Kosher Salt – What’s So Special About Sea Salt?

Sea salt is probably the best and most versatile cooking ingredient. As long as you can get it to the right temperature, the flavor can vary from good to wonderful. However, you may be using some other ingredients in your recipes which means you need to do a little more work.

Many people are putting the word ‘Kosher Salt’ in their recipe titles. The three basic types of salt, however, are: sea salt, kosher salt, and baking soda. You might know one, but you’re probably unaware of the others.

So where does the term ‘Kosher Salt’ come from? Well, in the Jewish dietary laws, Kosher is a term that has been used for several years to refer to any salt that does not contain traces of salt derived from animals that have died. That’s right, sea salt contains traces of dead animals and that’s not kosher.

Most of us, however, do not understand the differences between sea salt and kosher salt. The difference is subtle, but it’s there. Kosher salt is actually a salt with traces of minerals and chemical elements that differ from sea salt, such as calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, or copper.

The salt in these products does not really matter. For example, sodium chloride (table salt) is technically kosher, because it has a higher percentage of sodium than sea salt, but it is not actually kosher because it is an ingredient that has traces of animal products.

Simply using the term ‘sea salt’ does not make the product kosher. Using Sea Salt and Kosher Salt – A Comprehensive Guide to Salt makes it kosher for certain religious groups, but if you’re purchasing a product for your food preparation and don’t need to be concerned about food safety, then you don’t need to worry about it being kosher for you.

In order to find out which salt you need, consult your cookbook. Or if you’re in a pinch, look on the Internet for the kosher salt that you want. You’ll find it at Amazon, Whole Foods, and most other grocery stores and specialty food stores.