Types Of Salt

: A Beginner’s Guide To Picking And Using The Right Salt

Table Salt

From the shaker on your table to the bowl in your masala dabba, table salt is present everywhere! The most common type of salt, table salt, is OG – commonly used in cooking everyday food and even in baking. Recent years have seen a gradual shift to other types of salt because of concerns about the heavy processing of table salt. But its use is far from over. 

• How it looks: Fine, white, free-flowing granules, often uniform in size.

• Function in cooking: 

  • Consistent, evenly distributed saltiness due to its fine texture and quick dissolving nature.

  • Table salt is more “salty per pinch” than coarse salts, which is why chefs often avoid it for finishing.

• Best use: Everyday cooking and baking, especially where precise and even seasoning is required.

Himalayan Pink Salt

Himalayan pink salt is yet another common type of salt, especially in Indian homes, where it’s used in food cooked for people who are fasting for religious purposes. Called “sendha namak” in Hindi, pink salt gets its name due to the light pinkish hue it gets from the presence of trace minerals like iron, potassium, and magnesium. It is also considered to be “pure”, and Ayurveda recommends its use to manage doshas. 

• How it looks: Coarse crystals with a light pink hue, sometimes uneven in size.

• Function in cooking: Mild, less sharp saltiness with subtle mineral notes.

• Best use: Everyday cooking, fasting meals, and as a finishing salt for visual appeal.

Kosher Salt

The term kosher salt is popular in American English and refers to the coarse, edible salt made without common additives such as iodine. Unlike table salt, kosher salt is only used in cooking; its popularity in professional cooking in the US has been attributed to its coarse grains, which are easier to distribute than the fine-grained table salt. 

• How it looks: Coarse, flaky or grainy crystals that are larger than table salt.

• Function in cooking: Controlled seasoning, usually in professional set-ups. 

• Best use: Seasoning meats and vegetables.

Sea Salt

Technically, all salt originates from ancient or modern seawater, but in the culinary and marketing world, "sea salt" refers specifically to the type of salt harvested from modern oceans. It is less processed, coarser, and produced by evaporating modern ocean water or saltwater lakes. 

• How it looks: Coarse or fine crystals, slightly off-white with an irregular texture.

• Function in cooking: Cleaner, sometimes slightly briny salt flavour.

• Best use: General cooking and finishing, depending on grain size.

Flaky salt

Flaky salt is a type of sea salt characterised by large, thin, pyramid-shaped crystals. It has a delicate crunch and a quick-dissolving saltiness that makes it ideal for finishing dishes like salads, chocolates, or grilled foods.

Sel Gris

Moist, greyish in colour, coarse in texture, and mineral-rich – that’s sel gris, a French sea salt. It’s unrefined, has a mild taste, and is used for cooking and finishing dishes. 

Alaea salt

Identified by its brick-red colour, alaea salt, alternatively referred to as Hawaiian red salt, is an unrefined sea salt that has been mixed with an iron-oxide-rich volcanic clay. It’s popular in indigenous and fusion dishes, and also one of the more expensive varieties.

Black Salt

If you’ve ever had a good, crunchy piece of fruit chaat at home, chances are it has been topped with black salt or kala namak (kala means black, salt means namak). A common type of salt, black salt, is also a rock salt like pink salt, but has a finer texture. However, it has a sulphurous and savoury umami flavour.

• How it looks: Pinkish-grey to dark crystals. Despite its name, it turns pink when ground.

• Function in cooking: Adds a strong sulphurous, umami flavour reminiscent of eggs.

• Best use: Chaats, fruit, raitas, and vegan dishes for an “eggy” note.

Fleur de sel

This is where salt gets truly premium. Fleur de sel is one of the more ancient types of salt, and there’s nothing common about it. Originally used as a salve, Fleur de sel is today a sought-after finishing salt, used in high-end kitchens across the globe. When seawater evaporates, a thin, delicate crust is formed on its surface. That’s fleur de sel. Because it is difficult to harvest, it is extremely expensive. 

• How it looks: Delicate, slightly moist, irregular flakes with a soft white colour.

• Function in cooking: Provides a light crunch and clean, nuanced saltiness.

• Best use: Finishing high-end dishes, desserts, and salads.

Smoked Salt

Smoked salt is made by slowly smoking salt crystals over wood fires, infusing them with a deep, smoky aroma and flavour. It’s often used to add a grilled or barbecued note without actual cooking over fire.

• How it looks: Medium to coarse crystals, usually brownish or tan, depending on the wood used.

• Function in cooking: Adds a smoky depth along with saltiness.

• Best use: Finishing meats, vegetables, snacks, or even cocktails for a smoky twist.

Prague Powder#1

This one’s a curing salt used for meats that will be cooked or cured over a short period. It contains salt mixed with a small amount of sodium nitrite, which helps preserve colour and prevent bacterial growth. And yes, the name indicates the city of origin: it was developed in the early 20th century in Prague. 

• How it looks: Fine, bright pink powder (dyed to distinguish it from regular salt).

• Function in cooking: Prevents bacterial growth and helps retain the pink colour in cured meats.

• Best use: Short-term cures like bacon, sausages, and corned beef that will be cooked.

Tpes Of Salt By Use: Cooking Vs Curing Vs Finishing Salt

It’s not enough to know the types of salt; it’s also important to know how they’re used. Every salt is used for at least one of these functions: cooking, curing, or finishing (including pickling). 

• Cooking Salt: Used during the cooking process, these salts dissolve easily and blend into the dish, building flavour from within rather than sitting on top. They are your everyday, functional salts. For example, table salt. 

• Finishing Salt: Added at the end, finishing salts enhance both flavour and texture. They don’t fully dissolve, offering small bursts of saltiness and a slight crunch. For example, flaky salt. 

• Curing Salt: Used primarily for preservation, curing salts draw out moisture and help extend shelf life. They are more functional than flavour-forward and are used in specific techniques rather than everyday cooking.

Types of Salt: A Comparison

Pass The Salt, Please

From the humble shakers that can become a lifesaver for a bland dish to the large, coarse crystals that add textural, flavour, and visual appeal to a dish, every type of salt has a clear use in the kitchen (and the table). This is just a starting point for novice cooks – the next step is to try different dishes, use the salt, and get familiar with the condiment lovingly called every chef’s secret weapon!