Yes, and no... Check the link below for descriptions of different types of salt - which are all sodium chloride.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: The Cook's Thesaurus - Salt

Plus, the two main vendors of kosher salt in the US (Diamond Crystal and Morton's) have different particle sizes. That makes a huge difference if you are measuring by volume rather than by weight. That's important if you're concocting a brine. (See the link for a fuller discussion.)

1 cup of table salt is about 10 ounces, which is about the same amount of salt in 1.5 cups of Morton Kosher Salt and about the same amount as 2 cups of Diamond Crystal Kosher salt. Restating that the other way around, a cup of table salt is about 10 ounces, a cup of Diamond Crystal Kosher salt is about 5 ounces, and a cup of Morton Kosher salt is about 7.7 ounces.

Here is a link that might be useful: brining info

Morton Kosher Salt contains a free-flowing agent, as do most table salts. I dislike the flavor it imparts.

Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt is pure sodium chloride, which is the reason I use it.

Jim

If you become accustomed to the "pinch" method of adding salt to your cooking, the Diamond is too fine, at least for me. I prefer the coarser Morton's, and like the finger-feel (is that a real term?) of a pinch of it.

I like Diamond myself, but I can't find it anymore. The stores here only have Morton.

As far as the original question, yes there is a difference, but as Grainlady alluded to, not a huge difference for a cook.

Table salt is mined from underground. Sea salt comes from evaporated seawater. Kosher salt is usually mined but can come from the sea.

Sea salt can have minerals that mined salt won't have and that can give a flavor when not dissolved or cooked. Cooking or dissolving sea salt defeats some of the purpose.

Kosher salt takes its name from its use in the koshering process.

The coarseness can be an issue. Some want a coarse salt for drinks, pretzels, etc while some want a finer grind for other things. I made the mistake of buying a coarse sea salt when I wanted to try it first. But I do like the finer sea salt for general seasoning/salt uses (used for "finishing" rather than cooking).

Here is a link that might be useful: Morton's Salt Guide

Another thing to note is the sodium levels and iodine in table salt vs sea salt.

Table salt has a bit more sodium (though not much) than sea salt, making sea salt a lower sodium option. Plus, since you usually don't add sea salt during the cooking product, but use it to "finish" as cynic said, you can add even less and still have the flavor since it is added at the end, further reducing your sodium intake.

However, sea salt does not have any iodine. Table salt does. *Most* Americans have no problems getting iodine, since almost all processed food has salt, of the iodine variety. But if you really don't eat any processed foods AND don't use table salt at all, you could have a problem.