Looking for the perfect salt and not the 1 with the girl and the umbrella

[Ballygrl]

So pretentious! All we have in the house is regular iodized salt and sea salt.

Oh and frank, the Cooking and Baking Forum is picking up!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x90034

LaydeeBug   (1000+ posts)           Fri Nov-04-11 08:42 PM
Original message
Longing for the perfect Salt...
   
Salt is soooooo super important. A fleur de sal, or grey sea salt, any of the dozens of varieties there are.

A few years ago, I went to an organic festival at our town's convention center. I had heard about it on Air America. While there, this women, who had been doubting the decision to attend with her salt, overheard me tell someone how I heard of the event and she hugged me and told me it restored her faith in her decision to travel all the way from California. She insisted on giving me a bag of her salt, and refused to take payment because she was so elated and looking for a "sign".   Well, it was the BEST SALT IN THE WORLD, and *of *COURSE* the other half threw away the bag so I can't order more (aside: I wished she would have charged me because I would have had a record on my credit card)

So until I find my "California Perfect", what are you favorite kinds of salt? Brand names are appreciated?

Where do you order other spices from?

Warpy   (1000+ posts)             Sun Nov-06-11 11:48 AM
Response to Reply #1
5. Check out a big health food store if you have one.
   
I was looking for regular sea salt and all I could find was that fancy French stuff so I got a box. Well, the stuff cakes even out here in the desert so the box is now sealed in a jar with a couple of packs of dessicant.

To me, sodium chloride is sodium chloride. I stick to sea salt and Kosher mined salts because of the differences in texture and the fact that neither have anticaking ingredients, something you don't need out here in the desert unless the salt is full of lavender clay.

I will use up the lavender salt eventually (it takes me 10 years go through a pound of sea salt), but I won't like it.

kestrel91316   (1000+ posts)             Sat Nov-05-11 09:40 PM
Response to Original message
2. Well, aside from the box of Morton in the cupboard, and the box of
   
somebody's kosher salt in the other cupboard, and the jar of Trader Joe's coarse sea salt in a third cupboard, I am pretty much set.

I did have some Fleur de Sel de Camargue that I got in France 10 years ago, but that's long gone.

I enjoy other types when I have them, but am not fussy.

Callalily   (1000+ posts)           Sun Nov-06-11 06:47 AM
Response to Original message
3. Recently picked up some
   
Himalayan pink salt. It's great on fish!

beac   (1000+ posts)           Sun Nov-06-11 11:42 AM
Response to Original message
4. Another vote for pink Himalayan salt.
   
I get mine from The Spice Lab (http://shop.thespicelab.com ) I buy the coarse crystals and grind from my tabletop salt grinder (just like a pepper grinder.)

They have LOTS of other salts for sale and I'm hoping to treat myself to one of their "Sampler" packs if/when car repairs stop sucking up all our disposable income.

GoCubsGo   (1000+ posts)           Tue Nov-08-11 03:51 PM
Response to Original message
6. I like the Hawaiian black lava salt.
   
You can buy it, and a lot of other varieties of salt at The Spice House, which is also a great place for spices.

http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/hawaiian-black-and-...

[franksolich]

But the cooking and baking forum has a long ways to go, to regain the body, the soul, the heart, it once had with Mrs. Alfred Packer, the hippywife primitive, in it, before hippyhubby Wild Bill either forbade her to hang around, or ate her.

I was going to nominate Mrs. Alfred Packer for the "Willie" this year, but certain recent events are making me think again, regarding that award.

[DefiantSix]

The DUmbshits would hate my response to this circle jerk, because the best cooking salt I have encountered is:

KOSHER SALT
Suck it long and hard, you anti-semitic little bastards.

[catsmtrods]

The perfect salt for those bastards would be the salt I pound up their ass!

[Toastedturningtidelegs]

Is there something wrong with Morton or store brand salt? 

[franksolich]

Is there something wrong with Morton or store brand salt? 

In case you didn't know this, the cooking and baking primitives are rather, uh, pretentious.

They've made an art of being that way.

[JohnnyReb]

Is there something wrong with Morton or store brand salt? 

Not in my book...or kitchen.

If the DUmmies want salt they should make their own. Get some pure sodium and chlorine, combine in a castiron skillet at high temperture, stir vigurously until.... hell, if they get to that last part they've done something wrong.

[miskie]

Salt can be expressed in four letters, NaCl -- all other variants are 'salt' that contain other chemical compounds.

The only other difference are the size of the salt crystals - texture.

I fail to see the big deal here.

[LC EFA]

Perfect salt...


Hmm...

Might I suggest Mercury Fulminate or Lead Azide ?

Perhaps Lead Picrate ?

Make sure to grind it well before use !

[JohnnyReb]

Salt can be expressed in four letters, NaCl -- all other variants are 'salt' that contain other chemical compounds.

The only other difference are the size of the salt crystals - texture.

I fail to see the big deal here.

That's because you aren't one of the "educated elite" with an intelligent palate. You don't know about the various nuances of salt like John Kerry knew the various nuances of foreign affairs because he spoke French.

In other words, you aren't trying hard enough to be a pretentious, pompous ass.

[zeitgeist]

Is there something wrong with Morton or store brand salt? 

My, My, such na·ïve·té, "if you have to ask"

Say, anyone stop to wonder why salt is iodonized in the first place?

