Salt - lots of salt

Did you know...

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that SALT is the name of a character played by Angelina Jolie in the movie of the same name? Or that SALT is an acronym for the Society for Applied Learning Technology? Maybe not. But hey...this is a recipe and cooking site so let's stick to the real subject of SALT, shall we?

Did you know that there is a myriad of types of salt? We tend to often think of salt in terms like "table salt" and "sea salt" and "iodized salt". Table salt, the salt most of us use, is refined salt. Sea salt may be refined or unrefined. Iodized salt has a minute amount of various iodine-containing salts mixed with table salt. The ingestion of iodide prevents iodine deficiency which can lead to thyroid and other health issues.

A recent Facebook post by our friend Fran Costigan, the Diva of Dairy Free Desserts (and rightfully so), got us thinking about salt. It seems she inadvertently left it out of a cake recipe she was making, with somewhat disappointing results. Among the many responses to her post were a suprising number of ways that people said they use and enjoy salt. We'll mention a few at the end of this short article but let's talk more about salt first.

It has recently been reported that Americans use way more salt than they should in their diets. That may be true. However, allow me to make a point. Salt is not only necessary, it is also something that when used smartly, can be a tremendous flavor enhancer to just about anything! Most of us know that salt is NaCl - sodium chloride. We tend to use the terms "salt" and "sodium" interchangeably but that is not really correct.

By weight, salt is 40% sodium and 60% chloride. Both are essential nutrients which the body cannot manufacture itself. So we need to get a certain amount from the various foods we eat. We can obtain sodium from a number of food sources beside salt. Just read a food label and you will see the sodium listed. However, therein lies the problem, or at least the issue...so much food contains sodium already that we are getting much more than our bodies really need and then we add to it by salting our food. Don't get me wrong - I am a huge salt fan, probably too much so. Too much salt can lead to heart problems, high blood pressure, kidney related problems and more.

According to the Mayo Clinic we should try to keep sodium consumption between 1,500 and 2,300 mg of sodium a day if you're a healthy adult. People with high blood pressure, African-Americans and anyone middle-aged or older should aim for the low end of that range. Table salt and sea salt contain about the same level of sodium and chloride so neither is probably healthier than the other.

Enough from the "health" aspect of salt. The fact if the matter is that if you use it smartly you're ok - in our opinion. But always consult your healthcare professional about such matters.

The main reason we wanted to present this article on salt was to make you aware of the many possibilities for using it in your cooking endeavors. In all honesty, we were in awe of the different varieties of salt available today. Fran also provided a link to a site that we found fascinating. Check it out. You can learn all about "finishing salt', "cooking salt", "grinder salt", "pickling, brining and curing salts". See, we told you! You can find this and much more at The Meadow.

Finally, what are the ways some of us enjoy salt? Fran mentioned salty caramels, truffles and on cake. Another post mentioned putting a sprinkle of salt on pineapple. Then there was mention of a tomato and watermelon salad. Personally, I like a sprinkle of salt on watermelon and a little salt and pepper on cantalope.

Let us know how you like to use salt. It might be very enlightening!

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