Kosher Salt

What is Kosher Salt?

Kosher salt is characterized by its big crystals with large surface areas and its lack of additives, such as iodine. This size and shape allows it to absorb more moisture than other forms of salt, and this makes kosher salt excellent for curing meats. That is where the name comes from. The Jewish holy book, the Torah, prohibits consumption of any blood, which is why kosher meat must be slaughtered and prepared in a specific manner. A common way of removing the final traces of blood from meat is to soak and salt it.  Because the taste sensation is distinct from ordinary table salt, some cooks prefer to use it in all their cooking. Like other coarse salts, kosher salt can be used in recipes that call for a salt crust. You can even use it to salt the edge of a margarita glass. Nutritionally speaking, kosher salt is no different than table salt, but does not provide iodine.

What is the Difference Between Kosher Salt and Sea Salt?

Many chefs prefer kosher salt in cooking certain dishes, usually as a topping, or to add special crunch or taste to food.  Kosher salt is made by similar evaporation processes as cubic table salt.  However, some processes allow their crystals to grow at normal atmospheric pressure which makes a different shaped and larger crystal possible.  In other manufacturing processes, Kosher Salt is made by compressing table salt crystals under pressure and then sizing the resulting agglomerates to yield a coarse-type salt.

Sea salt is produced by evaporation of sea water at atmospheric temperature and pressure.  The crystals tend to form inverted pyramid shapes not all that different from Kosher Salt produced at atmospheric pressure referred to in the first paragraph.  Depending upon the geographic location, altitude, and composition of the salt ponds from which the salt originates, the salt may take on certain colors representing some of the trace minerals in the area.  Some of these impart a different taste or flavor, either pleasant or possibly objectionable to the taste of the salt, and hence, the food to which it is added.  Mainly, it is a matter of preference and cost.  Generally speaking, sea salt is considerably more expensive than Kosher Salt or regular cubic table salt.

Are “Kosher Salt” and Table Salt that is Kosher Different?

Yes.  The key is particle size.  Kosher Salt is the name of a particular type of salt (sodium chloride) that is available in supermarkets and other stores that sell groceries.  It is produced by a manufacturing method explained above and is certified as Kosher by one of many rabbinical inspection institutions that carry out food plant inspections.  Table Salt, both plain and iodized, is usually listed as manufactured under the same rabbinical institutions.  An identifying emblem will notify the consumer that the salt has been produced and packaged under strict kosher conditions.  If the kosher emblem is missing from the label, it is safe to assume that the salt is not necessarily certified as produced under kosher inspection.   

With table salt, the size of the crystal is smaller than Kosher Salt,  and it is usually cubic in shape.  Table salt contains additives to keep the small crystals from caking and clumping.  All salts are very prone to pick up moisture, and smaller crystals are capable of adding more moisture than larger ones.  As the crystals release moisture with changes in relative humidity, the crystals form new bonds and stick together.  The salt crystals must stay uniform for proper ingredient dosing of foods and to fit through the holes in the salt shakers!