There is a perennial debate, especially among chefs and foodies, as to which salt is the best. There is sea salt, kosher salt and table salt. They all cater to the same purpose and have the same amount of sodium chloride but they differ in many ways. Some cooks would always find one salt to be better than others while there is a counter opinion in equal measure.
In here, we look at the difference between sea salt and kosher salt but it would be unjust to not consider table salt for the sake of addressing the three most common types of salts that we all use and come across.
How Sea Salt is Made
Sea salt is derived from seawater. Kosher salt can be derived from sea water or underground sources. This is the primary difference between sea salt and kosher salt. Table salt to the contrary of sea salt can only be sourced from underground deposits. In a way, sea salt and table salt are two sides of the coin while kosher salt can be derived from either of the sources or both that sea salt and table salt is sourced from.
Sea salt is rich in minerals that sea water contains. It is produced by evaporating sea water and the residue is the salt. It is not processed or flavoured. There is no artificial synthesis or any kind of blending that sea salt goes through. Kosher salt can be obtained from deposits and sea water both but it is known so because of the koshering process that it undergoes.
Difference with Table Salt
Both sea salt and kosher salt are larger than table salt. The granules are coarser and uneven. To the contrary to both, table salt is extremely fine and due to their size, they can blend in easily. This is the primary reason why table salt is used for quick garnishing and in baking products for taste.
Sea salt has larger uneven and coarser granules which make them a favorite for cooking. Also the minerals in the sea salt add unique flavours to cooked food. However, overcooking would take away these flavors and sea salt is particularly expensive because there is no process that it undergoes. In other words it is raw salt.
Kosher salt has coarser granules and can be easily sprinkled during cooking or for taste when the dish is served and it is particularly helpful in preservation of meat because kosher salt can extract the moisture from food.
