What's This About Eating Sea Salt Only Instead Of Morton's That We Buy At The Grocery

suzanne4, RN · May 27, 2005

Actually much better flavor for one thing. And not all of the chemicals that are in the regular table salt. Most chefs have always used either Kosher Salt or sea salt from the Med. Sea. You normally don't see them using table salt.

bsnrnoh · May 27, 2005

Sea salt also has other trace minerals (I don't remember which ones right now) that table salt does not have. I personaly use Kosher, sea, and table salt depending on what I am cooking.

lady_jezebel · May 28, 2005

I love sea salt! You can find a huge container of it at many grocery stores for only a few bucks, and it's so delicious!

meownsmile, BSN, RN · May 28, 2005

Years ago, they added iodine to table salt because of goiters. The lack of or ability to ship fresh seafood like shrimp etc. kept people from getting enough iodine except for the market salt. Not the case today unless you are allergic to seafood. Use the sea salt, kosher salt and enjoy. At least we dont have to worry about having to have the fortified salt anymore.

boulergirl, CNA · May 28, 2005

Wow...learn something new every day. I had no idea chefs tended to stick to sea salt. I'll have to give it a shot sometime.

lpnadmin · May 28, 2005

Sea salt: excellent in peppersauce! :) Very good cooking ingredient.

mommatrauma, RN · May 28, 2005

Most of the sites I found info about the two said basically the same thing...Its all about how it is mined and processed...Table salt is chemically altered and therefore loses most of its minerals...depending on the sites I looked it up on...the amount of minerals lost varied from 60 to 80 range...and talked about Sea salt being healthier because of it...

Sea salt is a broad term that generally refers to unrefined salt derived directly from a living ocean or sea. It is harvested through channeling ocean water into large clay trays and allowing the sun and wind to evaporate it naturally. Manufacturers of sea salt typically do not refine sea salt as much as other kinds of salt, so it still contains traces of other minerals, including iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc and iodine. Proponents of sea salt rave about its bright, pure, clean flavor, and about the subtleties lent to it by these other trace minerals. Some of the most common sources for sea salt include the Mediterranean Sea, the North Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean (particularly in France, on the coast of Brittany). Sea salt is thought to be healthier and more flavorful that traditional table salt. Available in coorifice, fine & extra fine grain size.

Table Salt

Table salt is the most common kind of salt found in the average kitchen. It usually comes from salt mines and once it's mined, it is refined and most minerals are removed from it until it is pure sodium chloride. Most table salt is available either plain or iodized. American salt manufacturers began iodizing salt in the 1920's, in cooperation with the government, after people in some parts of the country were found to be suffering from goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland caused by an easily-preventable iodine deficiency. People require less than 225 micrograms of iodine a day. Seafood as well as sea salt contains iodine naturally and the supplement is unnecessary if there are sufficient quantities of either in one's diet. Note: Natural sea salt is a healthy replacement for ordinary table salt.

PennyLane, RN · May 28, 2005

I know a chef and he uses Kosher salt or sea salt only. I believe Kosher salt is lower in sodium than even sea salt. I generally use sea salt due to its natural properties and low Na content.