Cooking Basics: All About Salt

6 Kinds of Cooking Salts 
Unlike common table salt, sea and kosher salts have layer after layer of flavor. And because they’re stronger, you can use less of them. Six types worth noting:

1. Kosher Salt: Coarse, unrefined all-purpose salt. It’s our top pick for curing meats, pickling, salting pasta water—toss in a handful after it begins boiling—blanching vegetables and finishing off braised meats, salads and more.

Tip: Kosher salt is harvested from sea or ground water (mines), while the sea salts below are exclusively made from seawater. Their color and flavor vary, depending on origin.

2. Gray Salt: Moist, coarse and mineral-rich, for cooking or finishing. A sprinkle just before serving doesn’t dry out juicy dishes like roasted chicken or root vegetables.

3. Fleur de Sel: French for “flower of the salt,” these hand-harvested crystals have a smooth taste, delicate crunch and slight shimmer. Just a touch takes classics like chopped salads and roast beef to new heights.

Tip: Dust desserts with fleur de sel, too! It rounds out the richness of decadent sweets like glazed brownies and caramel apples.

4. Flake Salt: Sheer, flat sea salt reserved for finishing. Its low mineral content means more concentrated salt flavor, so a dash will do. Scattered over edamame, crostinis and seafood, it adds a light, pleasing crunch.

Tip: Our favorite flake salt? Murray River, harvested in southeast Australia. Give the peach-colored flakes a try on baked or mashed potatoes.

5. Black Lava Salt: Smoky sea salt with earthy undertones and black coloring. It lends dramatic presentation to any dish, from steak to sliced avocado to vanilla ice cream.

6. Smoked Sea Salt: Coarse sea salt smoked over wood fires, where it takes on a campfire-like taste and aroma. Flavors vary, from hickory to oak to applewood—just be sure to get naturally smoked sea salt, rather than smoke-flavored salt, which can be bitter. Toss it with buttered popcorn or stir it into chili.

Tip: Keep smoked salt on hand to achieve smoky taste in a snap—it gives barbecue sauce, corn on the cob and more an instant, hot-off-the-grill flavor.

Salt Basics: Buying & Storing

• Where to buy: Look for sea salts at spice stores, gourmet food shops, online retailers; find kosher salt at most grocers. Start with one or opt for a sampler set containing favorites like fleur de sel and smoked salt.

Tip: Buy kosher salt in bulk, but test out a few ounces of different specialty salts before stocking up.

• How to store: Keep them in glass, ceramic or wood containers—never metal, as the salt corrodes it—with airtight lids and use within 6 months.

How to Make Flavored Salts
Flavored salts work double duty on your plate, seasoning and coloring in one step. Just mix equal parts moist sea salt and flavoring in a jar. That’s it! Try infusing it with:

7. Fresh Herbs: Chopped rosemary, thyme, lavender or a mix. Fantastic on pasta and buttered bread.

8. Citrus Zest: Orange, lemon or lime zest, perfect for shrimp scampi and sautéed vegetables.

9. Spices: Fennel seed, five spice, chili powder—the list goes on and on. Sprinkle cinnamon salt over bread pudding and smoked paprika salt over potato hash.

Tip: Sprinkle our semi-homemade calzones with flavored salts—they make store-bought pizza dough taste homespun!