A Beginner’s Guide to Salts

There’s the reliable salt on the counter that you reach for when making dinner… then there’s the interesting stuff. You know, the beautiful flakes that drift delicately over fresh sliced tomatoes or grace the tops of luscious caramels and dark chocolate brownies. What we're saying is that there's a reason to get to know your salts a little bit better.

What is the Importance of Salt? 

Essentially, salt is a flavor enhancer. Adding the right salt (and the right amount of salt) can take food from bland to delicious. It primes your tastebuds to enjoy all the flavor compounds and notes in a dish. This is also why salt is found in a variety of seasoning blends.

Sea salts come from, you guessed it, the sea. Salt is still harvested from ocean water in traditional ways. Mayan Sea Salt has a clean flavor and an interesting tie to the ancient Mayan way of life. This sea salt has long been harvested off the coast of Guatemala. It is estimated that, at the peak of the Mayan empire, up to 30 tons a day were transported into the interior of Mesoamerica.

French Fleur de Sel is considered by some to be the best salt in the world. Sea salt in France is still harvested in the traditional way, by drying seawater in shallow pools. As the water evaporates, crystals form. If wind, sun, and temperature conditions are right, bright white crystals will form on the surface. This Fleur de Sel, the flower of the salt, must be harvested quickly before it precipitates back into the water. This natural sea salt contains no additives or preservatives and has high levels of magnesium and calcium.

If you're looking for salt that both tastes good and does good, you'll want to check out our Flaky Sea Salt from Iceland. Saltverk uses geothermal energy from hot springs, making them carbon-neutral. Additionally, they are one of the only entirely sustainable sea salt producers, ensuring that this salt will be available for years to come. The flavor is clean and the flakes add a nice textural crunch.

Our Kosher Salt is a little flakier than what you may have seen before. It is incredibly versatile and an essential in both home and professional kitchens. Commonly used to season meat before grilling, this salt can be used to season both before and after cooking. However, because this salt is flakier than some you might be accustomed to using, substitute 1 tsp. of Kosher Salt Sprinkle in place of 3/4 tsp of fine sea salt.

We also have to mention the table salt that’s on dinner tables, in salt packets, and pouring out of cardboard canisters you found on the bottom shelf of the grocery store. The crystals of table salt are super fine and sometimes include iodine (hence: iodized salt). This should not be your everyday salt.

First of all, iodized salt has a metallic note to it that isn’t very pleasant, no matter how it’s used. Second, iodized salt was originally created to supply supplemental iodine; however, with the variety of foods available today, eating a balanced and varied diet should provide most people with the necessary amount of iodine.

Iodized or not, it’s difficult to actually get a true pinch of table salt because it's so fine that it just filters through your fingers like sand—and everyone knows that trying to season by upending your shaker is just a recipe for loose-lidded, accidental piles of salt disaster. If you’re using table salt, you’re also getting more salt per teaspoon (stick with me here). When you scoop some table salt, it pack in and fills all of those spaces completely because the granules are so tiny, so it can actually make your dishes taste too salty!

If you’re used to using table salt in recipes or if you’re set in your fine salty ways, Pink Himalayan Sea Salt is your new best friend. For those recipes that require precision, it's easy to measure. The fine, dry salt shines in applications where you want even coverage and distribution, like popcorn or home fries. It also packs a flavor punch, thanks to the variety of minerals found naturally in the salt.