MAKING SENSE OF THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SALT

SEA-SALT FLAKES

Made by the careful evaporation of seawater, though some brands may use rock salt as a filter. Expensive, so save for finishing dishes with crunch and sparkle.

6g

NHS guidelines suggest a maximum of 2.4g of sodium, which you’d find in 6g (a teaspoon) of salt, per day.

TABLE SALT

Fine-ground salt, usually rock salt processed to remove minerals and with anti-caking agents such as calcium silicate added to make it pour smoothly through a salt shaker. Sometimes fortified with iodine. Some people find it has a faint bitter aftertaste.

REDUCEDSODIUM SALT

Usually a mix of sodium chloride and potassium chloride. Though it’s said to taste the same as pure Nacl, some (such as me) find it less salty.

ROCK SALT

The crystalline deposit left by long-evaporated seas and compressed to rock. Often sold as peppercorn-sized crystals, similar to ‘kosher salt’ in the United States.

HIMALAYAN PINK SALT

Unrefined rock salt from the Punjab region of Pakistan, with a rosy hue from minerals including potassium, magnesium and calcium. Blocks can be used like griddles for cooking, and the ground salt added to dishes.

40 per cent

On food labels, manufacturers may list sodium content rather than salt. Salt is about 40 per cent sodium in terms of weight, so multiplying the number of grams of sodium bytwoandahalfwillgiveyou the weight of salt.

FINE SEA SALT OR ROCK SALT

A fine salt that dissolves easily in cooking. Choose one without anti-caking agents, like the inexpensive Essential brand from whole-food shops.

BLACK SALT

Known as kala namak in India, a kiln-fired salt with a pinkish-grey colour and a sulphurous smell, which adds an irreplaceable savoury note to Indian chaat dishes, and is particularly excellent in vegan recipes.