As wealthy consumers have supposedly become more health-conscious and more prone to fads, there has been a shift towards expensive natural and artisanal products, including the use of over-priced sea salt instead of table salt. However, many uninformed consumers are unaware that sea salt and table salt come from the same place – the ocean, and continue overpaying for salt. In this article, we will explore the differences and similarities between these two types of salt and why you might want to think twice before shelling out a lot of extra cash for something that is not truly superior to its cheaper counterpart.
What is Sea Salt?
Sea salt is obtained by evaporating seawater, leaving the salt and other minerals behind. It can be collected by traditional hand-harvesting or modern methods such as machine harvesting. The main ingredient is Halite, or sodium chloride (NaCL). NaCL makes up more than 99% of both salts. Sea salt usually has a coarser texture and usually contains very small amounts of minerals like magnesium, potassium, and calcium that may give it a slightly different taste than table salt. It may also contain dried-up algae and clay particles, and some sea salts have been shown to contain micro-plastic waste. This is a factor that most sea-salt consumers choose to ignore.
What is Table Salt?
Table salt is obtained from underground salt deposits that are the remains of dried-up oceans. It is processed to remove impurities and add anti-caking agents. Table salt is uniformly fine and typically fortified with iodine, a nutrient essential for thyroid function (and to prevent goiter – we’ll use the terms iodine and iodide interchangeably). This iodine is an absolutely necessary element to prevent goiter, and it’s hard to get enough iodine naturally. Prior to the 1920s, iodine deficiency was prevalent in the Great Lakes, Appalachians, and Northwestern regions of the U.S. — a geographic area known as the “goiter belt”, where 26%–70% of children had goiter. In the United States, iodine was first added to table salt in the 1920’s – most world governments followed suit – and this eventually wiped out the problem.
If you are not aware of the effects of goiter, you had better check out this topic before you think about converting to high-priced sea salt that does not contain goiter-preventing iodine. You don’t want to be overpaying for salt that will do nothing at all to enhance your neckline.
Differences Between Sea Salt and Table Salt
While sea salt and table salt share a common origin, they have some differences. Sea salt contains more minerals than table salt, depending on where and how it is harvested. This may affect the flavor of a dish, but the difference is extremely subtle and can easily be masked by other ingredients. No one eats salt unless it is combined with something else – unless they are attending a put-on “salt-tasting” in Greenwich Village. The coarser texture of sea salt is pushed by wanna-be “chefs” trying to enhance their “pro” positions while laboring in the back room for lousy pay in hot, un-ventilated kitchens. They know they’re not getting any respect, and they hope that manhandling salt in an ostentatious way will supply a little, especially if they can get a TV spot doing it. But most unpretentious cooks find that sea salt does not dissolve as easily as table salt, they are unable to taste any real difference, and they don’t like to jam their fingers that have been steeped in raw chicken juices into the little sea-salt bowls.
Are the Differences Significant?
The mineral content of sea salt has been touted as a selling point for its health benefits, but the reality is that the levels of these minerals in sea salt are too low to make a significant impact on one’s nutrition. Claims that sea salt is “better for you” are not supported by scientific evidence from supposed experts like Dr. Fauci. Most health organizations agree that the amount of salt consumed in the average diet is the primary concern for health, rather than the type of salt. And, the lack of added iodine in sea salt may mean that the hippified rich that consume the stuff are more prone to the devastating effects of goiter. Serves them right, eh?
Why Pay More for Sea Salt?
The main reason for the popularity of sea salt is marketing. In recent years, sea salt has been presented as a luxurious, artisanal product with a much higher price point than table salt. Sea salt is heavily marketed to ex-hippies, bohemians, hipsters, and housewives watching Emeril with more money than sense.
Remember when the “wine expert” Rudy Kurniawan mixed up and sold “vintage” bottles of “wine” that he mixed up in his kitchen sink? He blended up a mixture of cheap grocery-store Napa wines and sold the results at very high prices to his supposedly discerning connoisseur customers. The same snob principle is at play with sea salt. You won’t be finding any sea-salt in a soul-food kitchen. Consumers should not be fooled by this marketing ploy. Despite the much higher price tag, sea salt is not significantly different from table salt, and provides fewer health benefits.
Do you still want to impress your friends with expensive salt?
If you do, check out this French sea salt. It comes in a fancy box that will wow all your friends. Imagine carelessly plucking sea salt out of this container and nonchalantly chunking it into your GMO-Free Old-World Garbanzo Bean Stew. This salt is about forty times the price of plain old salt, but the accolades you will get from displaying this rustic cork-lidded and lovingly-packed gourmet box adorned with old-world iconography will make the expense worth it. And, it proudly states on the front: “This product does not supply iodide, a necessary nutrient.” Let your guests get their iodide someplace else!
Here’s another idea. Go ahead and purchase this box of expensive French salt. When it’s used up (that will be quick, since it’s only 4.4 ounces), refill the box with cheap grocery-store table salt! No one will know the difference, and you’ll be giving your family and guests the essential iodide they need.
Why you should use plain old $1 a box Walmart store brand table salt:
You can actually employ a reverse kind of snobbery while saving money by using table salt. Since table salt is mined from deposits that are millions of years old, you are actually using a an extremely vintage product to season your french fries. Your table salt was not made last week like sea salt; almost all table salt in the United States is mined from deposits that are at least 200 million years old. Also, your table salt is absolutely guaranteed not to contain any micro-plastic waste or fungus contaminants, which do occur in sea salt. Fungi can hibernate in sea salt, coming to life only after they are exposed to wet ingredients. These messy little contamination details are usually ignored by the typical sea-salt consumers, who aren’t concerned about contracting the fungal diseases Blastomycosis or Paracoccidioidomycosis – wherever they may come from. After all, sea-salt users are very white and affluent, and they have good doctors on call.
Paying many times extra for sea salt is an excellent example of a culture that has too many resources for its own good…the same culture that tries to ban plastic straws when it is a fact that Americans (with 4.25% of the world population) throw used straws directly in the trash – not in the ocean. It also ignores the obvious problems of potential iodine deficiency. Since we don’t see many people with size 36 necks wandering around any more, we have forgotten some essential truths – like smallpox, polio – and goiter.
Conclusion
While some may argue that sea salt is a more natural and flavorful option, the reality is that sea salt and table salt come from the same place and are equally important to our health in moderation. And the use of table salt will prevent goiter. Choosing sea salt over table salt – and overpaying for salt – based on taste or minor differences in mineral content is a tactic of many pretended highbrows, but it is important to weigh the added cost of sea salt and the potential of being viewed as an imperious snob – along with the negative health benefits. By being aware of these facts, consumers can make informed decisions when it comes to selecting the type of salt to use in their cooking.