What the hell is the difference between "sea salt" and regular salt?

[dave81]

I don't know about you guys, but lately I've noticed a trend while grocery shopping: Everything all of a sudden now has "sea salt" in it, and it's boldly proclaimed on the label, on everything from soup to nuts, as if it's something special. It's still just sodium chloride, right? No added ingredients? Why is "sea salt" suddenly being touted everywhere like it's a magic freakin' ingredient? And why is it proliferating into foods in almost every aisle of the supermarket? Anyone else notice this?

PS: This is like last year and the year before, when everything suddenly started having "chipotle" in it, and before that, cranberries. Foods across the board just suddenly start adding one common ingredient into their recipes and it becomes the "in" thing. What the hell is going on here?!?

[AroundTheCorner]

Sea salt comes from the sea, and regular salt comes from inside the earth's crust... p-)

Really, I don't know the answer.

[Rilence]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=difference+between+sea+salt+and+regular+salt

[Gleipnir]

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/saltguide.htm

[IraGlacialis]

Eh... don't really different between the "sea" and "regular" slat.

Now fleur de sel, on the other hand, is some good ****, especially in caramel.

[Panchito12]

"sea salt" and "regular salt"

Well one has the word "sea" and the other uses the word "regular".

[Fireball Sanchez]

The difference?...... 'bout tree fiddy......p-)

[DesktopArmor]

Main difference is that "sea salt" contains more than just NaCl. It has all sorts of other minerals which theoretically make it better for you and give it a different taste. Regular salt is just rock salt from large underground salt domes, so it has fewer impurities/other minerals. It's cheaper and easier to mine it than it is to set up evaporation beds for sea water.

[West Texican]

Sea salt is soaked in fish piss.

[bd popeye]

Main difference is that "sea salt" contains more than just NaCl. It has all sorts of other minerals which theoretically make it better for you and give it a different taste. Regular salt is just rock salt from large underground salt domes, so it has fewer impurities/other minerals. It's cheaper and easier to mine it than it is to set up evaporation beds for sea water.

We use sea salt regularly. And it has a little different taste. I prefer it over regular table salt. We just buy it and grind it.

[Ghostwolf]

Is there a difference between sea salt and mediterranean sea salt and regular table salt?

[PeterRJG]

It has other stuff in it, potassium, iodine, bromine and phosphorus salts, etc, whereas table salt is pure NaCl.

That's my understanding of it.

[Panchito12]

The difference?...... 'bout tree fiddy......p-)

Fi-fiddy if you take the same "sea salt" and label it "Kosher Salt". Same crap but somehow people think that because you append the "Kosher" thing it's better.

[Supplanter]

Fi-fiddy if you take the same "sea salt" and label it "Kosher Salt". Same crap but somehow people think that because you append the "Kosher" thing it's better.

according to Prof. Wikip-)

Kosher salt has a much larger grain size than regular table salt, and a more open granular structure. Like common table salt, kosher salt consists of the chemical compound sodium chloride. Unlike common table salt, Kosher salt typically contains no additives (for example, iodide), although kosher salt produced by Morton contains Yellow Prussiate of Soda a.k.a. sodium ferrocyanide as an anti-caking agent. [1][2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosher_salt

[Fireball Sanchez]

according to Prof. Wikip-)


Yes but one must take that with a grain of .......... salt?

muawahaha!

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/9490/drevily.jpg

[AmericanAirman]

Sea salt is the best to use for flavor, don't use a shaker or grinder just give 'er a pinch and sprinkle it on, mmmm.

Recently I've been using this salt from Hawaii, Alaea Sea Salt and even this stuff called Hawaiian Black Lava salt that is black sea salt. It's really cool and tastes delicious.

[smalandian]

Yes but one must take that with a grain of .......... salt?

muawahaha!



Hahahahhahahharofl

[el borracho]

To me, Kosher salt has a better, more pure flavor. Iodized salt (table salt) has chemical-like taste. It's similar to the difference between regular and diet soda.

