What is Kosher Salt

Since thousands of centuries, salt has been a necessary ingredient in the human diet. Salts are necessary for the proper functioning of the nervous system and they form an important nutrient of the body. Sodium and calcium are the two main constituents of salts. Salts are obtained from the sea and the most familiar salt that we all use in our kitchens, is sodium chloride or the normal table salt. The normal table salt is 99.99% sodium chloride, that is a crystalline compound found in the sea. The salts are obtained from the sea by the process of evaporation or most of them are mined from the deposits left by the oceans. The salt that we use in our kitchens is usually the mined salt.

What is Kosher Salt
There are different types of salts depending on their granular size and content. During the refining process, the salts are added with certain additives like iodine or are added with ingredients that make them free flowing. Iodine containing salts are used to cure goiter and are helpful in treatment of hypothyroidism. Mostly, all salts are crushed into small grains that make up the salt granules. Examples of fine grained salts include table salt, iodized salts, pickling salt and popcorn salts. Kosher salt is a coarse (rough) grained salt, similar to the rock salt.

Kosher salt has big crystals, with very large surface areas. The main difference between rock salt and kosher salt is that kosher salt is free from iodine. If you observe kosher salt under a microscope, you will find that is in the form of cubes, that are stacked one upon the other! This is I mean, when I say that kosher salts are coarse grained.

How did Kosher Salt Get its Name
There is an interesting fact about how the kosher salt got its name! Basically, the name kosher is linked to the kosher food, that is a part of the Jewish culture and is in accordance with the rules laid down by the sacred Torah. According to the rules in the Torah, presence of blood or blood stains in the meat of the animal is strictly not allowed. Such foods are termed as kosher. In order to absorb all the blood from the meat, kosher salt is use, thanks to its large surface area that helps in curing meats. Jewish people that follow the 'Kashrut' (a set of Jewish dietary laws), abstain from consuming non-kosher food.

Applications of Kosher Salts
Since kosher salts are not refined and no additives are added to them, many chefs consider them to be a very pure form of salt. They use them for seasoning, in hotels and kitchens. The larger size of the kosher salts makes its handling easier for the chefs. One fact about kosher salts, is that they weigh 26% less than table salts. This means that you need to be aware, that if you are using kosher salt, then you will need to add more amount of kosher salt as compared to the table salt.

Besides these, kosher salt is used in baked fish, to create a salt crust, and to rub the meats before cooking them. Kosher salt is also employed in the pickling of salts. Kosher salts are also used in edging the sides of margarita glasses. Kosher salt is widely used in slaughter houses and is easily available in departmental stores. Salts with the mark 'U' or 'K' are known as the certified kosher salts.