Difference Between Kosher & Table Salt

Salt comes in different forms.

Salt is a mineral that is mostly sodium chloride. It is an edible crystalline solid. Essential for animal life, salt will become harmful if consumed in excess. It is one of the oldest seasonings and is used to preserve food. Several varieties of salt exist with table salt and kosher salt being among the most common.

Table Salt

Found in underground salt deposits, table salt contains calcium silicate. This substance is added to prevent the salt from clumping. You can purchase table salt with or without iodine added. Iodine was added to salt in 1924 to reduce the possibility that people would get goiter, since it was a problem in that time. All salt contains 97 1/2 percent sodium chloride. General table salt has a fine texture, but there are some variations. Popcorn salt is a very-fine grained salt and pretzel salt is a larger grain. Seasoned salt is another alternative and might be flavored with herbs like garlic, onion or hickory smoke.

Kosher Salt

Kosher salt is manufactured from either seawater or mined from underground sources. It does not contain the calcium silicate or the iodine found in table salt. It's name comes from the curing process that is used to make meats Kosher according to Jewish dietary laws, called Kashrut. It has a larger grain than table salt, and is usually not used to season foods at the table, but during cooking. The larger granules make it a better salt to use for curing meats.

Sea Salt

Other salts besides kosher and table are available to cooks. Sea salt is derived from evaporated ocean water. It has a gentler taste and contains less sodium than table salt and kosher salt. Minerals are also present in sea salt, the variety and amount varies by location of the water it was taken from. Hawaiian sea salt is pink from the volcanic red clay and has a high content of iron oxide. Fleur de Sel is derived from the top of salt ponds. Black salt is often used in Indian cooking and has a strong sulfur odor.

Considerations

Each salt has it's own considerations on when it should be used. People with high blood pressure are usually advised to stay away from sodium, and might want to replace their table salt with sea salt, which has less sodium. Potassium chloride is added to "Lite" salt to reduce the sodium for health reasons. This process reduces the flavor, causing it to be less desirable to season food at the table than regular table salt.

References

• Food Network.com: What is the Difference Between Kosher Salt, Sea Salt and Table Salt?
• Morton Salt: Food Salt FAQs
• Whats Cooking America: Salt - The Spice of Life