[kitatatsumi]

I know what you mean about the chipotle/sea salt obsession.
America is weird that way, everything you eat needs to be infused with wasabi or crusted with something that the movie stars would eat.

[Vandervahn]

Salt in "hailstone form", which is the usual shape sea salt or rock salt is sold in, will dry out your meat less quickly than finely grained table salt.

Admittedly you can occasionally find table salt in hailstone form as well.

/cooking lesson

[Storm_82]

The reason why you see more and more of it in stores is because people think that sea salt does not raise the blood pressure. This is not 100% true, yes it is reconmended if you have high blood pressure but different people react different to the use of sea salt.

Another thing is that regular salt is refined. Elements suchas magnesium are lost in the process whereas sea salt has all the 84 minerals still in it.

Sea salt has more sophisitcated flavour compared to reg. salt, which tastes like crap.

[deagle]

its imported from the sea, and filtered. i have no idea what i'm sayin an Thirstsy Thrusdays., drunnnkk

[Eztyga]

Sea salt is soaked in fish piss.

And sperm...:|

[LiddleTowers]

Sea salt is obtained by the evaporation of sea salt. It is much healthier for you than regular rock salt, which contains vast amounts of sodium.

[digrar]

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/7127/enessporthedland4337713.jpg (http://img149.imageshack.us/i/enessporthedland4337713.jpg/)

Sea salt, out in the open, covered in seagull ****.

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/9007/wieliczkasaltmineunderg.jpg (http://img228.imageshack.us/i/wieliczkasaltmineunderg.jpg/)

Underground salt mine, where do you think the miners piss?

[LiddleTowers]

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/7127/enessporthedland4337713.jpg (http://img149.imageshack.us/i/enessporthedland4337713.jpg/)

Sea salt, out in the open, covered in seagull ****.

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/9007/wieliczkasaltmineunderg.jpg (http://img228.imageshack.us/i/wieliczkasaltmineunderg.jpg/)

Underground salt mine, where do you think the miners piss?
The open?????

[Lasse]

It's not like anyone knows what salt is suppose to taste like, so a little seagul crap\miners piss doesn't change anything.

[ltrowley]

I often ponder this question, then one day my grandfather sat me down on his hand told me this little rhyme to help remember:

Whats the difference between the two salts?
One's from the sea, and one is not.
One's more expensive and you get them both in shops.
That's the difference between the two salts

Happy ****?

[LiddleTowers]

I often ponder this question, then one day my grandfather sat me down on his hand told me this little rhyme to help remember:

Whats the difference between the two salts?
One's from the sea, and one is not.
One's more expensive and you get them both in shops.
That's the difference between the two salts

Happy ****?
it only works as a rap

[ltrowley]

Are you calling my grandfather a rapper? I'll let you know my grandfather was a great man, who put his life on the line for freedom and democracy, if he wanted to make a rhyme that only worked as a rap but didn't want it to be rap and only a rhyme then he was damn well gonna get it.

[LiddleTowers]

Are you calling my grandfather a rapper? I'll let you know my grandfather was a great man, who put his life on the line for freedom and democracy, if he wanted to make a rhyme that only worked as a rap but didn't want it to be rap and only a rhyme then he was damn well gonna get it.
The life of a silversmith apprentice was not an easy one.....

[DaGreatRV]

I only use seasalt when I'm making a fish dish.
Regular salt for everything else.

[ayanami_tard]

sea salt is iodinized one?

[Vandervahn]

No, sea salt is the more or less raw salt harvested in salt gardens by drying sea water. It retains the crystalline structure. Artificially iodinized salt is usually ground-up refined and cleaned salt mostly from rock salt mines, but can also come from salt gardens before processing.

[Military-G]

Sea Salt Has whale piss on it?

[Chiptox]

The gigantic mound of salt next to the interstate at the Morton salt plant in Utah is pretty good "WTF is that" moment when driving across the country. Then you drive west in a straight line on a salt plain for 100 or so miles with nothing to look at but the swear words and phalluses people have made by arranging small rocks in the median.

That's all I got.