The Best Salts To Stock Your Pantry And Make Your Food Taste Amazing

All salt is either harvested from evaporated seawater or mined from the earth. It can come in delicate flakes, chunky rocks, or finely ground almost to a powder. All kinds are essentially the same chemical composition, sodium chloride, but some salts naturally contain other minerals which can affect the taste and color while others are treated to add or remove those minerals. Are your salt crystals perfectly even-shaped and white? Or have you ever noticed a lovely pink or gray hue? That'll be caused by the presence of additional minerals found where the salt was harvested.

While many companies would have you believe that their brand of salt offers additional health benefits, there isn't much discernible difference between their respective health properties. While some salts do contain additional minerals, they're usually not present in high enough quantities to have a real effect. So when selecting your salt, it's not really about whether one is "healthier" — it's more about selecting the salt with the flavor palette and crystal size that work best for the task at hand. Broadly speaking, there are salts to cook with, and salts to "finish" with. These are introduced at different stages of the cooking and serving process. Salt brings out the flavor of foods, and you can season at each step of preparation.

Table salt is one of the most common salts you'll come across. Found in kitchens and dining rooms across the country, it's one of the finer salts and therefore works best in your salt shaker. Smaller, denser crystals make saltier salt, so don't dole it out quite as liberally as you would kosher salt. Table salt is often the preference for baking, however, due to its uniform crystal size which makes it easy to measure out exactly. When it comes to this pantry staple, Morton's table salt is a go-to. It's cheap and readily available at pretty much any grocery store or online; a bundle of two 26-ounce containers costs nearly $12 on Amazon.

This salt won't look like it's just been carved out of a mountain or scraped from the sea as it's usually processed to remove additional minerals. However, table salt can be "fortified" with specific compounds and may contain anti-caking agents that keep the crystals from taking on moisture and sticking together. Table salt is typically iodized, which means potassium iodide or potassium iodate has been added to the salt. This practice began in the 1920s when scientists discovered that many people were suffering from iodine deficiency which commonly resulted in hypothyroidism and goiters, among other symptoms. Experiments to see how introducing iodized salt would affect the population quickly revealed that these adverse health effects could easily be reversed. To this day it remains common practice to iodize table salt in many countries around the world. 

Considered the champagne of salts, fleur de sel is probably the most expensive salt you can stock in your pantry. While the price may be high, many consider it worthwhile to keep some on hand for its unique flavor and delicate texture. Le Saunier De Camargue is Ina Garten's salt of choice. At nearly $10 for 4.4 ounces on Amazon, this salt should certainly only be used to garnish.

Fleur de sel is partly so pricey because of the labor-intensive way the delicate sea salt has been harvested by hand for centuries from the crust that forms on the surface of the sea as water evaporates. Traditionally harvested in France off the coast of Brittany, it is now produced in several other countries such as Greece, Spain, and Portugal. The relatively higher moisture content present in the resulting salt creates its snowflake-like texture. Fleur de sel melts more quickly than other sea salts. It also contains other minerals that enhance the flavor of the salt. Fleur de sel is sometimes paired with sweets like luxurious caramel.

A natural alternative to table salt, Himalayan salt can contain traces of calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, aluminum, barium, silicon, and sulfur. It's also got a reputation for having certain health properties, though this claim is dubious. Himalayan salt is mined in the Salt Mountains of Pakistan. This pretty salt often has a natural pink color due to the presence of other minerals. This makes it look especially lovely in an open pinch pot on your table as an alternative to table salt in a shaker, but the color won't translate into cooked dishes when the crystals break down. Some say it pairs well with chicken, but you may even find bricks of it at the spa in a sauna or as the body of a lamp with a lovely pink glow. 

There's lots of Himalayan salt on the market; even Morton sells it. It'll cost you more than garden variety table salt, but Amazon's overall pick, Soeos brand fine grain pink Himalayan sea salt, is just $9.99 for 2.4 pounds. Himalayan salt can be used for cooking and baking and comes in fine and coarse varieties. As with table salt, be careful not to over-salt with the finer Himalayan salt. Taste as you go to make sure you've hit the perfect level. 

Flavored salts are another great option for seasoning your food at the finishing stage. Smoked salt is made by smoking sea salt over wood chips. The salt crystals take on the flavor of the particular wood smoke and turn a lovely shade of brown. The resulting smoky flavor pairs well with many foods, particularly barbecued meats, fish, and roasted vegetables. You may even like to try a little pinch garnished on your next cocktail. Perhaps a smoky mezcal margarita.

Maldon Flaky Sea Salt makes a smoked version that has become a favorite in many kitchens. That same signature Maldon crunch is enhanced by the flavor of oak wood smoke. It's sold for $7.49 for 4.4 ounces on Amazon. The flavor is strong, though, so make sure to taste before adding it to just anything, and be careful not to swap it out for your regular flaky salt when sprinkling some on your next batch of cookies ... unless you feel like experimenting, of course. Smoked salted caramel? Why not!

Garlic salt is another common seasoning salt you may already have in your pantry. Dehydrated granules of garlic are mixed with fine salt crystals for a punchy, flavor-packed seasoning. You can incorporate garlic salt into sauces, chilis, and other braised dishes. It also works in marinades or simply season pan-fried or grilled meats and seafood. Garlic salt is a great shortcut to shrimp scampi or garlic bread when you don't have the fresh stuff on hand. Stir it into melted or softened butter and get cooking. 

 There are several brands of garlic salt on the market, some incorporating organic garlic at a higher price point. You can even make your own with garlic granules and your favorite salt. Most grocery stores will keep it front and center in the spice aisle and likely have several different brands for you to choose from, McCormick being one. And if you can't find it there, it's just as easy to find online.