Kosher Salt vs Coarse Salt
One thing that people ensure in their meals even before taking a bite is the presence of salt in right quantities. Salt is one spice that has been used by mankind to flavor their meals since time immemorial. However, one variety that straight away comes across our minds is the free flowing table salt that is also the type of salt that is used in all recipes without giving a second thought by most chefs around the world. However, there is also coarse salt with larger grains, which is preferred by many chefs because of its softer flavor. Kosher salt is a type of coarse salt, but many remain confused between coarse salt and kosher salt. This article attempts to remove all confusion from the minds of the readers.
Coarse Salt
While table salt or the free flowing salt is the most preferred quality of salt by chefs around the world, there are some who prefer making use of coarse salt in some recipes. As the name implies, coarse salt is made up of large grains and cannot be shaken out of a bottle easily to sprinkle on a dish. One can easily get the salty sensation when he puts a single crystal of coarse salt in his mouth. Coarse salts can be fed into a grinder to come up with finely ground salt. Coarse salt does not cake easily when it comes in contact with moisture. Sprinkling coarse salt on a dish gives one a crunchier salty feeling than he gets with common table salt. However, coarse salt is not saltier than table salt as it contains the same sodium chloride that is found in free flowing salt. More and more people prefer coarse salt over free flowing salt as they believe they can reduce their intake this way.
Kosher Salt
Kosher salt is a type of coarse grained salt that was mainly developed to fulfill the dietary law conditions set forth in Jewish faith. It is named after the koshering process in which it is used. Kosher salt is basically derived from sea water or taken out from underground mines of salt. Its crystals have an irregular shape and they are large, making this salt a type of coarse grained salt. Kosher salt is good for preserving foods as its flakes draw out moisture from meats and other vegetables quickly. The main difference between sea salt and this salt is that, raking is done during evaporation of seawater to give the grains a definite structure of a block. Despite being coarse, kosher salt is flaky, making it easy to disperse. Kosher is a light salt and does not leave a long lasting saltiness in mouth.
Kosher Salt vs Coarse Salt
• Kosher is a type of coarse salt and is not free flowing like table salt.
• Kosher is unrefined and does not contain additives such as iodine that are found in other coarse salts such as sea salt.
• Kosher salt is less dense than coarse salt and leaves much less after taste in mouth.
• Kosher grains are flakier than the grains of other coarse salts.
Diane Booth says
I am making a cheesecake that calls for coarse salt. Is Kosher salt a suitable substitute for the coarse kind?