Salt of the Sea
FRIDAY FOOD THING
To most folks brought up in my generation and beyond, when it rains, it pours: Morton’s“iodized” table salt is the tableside norm. Years ago, someone decided many humans weren’t getting enough iodine in their diet, so that same someone convinced the government to add it to everyday table salt — kinda like that questionable someone who did the same thing with fluoride in toothpaste. An added benefit of adding iodine to salt is a more free-flowing (and marketable) salt product. Hence Morton’s advertising slogan, “when it rains it pours”. Very clever.
One day — in my ongoing search for culinary curiosities — I tried Kosher salt, which excludes iodine from its formulation. What a difference. No more Band-Aid aftertaste. On yet another day, I experimented with sea salt, and — I gotta tell you — what an amazing BIGGER difference! I will never go back.
Sea salt is as varied as the seas around the world from which it is produced, and the taste and color and texture vary wildly. If you need proof about how much better sea salt tastes than the iodized variety, buy some at your supermarket and perform your own taste test, side by side. Your taste-buds will know the difference.
It’s only fair to point out that Morton has kept up with the times and has seriously increased their product line accordingly with many sea salt offerings. However, to truly understand the available differences in taste, I highly recommend expanding your culinary curiosity to include the virtual smorgasbord of imported varieties readily available on the Internet.
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