# Sea Salt vs Regular Table Salt **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 19, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094 "2014-11-19T18:03:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/41 "2014-11-20T04:26:08Z")
As far as I’m concerned, the only difference I care about is the size of the salt grains. Table salt, I cannot use any more, as I oversalt everything with it. I bought course Kosher salt over a decade ago, liked it, and bought a wide-mouthed salt jar to keep it on the counter. I use it for everything, whether stove-side or table-side. I bought a finer grained salt once by accident about four years ago and couldn’t get used to it. A pinch of table salt has a lot more salt in it than a pinch of coarse salt! I couldn’t get used to it, never made correct adjustments, and halfway through the jar I just threw it out so I could put the coarse stuff back in. ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/42 "2014-11-20T16:59:29Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Table salt _ **IS** _ sea salt, just from a very old sea. > > Dissolved in water, there is no difference in flavor. The grain does have an effect, but most chefs use coarse grained salt like sea salt and Kosher salt because it’s easier to pick some up with your fingers and drop it into the dish. And different grains do have different effects: pickling salt is very fine, so there’s more of it in a teaspoon. > > As for flavor, no one can actually tell the difference. The extra minerals in sea salt make up, at most, 1% of its composition. Can you clarify this? Specifically in light of my earlier post (with emphasis added): > [@Randy\_Seltzer](#): > > Regular table salt is about 40% sodium and 60% chloride by mass. > > Sea salt, depending on where you get it, can have sodium as low as 12% by weight. Replacing that sodium, you get cations like potassium, magnesium, and calcium, and the occasional sulfate anion replacing the chloride. > > Potassium chloride, for example, has a slightly bitter taste. Sulfates tend to have distinctive eggy flavors. [Chemical variations in natural sea salt](http://geology.utah.gov/online_html/pi/pi-39/pi39pg9.htm) Some posters in this thread seem to have descended to “Hur hur let’s pile on those stoopids who think they’re so fancy with their fancy things.” But in fact, sea salt IS different chemically and culinarily, and the difference is substantial (when actual sea salt is used instead of just coarse colored halite). ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/43 "2014-11-20T17:51:25Z")
> [@Randy\_Seltzer](#): > > Some posters in this thread seem to have descended to “Hur hur let’s pile on those stoopids who think they’re so fancy with their fancy things.” But in fact, sea salt IS different chemically and culinarily, and the difference is substantial (when actual sea salt is used instead of just coarse colored halite). Not really different in raw form. There are natural variations in the other minerals you might find in halite (NaCL). Silvite (KCl) is pretty common to various degrees as are magnesium and calcium compounds. Based on hydrocarbon exploration, subsurface halite in the Gulf of Mexico, for example, tends to be “cleaner” than salt from elsewhere. North Sea salt dirtier. And the particular impurities will vary depending on geographic location. Likewise, sea salt tends to have different levels of impurities depending on just where in the world it is produced. Mined salt tends to be [refined](http://www.refinediodisedsaltplant.com/process.html), which means most of those impurities are extracted from the halite. In the US, iodine is also added. And the salt is ground fine. We also tend to prefer salt mines with cleaner salt to begin with (but beggars can’t be choosers). Incidentally, kosher salt (often lumped with sea salt) is processed in a different way to produce coarser grains. Oil taken directly from a well is also very different from gasoline taken from a refinery. Processing makes a big difference. Chemically, mined salt IS sea salt, albeit from ancient seas. It’s what you get if you take sea salt, remove the impurities, and grind it down very fine. You could get a similar product by taking mined salt, not extracting impurities and not grinding as fine. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/44 "2014-11-20T18:09:35Z")
I see that I didn’t actually address the geology part of it. Rock salt, for the most part, is formed from old evaporated seas and lakes. Take a relatively flat bit of water that doesn’t get too much action, leave out in the sun, and you get a salt flat. This is happening to the dead sea right now, and Utah has a good sized chunk of former ocean sitting outside. Eventually, rocks pile on top of this salt. Wait a few million years for sedimentation to take hold, and you have a candidate for a rock salt mine. Just as regular ocean water has natural variations in composition throughout the world, rock salt will also have some natural variations because the salt water that formed it had those variations. Chemically, raw rock salt is equivalent to sea salt - because both are just ocean water with the water removed. The difference is that we remove the water from sea salt by design while rock salt was naturally evaporated from the water over many years. It just happens that we remove many of the other naturally occurring chemical compounds during refining. “Coarse colored halite” describes a lot of things considered different but actually the same. I don’t really see the point in differentiating between coarse ground rock salt with chemical impurities left in (not food coloring) and sea salt. They are chemically and mechanically equivalent. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/45 "2014-11-20T18:41:29Z")
