Best Salts for Different Cooking & Preservation Tasks

Not all salt is created equal. When it comes to preserving, fermenting, canning, or just cooking a good pot of beans, the type of salt you choose can impact the texture, taste, safety, and appearance of your food.

📊 Salt Comparisons

Salt Type	Best Use	Preservation Safe?
Table Salt	Baking, general cooking	❌ No
Kosher Salt	Dry brining, fermenting	✅ Yes (if pure)
Sea Salt	Finishing dishes	⚠ Depends
Himalayan Pink Salt	Grilling, spice blends	❌ No
Pickling/Canning Salt	Pickling, canning, fermenting	✅ Yes
Curing Salt	Meat curing	✅ Yes (recipe-specific)

🍽️ Table Salt

Best For: Day-to-day seasoning, baking

Table salt is the fine, white, pourable stuff in your average salt shaker. It’s refined sodium chloride, often treated with anti-caking agents and iodine.

• Pros: Inexpensive, widely available, consistent volume
• Cons: Not ideal for preserving; iodine and additives can discolor or cloud your brines

Tip: If you need to substitute table salt in canning recipes, measure by weight to avoid over-salting.

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🥚 Kosher Salt

Best For: Dry brining, fermenting, general cooking

Kosher salt has larger, flakier crystals and is usually additive-free (check the label!). Its light texture makes it ideal for drawing out moisture in meats.

• Pros: Great flavor control, easy to pinch and spread, dissolves quickly
• Cons: Grain size varies by brand, which can throw off measurements if you’re not weighing it

Use it for: Dry-salting cabbage for sauerkraut or seasoning meat before freezing (see: How to Salt Meat for the Freezer).

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🌊 Sea Salt

Best For: Finishing dishes, some short-term preservation

Sea salt is harvested through evaporation of ocean water and retains trace minerals. It can range from fine to coarse.

• Pros: Mild, nuanced flavor; ideal as a finishing salt
• Cons: Can include impurities or minerals that affect preservation outcomes

Note: Not recommended for canning unless you’re measuring by weight and understand the mineral content.

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💚 Himalayan Pink Salt

Best For: Decorative jars, grilling, mineral-rich recipes

Mined from ancient sea beds in the Himalayas, this salt is known for its distinctive pink hue and mineral content.

• Pros: Eye-catching, high trace mineral content
• Cons: Can discolor pickled foods and leave sediment in jars

Verdict: Great for grilled meats or spice rubs, but not for your next batch of refrigerator pickles.

👉 How to Pickle Just About Anything (Safely and Deliciously)

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⚡️ Pickling & Canning Salt

Best For: Any form of canning or pickling

Also called preserving salt, this is pure sodium chloride with no additives.

• Pros: Dissolves completely, leaves brine clear, won’t affect food color
• Cons: Clumps easily in humid conditions

Use it for: Everything from Freezing Citrus Peels to Pickled Green Beans. It’s the gold standard for long-term food safety.

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⚖️ Curing Salt (Prague Powder #1 and #2)

Best For: Curing meats like ham, bacon, or sausage

Curing salt is a specialty blend of salt and sodium nitrite/nitrate, dyed pink for safety.

• Pros: Prevents botulism, stabilizes color, essential for dry-cured meats
• Cons: Not interchangeable with other salts; must be used precisely by recipe

Important: Only use curing salts when specifically called for. Too much can be harmful.

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📊 Printable Salt Comparison Chart

Salt Type	Additives	Best Use	Preservation Safe?	Notes
Table Salt	Iodine, anti-cake	Baking, general cooking	❌ No	Can cause cloudiness in brine
Kosher Salt	Usually none	Dry brining, fermenting	✅ Yes (if pure)	Measure by weight for preserving
Sea Salt	Trace minerals	Finishing dishes	⚠ Depends	Watch for impurities, weigh carefully
Himalayan Pink Salt	Trace minerals	Grilling, spice blends	❌ No	Can discolor or affect preservation
Pickling/Canning Salt	None	Pickling, canning, fermenting	✅ Yes	Best for preserving and clear brines
Curing Salt	Sodium nitrite/nitrate	Meat curing	✅ Yes (recipe-specific)	Never substitute or eyeball

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Final Thoughts

Salt is simple—but the choice you make matters. For safe and flavorful preservation, stick to pickling salt and curing salt where called for. For cooking, adjust based on taste, texture, and the task at hand.

For more on how salting affects frozen foods, check out: Salting, Seasoning & Flavor Adjustments for Freezing.

And if you’re storing meat for later, don’t miss: How to Salt Meat for the Freezer.

Thanks for stoppin’ by!

—Anne

For more, don’t miss Salting Food the Right Way | A Guide to Preservation, Texture, and Flavor