So... why is pink salt a thing?

Yeah, it's the impurities that make the difference. 

I don't find the pink Himalayan to be that much of a taste sensation. It's a subtle difference from typical salt, so if it's your first experiment with something different you will likely not be blown away. We have some dark red Hawaiian stuff that makes a really good pork shoulder. The only seasoning I use on it is salt, so you can definitely tell when I have to use something else.

We tend to use Maldon salt flakes in place of normal table salt because it really does make the food taste different.

MIL uses it because she claims some health benefits, but she believes in essential oils and healing with rocks and crystals too.  I use coarse Mediterranean sea salt

Patrick said:

MIL uses it because she claims some health benefits, but she believes in essential oils and healing with rocks and crystals too.

Technically, the Himalayan salt is rocks and crystals too. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Maldon is really good!

Count me among the unwashed heathen.  I use salt.  Whatever salt.  As long as it's salty.   And I don't pay extra for "boutique" salt. 

I know not all salt is the same. Especially when I cook steaks. With that being said, I picked this up this weekend at Costco and cant taste the difference:

They also had these blocks, which I did not buy:

My table salt is smoked kosher salt. There's a Himalayan grinder there too.

Because of my dad's medical problems we were pretty much a salt free house growing up and I never used it for anything until about 8 years ago. 

I prefer the big flakes, especially with beef, I feel like it makes a bigger difference without becoming overwhelming like standard iodide salt does. 

Kosher and other rough salts/flakey salts tend to dissolve in water easier too, makes a big difference when prepping brines

In reply to RevRico :

Agreed. I like the "coarse sea salt" for cooking steak. Whether that's a function of it being coarse or being sea salt, I have no clue, but it makes a difference to my taste buds.

I'll have to give the "smoked" salt a try!

LOL.  Wow.  It's way worse than I at first suspected!

Floating Doc said:

bmw88rider said:

In reply to SVreX :

Why it's called Spit Salt. 

 

Spit, WHAT?!?! Homer is a quaint little fishing town on the southern coast of Alaska and is best known for its geographical landmark, THE HOMER SPIT. It’s a badass land piece that stretches 4.5 miles straight out into the ocean. The salt in this jar was harvested right from the Spit. Hence the dorky name. #spitsalt

Been there. Amazing place.

Back on topic; Curtis, thanks for clarifying this. 

I thought I'd chime in just for the Halibut.

I used to be in the "salt is salt" camp until I did some real side by side comparisons.

Some time try a pinch of Morton Iodized salt, then try a pinch of Morton Kosher Salt.  The Kosher salt is far less salty and doesn't have the metallic flavor of the iodine.  When you're doing recipes, this makes a big difference.  If something calls for a 1/4 tsp of salt, of course it assumes you're using normal iodized table salt.  If you substitute pink salt or kosher salt, it won't be as salty.

Fun fact:  No one in the world knows what salt tastes like.  NaCl is an ionic bond which dissociates in water into Na+ and Cl- ions.  What you are tasting is the flavor of the dissociated ions, not the salt.  You don't taste it until it dissociates into the component ions.  Therefore, no one knows what NaCl tastes like.  This phenomenon is also one of the reasons chefs always tell you to salt every layer, or at least salt during cooking.  Some folks like to cook without salt and let the eater salt their own stuff.  Salting the actual cooking process not only lets the salt flavor everything, it also makes sure all of the ionic bonds have broken in solution.  It also has awesome hydrophilic properties, so there are times when you want to use salt and times when you don't.  For instance, salt is a great way to pull excess water from certain things.  If you salt sliced eggplant and put it in a collander before you fry it in some bread crumbs, it will draw out some of the water making a crispier fry.  Conversely, if you make Bruschetta, don't salt the veggies.  You'll have cold tomato soup, and if you drain off the water you're throwing away flavor.  Instead, salt the bread.  That keeps all the water and flavor in the tomatoes.

I like that I am learning stuff about salt. 

A staple in our house, and now the house of several family and friends, is sriracha salt.  Take kosher salt, mix liberally with sriracha, spread over parchment paper on a baking sheet and let air dry if in low humidity or put in a low temp oven.  Once the moisture is evaporated out, crumble by hand and then use by the pinch.  We put that E36 M3 on everything.  

The coarse, grinder friendly white stuff seems more porous and homogenous than the one stuff, which seems more crystalline.

I have one pack that I bought over ten years ago. It brags that the pink salt is fifteen million years old. Label also says "best by January 2011."

In reply to Woody :

Agreed. Never knew there was this much to it. Not that I'm salty about it or anything

Mike said:

The coarse, grinder friendly white stuff seems more porous and homogenous than the one stuff, which seems more crystalline.

I have one pack that I bought over ten years ago. It brags that the pink salt is fifteen million years old. Label also says "best by January 2011."

FDA regulation or some such, isn't designed for edible rocks that don't expire because they're rocks

Mike said:

I have one pack that I bought over ten years ago. It brags that the pink salt is fifteen million years old. Label also says "best by January 2011."

Thank you for making this hilarious observation. 

Edit:  So that E36 M3 is clearly expired.  You reckon it's safe to eat?

Woody said:

I like that I am learning stuff about salt. 

From a motorsports forum.

Curtis said:

I used to be in the "salt is salt" camp until I did some real side by side comparisons.

Some time try a pinch of Morton Iodized salt, then try a pinch of Morton Kosher Salt.  The Kosher salt is far less salty and doesn't have the metallic flavor of the iodine.  When you're doing recipes, this makes a big difference.  If something calls for a 1/4 tsp of salt, of course it assumes you're using normal iodized table salt.  If you substitute pink salt or kosher salt, it won't be as salty.

 

I've definitely noticed a HUGE difference in iodized salt and kosher salt. I've also noticed a difference in different textures based on how it is ground/shaved/etc. I still cannot tell a difference between pink salt and kosher salt and "sea salt" that comes in a grinder. EDIT: Meaning, I can tell there is a difference in texture, but if they're all the same grind/texture, I cannot tell a difference. Maybe I would with grey salt or black salt.

But yeah, iodized salt is nasty and you don't need much iodine to get enough. 

Marketing. 100% marketing.

Toyman01 said:

Marketing. 100% marketing.

But it's actually not if you try it. At least, the non-pink varieties.

I keep a small container (salt cellar) on my counter at all times, with coarse-ish kosher salt. It's cheap, easy, and works for 99% of my making-things-saltier needs. 

Because my wife and I cook a lot, people give us weird stuff as gifts—one such gift was a neat little wood rack with about a dozen little test tubes containing different salts.  Most were just... salt. Standouts were the smoked salt, habanero salt, and fleur de sel. The first two are pretty easy to imagine, taste-wise, while the third is an amazing finishing salt that is characterized by its light, flaky nature. If there's such thing as a "perfect salt experience," then that's fleur de sel. I recommend having some on hand, guests dig it. 

I agree... the differences in salt are not like the difference between Sangria and Pinot Noir... more like the difference between Merlot and Cabernet.  Very subtle.

Still, it's fun for a foodie like me to "take it to the next level" and compare how Seaweed salt compliments my Tuna compared to just Sea Salt.

1988RedT2 said:

Mike said:

I have one pack that I bought over ten years ago. It brags that the pink salt is fifteen million years old. Label also says "best by January 2011."

Thank you for making this hilarious observation. 

 

Edit:  So that E36 M3 is clearly expired.  You reckon it's safe to eat?

You think that is good, wait til you see this!

It's a rock! It has no genetics to modify. 

If they used the pink salt to melt ice on the roads, would our cars turn pink when they rust?