Who here likes gourmet salt?

chocolate moose

New member
Super Site Supporter
Long story short, I grew up in a family with high blood pressure so we never ever had salt in the house.

I never developed a taste for salt, even after growing up and raising my own family, but after years of consistenly low blood pressure coupled with feeling sort of dizzy here and there, the dr wants me to start using it.

A while back I read something about grinding your own salt, and fancy names like Pink Himalaya. It wasn't here and I didn't save it as I didn't want to encourage my family to oversalt, but now it looks like I have to get something just for myself.

What do you recommend? Thanks.
 

Mama

Queen of Cornbread
Site Supporter
I just use Kosher salt or sea salt for most everything. Never tried any of the real fancy stuff.
 

bigjim

Mess Cook
Super Site Supporter
All my table salt is ground in the kitchen or at the table.
Grinders are available at kitchen stores, as is salt. You can also buy the throwaway filled grinders.

I generally don't use much salt in cooking and I do believe it an acquired taste.
 

lilbopeep

🌹🐰 Still trying to get it right.
Site Supporter
I use table salt for cooking. I use these for finishing or for marinades -kosher salt, fine sea salt in a shaker and Pink Himalaya in a grinder (both from Trader Joe). I also put some course sea salt and Pink Himalaya in a regular grinder for the table.
 

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
(((cue music...)))
a thousand years ago in a kitchen far, far away . . . .

I got a sampler batch of 6 fancy salts as a Christmas present.

I may not have the most sophisticated palet in the world, but if there was a difference it is so tiny as to be less than a grain of salt . . .

I use kosher salt; I have much larger grained sea salt for specific purposes - it's more of a texture thing.

the only time there's a salt shaker on the table is iffin' we've got company.

that said, but comma for example, however,,,, a soft-boiled egg on toast gets a little sprinkle of kosher salt out of my "working bowl"
 

QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
I am a HUGE fan of salt! Always have been. I do take blood pressure medication, but I continue to use salt.

I would much rather have a salty snack than anything sweet.

Anyway, I use kosher salt for cooking and at the table, most of the time.

I use Fleur de Sel for homegrown tomatoes, radishes, and cukes. It IS different and delicious, but needs to be evident.

I have Hawaiian pink salt, black salt, and red salt which I use in a grinder on the table for company because it looks cool. With those, agree with Chowderman ... I cannot tell any difference between them and regular salt.

Lee
 

Mama

Queen of Cornbread
Site Supporter
I'm not a fan of table salt. IMHO, it seems to have a chemical taste. It may just be my imagine since I know there are several additives in table salt.
 

thegrindre

New member
I agree with ChowderMan. I, too, have tried a few and can't tell the difference.
Morton is now putting out Iodized Sea Salt and that's what I use on everything.
 

luvs

'lil Chef
Gold Site Supporter
as a salt fer day-to-day use (as in salting cooking h2o fer pasta, potato, etcetera),
i'll use either morton's canning/pickling salt, or alessi seasalt.
i use the alessi on most cooked foods, too.
as finishing salts, i've citrus sea salt, hawiian redd, celtic grey, & fleur de sel- i got them mostly fer decor, then caved & opened them.
 
Last edited:
K

Kimchee

Guest
I think my signature line pretty much sums up my opinion
of today's use of salt in food....
 

chocolate moose

New member
Super Site Supporter
I had a pickle the other day and today I got some corn chips.

Yesterday I bought 2 pkgs of preground Pink Himilayan salt in shakers at Whole Foods, one for home and one for the office.


Thanks all.
 

Bells

New member
You have my sympathy. I would not be happy if I had to add salt to my food. I grew up without much salt but over time it increased until about 5 years ago when my blood pressure skyrocketed. The doctor was ready to prescribe pills but I told him to give me 3 months to lower it naturally. I drastically cut my salt intake but didn't eliminate it entirely. 3 months later, my blood pressure was normal and it has stayed that way for 5 years. I'm just not a person to eat my salt and then take a pill. Now, I do not like salt one little bit. It overtakes a dish and just tastes terrible.

We do not put a salt shaker on the table and don't miss it.

I would recommend an iodized salt so you are getting your iodine.

Love the sig Kimchee! (same goes for msg)
 

luvs

'lil Chef
Gold Site Supporter
you hafta have sodium. i've undergone cardiac episodes from too low a sodium level. my inpatient roomie was made to put salt on her cereal. balance is key.
 
Last edited:
Hi
You need about 6g of natural sea salt per day for a healthy life; this should be added to your diet by you, not taken from readymade foods. Himalayan salt is also high in minerals and is ideal for those with low blood pressure. Interestingly some older member of the UK population is now prescribes salt tables due to the excessive evasion of salt in their diet....

Have a look at Devonshire Gourmet salts
 
6g per day is the recommended amount for a healthy body, most of it is passed out through urine after use, a bit like your comments. If you put your own salt onto food, instead of buying it ready made you have more control.
 

luvs

'lil Chef
Gold Site Supporter
listen- i have a pro culinary book i know by heart in my lap. (& that education i plunged into, too. to be a Chef.) try again.
nutrition class was a required class to obtain certifications. i know nutrition through-& through
 
Last edited:

Mountain man

Entree Cook
Gold Site Supporter
Due to health issues I have pretty much totally eliminated salt from our cooking. I do use a lite salt on beets and corn on the cob. Use a lot of Mrs. Dash and we started grinding our own from dehydrated veggies and herbs. Now pepper I love to use on a lot of things.
 

