The Complete Guide to Salt: Types of Salt Explained

Walk into a well-stocked kitchen and you may find more than one kind of salt.

Sea salt. Himalayan salt. Kosher salt. Fine salt. Coarse salt. Finishing salt.

But what's the difference?

The answer often comes down to where the salt comes from, how it is produced and what happens to the crystals afterward.

Here's your guide to the most common types of salt.

1. Sea Salt

Sea salt is produced by evaporating seawater.

It comes in a wide range of textures and appearances depending on where and how it is produced.

Fine sea salt is useful for everyday cooking, while larger crystals can work well as finishing salts.

2. Himalayan Pink Salt

Himalayan pink salt is a rock salt mined from underground deposits associated with the ancient deposits along the Himalayan Mountain range.

Its pink color comes from naturally occurring trace minerals and other compounds.

It's available in everything from fine grains to large crystals.

3. Kosher Salt

Kosher salt is known for its relatively large, easy-to-handle crystals.

Many cooks like it because the texture makes it easy to pinch and distribute over food.

Different brands can have different crystal sizes and densities, so measuring by volume can produce different amounts of salt between brands.

4. Table Salt

Table salt is highly refined and highly processed and generally has small, uniform crystals and any trace minerals are stripped away. 

Some table salts contain added iodine, making them iodized salt. The iodine is radioactive and a byproduct of nuclear energy.

5. Finishing Salt

Finishing salt is designed to be added toward the end of cooking or immediately before serving.

The point isn't simply to make food salty.

It's about texture.

A delicate sprinkle of crunchy salt can provide contrast against a creamy, soft or juicy dish.

6. Coarse Salt

Coarse salt has larger crystals than standard fine salt.

It's useful in grinders, for finishing dishes and in recipes where a larger crystal structure is desirable.

7. Fine Salt

Fine salt consists of smaller crystals that dissolve and distribute easily.

This makes it particularly useful for baking, sauces, soups and general seasoning.

Does One Type of Salt Taste Better?

Not necessarily.

Salt is primarily sodium chloride, but the experience of eating salt can vary depending on crystal size, texture, processing and how it is used.

A large crystal sprinkled over the surface of a steak can taste very different from the same amount dissolved throughout a sauce.

That's why how you use salt can matter just as much as which salt you buy.

How Do You Choose the Right Salt?

Think about three things:

Cooking: Choose a salt that distributes easily.

Finishing: Look for interesting texture and crystal size.

Presentation: Consider salts with distinctive colors or appearances.

And don't be afraid to experiment.

Welcome to the World of Wildly Salted

Salt is an everyday ingredient, but there's nothing ordinary about the ways you can use it.

At Wildly Salted, we're interested in the details: crystals, textures, origins, cooking techniques and the little things that make food more exciting.

Because salt shouldn't just sit quietly in the cupboard.

It should get involved.

Explore WildlySalted.com for more salt inspiration.