Kosher Salt Flakes: Recommendations beyond Maldon Salt

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  freefall101 on 04/05/2022 - 15:03

  +4

  Maldon salt and kosher salt are two different things. Maldon salts (which is a brand but also used a bit Kleenex, but basically anything labelled as sea salt flakes is very similar) are larger and meant to give you a crunch. Kosher salts are for drawing out the liquid from meat.

  You're not meant to use maldon salt on everything, only as a finish on top of a cooked product. I tend to just buy whatever sea salt flakes are on sale. But since Maldon cost the same as Saxa sea flakes regularly, I just get that.

  Might be worth hunting around with aldi or amazon to see if there's other brands of sea salt flakes. (edit: Amazon has 250g of Tasman Sea Salt for $8.90, a little better)

  • 

    Flying Ace on 04/05/2022 - 20:45

    I had no idea about kosher salt, I just thought whenever I saw it that the recipe writer was Jewish!

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  [Deactivated] on 04/05/2022 - 15:15

  +2

  Kosher salt is not flakes, it's just a salt with larger crystals than table salt, the closest substitute I've seen in Australia was this - https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/758501/ess…, although Mortons kosher salt has somewhat smaller crystals. Unfortunately there's no non-iodised version but you can fry it on a dry pan to get rid of iodine smell.

  • 

    Stewardo on 04/05/2022 - 16:18

    They sell kosher salt in the kosher Coles stores. (International foods section)

  • 

    Cheaplikethebird on 04/05/2022 - 16:44

    Kosher salt is non-iodised. You can get a 453g shaker of David's Kosher Salt (an American product) for around $6 off Amazon if you have Prime and I've also seen it stocked in some IGAs. Also I've not tried it myself but a lot of people in the BBQ community just use flossy salt which apparently is pretty much the same as kosher salt and you can get a 25KG bag for around $20. There's also the option of just converting the measurement as the only difference between a teaspoon of SAXA cooking salt and a teaspoon of kosher salt is weight (due to grain size).

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 04/05/2022 - 19:06

      -2

      Yeah, nah, salt is salt and it most certainly not worth $13/kg no matter what label it is there.

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        Cheaplikethebird on 05/05/2022 - 09:03

        Yeah pretty much except that differences in grain sizes means that a teaspoon of Kosher salt is less than a teaspoon of table salt. Considering most recipes online give measurements based on Kosher salt you either need to A. Buy Kosher salt, B. Buy flossy salt for 80c/kg, C. Use an online conversion guide and some maths to get the correct measurement for table salt or whatever you're using (which is a PITA).

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  franga on 04/05/2022 - 15:51

  A good butcher will stock quality salts if your looking for something good I’d head to a good quality butcher. Especially if they specialise in low and slow.

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  SBOB on 04/05/2022 - 17:50

  Salt flakes are pretty good for cooking

  If you're adding it during the cook and it's dissolving etc, weight for weight there is no difference between expensive salt flakes and normal cooking salt

  Different if it's on finished product so flake size does add part of the flavour result.

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  AustriaBargain on 04/05/2022 - 20:23

  I think Woolworths sells 1kg of kosher salt for like $1.50.

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  autonomate on 06/05/2022 - 08:25

  Hi OP!

  We have 4 types of salt in Australia.

  • Table Salt: tiny granules, great in a pinch bowl or salt shaker
  • Cooking Salt: larger granules, also known as Kosher Salt in the US, often non-iodinized - good for cooking
  • Rock Salt: large, dense granules - used for "salt grinders" - often comes in variations like Pink Himalayan
  • Sea Salt (doesn't count): Similar to Rock Salt but often slightly smaller granules. I don't see much point in this one. I think this one was a marketing gimmick when all these mix/speciality salts become popular, now there's a set of consumers who look for "Sea Salt" because they think it's somehow different or better than other salts.
  • Flaky Salt or Salt Flakes: large, often diamond and pyramid shaped granules - not dense, so adding a handful of these vs a handful of rock salt is very different

  Salt Flakes or Flaky Salt is really only good for things like salads or topping your dish with a slight salty crunch. You're after "Cooking Salt", although some retailers do explicitly sell stuff labelled as "Kosher Salt" (find a kosher deli near you - visit Balaclava if you're in Melbourne), it's literally the same thing. David's is a popular brand.

  It all comes down to granule size and shape of the salt. Also "Cooking Salt" isn't iodinized - unlike Table Salt, which means you'll need to supplement your diet with iodine (at the risk of developing hypothyroidism). Suggest still using regular table salt to finish or adjust dishes.

  The Saxa brand is my staple in this regard, however the Coles house brand and Woolies' Essential brand are just as good. Anyone who tells you they can taste the iodine or the "trace minerals" are (profanity) liars. Shop by price, it just happens that I buy the big sacks of Saxa, so it works out cheaper.

  If you want cheaper Flaky Salt - use less of it. Cooking Salt for the majority of the dish, Flaky Salt for the finish. Coles do make Flaky Sea Salt, but honestly it's about the same price and a single packet of Maldons should last you at least 12 months in a household of 4 if you're using it properly.