Kosher Salt‘s Unique Qualities
A: Yes, kosher salt and sea salt are all the same, just different names. By weight, each of the three contains exactly the same volume of salt. However, kosher salt contains a coarser grain compared to fine table salt, so it has less sodium in total by mass.
B: Yes, kosher salt and sea salt do have some things in common. They can be used to season all types of food. Kosher salt is often used as an ingredient on deli meat, sturgeon, or fish. Sea salt and table salt cannot be used on animal protein products.
C: Sea and table salt contains the exact same quantity of sodium as well. They both have approximately the same volume of salt by weight. One just has a slightly higher concentration of kosher salt, so kosher is the “less salt” of the two.
D: Sea and table salt differ in one very significant way. Sea salt and table salt have been chemically treated in order to prevent pollution from the ocean. This is a very costly process that most people are not willing to go through. As a result, sea salt and kosher salt cannot be found on the grocery store shelves.
E: Yes, they both contain the same type of minerals. However, kosher salt is significantly more refined than sea salt. The extra step is called “refining”. This process removes any and all magnesium, calcium, iron, or other minerals found naturally in sea salt. This process also removes the “sharpness” found in natural sea salt. As a result, kosher salt and sea salt are not the same thing.
F: Sea salt and table salt have similar sodium content. kosher salt contains around one percent more sodium than sea salt does. This slight difference in content results in kosher salt being the only salt that can be purchased in grocery stores without undergoing a processing step at all.
G: Kosher salt is the salt on which animals are fed to prevent the growth of germs. It is also used for sea food such as Herring and fish. In fact, many kosher salt mines are used for the production of this salt. This salt is even used as a preservative in certain foods and medical procedures. If sea salt is used instead of table salt for those purposes, the salt’s antibacterial properties would be lost.
H: Kosher salt is the one of the few salts that do not have a discernible texture. As a result, the only way it differs from regular table salt is its color. It has no distinctive smell or taste, so it is not affected by any of the additives used to increase its shelf life. Its color, concentration and texture are independent. In short, it is salt that doesn’t have any additives that alter its properties.
I: In experiments with laboratory mice, it was found that regular table salt had significantly lower blood pressure than the kosher salt that was fed to the animals. This benefit is attributed to the minerals found in sea salt; however, more research is needed to determine whether the same effect occurs in people. For now, kosher salt is considered a healthier alternative to regular table salt because it doesn’t contain chemicals that could aggravate existing conditions, such as high blood pressure.
K: During the process of mineralization, the kosher salt deposits take the form of fine crystals, much like what you would find in beaches when the tide is low. It takes many years for these crystals to reach their full size and shape; therefore, the salt is much less salty in the early days, but as it accumulates minerals and undergoes natural wear and tear, the crystal structure slowly forms into a smooth powder. During this process, table salt deposits, which are the remnants left after the crystals have formed, are commonly found in areas of the body where there are salt deposits.
O: The kosher salt crystal texture is slightly rough, similar to beach sand. The rough texture of the crystal salts provides an excellent way to evenly distribute the salt, which eliminates any ‘gaps’ between the teeth of the crystal. This helps reduce the effects of laminar flow in that areas of the body where a lack of circulation can cause cramping, such as in the legs.
S: The kosher salt granules do not change in texture once they are mixed with water. This is an important benefit because it allows a consistent seasoning process with little effort or time involved. The grains will retain their shape for hours at a time and will not become flattened when heated. This feature makes it easy to sprinkle the seasoning onto foods or into cups, sauces, or recipes. The uniformity of the salt will ensure that every time you add table salt, there will be no distinctive differences between the two.