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Mary in Pittsburgh asks: What is the difference between sea, kosher or course salt. Do I need to keep all three in my pantry??? Great question. Salts can be as different from one another as any other foods, although their taste distinctions decrease dramatically when they are dissolved, as in baked goods. Sea salts (hand-harvested sea salt is also called fleur de sel) from one region can taste quite distinct from that of another region. By and large, unrefined sea salt is considered to be a good bet as far as quality goes. Then there is kosher salt, which is usually additive-free and also unrefined, and features larger crystals. It is used in the making of Kosher meats; the large crystals draw out moisture. Beware of baking with large-grain salts when your recipe doesn’t have a lot of moisture in it or you may have undissolved crystals in your finished product. If substituting, use a little more kosher salt than the recipe calls for to compensate for the larger crystals. The manufacture of iodized salts was initiated to prevent goiters, due to the lack of iodine in the American diet. It is not necessary to have several types of salt in the house, but you might consider the two major types – kosher or sea salt for cooking (add it at the last minute for a salty crunch), iodized table salt for baking.
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