Does kosher salt has a different structure than regular table salt or it is an issue of crystals size?
Why some recipes want us to use one instead of another?
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2 Answers
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There is no chemical difference between table salt and kosher salt - both are sodium chloride. Kosher salt just has bigger crystals. However, some table salt brands are iodized, meaning that iodide salts have been added to help us maintain a healthy dietary intake of the essential nutrient iodine. Kosher salt is never iodized.
Sea salt is a different matter. Since sea salt is obtained from sea water, it may have other minerals in it, which perhaps alters the taste.
Kosher salt is used in some recipes as a matter of taste - the bigger salt granules take longer do dissolve, and so there may still be little pockets of salty crunchiness. Kosher salt is also used when this property is necessary, for example in the curing of some meats. For more on the differences in culinary use between the various types of salt, you should consult Seasoned Advice.
answered Feb 17, 2014 at 12:52
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$\begingroup$ Thanks for the answer. I tasted kosher salt and the regular salt of the same ammount: the kosher is less salty than regular - I could not swallow so bitter it was. $\endgroup$– IlanFeb 17, 2014 at 13:21
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$\begingroup$ Was your table salt iodized? I find iodized salt to have a slightly different taste. Alternatively, the stroner taste comes from it taking longer to dissolve. $\endgroup$ Feb 17, 2014 at 13:28
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$\begingroup$ I am not sure about iodation of salt - there is no information on the package. One thing I can say for sure - the kosher salt is different, it even more clear and almost transparent and its taste is "mild" even I make a powder of it... I am looking for a reference $\endgroup$– IlanFeb 17, 2014 at 15:53
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1$\begingroup$ Maybe try a blind experiment to see if you don't imagine the difference. $\endgroup$– tschoppiFeb 17, 2014 at 16:28
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$\begingroup$ I need someone else to experiment coz I feel that there is difference $\endgroup$– IlanFeb 17, 2014 at 17:41
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All types of salts with names like Kosher salts, Himalayan pink salt, table salt, sea salt or iodized salt are mainly sodium chloride (NaCl). There might be trace element differences hence a difference in taste.
The key information is missing from the accepted answer as well as the Wikipedia link. Kosher does not mean that the salt crystals are larger. Kosher is just a religious label which shows that the food item has been prepared in conformity with the Old Testament's laws. The label "K" or Kosher of food products indicates that this salt does not contain any porcine product, nor it has come in contact with them and other additives which do not conform to biblical laws. Kosher is almost similar to the label "Halal" (=permitted according to Muslim laws) on many food and cosmetic products.
