Was checking out the pantry today . Moving the massala daba spice tin around . Checking what herbs I had on hand and noticed a product we use but is often taken for granted .
Salt
I have four types on hand
Saxa Cooking salt
Saxa Iodised table salt
Saxa Black Cyprus Salt … I really like the taste of this one .
Hoyts Australian Sea Salt Rocks I use this to grind up with black pepper and Garlic flakes to make my own SPG .
What types of salt do you buy and use ? I was amazed when I went to Coles at the array of different varieties available .
Iodine deficiency is a very common problem world wide . I think the following link from the Australian Thyroid Foundation would explain it much better than I could . I’m not a medico ./
Fortunately salt doesn’t really have a useby date as it took us about 11 years to use the last bottle.
We buy iodised salt on the rare occasion that we do buy salt, but have been given Himalayan salt and rock salt. Current supplies will last many years as we don’t add additional salt to things and rely on things like soy sauce, Shaoxing wine or fish sauce instead. I am sometimes ‘amused’ that recipes which contain these or other salty ingredients also have additional salt added…something we never do.
Also cheapest Australian is also bought as salt is salt (NaCl).
Good point concerning the Soy Sauce in cooking .It has 6620 mg of sodium content per 100 ml .I have taken to using Sesame Seed oil in my stir fries which has less than 5 mg per 100 ml .
I can then add salt to taste .
Naturally I still use Soy Sauce but in moderation .
The only one with a label is a 1kg bag of Coles cooking salt.
I’d be embarassed to list all the salt alternatives. Varieties of soy sauce, fish sauce, chicken powder. There’s a premium pink salt, but repacked & no brand can be seen. Our supplies better than a grocery shop.
Hey, but I’m OK - I have a low salt diet!
As usual, our choice is dictated by our lack of finance. Black & Gold Table Salt 500g shaker pack, Black & Gold Cooking Salt 1kg plastic packet & a Shaker pack of Saxa Iodised Table Salt 750g which comes from the first Mrs H’s reign - given she died over 12 years ago gives an indication we are not big salt users.
My husband is an auto-condimentor, so I don’t use salt in cooking because he will salt before tasting. I refill small shaker packs from bulk (cheaper) purchase. Main use is in bread making, some cleaning and Mr H chucking it over the table and his dinner.
We buy basic cooking salt from the supermarket, often but not always iodised.
There is much rubbish published about fancy ‘designer salt’ and ‘gourmet salt’. Just because it has a slight colour (due to impurities) or purports to come from an exotic location is no reason to pay double, triple or more. Salt is salt and unless it features in the dish you are cooking (which is hardly healthy) you cannot tell the difference. I read WWW recipes that specify kosher salt and many other sorts - apparently this is more a big deal in the USA - what utter twaddle.
A joke. A serious joke, this actually happened.
I was dealing with the PR people from the proponents of a coal seam gas project in the valley where I live. One of the big problems with such projects (there are many more) is what to do with the salt from the water that is removed from the underground strata along with the gas.
This marketdroid said to me, with no hint of humour, that since salt from the Murray-Darling system had found its way on to the table they were thinking of doing the same. I think he imagined that this was proving to me how benign the produced salt was. The produced water contains many substances aside from good old NaCl, including substantial calcium, sulphate, bicarbonate and small quantities of heavy metals as well as benzene and other carcinogens. I should imagine it has quite a tang.
The project has been cancelled so we will never be able to buy “The rarest and most unique salt, CSG plus BTEX, this wonder product long kept secret by the Shaoshing Monks cures shingles, dropsy, stuttering, warts and unnatural fondness for animals”
I use any cheap bulk sea salt for cooking/salting water, and have some flaky Maldon salt for baking/table use.
I actually just started reading an excellent cookbook that has a hefty section on salt, called Salt Fat Acid Heat. It has some great explanations on which types of salt are most useful for different types of cooking - can recommend it!
For Kosher salt if you are in Australia read as cooking salt . It is salt with no iodine or anti caking agents added . Cooking salt is also coarser than table salt so as to make it easier to add the proverbial "pinch of salt "
This older topic asked a question about brands and types of salt. Not mentioned at the time was Potassium chloride salt. A product which leaves out the Sodium chloride, each the two principle chemicals found in sea salt. It’s supposedly a healthier alternative to traditional sea salt.
Despite suggestions it’s readily available and hidden away in the bottom shelves at the local supermarket we are yet to find any to sample.
I tried switching to the potassium chloride but found it unbalanced my electrolytes (shown in blood tests). That may not be the case for everyone, I have to take a diuretic daily to help reduce the oedema in my heart/lungs. I was prescribed potassium as a supplement initially but I became really unwell, doc ceased that and said really I didnt need it. I figured that the salty stuff would be OK but it wasnt. I get enough potassium in food and any more than that… not good.
Back to the Saxa Iodised. I have thyroid dysfunction too…
Thank you for that @SueW In fact we should ask our doctor’s advice before switching to Potassium Chloride salt. Although when sold as a salt substitute the percentage varies and it has some benefits when compared to sodium chloride, it is essentially an electrolyte which is used to manage Hypokalaemia.
My own blood pressure tablets carry a warning about taking potassium without medical advice.
The proportions of sodium and potassium chloride vary from one product to another. Some include thaumatin a protein flavour enhancer. I support the principle that those with medical conditions that may benefit from lower sodium intake ought to consult their doctor first and discuss specific products as any given one may be more or less suitable.
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