Everytime I watch good eats, Alton Brown always recomeds using kosher salt. Can anyone speculte why?
It’s easy to sprinkle by hand, according to at least one episode. In some dishes, he’s also referred to it adding texture (presumably ones where it wouldn’t dissolve).
Moved to Cafe Society, where food threads thrive.
samclem
Said kosher salt must be cellared in a genuine Alton Brown Salt Cellar. Which is actually pretty handy when you get right down to it.
It looks cooler to sprinkle it by hand, but other than that, there’s no difference.
And Brown couldn’t hold a candle to Justin Wilson in measuring salt by hand; Wilson used regular salt and was able to accurately add a quarter teaspoon simply by pouring it into his palm (he then put it in a measuring spoon to prove it.
This topic sure comes up a lot on this board. Some say ‘no difference’; I’m of the school that says ‘big taste difference’ between iodized table salt and any non-iodized salt. It’s an unwinnable argument, but I would say that those who use table salt also put ketchup on hotdogs.
I like the flavor of kosher salt better, plus it has lower sodium that the Salt Sense my mother likes to use. You just have to remember to use a bit more of it than the recipe calls for…America’s Test Kitchen gave the formula…something like a teaspoon and a half to every teaspoon of regular salt.
But it’s mostly the flavor. Try it…there is a difference.
Ooooh, great timing on the simulpost…that’s two votes for flavor…
Count me as one of those people who thinks that any perceived difference in flavor between iodized & kosher is due to the shape of the grain. I’ve seen studies (I’ll try to find one) that indicate there is almost no way for humans to taste much difference between different salts. I think Alton even said this on one of his earlier shows.
And his salt (cheese) cellar is a waste of one hand.
I swear Kosher salt is, um, saltier. Also, I like it because it looks more rustic, it’s fun to sprinkle, and it’s harder to use too much.
I can also now vouch that freshly-ground black pepper is much, much, much better than the fine-ground pre-packaged stuff.
Kosher salt belongs on the rim of margarita glasses.
No, it belongs in every professional kitchen in the US, which is where it can be found.
I would agree except for comparison of iodized with non-iodized. I did a blind taste test in a cooking class, along with the other students. Only one person could not taste a difference. The ability to tell the difference varied, with my reaction to iodized salt being much stronger than some others. I didn’t know it was the iodized product, but thought the flavor was strongly chemical when compared with the others, which were un-iodized kosher and sea salt. Now, once cooked, you’re not going to be able to tell the difference unless there is a HUGE amount of salt in the dish, in which case it would be inedible.
good points, both places. 
I like it because it dissolves quicker in sauces and recipes and, when used dry it is ummm salty/crunchy…
25 years of using it and my kids (18 & 16) still refer to it as “jewish salt” :smack:
tsfr
I use it on my baked potatoes before they go in the oven and they turn out amazing. Also, they go really well on tater tots or fries right after they’ve been baked. It’s hard to use too much I guess is the reason I like using it. With regular salt, it’s much easier to make food too salty.
Mmm, I dunno, looks kinda unitasker-ish to me.
(I know, I know. I just couldn’t resist.)
I think that the size and texture of it seems to make a bit of difference. I wouldn’t want it on my popcorn, but the big grains taste good on a big greasy pretzel. Ditto for being able to put a pinch onto a steak and press it in. Regular salt seems just as “salty” but seems more powdery which makes it feel different in my mouth and makes it present it’s flavor in a different way. I guess it would be comparable to regular powdery pepper vs. big ground pieces of pepper. Biting into those big gritty pieces of pepper is a different experience than just tasting the powdery stuff on your tongue.