Coarse Salt

"Salt is what makes things taste bad when it isn't in them."

Salt is the only rock which is consumed by human beings and is the spice of life. It has been an indispensable ingredient in foods since ancient times and is known to be one of the oldest spices. The flavor of salt is versatile and unequaled by any other spice. Apart from adding taste to food, it is also used for preservation. It is also used as a binder in processed meat and helps in reducing fermentation. Until recently, salt was considered to be nothing more than just plain old salt! But now gourmet chefs have come to appreciate the various sea salts and their flavors, and use them to enhance gourmet foods.

What is Coarse Salt?
It is a larger grained salt as compared to common table salt which is said to have an intense flavor. These salt crystals are less sensitive to moisture and hence can be stored easily for longer periods. The large chunks of this salt are used in meats and pretzels. It is said to have lesser iodine content and hence it is iodized nowadays.

There is an interesting take on the flavor of various sea salts. Many are of the opinion that all the sea salts are the same, be it coarse salt, Kosher salt or fine table salt. Yet, when coarse salt is used, it does lend an exquisite flavor. This is not because of the flavor but the texture. This salt has larger and more grainy crystals. What stands out is the crunchiness of the salt rather than the flavor. Thus, when you sprinkle the salt on your food, you get an intense and distinct taste. But this may be an over simplification of the difference between coarse and table salt. It is true that the basic properties of sodium chloride, which is the basic component of salt, will remain the same. But an essential point to note is that different sea salts contain different minerals, and how much each sea salt can absorb also makes a difference to the taste. Many chefs prefer using coarse salt as it is easier to handle and can be easily measured with the fingers. But since the crystals are bigger than the fine table salt, it needs to be used in larger amounts in order to get some saltiness. It can be used in adding flavor to soups and to form salt crusts on meats.

Substitutes
Coarse salt can be substituted with table salt. Since the grains are larger, a larger amount as compared to the amount of table salt is used to get the required taste. Hence, one needs to be careful while following recipes which mention coarse salt, and you use a substitute instead. Usually, the measurement is one teaspoon of table salt for half a teaspoon of coarse salt. Thus, you cannot follow the same instruction when you are using other salts as substitutes. If you use the exact measurement of substitutes as mentioned in the recipe, the dish will turn out to be a lot saltier. This is because the same amount of regular salt will coat a larger area, thus making it excessively salty.

You can try out coarse salt in various recipes and enjoy its intense flavor, and the dash of zing it brings to you palate.