What is Kosher Salt, and what are some of the differences between Table Salt, and Sea Salt?
English: Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When you hear the about something being “kosher”, you may think of it as being pure or wholesome.
Except, when it comes to kosher salt, the opposite is more likely.
Along with other industrially produced table salts, 99% of kosher salt is chemically stripped of all kinds of healthy (and flavorful) minerals such as…
- Sulfur, which can help fight fatigue, stress, pain, and even cancer.
- Magnesium, which prevents cardiovascular diseases, regulates blood pressure levels, and may even reverse osteoporosis.
- Potassium, which keeps your heart beating and reduces blood pressure.
- Calcium, which makes your bones and teeth strong.
- And many others.
Plus, many of these large-scale chemical companies (a.k.a. Big Salt) also throw in “questionable” additives (anti-caking agents and other “impurities”) into the salt you eat every day.
So why use kosher salt? It depends on what kind of kosher salt you’re talking about. There are actually two different types.
The most common type is “kosher-style salt” or “koshering salt”.
This salt has large flake-like crystals. The crystal size prevents the salt from quickly dissolving into foods. And that makes it useful for koshering meat. Rubbed onto the surface of the meat, it draws out the blood in accordance with Jewish dietary laws… without leaving the meat too salty.
Salt manufacturers recognized the marketing power of connecting their salt more closely to the Jewish name. And over time, they further shortened the name to “kosher salt”. It lent their brand the feeling of being exotic and steeped in tradition.
However, kosher-style salt is produced by large-scale chemical corporations. And the salt manufacturing process has almost nothing in common with…
The Centuries-Old, All-Natural Process for Harvesting Salt
Natural salts, such as artisan sea salt, are hand-harvested by small community based “salineros” (salt farmers).
These farmers work flat areas of lagoons or evaporation ponds, allowing the hot tropical sun to evaporate the water and leave behind pure, mineral rich, sea salt.
Unlike workers in a chemical plant, these salt farmers are essentially entrepreneurs, getting paid fair wages for the amount of salt they produce. And as a result, they have perfected their craft of producing handmade, organic salt over hundreds of years.
And… some sea salts can actually be considered kosher salt. That’s because there’s a second type of kosher salt called “kosher certified salt”. And this is simply…
Salt That’s Been Blessed by a Rabbi
With this type of kosher salt, it doesn’t matter what the salt looks or tastes like… or whether it’s table salt, rock salt, kosher-style salt, sea salt, or any other kind of salt.
Foods certified by KSA bear this emblem. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
All that matters is that a rabbi (or their assistant) has inspected the entire salt production process and signed off that everything meets the Jewish kosher laws.
In some ways, this is a commercial marketing arrangement. It’s a way of presenting a salt as trustworthy, clean, and pure… and a way of tapping into the $13 billion kosher foods industry.
Salt manufacturers pay certification companies like OK Kosher or The Orthodox Union to inspect and “bless” their food. And those certifications need renewing periodically to ensure everything’s still up to standard.
Now, all this can be a good thing.
Knowing your salt meets some basic standards of safety and cleanliness is helpful. And the certification is useful if you are a Jew wanting to eat according to kosher guidelines.
However, unlike foods like meat or dairy, being kosher certified doesn’t indicate as much for salt.
Technically, most salt meets the Jewish kosher guidelines… regardless of whether it’s certified. Becoming kosher certified is often a matter of paying for it.
In other words…
Buying Kosher Certified Salt Doesn’t Necessarily Guarantee You Quality Salt
It doesn’t matter if the salt lacks all the healthy and flavorful minerals found in naturally occurring salt. And it doesn’t matter if it has all kinds of anti-caking agents and other questionable additives tossed in. Many mass-produced, heavily refined salts are certified as kosher.
So if kosher isn’t the ultimate measure of quality, what should you look for instead?
Well, there are…
Three Key Indicators of Quality Salt
First, if you want salt that you can healthily incorporate into your diet, turn to an all-natural source such as sea salt.
Second, look for salts that are unrefined (and don’t have “questionable” additives tossed in). This usually means turning to smaller scale, artisan salt providers instead of big, industrial corporations (a.k.a. Big Salt).
Third, make sure you’re dealing with a reputable, trustworthy company – a company that’s transparent about the source, process, and safety of its salt.
But there’s one more thing to consider… how the salt affects your food.
The large crystals in kosher-style salt are part of the reason some people prefer it to table salt. It’s easier to pick up and sprinkle onto your food, giving more control of their cooking (and helping avoid accidentally dumping WAY too much salt into the dish).
And because its crystals are slower to dissolve into your food, kosher-style can be better than table salt for use in meat dishes.
Yet…
For the Ultimate Taste Experience, Turn to Natural Sea Salt
Natural sea salt has significantly more moisture (usually around 14%) than kosher salt. And as such it doesn’t pull the natural liquids out of foods. This makes it perfect for preparing foods like roasted vegetables or meats, where you want each bite to be rich and juicy.
And it’s useful in those cases where you want the salt to add a satisfying crunch to your meal
Unlike kosher-style or table salts, artisanal sea salt has greater mineral content. These healthy minerals contribute to a stronger and more complex flavor. Often, all it takes is a pinch to notice an improvement in the flavor of your food.
Now, you may be wondering…
Can Artisan Salt Really Be “Good” for You?
Haven’t health officials been telling us for years that salt causes high blood pressure and increases the likelihood of heart attacks?
Well, there’s something strange about this advice…
It’s not true.
No studies have ever been able to scientifically prove that eating salt is bad for the heart. Not even one.
In fact, researchers have found the opposite.
Cutting your salt intake can actually raise blood pressure – along with a host of deadly side effects. In other words, not getting enough salt is WAY worse than getting too much salt.
And to make things even crazier, health officials in America are actually aware of this wide range of research arguing AGAINST a low-salt diet. They see the clear, resounding proof, and they’re ignoring it.
To learn more… and find out how you can get your hands on real, honest-to-goodness, blessed-by-a-rabbi, artisan salt…
…the salt Mark Bitterman (the leading salt expert) absolutely loves and called “lush and punchy at the same time”…
Click HERE for a free bag of salt (you pay for shipping only).
