Sea Salt vs table salt: Anybody notice a diff?

Harry Callahan

Harry Callahan

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Any of you guys ever try Celtic Sea Salt? There's a heck of a difference in taste, certainly. But has anyone noticed an appreciable difference in your health/well-being after switching over? I like the taste difference (a world of diff) but I think the health benefits may be overblown a tad.

I went from table salt to Redmond sea salt (from the Utah mines) to the genuine Celtic Sea salt harvested in the old timey evap method. No kiln drying, no bleaching, etc. Expensive but succulent, tastewise. For the taste alone, I won't be switching back to commercial table salt anytime soon. But the health benefits aren't as readily noticeable in my experience. From the book, one gets the idea that Celtic sea salt is the cure-all of the new century.

Anybody else switched over to sea salt? Post your thoughts here. :(
 
All salt is "sea salt", though what we call sea salt is processed by evaporation whereas table salt is mined. Any differences, as you note, are based on processing. "Table salt" often contains added iodine and anti-caking compounds, also accounting for a difference in taste.

I have not done a taste test, but now I want to. :thumbup:
 
I use "The Emperor's New Clothes" brand sea salt. It will cure cancer, heart disease, ED and prostate problems. It's imported from the Himalayas where it is blessed by Buddhist monks and costs only $17.50 per ounce. Yowza!

Seriously, do you really think that the trace elements in sea salt have any health benefits? I have some smoked sea salt that I use for some things, but for 99% of everything else I used plain old kosher salt. True kosher salt is nothing but pure sodium chloride and it seems to be saltier then regular table salt, so you tend to use less.
 
Every element of the earth is washed into the sea.
That's why seaweed makes such fantastic fertilizer.
I don't know that people need every element contained in the earth, but I suppose that may be the reasoning behind sea salt being "better" for people.
 
I have tried many types of sea salt. Every one hss it's own, subtle flavor. I also find myself using less of it, because, at the risk of sounding dumb, it tastes "saltier."

I don't know anything about health benefits, but there is one big risk of using sea salt exclusively: It's not iodized. At first blush, that might sound like it's a good thing, but it isn't. We need some amount of iodine in our diet, and iodized salt is about the only way most of us ever get it.
 
There are very few health benefits to sea salt vs. eating a tiny piece of seaweed every day. I would venture that the amount of sea salt you would need to get any effect from those nutrients would kill you because of the sodium.

And yes, you need iodine from some source, and table salt is a great source. Interestingly you need very little to avoid thyroid problems, so if you eat out a few times a month, chances are great that you're actually getting your dose from the table salt the restaurant uses. If you ever saw that one Seinfeld episode where Elaine goes to volunteer with some old lady and she has an enormous football shaped goiter, that was most likely caused by a lack of iodine.

Kosher salt is far better for cooking. Sea salt's very delicate and subtle flavors are lost unless you are doing some very delicate cooking. Also, the flakes of kosher salt dissolve far better during cooking, while sea salt can actually sometimes not dissolve and leave little salty pellets in the food. That can be a great effect, but it's not what most people are going for. A great example would be while making an omelette. Kosher salt pinched on the eggs will dissolve almost immediately, while the sea salt will slowly dissolve and you will still be able to see little tiny nuggets when the omelette's done.

What sea salt excels at is in seasoning once a dish is prepared. Use sea salt any time you're using an actual salt shaker, rather than pinching salt out of the container. Another reason to only use sea salt in the shaker is that if you've paid a bunch for special sea salts blessed by virgins, it makes no sense to obfuscate that flavor in the cooking, it will be completely drowned out.
 
