Salt - which one??

[TucsonFoodie]

OK, Alton likes kosher, Michael likes grey, Ina likes Fleur de Sel, others like sea salt. I am swimming in salt and not sure which one I should use. I even have this stuff that was made in a lake in Australia, lol! So which kind of salt do you use - how, when, and why?

[flyinion]

Generally I use Kosher just because I bought a "large" box of it to make AB's recipes. Before I used to use a sea salt grinder from McCormick, but not sure if that's really sea salt or just large salt crystals packaged as such. I'm possibly going to switch to the all natural Celtic sea salt as it has a great flavor, and is less sodium, but it's also not all that cheap. Of course I'll have to adjust some recipes since as Alton says, the size of the crystal affects the actual amount of salt that makes it into a physical measuring device.

[tannerodell]

I am for kosher salt, and I also like it because it's easy to get, and to me it's still a really good salt and easy to sprinkle, since the crystals are larger and easier to get a grip on. there are so many choices and many positive things about each salt. it depends on what you need and like!

[ibcheft]

I have several different salts, and it depends on what I am using it for. Cooking definitely kosher, serving salt fine ground, and if salt is the focus of the dish either sea salt, or a flaky sea salt depends upon the look i am trying to achieve.

[AustinEpicurean]

Ok, so I tweeted this last night, but I ran out of room so here goes a more comprehensive explanation. I have 6 on my bench that I use for various things.
-Iodized - my wife uses this, I can't stand it.
-Kosher - I use for general seasoning.
-Fleur de Sel - I use for seasoning meats, chicken, etc. before cooking. Generally more flavorful and I use about 30-45 minutes before cooking the whatever I use to season it with.
-Celtic (Grey) Sea Salt - Excellent to use when seasoning steak or pork for the grill. The 'impurities' or minerals actually impart some great flavor to the meat. Allow this to sit on the meat while it comes to room temperature then grill. Awesome. First learned about this stuff in Spain about 10 years ago.
-Pink Salt from Australia - When we lived in Australia, the show 'My Restaurant Rules' had one of the participating restaurants was walking distance from our home in Manly, NSW. It was called 'Pink Salt' and used this liberally on seafood. Also good on beef or pork.
-Black Salt (Smoked) - this goes well beef and provides a good smoky flavor to the meat. Not quite as good as smoking or BBQ, but works in a quick pinch. Word of advise with this one - double bag it in two ziplocks and store in the cupboard, otherwise you will constantly smell it in the kitchen.

There are many others out there to experiment with but I hope this helps!

AustinEpicurean.com

[Pluff Mudder]

I use kosher sea salt and reg. sea salt that I order from Redmond Salt in UT. Real Salt Natural Salt. Is Your Salt Real? This is the salt mine that AB visited in his 1 hour salt show. I also, have some bacon salt that I ordered from J&D's. I don't use the iodzied stuff.

[MiseEnPlace]

I use kosher for cooking. I finally found Diamond Crystal Brand (used by AB of course).
Sea salt grinders for the table.

[bakerman]

I use kosher and sea. I like kosher for seasoning meats and dumping into pasta water. I use fine ground sea salt for most everything else, table use and baking.

I haven't gotten into any boutique salts, I get both of mine at the grocery store.