Kosher salt is a product created by soaking kosher sea salts in a substance that kills any living microorganism that touches it. This is then cured for two days to make it crystal white, then compressed and sold as salt. Kosher salt is the coarse salt without other common additives like iodine. Usually used in cooking and never on the table, it is made up mostly of sodium chloride and can contain other anti-caking substances.
Salt is an important ingredient in preparing foods. It is also an important part of our dietary intake. The most common place you will see kosher salt used is on the table. We sprinkle it on cookies, crackers, meat and fish. Not only is it good for these products, it's also used for seasoning them. But how exactly does it perform its purpose?
One way it performs its function is that it prevents food from absorbing flavours while cooking. This is done by neutralizing the flavour. When we use regular salt, we only add one type of flavour, sodium chloride, to our dishes. When the same food is prepared with kosher salt, the entire process is changed. First, you add one type of flavour, sodium chloride, which has no negative effect on the other ingredients in the mixture. Then you add another, called "levins", which is actually a mineral that absorbs different flavours.
There are many more varieties of kosher salt on the market. There are also various different brands. One of the most commonly found brands of kosher salt has less likely been certified by the Association of Jewish Consumer Services (Kashrut supervision). The kosher salt, you will find this brand in is not certified because it doesn't contain any anti-caking agents, like regular salt would have. If this salt is used at all, it is typically kosher (but not for regular cooking) and not because it contains any nutrients, or vitamins, that regular table salt doesn't.
Kosher salt is produced with two salt grades. The first grade is red kosher salt, which is made by crushing the kosher salt in a large pan with an iron rod until it releases the salt crystals. The second grade is called pink kosher salt, and this salt is made by removing the manganese and magnesium from the brine water. This salt doesn't have as much of an odour because it doesn't have the minerals from the water. It is also less likely to stick to food, which explains why it is often used for cooking as well as table salt.
The kosher sea salts crystals are ground and then mixed with water and yeast. During the kosher salt mixing process, the calcium and magnesium from the salt minerals are separated from the remaining water. During this stage, the crystals begin to form, and the water is mixed with them. This is the stage where the quality of the kosher salt begins to deteriorate. Because they can no longer separate the minerals from the water, the crystals no longer have the ability to release salt.
During the next part of the kosher salt, the magnesium and iodine crystals will separate. While this is taking place, the meat (the kosher salt) is slowly mixed with the salt solution to make sure there are no clumps. After the meat mixture has been mixed with the salt solution, it is left to sit for hours. The next step is to taste the salt. To test its taste, a tester is placed on the crystal salt, if you notice a metallic taste, this means that the salt is good, and the tester is bad.
To summarize, kosher salt has less flavour, and is generally not recommended for use on the same plate as sea salt or table salt. It also does not work well with salty meats and must be used with the grains that are closer in texture to the grain of your choice, such as: wheat, corn, or rice. However, brine is a great alternative to kosher salt and should always be used to salt meat before brining.
