Sea salt is one of those essential kitchen essentials that everyone should have on hand. It’s a very versatile and handy product, however its usefulness also depends on how you store it. There are two basic ways to use kosher sea salt: one is a table salt solution, and the second is a sea salt shaker. Table salt is the more common method used by people, but the second method is far superior for hygienic purposes. In fact sea salt is superior to table salt for sea food like fish and shellfish. Read on to find out why.

Relevance. Like many other forms of table salt, kosher salt is high in sodium content. In dry climates, open, unventilated storage like that produced by clay pots and buckets can cause mineral deposits to clump together, eventually causing it to lose its allure – no matter how beautifully it is packaged. If its original wrapping is not an option, avoid a plastic wrapper as it will retain the sodium content even more.

Sea salt is harvested from the sea floor, and has its own watertight storage structures which keep it safe from moisture, air, and light. During harvesting, the stone is exposed to light and is broken down to smaller grains. These smaller grains retain their salty taste all throughout the year. Kosher sea salt retains its flavor for years, with only a slight reduction in saltiness. Unlike table salt, the smaller, darker grains still have a healthy amount of sodium, but they lack the color and texture of the bigger grains. Table salt on the other hand loses its color and texture with time.

Cooking kosher sea salts is slightly different from cooking with regular kosher salt. Because this salt contains smaller grains, the food it brings to the table has a somewhat salty taste. This effect is also noticeable in sea foods such as fish and seaweed. Also, the food does not acquire a full-on sea flavor, as it loses its original flavor with the breaking down of the smaller grains. Instead, it acquires a subtle, salty taste.

As with regular kosher salt, kosher sea salt may be purchased at any grocery store or kosher specialty store. However, it is also available online. The internet has become a great source of kosher supplies, including kosher sea salt. There are several kosher salt suppliers online, and each one offers a wide range of kosher sea salt products. Some websites even offer free kosher sea salt samples, which are a great way to sample the salt before purchasing large quantities.

Kosher salt is an excellent alternative to table salt when used as a healthy food additive, yet does not have the same type of “fishy” aftertaste as regular kosher salt. Table salt is a fine alternative to help improve your dietary intake, but kosher salt is often much more affordable and far healthier. By using kosher salt, you are also being a contributing member of the kosher community.