I should add some notes about particular salts. Kosher salt is more or less table salt with different processing. It’s certainly not ground as fine. Himilayan salt is rock salt, as in it’s mined from the earth. But it’s not processed as heavily (they leave in lots of the mineral impurities and don’t grind as coarse). One of those common salt impurities is sylvite (KCl), which is commonly used in salt substitutes, as kalium/potassium is something we could usually use more of. The differences in different kinds of salt around the world generally involve the level of processing to remove or add impurities (coal for black, iron oxide for Himilayan, etc) and for texture, which can have an impact on cooking but don’t imply a fundamental difference in nutrition. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/46 "2014-11-20T18:57:36Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > One of those common salt impurities is sylvite (KCl), which is commonly used in salt substitutes, as kalium/potassium is something we could usually use more of. Yes, but the amount of potassium is almost insignificant. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/47 "2014-11-20T19:08:06Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > But it was processed in a plant that may have at one time contained traces of dairy products and if my salt isn’t 100% vegan, I’m not buying it. Here, have some [Bacon Salt](https://baconsalt.3dcartstores.com/JDs-Original-Bacon-Salt_p_24.html). Low sodium, vegetarian, and Kosher. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/48 "2014-11-20T19:25:05Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > As far as I’m concerned, the only difference I care about is the size of the salt grains. Table salt, I cannot use any more, as I oversalt everything with it. I bought course Kosher salt over a decade ago, liked it, and bought a wide-mouthed salt jar to keep it on the counter. I use it for everything, whether stove-side or table-side. I bought a finer grained salt once by accident about four years ago and couldn’t get used to it. A pinch of table salt has a lot more salt in it than a pinch of coarse salt! I couldn’t get used to it, never made correct adjustments, and halfway through the jar I just threw it out so I could put the coarse stuff back in. I heartily agree. With this whole comment. Throw away that fine salt shaker, use much less salt, and get better taste. Kosher works as well as fancy sea salt, but even fancy sea salt doesn’t really cost that much compared to the amount you are using. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/49 "2014-11-20T22:53:04Z")
> [@Randy\_Seltzer](#): > > [Chemical variations in natural sea salt](http://geology.utah.gov/online_html/pi/pi-39/pi39pg9.htm) That link doesn’t address chemical variations in sea salt. It does talk about the chemical composition in the Great Salt Lake, and compares that to the oceans and to the Dead Sea. Is that the link you wanted? ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/50 "2014-11-21T02:10:19Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > That link doesn’t address chemical variations in sea salt. It does talk about the chemical composition in the Great Salt Lake, and compares that to the oceans and to the Dead Sea. > > Is that the link you wanted? You can purchase culinary salt from the Dead Sea, the Great Salt Lake, or the ocean. The point is to show that ion content varies greatly based on where you get your sea salt, and the halite content can actually be fairly low compared to regular table salt. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/51 "2014-11-21T02:33:29Z")
I can taste the difference in salts but that being said… Mrs Cad picked up a cylinder of “sea salt” but it tasted and looked just like uniodized aka popcorn salt. I have had Himalayan pink salt twice. Once in a gourmet restaurant that served the butter for their bread on a slab of it. Couldn’t taste the difference but then again how much salt actually got on the butter? The second was when we got a salt pack. The pink salt was inexpensive like what I see on the grocery store shelf and I can’t tell a difference. I suspect you need a higher grade of HPS to really taste it. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/52 "2014-11-21T03:32:21Z")
> [@Randy\_Seltzer](#): > > The point is to show that ion content varies greatly based on where you get your sea salt, and the halite content can actually be fairly low compared to regular table salt. Again, not really. While sea water (and hence sea salt) _can_ show pretty wide variations, the stuff you’ll get in the store won’t. It’s going to be predominantly halite. The amount that isn’t halite is going to be pretty small for the stuff in restaurants and stores, generally a couple percent at most and not the 10+% you describe. In nutritional terms, it’s going to be essentially identical to regular table salt. The trace amounts of other stuff isn’t going to make it any healthier for you. By analogy, consider weight. While it’s certainly possible to be healthy with a weight over 300 pounds, the vast, vast majority of such people are not going to be in the best shape. Parading around a single 330 lb NFL player in perfect health doesn’t change that. Or spring water. Some spring water has a ton of dissolved minerals in it. That doesn’t mean the spring water you get in stores will. Quite the opposite, actually, as companies realize selling dirty water won’t get them anywhere. If you actually want healthier salt, use a salt substitute, which are mostly potassium chloride. As noted above, medical professionals have already studied sea salt, and it’s nutritionally equivalent to regular table salt. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/53 "2014-11-21T16:23:32Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Again, not really. > If you actually want healthier salt, use a salt substitute, which are mostly potassium chloride. It tastes like metal shavings. Yuck! ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/54 "2014-11-21T16:35:21Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Again, not really. > > While sea water (and hence sea salt) _can_ show pretty wide variations, the stuff you’ll get in the store won’t. It’s going to be predominantly halite. The amount that isn’t halite is going to be pretty small for the stuff in restaurants and stores, generally a couple percent at most and not the 10+% you describe. > > In nutritional terms, it’s going to be essentially identical to regular table salt. The trace amounts of other stuff isn’t going to make it any healthier for you. > > By analogy, consider weight. While it’s certainly possible to be healthy with a weight over 300 pounds, the vast, vast majority of such people are not going to be in the best shape. Parading around a single 330 lb NFL player in perfect health doesn’t change that. > > Or spring water. Some spring water has a ton of dissolved minerals in it. That doesn’t mean the spring water you get in stores will. Quite the opposite, actually, as companies realize selling dirty water won’t get them anywhere. > > If you actually want healthier salt, use a salt substitute, which are mostly potassium chloride. As noted above, medical professionals have already studied sea salt, and it’s nutritionally equivalent to regular table salt. Again, it depends on where the product comes from. Or are you contending that, for example, Dead Sea salt such as can be bought [here](http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/291280234270?lpid=82) – which contains about 12% sodium by weight as opposed to halite which contains about 40% sodium by weight – is over 90% halite? Now I will grant you, as I said in my first post on the matter, that most products on the grocery store shelf labeled “Sea Salt” are probably very close to 100% halite. My point is that it’s absolutely possible to find “Sea Salt” out there with distinctive flavor, and most people will be able to appreciate the difference. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/55 "2014-11-21T16:58:57Z")
> [@Randy\_Seltzer](#): > > Again, it depends on where the product comes from. > > Or are you contending that, for example, Dead Sea salt such as can be bought [here](http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/291280234270?lpid=82) – which contains about 12% sodium by weight as opposed to halite which contains about 40% sodium by weight – is over 90% halite? > > Now I will grant you, as I said in my first post on the matter, that most products on the grocery store shelf labeled “Sea Salt” are probably very close to 100% halite. My point is that it’s absolutely possible to find “Sea Salt” out there with distinctive flavor, and most people will be able to appreciate the difference. They dont call “Dead Sea Salt” just Sea Salt. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/56 "2014-11-21T17:02:46Z")
> [@Randy\_Seltzer](#): > > Or are you contending that, for example, Dead Sea salt such as can be bought [here](http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/291280234270?lpid=82) – which contains about 12% sodium by weight as opposed to halite which contains about 40% sodium by weight – is over 90% halite? That’s sold as bath salt - does anyone eat that stuff? I think the contention was that sea salt sold for food is almost all NaCl. ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/57 "2014-11-21T17:18:02Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > That’s sold as bath salt - does anyone eat that stuff? Check the title of the linked page. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/58 "2014-11-21T18:03:30Z")
Oh, yeah. I looked at the heading in the description where it’s called “Dead Sea Bath Salts.” I wonder how many people consume it? Sounds like it should come with a warning: “Warning - consumption of bath salts has been known to cause changes in behavior such as nudity and face-eating.” I did some googling, and everything I saw recommends against eating Dead Sea salt. So it’s an interesting aside, and I learned something, but I don’t think it directly addresses the thread question. ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/59 "2014-11-21T18:09:26Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > Oh, yeah. I looked at the heading in the description where it’s called “Dead Sea Bath Salts.” I wonder how many people consume it? Sounds like it should come with a warning: “Warning - consumption of bath salts has been known to cause changes in behavior such as nudity and face-eating.” > > I did some googling, and everything I saw recommends against eating Dead Sea salt. > > So it’s an interesting aside, and I learned something, but I don’t think it directly addresses the thread question. That’s funny. The page title is “ **Kosher Edible Dead Sea Table Salt 250g 500g 1KG 2KG-- Free Shipping** ” That was just the first page that popped up for me on a google search for edible Dead Sea table salt. There are hundreds more. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094/60 "2014-11-21T19:20:33Z")
> [@Randy\_Seltzer](#): > > That’s funny. The page title is “ **Kosher Edible Dead Sea Table Salt 250g 500g 1KG 2KG-- Free Shipping** ” Sorry - I meant to acknowledge that with my “oh yeah” statement. I was looking at the product description which is: > [@](#): > > **Dead Sea Bath Salts** > > 1,320 feet below sea level, in the lowest place on earth, is the Dead Sea. With an average of 330 full sunny days a year and oxygen-rich atmosphere, the Dead Sea is a precious jewel of healing and relaxation for people worldwide. > > The Dead Sea contains a high concentration of minerals that have seeped from rocks and soil and have been carried by springs to the Dead Sea, which has no outlet. Minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, potassium and iron are known for their ability to calm aching muscles and joints, stimulate natural circulation, smooth and soften the skin and help relieve stress and tension. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-vs-regular-table-salt/705094.md?page=4)