In the timeframe since I posted this thread, my wife and I have gone thru eight 1/2 pound bags. (We gifted some). That's a lot of salt but we have used it FOR EVERYTHING. Canning, cooking, eating, etc. We simply don't use any other salt. I even took a 1/2 pound bag to work and outfitted the saltshaker (it has BIG holes) in the breakroom with the stuff. My co-workers could care less (as long as it's salty they don't care). Went back to the Kroger where we originally puchased the stuff and was told that it was no longer being stocked. Bummer. We are at seriously low levels. Just pulled the trigger on a 22lb sack from the "official" website. A bargain when compared to buying 1/2 pound bags. Shelf life (if kept dry and cool) is almost unlimited.

After almost a year of daily use, I know this much... I will not use anything else for table salt. This stuff is the cat's meow. We've had to switch to a salt "server" as a shaker is out of the question. We purchased a silver salt spoon as the "stainless" one that comes with the salt server actually rusted, believe it or not. This salt doesn't dissolve in cold water worth a hoot. It is almost hilariously expensive. It requires extra effort to use and serve. But it's worth every bit of that aggrivation in flavor alone. Claimed health benefits are still in question. Is it better for health? Dunno. Probably, as it isn't bleached, kiln dried, or loaded with additives. It certainly TASTES better. And as a result, we use less of it (especially as a table salt). I canned green beans with this stuff and they are succulent!

Overall, I recommend this salt. Salt is an essential part of your diet. Try this Celtic Sea Salt. I believe it's worth the extra effort and expense. You gotta have salt, so you may as well have the very best. Cheers. :cool:
 
The iodine in table salt is what gives it that slightly not pure salt taste. Generally sea salt is more pure, so it tastes like salt should.

One other thing to think about is the salt particle sizes, large granules will be saltier, ground fine salt will be a better taste. Try grinding some normal Morton's Table Salt in a mortar and pestle.
 
The wife brought home a big can of Planters Cashews, and on the label it says made with pure sea salt. I don't know when they switched, or why.
 
In addition to "sea salt", you can buy all manner of "boutique" salts which are not much different from what uffda describes....
Hand-evaporated in tiny pools by the sea-shore.... That sort of thing.

When I was in the army back in the 60s, a couple of buddies and I took a leave to go to Salzburg, Austria. (Literally "salt-town") The entire city has a huge salt mine beneath, and you can take tours.
During the tour, we were shown a pillar made up of chunks of salt which all had different mineral content from different places in the mine. You could (if you were not squeamish) go over and lick the different-colored chunks, and actually taste iron, sulpher, or whatever.
 
I use different salts for their textures - extra fine for french fries (either fleur de sel or Himalayan pink), kosher for cooking, and French gray for finishing. Regular table salt is on the table.
 
I use Sea Salt at home for just about everything, not sure about health benefits, I just prefer the taste over iodized salt.
 
Salt is not salt. I stock six or eight varieties. I really like the flavor of pink salt. Smoked salts are great. http://www.barhyte.com/lordsofsalt/index.cfm is great stuff. Take his serrano/lime salt, brush some shrimp with oilive oil lightly, a bit of fresh-ground pepper, sprinkle on the smoked salt, and grill 'em quickly and people will be amazed. Salt is not simple and the right salt will make a difference in your food... but your health? I doubt it.
 
I bought a nice mill from Williams-Sanoma a few years ago and keep it filled with Sea Salt. I'm not sure about the variety I currently using, but I do like it a bunch.
 
I like Maldon Sea Salt (which I learned of when rebuilding a boat in a Madlon boatyard) there is a taste difference.

It always amuses me to see use by dates on packets of sea salt.....

MTGP-l.jpg
 
We switched to sea salts , non fancy brands , a few years ago. I think it tastes better and there's always the impression that you are getting a better quality product , at least.

Tostig
 
Celtic gray is the only way to go .... except when you need a fine powder. Celtic gray is slightly wet, so it's no good in salt mills.

I REALLY love it and won't switch back. The good news is that there is a french brand of Celtic Gray that sells for really cheap at Trader Joe's. If there's a Trader Joes, near you that's where you should get it. It can save you $5 or more.
 
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