# What happened to iodized salt? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 17, 2020, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975 "2020-05-17T13:36:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/41 "2020-05-17T22:35:37Z")
> [@TSBG](#): > > Yes, yes, I understand that one molecule of NaCl=one molecule of NaCl. I think my post was pretty clear that it’s about the volume of different kinds of salt, but go ahead, dunk away. What does “dunk away” mean in this context? ---
**Author:** ![Retzbu\_Tox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/retzbu_tox/32/11829_2.png) [@Retzbu\_Tox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Retzbu_Tox)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/42 "2020-05-17T23:46:44Z")
It’s current slang. From the Free Dictionary site - dunk on (someone) slang To best someone in a spectacular fashion and/or in a way that is humiliating to them. In basketball, to “dunk on” a defender is to perform a slam dunk over them, a move often considered humiliating to the defender. The phrase is commonly used in a passive construction ("(one) got dunked on"). ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/43 "2020-05-17T23:59:59Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Non iodized salt is preferred for pickling and canning. Iodized salt can cause weird colors and has anti caking additives. My household has done several batches of pickling since shelter in place orders. Eggs, onions, jalapeños, cuke’s, garlic. Do you mean you use pickling salt? In addition to no additives, pickling salt is ground finer so it dissolves more easily. It’s my understanding that noniodized table salt may still contain anti-clumping agents. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/44 "2020-05-18T00:00:26Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > Iodized salt has some dextrose as a vehicle and stabilizer for the iodine. The dextrose is not kosher for Passover. Iodine is not a problem but the carrier is. OK, but kosher for passover is much more restrictive than kosher generally. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/45 "2020-05-18T00:09:08Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Morton Kosher salt: 1.5 g weight per 1/4 tsp > Kroger Iodized table salt: 1.2 g weight per 1/4 tsp. Oops! That’s backwards. Morton Kosher Salt: 1.2g weight per 2/4 tsp Kroger Iodized Salt: 1.5g weight per 1/4 tsp Sorry! Oddly, the Kosher salt contains Yellow Prussiate of Soda (anti-caking agent) ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/46 "2020-05-18T00:42:50Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Oddly, the Kosher salt contains Yellow Prussiate of Soda (anti-caking agent) I’m pretty sure, but not positive, that if you’re looking for salt with no additives, your best bet is pickling salt. (But you shouldn’t necessarily use it as a 1:1 ratio by volume, since it’s usually ground to a finer consistency.) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/47 "2020-05-18T01:10:52Z")
I was running low on table salt so got a box recently, so I currently have two different brands as well as an old cylindrical container that I use as a salt shaker and refill occasionally. All three of them say “iodized” so the stuff definitely exists. My closest grocery store was recently out of ordinary table salt (lots of sea salt and other exotic stuff) but another store had plenty, so yes, non-iodized salt was probably just a temporary stocking issue. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/48 "2020-05-18T01:37:39Z")
Off the top of my head, I have 3 types of salt plus at least 8 flavored or amended salts (e.g., alder-smoked salt, Szechuan pepper & salt, black salt, etc.). Different salts for different uses, including Morton’s iodized. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/49 "2020-05-18T01:54:18Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > [What is Non-GMO Salt?](https://www.cargill.com/salt-in-perspective/what-is-non-gmo-salt) I only buy non-GMO water. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/50 "2020-05-18T02:16:45Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I call BS on this. > > Salt is essentially 100% NaCl. It’s all the same amount of “salty.” > > But, Iodized salt is slightly bitter tasting. Not enough for most people, but snobby chefs can taste the difference. So, they specify un-iodized. Kosher salt is also coarser, so that has an effect for some recipes. My late Other Shoe said he could taste the iodine, to the point where he essentially banned the stuff from our kitchen except for salting pasta water. But, he liked salt - when he died, we had around ten kinds of salt in the pantry. Smoked, pickling, Himalayan, etc. My mother was horrified. (“Who cares? It’s all just salty.” They were, ah, very different people.) Kosher salt is used for koshering - drawing the blood out of meat per Biblical rules. This is also useful for us atheists and Gentiles for drying the surface of, say, a chunk of steak before you sear it. Moisture inhibits the Maillard reaction, when proteins brown - the source of much yumminess. Dry meat sears better, so if you let a healthy dose of kosher salt sit on the surface of the meat for a while, it helps draw away the moisture. Thus, better searing. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/51 "2020-05-18T02:17:47Z")
