Kosher, iodised, sea salt, etc. We break down which types of salt are healthiest, tastiest, and best for cooking. 

Fancy gourmet salts are super-trendy these days, but what kinds are healthiest for you and work best in your recipes?

Use our guide to see how it all shakes out. By the way, the American Heart Association recommends getting less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day. 

That’s roughly equal to two-thirds of a teaspoon of table salt.

Iodized salt

Good old table salt is fortified with iodine, which is important for thyroid regulation. It also dissolves the quickest in food, making it ideal for most of your cooking and baking needs.

Bottom line: Use it in recipes with exact measurements and in pasta water (you’ll get your iodine).

Kosher salt

While you get more precise measurements cooking with table salt, many pro chefs go for kosher, which is flatter, lighter, and flakier—because the irregularly shaped granules add subtle crunch.

Bottom line: Use it to salt your food. Larger grains give you less sodium per teaspoon.

Sea salt

Big granules mean more flavour for less sodium. Skip this briny salt in routine cooking or baking since it doesn’t dissolve easily, which can cause issues with the taste and texture of dishes.

Bottom line: Try it as a flavorful garnish for soups, salads, and even chocolate chip cookies.

Low-sodium salt

Sodium chloride (salt) is cut with potassium chloride, a mineral that tastes salty but is bitter when heated. Most of us could use more potassium, but those on blood pressure meds should avoid it.

Bottom line: To slash sodium, swap it into your shaker. Just don’t cook with it.

Himalayan Pink Salt

Harvested in the foothills of the Himalayas, this pink salt gets its distinct colouring from the minerals it contains, mostly iron (rust).

As the fashionable salt of the moment, it’s favoured by many who tout its many health benefits.

Bottom line: it has a slightly lower sodium content than regular salt and probably looks hipper on the dinner table than its counterpart. 

Desert salt

Desert salt is made from the Kalahari Desert’s ancient underground reservoirs and naturally dried in the sun. It is unrefined and contains many different trace minerals. 

It is very pure as it is from a remote location and won’t contain microplastics, because unlike sea salt, it isn’t exposed to pollution. 

Bottom line: As it is a local South African product made pretty much on our doorstep, it is a more eco-friendly alternative to Himalayan salt, which has to be shipped all the way from Asia. 

It has a unique, natural taste and can be used for cooking and seasoning before eating. of letters. making it ok like readable English.