WEEKEND READING | Salts | PORTLAND, MAINE FOOD MAGAZINE
Jessica Webb Photography
The addition of salt makes a difference to every dish. The timing of when you add salt makes a difference. Salt penetrates cold food slowly. Salt penetrates vegetables even more slowly than it does animal meats. Vegetables have rigid cell walls, this makes the salt work harder to penetrate. While animal products have thin cell walls, making it easy for the salt to pass through the barrier.
Have you read or heard of the saying "season as you cook"? This means it's time to have a check-in, observe, grab a spoon, and taste the food. Taste to understand if the food is balanced or is spot on in flavor.
Sometimes salt is necessary. Some examples are while baking cookies, to equal out the sweetness of sugar, fine salt is needed. When searing a steak, it is important to use coarse salt on the raw meat, this ensures that a crust is made.
When making caramelized onions, I want moisture to be drawn out. I want the onions to be dark and concentrated in flavor. That can't happen without the addition of salt. I use sea salt after observing the onions change from very white, dense, and crunchy to soft, limp, and translucent. It is important to salt the potatoes before going in the oven because this gives the salt time to diffuse into the potatoes to make crispy and salty fries (recipe at the bottom).
If you have good ingredients, you will need less salt. And occasionally the addition of salt isn't needed.
What happens to salt in the body?
Magnesium's role in the balance of sodium and potassium is the link to absorption. Potassium can't cross the cell membrane on its own, it needs magnesium to move across first to open the membrane. Once open, the cell can absorb the potassium it needs to function efficiently. This process of achieving a balance of sodium and potassium accounts for a large percentage of the resting energy your body uses, essential to functions of the body. So basically salt is necessary for hydration to move from the outside of the cell membrane to the inside of our cells to where water fuels cell function.
What is table salt? How does one use it?
Table salt is fine salt. Companies use drills to dig deep into underground sea beds where the salt water is then pumped out and purified in factories. The purification removes naturally occurring minerals such as potassium and magnesium. The salt is then formed has been heated, highly pressurized, bleached and fortified with iodine, along with anti-caking compounds and additives to slow moisture absorption. Often table salt is the "salt" ingredient within processed foods and more likely than not, the salt used in shakers at restaurants…
The U.S. government highly recommends consuming this salt if you live in an area that is iodine deficient. (There was a time when the U.S. didn't access and educate about iodine and the importance it has for our bodies.) One can also use this to literally deep scrub surfaces. Sprinkle a handful of this, some baking soda, a wet sponge, and elbow grease to remove bacteria.
What is Kosher salt? How does one use it?
Kosher salt is used for the Koshering processes not because it is actually Kosher itself. This salt is irregular in texture and less salty in comparison to table salt. Often cookbooks list "coarse salt", that is Kosher salt. This salt can be substituted out and ocean salt can be used, but that being said, the salinity is different. Use less ocean salt.
What is rock salt? How does one use it?
Rock salt is from evaporated seas or from volcanic rocks that have sediments of salt within it.
Himalayan salt is a famous rock salt. It is 20x the price of generic table salt. The pink color is due to the 84 minerals within it, although 98% Himalayan salt is mostly sodium chloride. This is often used as a finishing salt on food.
Kala namak salt is also known as black salt. Which isn't black, it is just dark in color. It has a strong flavor because it consists of sulfur. Plant-based and vegans create egg-like flavors by using this frequently in their recipes.
What is sea salt? How does one use it?
Sea salt occurs when ocean water is evaporated using indoor controlled heaters or the sun. Natural minerals stay intact. There is a possibility there may be microplastics within due to modern pollution. Most commercial salt farmers test their salts and release reports! If not, inquire, they most likely will share. One well-known purveyor of sea salt is Maldon Salt Company. My favorite local sea salt is Maine Sea Salt Co. I favor and use sea salt throughout the cooking process of any dish.
What is lake salt?
Lake salt takes years to make. Some extremely salty lakes, like Lake Deborah of Australia, had been created from winds blowing across oceans and carrying sea spray inland. Other salty lakes, such as Lake Retba of Senegal was created naturally during a severe drought, in which the composition of the water changed. These salts are rare, I have never had the pleasure of using them. But I can imagine they are very special and expensive.
What is pickling salt?
Pickling salt is fine salt. Also sometimes called canning salt or preserving salt. It is ultra-refined pure sodium chloride. It does not contain anti-caking ingredients or additives. In comparison to table salt the granules are much finer making it very easy to dissolve. This is perfect when making a batch of dilly beans!
Are there other salts?
Smoked salt is salt with the essence of smoke. This is achieved by the smoking process. This salt is perfect when wanting to make a bbq flavor without going to the grill. I use this when making carrot bacon.
Truffle salt is an infused salt that tastes like truffles. Very savory, very delicious. I have used this on top of popcorn or mac and cheese.
Fleur de Sel salt is a French sourced salt from salt marshes. It does not dissolve easily but can be used to season any cuisine.
Potato Fries
Ingredients
4 large russet potatoes
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt, I use Maine Sea Coast Vegetables, sea salt with sea veg
Directions
Wash potatoes, keep the skin on and slice to prefered size. I love a good shoe string, so mine are cut thin.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a bowl soak potatoes in cold water, half hour.
When the oven has preheated, drain and dry the potato pieces.
Mix the oil, salt and potatoes together.
Place on a lined baking sheet, bake for 30 minutes. Flip fries halfway and cook until golden brown.