that I am missing?
 
Kosher salt is just not a thing in Australia. It’s probably just the name, we will have it, but it will be called something else.
Is it like course salt, which my research suggests, or is there something else that I am missing?
It's coarse salt. Then there's flaky salt, which has even larger crystals. It's generally used just for finishing, to add salty flavor and a little crunch.
 
I use Diamond Kosher salt mostly, but I also have some fine pickling salt, that I use more for baking. The only unusual salt I have, that is another pinkish/purplish Himalayan salt, is Black Salt, which is mostly sodium chloride, and also some sulfur compounds, and is used in a lot of Indian dishes - chaat masala, among other masalas, most of which also have regular salt, and often some amchur, which gives some sour flavor, with the salt.
 
Speaking of salt, GG do you remember suggesting to me to 'smoke' a small plate of salt while I was smoking meat?
Did you use regular table salt or large grain coarser (as in kosher or pickling)?
Was thinking of finding/digging out my little smoker and this thread reminded me - haven't done it yet.
Does anyone else smoke salt like that?
 
Kosher salt is just not a thing in Australia. It’s probably just the name, we will have it, but it will be called something else.
Is it like course salt, which my research suggests, or is there something else that I am missing?
Kosher salt is purer than table salt which has some level of trace elements such as iodine. Kosher means clean when applied to food and kosher salt is about as clean as it gets. It is recommended for cooking because it imparts no flavors other than the flavor of the salt itself.
 
And the amount of NaCl is also virtually the same in table salt and kosher salt - originally iodine was combined into table salt to reduce iodine deficiency, an important need of thyroids.

Kosher salt was called that as it was used to draw blood from meats a process called koshering.

As Andy stated - keeping it strictly between salt and not the minute or trace items found in some and not in others. Plus they are just that minute and trace. Won't make a difference on a kitchen weigh scale.
 
Speaking of salt, GG do you remember suggesting to me to 'smoke' a small plate of salt while I was smoking meat?
Did you use regular table salt or large grain coarser (as in kosher or pickling)?
Was thinking of finding/digging out my little smoker and this thread reminded me - haven't done it yet.
Does anyone else smoke salt like that?
I bought smoked salt already smoked. I think I suggested that technique in response to a question; I have seen recipes for smoking cheese that way, so I thought it would work for salt, too, but I have never tried it.
 
The amount of sodium in table salt and pink himalayan salt is virtually the same

And the amount of NaCl is also virtually the same in table salt and kosher salt - originally iodine was combined into table salt to reduce iodine deficiency, an important need of thyroids.

Kosher salt was called that as it was used to draw blood from meats a process called koshering.

As Andy stated - keeping it strictly between salt and not the minute or trace items found in some and not in others. Plus they are just that minute and trace. Won't make a difference on a kitchen weigh scale.
True and true. Virtually the same but the pink stuff has traces of things that the table salt does not. And Kosher salt does not have little bit of iodine that many table salts have. But there is the difference. When my sister could not consume iodine for several months, she could not use her beloved table salt nor could she use Himalayan salt as both contained unhealthy (for her) amounts of iodine even though the amount is "trace." Salts do have differences. For example, I would only use Kosher salt for canning. Many table salts also have caking agents. But the label gives the same amount of sodium chloride from one to the next jar of other salts.

I bought smoked salt already smoked. I think I suggested that technique in response to a question; I have seen recipes for smoking cheese that way, so I thought it would work for salt, too, but I have never tried it.

GotGarlic, we hard-cooked eggs in a smoker and made some smoky deviled eggs. If it worked for eggs, it might work for salt. I'd love to know if it is does!
 
There will always be someone who is extremely sensitive to something.

Kosher salt is also used for canning because it does NOT have iodine which can/does turn garlic purple. Doesn't make it bad, just not pretty! LOL

Salt content is not regulated in butter. Ergo most recipes call for 'unsalted' butter and then given a measurement of salt to add.

and all of the above is already known by most - but there are still a few who do not realize all the differences. Good thread georgevan.
Should call this "SALT 101"
 
I like that. Salt 101. Don't forget that they caking agent also can make for cloudy pickles. Not bad, but also not pretty. :D

Salt 102 - Moving on from the kinds of Salts, this course will focus on the various salt textures around the world. Ground, flaked, granulated and so forth. 🤣
 
By the way, Sugar 101 can only be taken after Salt 102 has been completed with an average of.... hmmmm :unsure: 97%.!

Ha! Cordon Bleu, move over - there are new chef's in town.
 
Back
Top Bottom