Kosher Salt: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

Table Salt (left) and Kosher Salt (right)

Kosher salt is like the extra-large t-shirt displayed next to mediums.  The flakes are bigger and coarser than regular table salt, but surprisingly these flakes are less salty.  They can be used in almost any recipe calling for salt. 

But be careful.  A teaspoon of table salt is a lot more salty than a teaspoon of kosher salt.  “The Cook’s Bible” says 1 tablespoon kosher salt = 2 teaspoons table salt. 

Not a lot of recipes demand kosher salt, but it is used often enough in cooking that two big companies—Morton’s and Diamond Crystal—package and sell it.  Kosher salt costs more than table salt, but even then the price is low--$1.99 for a 1-pound container at my local supermarket.

Here’s a bit of history:


The name ‘kosher salt’ originated with its use in making meat kosher (drawing blood out of meat so that it could be washed away).  Because it doesn’t dissolve as quickly as table salt, restaurants began using kosher salt for the crunchiness it adds.  TV cooking shows then brought it into the mainstream. 

Toss a few pinches of kosher salt into some of the dishes you cook and see if you like it.

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