Iodized salt
"IDD is the single greatest cause of preventable mental retardation. Severe deficiencies cause cretinism, stillbirth and miscarriage. But even mild deficiency can significantly affect the learning ability of populations. Scientific evidence shows alarming effects of IDD. Even a moderate deficiency, especially in pregnant women and infants, lowers their intelligence by 10 to 15 IQ points, with incalculable damage to social and economic development of nations and communities. Today over 1 billion people in the world suffer from iodine deficiency, and 38 million babies born every year are not protected from brain damage due to IDD. These 38 millions, or nearly 30 percent of the world’s newborns, come from families that are the least educated, most isolated and economically disadvantaged. The mark of a civilized society is how well it takes care of its most vulnerable and deprived communities. If we continue to fail to reach these newborns, we will be consigning them to an inter-generational cycle of poverty and injustice."

-- Kul Gautam, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF, October 2007


http://www.saltinstitute.org/Uses-benefits/Salt-in-Food/Essential-nutrient/Iodized-salt

And here we have yet another answer for the question "Why are DUmmies the way they are?"

[Karin]

Kestrel:

I did have some Fleur de Sel de Camargue that I got in France 10 years ago, but that's long gone.

 

Then why did you even mention it, if it's long gone?     Pretentious ass. 

I have some of that, sent to me by an aunt who went on a European trip.  It failed to rock my world, but it was a thoughtful gift. 

[Ballygrl]

Is there something wrong with Morton or store brand salt? 

I thought that's what everyone used, I actually felt stuck-up posting that I use sea salt too, LOL.

[Celtic Rose]

I thought that's what everyone used, I actually felt stuck-up posting that I use sea salt too, LOL.

I use Morton's for every day stuff, but I have one of those little McCormick sea salt table grinders for salt to put on a finished meal, and some fancier sea salt in my spice cabinet.  I've yet to see an instance where the sea salt is demonstrably better, unless there is a particular reason for the larger crystals, such as if it is going on top of something and I want the look of the crystals. 

[Wineslob]

Personally I think Sea Salt does taste different from regular table salt. So does the fu fu stuff (grey) the DUmmies like to rub in peoples faces. The fu fu stuff, IMO, is not as strong as table salt and has it's own flavor (subtle) from the impurities in it. I use it for flavoring AFTER a dish is done.

[franksolich]

My, My, such na·ïve·té, "if you have to ask"

Say, anyone stop to wonder why salt is iodonized in the first place?

And here we have yet another answer for the question "Why are DUmmies the way they are?"

Wow.  I didn't know iodine was connected with discouraging retardation.

I had thought it was added to salt to prevent goiters.

When I worked at the Nebraska Department of Health many years ago, I used to spend coffee breaks with an old country physician (started practicing in Kansas in the late 1940s), and one day he mentioned he'd never treated a Catholic for goiters, only Protestants.

When I inquired, he reminded me of the old Catholic command that one eat fish on Fridays, and that one serving of fish a week provided one with enough iodine to prevent goiters.

But then when iodine was routinely added to salt, goiters even among Protestants withered away.

[Bodadh]

The guy who played Goober on tv once said in a interview that Goober was the person who would say "mmmmmmmmm, thats good salt."

[dandi]

To me, sea salt has a much "cleaner" taste (if that makes any sense). I like to use it in spaghetti sauce to really bring out the natural tomato flavors. Of course, I use a more common brand like Morton's or Alessi. Never tried the Fleur de French Faggot stuff.

[Ballygrl]

I use the regular salt for the iodine, and it does taste a little different from the sea salt so I buy the McCormick Grinder like CR mentioned.

[docstew]

Not in my book...or kitchen.

If the DUmmies want salt they should make their own. Get some pure sodium and chlorine, combine in a castiron skillet at high temperture, stir vigurously until.... hell, if they get to that last part they've done something wrong.

You forgot the part about sampling both ingredients to ensure purity

[Wineslob]

Warpy   (1000+ posts)             Sun Nov-06-11 11:48 AM
Response to Reply #1
5. Check out a big health food store if you have one.
   
I was looking for regular sea salt and all I could find was that fancy French stuff so I got a box. Well, the stuff cakes even out here in the desert so the box is now sealed in a jar with a couple of packs of dessicant.

White rice, idiot.

[JohnnyReb]

You know, for people living on the government dole, they sure like to live the high life. Plain salt just ain't good enough for them.

[BattleHymn]

Fleur de Sel de Camargue?  Really?  

Dropping into a conversation salt that you bought ten years ago because it came from France has got to be one of the most pretentious things I've ever heard of in my life.  



I cannot believe these DUmmies are so poor as to have to pay for salt, much less salt their own food.  Me and all of my Republican friends have servants that lick the sweat off of other servants that are busy toiling away, and then the salt licking servants regurgitate it onto whatever I deem needs to be seasoned.  I shouldn't have to pay for salt when I have servants standing around who can produce it for me.  

[franksolich]

Fleur de Sel de Camargue?  Really? 

Dropping into a conversation salt that you bought ten years ago because it came from France has got to be one of the most pretentious things I've ever heard of in my life.

You got it.

That's the cooking and baking primitives for you.

[Skul]

Perfect salt...
Hmm...

Might I suggest Mercury Fulminate or Lead Azide ?

Perhaps Lead Picrate ?

Make sure to grind it well before use !

Absolutely. Must be fresh ground.
Works best in large quantities.


edit to acknowledge a H5 given.