Kosher Salt Vs. Sea Salt

Salt is one of the indispensable ingredients, as far as human diet is concerned. Apart from adding flavor, salt is an essential nutrient for the human body. We all know that salt flavor is one among the basic tastes and humans have been using salt as a food seasoning since time immemorial. Apart from being a food seasoning, it is also used as a preservative. Salt has thousands of industrial and other uses too. Salt is primarily composed of sodium chloride, which is essential for animal life. However, excess consumption of salt may cause various health problems, especially, high blood pressure.

Salt for human consumption, is available in many different forms, like, table salt, sea salt, kosher salt, iodized salt, rock salt, Celtic salt, etc. Salt is either mined from salt mines and rock salt deposits or by distillation of sea water (sea salt). While, some types of salt, like, sea salt, are unrefined, some others, like, table salt and iodized salt are refined and are blended with additives. This article deals with the difference between kosher salt and sea salt. Let us take a look at the various aspects of kosher salt vs. sea salt.

Kosher Salt and Sea Salt

Kosher salt is one of the commonly used variety of edible salt. It is characterized by larger grain size, when compared to the table salt. Mostly, kosher salt comes in flakes, rather than granules and so, they have large surface areas. It can be derived either from seawater or from underground salt mines. Usually, kosher salt is free of additives, but, there are certain brands of kosher salt, that have additives. It has a mild and bright salty flavor, as compared to table salt and has a flaky crystalline surface, that enables it to stick to surfaces, like, margarita glasses. The name kosher salt is derived from the use of this type of salt in making foods kosher (foods that fulfill the requirements of Jewish dietary law). The larger grain size and the flaky nature make this salt stick to the surface much longer. In case of kosher meat, the salt sticks to the meat for a longer time, drawing blood and other fluids out (koshering). The name of this salt is derived from the practice of using this salt for koshering.

Sea salt is produced by evaporation of sea water and is available in the form of both fine and coarse grains. It is not refined and is composed of around 98% of sodium chloride. The remaining 2 % includes trace minerals, like, iron, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iodine, etc. Refined sea salt will be white in color, whereas, the unrefined ones will appear slightly gray, pink or sandy. Now, you know more about the various aspects of both kosher and sea salt. So, let us take a look at the difference between the two.

Kosher Vs. Sea Salt

While, sea salt is produced exclusively from sea water, kosher salt can be derived either from sea water or from underground salt mines. Both these types of salt mainly differ in their structure. Sea salt comes in granules of different sizes, whereas, kosher salt is usually flaky with large surface areas. Sea salt has more pyramid shaped crystals, as compared to kosher salt, which has bigger crystals. Both types are available in refined versions too. Another aspect of kosher salt vs. sea salt is that the former takes more time to get dissolved. Kosher salt is mainly used in koshering meat and in cooking projects that need the salt to adhere to surfaces for a longer time. As the granule size is larger, kosher salt is not preferred for baking or for using as table salt. Sea salt can be more expensive than kosher salt. Both of them can be slightly less salty than table salt. These are the basic aspects of kosher salt vs. sea salt. Measurement of both depends on the size of the granules or flakes. In case of large granules or flakes, you have to add a little bit more, for a flavor that is achieved by the same amount of table salt. Read more on table salt vs. sea salt - difference between sea salt and table salt.

In short, kosher salt and sea salt are preferred to table salt by many people. This is due to the requirement of coarse salt in some recipes or due to the distinct flavor. However, like, table salt, over consumption of both kosher and sea salt is not advisable.