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For medicinal/health reasons, cardiac and high blood pressure in particular, Potassium Chloride (KCl) is often used in place of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) AKA table salt for food purposes. It is offered as a 1:1 substitute, i.e. use KCl the same as NaCl in cooking. Taste wise, it is (basically) same and produces the same results, so they are essentially interchangeable for taste. This substitution has a dual beneficial effect — first off, it lowers serum Na+ levels and it increases serum K+ levels, both of which are independently cardio-protective.

What about other chemical uses in cooking?

  1. Many recipes salt items before cooking to "draw water out" of vegetables before cooking them.
  2. In baking you add salt to yeast ferments to control (slow down) the fermentation process of the yeast.
  3. Additionally salted foods were one of the first long term stored items.

Would KCl work same as/better/worse than NaCl in these instances?

My focus is not health or taste concerns those are well known. My questions are on the chemical implications for food preparation and storage. I have found nothing on this with multiple searches.

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  • $\begingroup$ Most "salts" will dehydrate but their taste may be horrible. NaCl is not unique. $\endgroup$
    – ACR
    Commented Sep 9 at 2:57
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    $\begingroup$ I have never heard of such a careless potassium intake by replacing salt in cooking and food processing. Particularly, using KCl for food conservation can be very dangerous, as a human body is much more sensitive toward acute potassium overdosing, compared to sodium, what is further boosted if a person has some cardiac or kidney issues. // For water drawing, there would be needed about 30% KCl more by weight // KCl is about 1/3 less salty than NaCl by weight and has reportedly bitter undertaste (can vary as some taste perception is genetic dependent). $\endgroup$
    – Poutnik
    Commented Sep 9 at 7:51
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    $\begingroup$ it increases serum K+ levels, both of which are independently cardio-protective. - this is dangerously just one part of truth, as the other part is that high levels can cause sudden cardiac death. // K intake from natural food K content is safe, but uncontrolled use of K supplements can cause acute hyperkalemia. The symptoms may develop quickly, can be lethal and affect various body systems, particularly the muscular, cardiac, and nervous systems. $\endgroup$
    – Poutnik
    Commented Sep 9 at 8:48
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    $\begingroup$ It might be a more appropriate question at cooking.stackexchange.com Note also that questions regarding personal medical advice are off topic. And it is always good to cite supporting references that provide details (see Poutnik's comments). $\endgroup$
    – Buck Thorn ♦
    Commented Sep 9 at 9:47
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    $\begingroup$ See e.g. Hyperkalemia - National Library of Medicine // While mild hyperkalemia is usually asymptomatic, high potassium levels may cause life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, muscle weakness, or paralysis. Symptoms usually develop at higher levels, 6.5 mEq/L to 7 mEq/L, but the rate of change is more important than the numerical value. $\endgroup$
    – Poutnik
    Commented Sep 9 at 10:15

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NaCl and KCl differ chemically, affecting their culinary applications consequences variably. In osmosis , NaCl’s smaller ions (0.095 nm)- more efficient at drawing water from food, essential for processes like vegetable dehydration, while KCl’s larger ions (0.133 nm)-less effective. NaCl has higher M.P.(801°C vs. KCl’s 770°C), making it more reliable in high-temperature preservation. Additionally, with NaCl’s slightly higher solubility (357 g/L vs. 344 g/L for KCl) ensures more effective curing in preservation. For yeast fermentation,NaCl slows activity by 10-20%, which helps control fermentation rates, while KCl leads to faster fermentation, altering baking outcomes.

https://thisvsthat.io/potassium-chloride-vs-sodium-chloride

Overall, while KCl works as a substitute, NaCl’s superior water absorption and fermentation control make it more efficient for food preparation and preservation.

Further resources : https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.589222/full

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  • $\begingroup$ Well @phoodie did the resources help you or you need additional clearance? $\endgroup$
    – user146560
    Commented Sep 9 at 14:16
  • $\begingroup$ Excellent answer. Clearly answers question asked and gives some good data to apply experimentation/modifications with. Implications in baking extremely helpful knowledge! $\endgroup$
    – phoodie
    Commented Sep 10 at 3:23
  • $\begingroup$ Ok.....@phoodie $\endgroup$
    – user146560
    Commented Sep 10 at 4:56
  • $\begingroup$ When you compare solubilities you should keep track of units. The difference in g/L is rather small but K weighs almost twice as much as Na. In other words, it might be better to compare solubilities in molar terms or in terms of ionic strength. $\endgroup$
    – Buck Thorn ♦
    Commented Oct 8 at 9:01

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