Which salt is better?

[Gryffindorian]

Salt is an essential ingredient and seasoning that's been used not only for cooking but also for food preservation. I like salty snacks like chips and crackers, but too much sodium in one's diet isn't necessarily a good thing as it can cause hypertension.

When I was growing up in another country, we used sea salt to cook our meals. In the U.S. and other countries, it seems iodized salt is more commonly used. So which one is better and would you rather use?

 

[RoJoHen]

I don't use salt for anything, honestly.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Both are nutritionally identical. The difference between the two is in their taste and texture.

I'm not sure I've ever actually had sea salt. I don't like to salt things anyway.

 

[Gryffindorian]

I don't use salt for anything, honestly.

Not even a grain of salt?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I don't use salt for anything, honestly.

Not even a grain of salt?

*cursor hovers over "Ignore" button*

...must...resist...

 

[JustKate]

Just to complicate things further...there is such a thing as iodized sea salt. "Iodized" merely means that it contains some added iodine, used to combat hyperthyroism. It's just an early form of fortified food - kind of like vitamin D milk. I don't know if this is still necessary, but it was at one time.

I wonder if what you're really interested in is the difference between table salt and sea salt? If so, table salt is normally mined as rock salt whereas sea salt is evaporated. They are (aside from iodine, if that has been added) nutritionally identical, but their flavor varies.

 

[Shaytan]

Fleur de sel.

 

[Rocketman]

Sodium/Potassium salt.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I prefer sea salt, but generally get the other kind.

 

[JustKate]

While I have both iodized table salt and kosher salt, I use kosher salt most of the time in cooking. The reason is that since kosher salt is made up of...well, I'd describe them as flakes of salt, it's easy to grab just a pinch or two for sprinkling purposes. Try that with sea salt and you get a few salt peebles, try it with table salt, and you get just a few grains, most of which stick to your fingers.

So I use kosher salt in the kitchen and table salt at the table in the salt shaker.

 

[Laren]

I use iodized salt that has also fluoride and folic acid added. I find sea salt to be too expensive.

 

[trekkiedane]

Fleur de sel.

Yep, or Himalayan salt.

 

[Sephiroth]

Epsom's Salt >.> <.< >.> what?

 

[ShimmeringFacet]

Most of the health oriented people recommend unrefined sea salt. They favor the French Celtic sea salt.
A number of raw food people now use pink Himalayan crystal salt as well. Both of these salts have trace minerals that are absent from regular table salt.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026093_salt_sodium_health.html
And also from the article:
"Part of the process for refined salt, or commercial table salt, involves the use of aluminum, ferro cyanide and bleach. These are all toxic materials that your body takes in with refined, commercial salt."


I take a multi vitamin that has iodine as one of its constituents. Sea vegetables are supposed to be the richest source of iodine.

 

[Rocketman]

Most of the health oriented people recommend unrefined sea salt. They favor the French Celtic sea salt.
A number of raw food people now use pink Himalayan crystal salt as well. Both of these salts have trace minerals that are absent from regular table salt.

Health oriented salespeople.

 

[Vulcan Princess]

I like iodized sea salt.

 

[ShimmeringFacet]

Some of them sell it, most of them don't. But you go right ahead using the commercial table salt.
yeah, there is a lot of hyping of health products in general, but I don't think this is particularly one of those items.

 

[DarkHelmet]

Kosher salt.

 

[Rocketman]

Some of them sell it, most of them don't. But you go right ahead using the commercial table salt.

I hear the dangerous toxic substance dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO) is also involved in its production.

 

[Gryffindorian]

Just to complicate things further...there is such a thing as iodized sea salt. "Iodized" merely means that it contains some added iodine, used to combat hyperthyroism. It's just an early form of fortified food - kind of like vitamin D milk. I don't know if this is still necessary, but it was at one time.

I wonder if what you're really interested in is the difference between table salt and sea salt? If so, table salt is normally mined as rock salt whereas sea salt is evaporated. They are (aside from iodine, if that has been added) nutritionally identical, but their flavor varies.

I should've probably said "common table salt" (which is the refined and most common form of iodized salt) like the Morton brand (with a sugar-like texture). When I was growing up abroad, we actually used salt that had a very course texture, so a grain of salt was cubical in shape. It was the kind that people scraped off near the bay, and they had these salt farms. I assumed that was sea salt, or did I miss something?