Oh, and I meant to say - the quote about increasing demand for non GMO salt was about the saddest thing I read today. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/52 "2020-05-18T02:22:34Z")
The cooks and chefs I know prefer kosher salt because the larger, coarser grains are 1) more pinchable, and 2) more visible against the background of whatever item you’re salting. The latter is important when you’re eyeballing how much salt you’ve added to, say, a steak before you throw it in the pan. It’s very, very easy to oversalt a steak using table salt because the tiny grains dissolve almost immediately on the flesh. Anyway, I’ve been using kosher salt almost exclusively for home cooking for the last 10 years. Occasionally I’ll use a bit of very coarse sea salt when I want to dress something with crunchable grains. No goiters yet so I guess I’m OK. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/53 "2020-05-18T03:08:45Z")
Where I learned the word “goiter” as a child: > [@](#): > > The company rose, and after a hurried breakfast of yaws and goiters, Cellophane and Lavalier and their attendants led them through the wood to the banks of the great river Anacin where three small balsa rafts lay. > **[Tolkien, J R R - Bored of the Rings - PDF Free Download](https://epdf.pub/tolkien-j-r-r-bored-of-the-rings.html)** > > BORED OF THE RINGS, A Parody of J.R.R. Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings by Henry N. Beard and Douglas C. Kenney of The Ha... ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/54 "2020-05-18T03:33:51Z")
We need iodine, but not very much. Those living near the sea don’t even need to try. But goiters were definitely a thing inland. Just not enough natural iodine around in the Midwest. I suppose it was the same for inland nations in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Is it true that all that salt in prepared foods is not iodized? I always assumed it was. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/55 "2020-05-18T04:10:54Z")
> [@jjakucyk](#): > > Are any other foodstuffs iodized besides salt? The bread I eat has [potassium iodate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_iodate) in it. It’s the last ingredient in the list, but as someone said above, you don’t need much of it. I don’t know if they add it as a maturing agent for the bread or as a source of iodine. Since they don’t mention it on the package, it’s probably the former. Not that it makes any difference, it still adds iodine to my diet. Since I don’t salt anything, that’s good. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/56 "2020-05-18T05:31:08Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Shellfish contain iodine because they live in seawater, which is relatively rich in dissolved iodine. Most sea salts contain some iodine. Which is why folks living near the sea rarely had iodine deficiency, as their salt had some, as did kelp, and local seafood. So? If the manufacturer of salt uses iodine that is sourced from shellfish, as some do, then the salt can’t be considered Kosher. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/57 "2020-05-18T10:33:40Z")
table salt also usually has anti-caking agents added, so that could be contributing to the perceived bitterness. but yeah, it’s more likely the potassium iodide they add. I’ve actually got some “low sodium” salt substitute which is potassium chloride; it tastes salty but does have a weird bitter tinge that stands out. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/58 "2020-05-18T11:24:44Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > This is also useful for us atheists and Gentiles for drying the surface of, say, a chunk of steak before you sear it. I just use “cooking salt”. Cooking salt is cheaper than table salt or kosher salt (not as fine as one or as coarse as the other): I think that the definition of ‘cooking salt’ is probably “cheapest salt”. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/59 "2020-05-18T14:23:31Z")
I use un-iodized salt for making sauerkraut. The iodine in iodized salt can interfere with the Lactobacillus. If that were disappearing I’d suspect that a lot of people with time on their hands were fermenting vegetables at home, but I have no explanation for a run on the iodized salt. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/60 "2020-05-18T14:29:16Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > So? If the manufacturer of salt uses iodine that is sourced from shellfish, as some do, then the salt can’t be considered Kosher. Ah, now I get your point. No idea about that aspect. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975.md?page=4)