Sea salt is naturally white salt obtained from seawater that contains sulfur and calcium. This type of mineral is considered micro clay. It's a type of rock salt containing tiny crystals of calcium and iron minerals. It was formed hundreds of million years ago in what's now India. It was one of the world's earliest minerals and still produces a natural beauty in many salt dishes today.
Sea salt is often used as an alternative to table salt in cooking and baking because it is absorbent, so it retains some of its "essence" that is, the trace minerals found in seawater that most people are not able to ingest. It's used most often as a seasoning in baking, cooking, seafood, and for the preservation of food. Also, it is sometimes used as a preservative in canned and boxed soups, ice cream, and candied fruits. It's also known as solar salt or kosher salt because of its transparent texture and because of the minerals it contains.
Unlike table salt, sea salt does not undergo evaporation. As a result, the substance is sterile and does not contain pollutants. That's why it's considered to be healthier than table salt. It's important to note that although the texture is slightly different from table salt, it is not necessarily unhealthy.
The main differences between sea salt and table salt are in the process of its extraction. Sea water naturally highly brines, which is to say that the minerals it contains will not change when being pulled out of the sea. In seawater, however, there is a process called evaporation in which the water gets saturated with gas molecules. These become attached to the minerals in the seawater, causing their change in texture. Evaporated sea salt becomes highly cloudy and may appear to be stringy.
Natural sea salt can be collected anywhere along with the world. Natural varieties come in diverse forms. Some have a soft, smooth texture, while others may have coarse grains. When buying your salts, it is best to choose ones that have the texture you prefer which is coarse grains with more fine-grained and will require less effort to put into a scrapbook or other form of art.
When choosing your salt to use in recipes, the best sea salt information will inform you that natural varieties have different types of minerals in them. Some of these minerals add different flavors to food, while some help retains the original flavor. For example, potassium chloride is a necessary component in pickling. So is magnesium chloride, which gives raisins their distinctive look and flavor.
There are many sea salt variations, but there are two basic types. One type is heavily processed, and the other is minimally processed. The heavily processed varieties have less mineral content, but they have minimal processing in terms of removing any excess gases or chemicals. Minimally processed varieties have no chemical processing, but they do not necessarily have minimal processing, as minerals like magnesium, potassium, and chloride are still present.
Evaporated sea salt contains no ions. There are no exchangeable ions like with table salt. As a result, the minerals in evaporated sea salt do not bind with the air, so they are suspended in the air. When food touches the surface of the salt (through evaporation) it causes the salt to absorb the taste of whatever it is placed upon. In addition, the fact that the molecules are small allows them to penetrate deeper into the human body. It should be taken with caution, however, as even minimal processing raises the concentration of toxins in our systems.
