Salt

[Food Network Fan]

I must admit I don't use regular table salt at home very often anymore. I wonder if it's true you will get a goiter without the iodine?

Most often I use Kosher or a sea salt grinder.

[Chap]

We use sea salt almost exclusively. We also keep Kosher salt around, but it lasts a long time. Don't care about goiters.

[BerryBaby]

I just read about it in my medical book. It can be caused by lack of iodine, but most often it is thyroid problem. I honestly don't think a lack of salt would do this, at least not with other items we have in our diets today. On the end, too much iodine isn't good for you either.

[Food Network Fan]

I have only seen one person with a goiter in my lifetime. So it must not be a common problem. I remember in school they would tell us we needed the iodine to keep from getting a goiter. But it seems like it would be more common than it is if that is all that prevents it.

[isilzha]

Originally Posted by Food Network Fan

I wonder if it's true you will get a goiter without the iodine?

The first time I heard about that at all I think was on the episode of Good Eats last night.

[Food Network Fan]

It got me thinking about it too. I started worrying about my kids.

[Callisto in NC]

Originally Posted by Food Network Fan

It got me thinking about it too. I started worrying about my kids.

Well, unless your kids eat only your food, never eat out, never eat school food, never eat packaged food of any kind (chips, frozen pizza, frozen anything, cereal) then you might have a worry, but I'm pretty sure you aren't out growing all your food, killing your own chickens, and grinding your own beef. If you are you wouldn't have a minute to watch FN or talk on the computer. So you/your children are still getting the iodine from salt. Commercial processors using bulk salt generally us Morton's Iodized Salt in bulk.

That's why it's fine at home to use only sea or kosher salt because Morton's is used in processing and at restaurants. I cook with sea and kosher but I use Morton's to season after I've cooked, although I do have a couple of Alton recipes where he specifically says use regular, not kosher.

[Food Network Fan]

Yes for some things Kosher is too coarse for. But I will sometimes set my grinder to fine and use sea salt in his things that call for table salt and it works well but it's a lot of grinding to make a teaspoon or more.

I do grind my own chuck sometimes. I have a meat grinder for my stand mixer.

I guess they would use iodine salt commercially, but it never says that specifically. Because it has been used most commonly maybe we are safe in assuming it is.

[Callisto in NC]

I know at the "restaurant" (uses term loosely to describe Chuck E Cheese) we got big bags of Mortons with Iodine to make the pizza dough. When my SIL worked at the pub and got me a job there, we got the same big bags. Generally that's what all restaurants order. And then I went and worked at a carton printing company. That's where I found out about mass food producers and stopped worrying about what I use at home. I do know schools buy the iodized salt for their foods because of the "fear" that parents might not "know" to use iodized salt. So all in all, you're good. Keep using your own, the kiddies will be well supplemented by outside forces not in your control

[Food Network Fan]

Yeah salt and a lot of other things too. Thanks, at least I know they are safe.