What Kind of Salt I Use In My Kitchen

Learn what types of salt are the best to use in your cooking and why I choose specific kinds of salt.

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Are you overwhelmed with the choice of salt at the grocery store? Kosher, sea salt, iodized, Himalayan, etc. are all terms you find. But which do you really need? Let me show you what salts I turn to in my kitchen.

Jump to:

• ⛰️ Real Salt
• 🧂 Kosher Salt
• ⛏️ Himalayan Pink Salt
• 🗺️ Burlap & Barrel

⛰️ Real Salt

First off, I never buy just plain old iodized salt. Yes it's super cheap, but it doesn't taste good and it's been stripped down. If you want to learn more about it check out my podcast episode on Why Real Salt is Worth It?

Now let's get to the good stuff - Redmond Real Salt from underground mines in Utah. I adore this salt so much. I first gave it to a friend as a part of a Christmas gift before I had even tried it myself. He told me how good it was on popcorn, so I gave it a try myself, and since then I have been in love with this salt. Never does a single bowl of popcorn in my household go without the stuff.

The salt contains trace minerals which gives it a sand like appearance and a sweet flavor unmatched by any other salt. This is really what salt should taste like!

Of course this is also my go-to salt to have at the table. A couple years ago they came out with a smoked salt that will blow your mind. Some smoked salt you find is just salt that has liquid smoked added to it, but this is salt that has been been smoked over wood without anything added to it and no fuel to keep the fire either.

Here is the full list of products I use

• 26 Ounce Pouch (3 pack)
• 10 Ounce Shaker (2 pack)
• 16 Ounce Pouch
• Smoked Salt Shaker Gift Set

🧂 Kosher Salt

For me there is no better option than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. The reason is the texture of the salt flakes. Redmond Real Salt does have a kosher salt as well but it's more of a coarse version of their standard salt. I like kosher salt for the ability to pick it up with my fingers and season food in a pan or pot. And you need a grain structure that looks like this -

I also have a soft spot for the company as it's origin goes back to St. Clair, Michigan, a very short drive from where I grew up. It's also the salt that has been endorsed by Alton Brown in the past and he was the one who originally turned me on to using Kosher salt.

You can find it in some stores. For a brief period it was in Trader Joe's. My top source for it has been Gordon Food Service or GFS. Morton Kosher is a lot easier to find but does not have the same texture as Diamond Crystal.

Here are some options for buying it online.

• Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt 3 pound box
• Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt 1 pound box

⛏️ Himalayan Pink Salt

Himalayan Pink Salt has been growing in popularity over the last decade plus. It's known for it's pinkish or red color. But did you know that you actually want Himalayan Salt that looks more like the salt on the right in the photo below.

Yep the salt that looks less pink with some that is actually white is the better Himalayan salt. The one on the right is produced by HimalaSalt. The color comes from iron in the salt. When I did a side by side taste test, the darker salt was more bitter tasting.

Here is how you can get some HimalaSalt.

• HimalaSalt Fine Grain Shaker, 6 oz
• HimalaSalt Adjustable Grinder, 4 oz

🗺️ Burlap & Barrel

Finally I wanted to mention a few salts from Burlap & Barrel. They are a single source spice company that gets their salt, spices, and dried herbs directly from the source, providing better earnings for small farmers and giving us the world's best spices.

Here are the salts that they offer:

• Black Mineral Salt
• Black Lime Chili Salt
• Salina Crystal Salt
• Pearl Salt

I would love to hear from you. What are you favorite types of salt? Leave a comment below and share. Have you tried any of the salts I mentioned here.