Bells

New member
Due to health issues I have pretty much totally eliminated salt from our cooking. I do use a lite salt on beets and corn on the cob. Use a lot of Mrs. Dash and we started grinding our own from dehydrated veggies and herbs. Now pepper I love to use on a lot of things.
Ground dehydrated veggies works for me best. I got so tired of my food tasting like herbs. Now I use different blends of veggies and that gives me the variety of taste I need.
 

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
Public Service Announcement:

consuming six grams of salt per day exceeds any known recommendation of any health or government organization anywhere in the world.

science based recommendations range from 25% - 60% Devonshire's desires;
the human body needs in the range of 180 - 500 milligrams - 12x to 30x less that Devonshire would have you buy

since the spam is allowed to stand this is important for readers to know and do some research before signing up to use that much salt.

Devonshire Salt is a UK based company selling salt for roughly $35 per pound.
I'm sure they'd recommend consuming six pounds per day if they thought you'd buy it.....
 

Cooksie

Well-known member
Site Supporter
I'm with Bells. I'd rather cut down on my salt intake than take bp pills. I do still use salt, just not near as much as I used to. I mostly season with Mrs. Dash Original and Lemon Pepper. Lemon pepper on fish is da bomb :).

I do have some sea salt, but I don't buy gourmet salts.
 

rickismom

Low Carb Home Cook
Site Supporter
I use Kosher salt for cooking only. I was given a packet of smoked applewood salt to put in a grinder. I'm unsure how to use it...
 

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
Cooksie -

not that I disagree with your sentiment, but being 'the cook' in the midst and throes of DW's similar and such issue(s)

there's (at least) two major areas where health professionals are having knock-'em-down-drag-'em-out debates.

one is the role of salt in blood pressure issues.
not all bp issues are related to salt.
not all bp issues can be "cured" by a single "solution" of salt abstinence / diet / weight loss / etc and et al

the other is the cholesterol issue.
stuff like "eggs'll kill you" is really suspect at this point - more generalized, physical ingestion of cholesterol fat itself is quite possible not a factor in serum levels.

(((and why do I guess there's a bunch more "issues" could be added here . . . )))

my take? I don't believe any of them. we do, we test / measure, we adjust.
don't tell anybody, but we're doing about 180 degrees to the Family Doctor's advice and the number keep getting better. . . .
 

Cooksie

Well-known member
Site Supporter
For me, it might be, so that's what I'm trying. Sorry to make a mess here.

I don't think you made a mess at all. I think your thread encouraged conversation, and that's good :).

Cooksie -

not that I disagree with your sentiment, but being 'the cook' in the midst and throes of DW's similar and such issue(s)

there's (at least) two major areas where health professionals are having knock-'em-down-drag-'em-out debates.

one is the role of salt in blood pressure issues.
not all bp issues are related to salt.
not all bp issues can be "cured" by a single "solution" of salt abstinence / diet / weight loss / etc and et al

the other is the cholesterol issue.
stuff like "eggs'll kill you" is really suspect at this point - more generalized, physical ingestion of cholesterol fat itself is quite possible not a factor in serum levels.

(((and why do I guess there's a bunch more "issues" could be added here . . . )))

my take? I don't believe any of them. we do, we test / measure, we adjust.
don't tell anybody, but we're doing about 180 degrees to the Family Doctor's advice and the number keep getting better. . . .

I agree that all bp issues are not just brought on by salt intake. I think bp issues for some people can be caused by too much salt, not enough exercise, being overweight, stress, etc. Probably some other things too. Some people just inherited it too (not sure if inherited is the right word :mrgreen:).

I'm lucky that I can control mine with just diet and moderate exercise. If my bp ooches into the 130's/80's, I just watch my sodium for a couple of days, and it comes back down. Sometimes I get all stressed out, and that causes it to rise too. It's different for everyone.

I don't really agree on the cholesterol thing. I know your body produces cholesterol, but I believe ingestion of cholesterol is a factor in serum levels.

Tell us some of your tricks that are making your numbers continue to get better.
 

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
>>not sure if inherited is the right word
"genetic" may be better - but same idea.

the medical profession / research is very good. but they don't know everything at this point. and, as you pointed out, not every individual has identical causes nor does every individual react to drugs / treatment / routines / etc etc in the same fashion.

<genetics> we're retired; we eat the same stuff out of the same pot. we don't eat out all that often, so that's not a difference. when my cholesterol test come back they have to put it under a microscope to find the numbers. DW is borderline high. same diet. we do omelets, "on toast", souffles, Benedict, over easy/hard, scrambled, you name it. so when she showed up borderline high we cut out the eggs. three months later, didn't make any difference. go figger.

what has made a marked difference? oats - yeah, like they say on teevee.....
Cheerios about 2x /week, or hot oatmeal.
ground oatmeal vs. bread crumbs.....
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
Interesting thread. I do most of the cooking, and use very little salt. When I do use salt, it's sea salt because I like the flavor. I try to use very little process foods in my cooking, but as we all know, it's unavoidable. I've heard that table salt with iodine is good for the thyroid, and can have a negative effect when removed from the diet. I dunno...

My family has a history of hypertension, and as expected, I'm on 10mg of Lisinopril without a diuretic. Lab results reviewed at my Dr. visit a couple weeks ago, showed low sodium...go figure.
 
Top