How is sea salt any different from industrial salt? Isn’t it all the same compound? Why would it matter how fancy it is? Would it really taste they same?
In: Chemistry
One thing that hasn’t been mentioned (that I’ve seen) is that “regular” salt tends to contain anti-caking agents (e. g. silicon dioxide, calcium silicate, or yellow prussiate of soda) in addition to the iodine, whereas sea salt usually doesn’t (e. g. Morton’s). You can probably find regular mined salt that doesn’t and sea salt that does, but as a general rule, sea salt seems more likely to be just salt and nothing else.
That means that it’s okay for cooking (you can shake the container to break up the clumps) but not so much for salt shakers.
Usually recipes involving using salt for preserving (fermenting/pickling) stuff call for pure salt, with no anti-caking agents, but I don’t know exactly why that is.
Latest Answers