SALT OF

THE EARTH

Salt is one of the most important commodities in the world. Salt has always played a role in society. The ancients Greeks traded salt for slaves resulting in the phrase "not worth his salt". Today salt has over 40.000 applications from manufacturing to medicine, but to most of us, its main function is in the kitchen.

The variety of salts available is overwhelming and the knowledge of using these different varieties is just as confusing... or is it? The common question people ask me is why the food they prepare at home doesn't have the same flavor as my dishes in my restaurant. My first question is "What kind of salt do you use?" The most common answer is "just table salt".

Except for baking, I haven't used table salt for years. Table salt has very small cubed crystals and don't dissolve well. Because of this, the salt crystals tend to linger on the surface of the tongue. Kosher salt is the salt of choice for most restaurants. It grains have a pyramid shape which leads to easy dissolving resulting in a plenty of flavor without that
over-salted taste. Kosher salt also contains no additives. Very good for those of us watching out for our health!

Sea salt is what is called a finishing salt and doesn't work well when cooked.

Finishing salts are used to top off food just before serving. Texture as well as taste becomes important for a nice finishing salt but these tend to be much more expensive that our 70-cents a pound Kosher salt. England's Maldon sea salt is about $11 A pound and can be easily crushed with your fingers as you sprinkle it over your dish making a light taste on your tongue. Red Alae Hawaiian sea salt comes in a red or black color. These salts are for a more unusual flavor. The red salt has an iron taste from the soil and the black salt has a sulfuric aroma from added purified lava. Fleur de Sel is well worth the high price tag of $30 a pound. In France is created only when the winds are calm and the days are warm. It is on the rare few days that the gray salt is carefully skimmed from the surface as it "blooms" it's lacy white crystals

Like most things, salts have become trendy. From the Jurassic salt from Utah or the multitude of sea salts from the Mediterranean. With a little bit of research and knowledge under your belt you can be much more worth your salt in your own kitchen.

Chef José

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