Pretzel salt! I've been known to put it on a plate and just eat it! (Okay, that's a type, not a brand, but every pretzel salt I've had just tastes like pretzel salt.) See! I told you I wasn't anti-salt! Though I do brush some salt off of an actual pretzel because I can't eat that much.

I have to say I appreciate iodized salt. I know it's very "out", but with all these chef's recommending against it, and people moving to more home cooking and stylish packaged goods made with other kinds of salts, I wonder when we're going to see a significant rise in goiter?

Kosher salt is great for sucking up liquid dye when making shaded designs, or it can be tossed randomly for a freckled effect.

Lavendar salt is useless. It's pretty, but the salt overwhelms the herb and the crystals are too big to dissolve well, or serve directly. And by the time it's ground, it's just salt.

Rock salt lamps are pretty and soft and make the air smell nice (fresh rather than salty).

I like the soft flavor of sea salt, but am not enamored of fleur de sel. It's fine, but I don't find it worth going out of my way for. But then I don't make many things that want to be salted as they're plated or at the table.

BTW, went out tonight after a conference. Moderate chain restaurant. Potage de sel for dinner.

I like salt a lot.

I like it ON my food, not IN my food though.

You get the salt taste, it is immediate and satisfying and far less salt is consumed (in my non-scientific mind).

I think the fear of salt is somewhat overdone. After all, there is no such thing as bad food, only bad food eating habits.

I use Kosher, what we call pickling (coarse) and home made.
We do have regular table salt but I rarely use it.
Each early summer I have a salt party and we walk to the ocean, fill as many buckets as we have people and retire to the back yard where we clean a couple of kiddie wading pools out, pour the sea water in and then set up screening, etc. to keep air borne debris out. Then we wait.
Over the next few weeks/months depending on heat, wind, air movement, humidity the salt blooms, the water evaporates and we have salt. Damp salt, lol. So, another party to dry it, sieve it, grind it and bottle it.

Have fun with your food, right?

Long before people considered different kinds of salt, Hub and I were at dinner with two other young couples. I thought my steak was particularly delicious, something about the outside of the steak. I tasted the salt in the shaker, the only thing I had applied to the steak, said, "Oh, that salt is delicious!" and stopped all conversation. They thought I had lost my mind. For years they'd jokingly ask me, "How's the salt?" whenever we were together, and I'd tell them there was something special about that salt!

Years later, it turns out...there probably was something special about that salt; for several years now I have enjoyed experimenting a little with different kinds. I never let an opportunity go by, either, to mention it to Hub and our friends. They still tend to scoff at me, but they like what I cook!

I don't get too far off base and never use seasoned salts, but there sure are subtle differences in salts that lend themselves to different applications.

Sherry

I said I "never use seasoned salts" but that's not true. I use shallot salt on eggs and toasted, buttered homemade French bread. I'll have to look for your secret weapon, John, maybe at Penzey's? That sounds good!

By the way, Penzeys has replaced my hard-as-a-rock shallot salt many times, no questions asked.

I am not a salt person. I have a small salt mill for cooking but that's pretty much it. I don't even like fries or potato chips. Honestly, I think we get more than plenty salt when we eat out. I use just enough for seasoning and try to avoid too much salt at home.

Al

My idea of heaven is a big homegrown heirloom tomato eaten out of hand with a salt shaker at the ready! Usually sea salt but regular Morton's table salt is good too!

Can't wait for tomatoes again!

Duane

Hmmm, Al, isn't little man a picky eater? Maybe a light, judicious sprinkling of salt..........., just enough to enhance the flavor? As John said, we're meant to eat a little of it.

I think everyone on the forum knows after the tequila and sea salt incident I'm never touching sea salt again... made me so ill.

I love salt but use mostly reglar iodized table salt. I have a box of kosher that I sometimes use on steaks. My Penzey's cataloge notes they have the french salt back by popular demand. I have looked at all the salts on Amazon and have been tempted to buy a sampler... hmmm do I really want $20-30 into some salts? I see the black has charcoal in it... does not really sound special.

: )
lyra

Metaxa, Now that takes the salt cake!! Intriguing and definitely over the top.

I do collect salts and like John, I recently found out how wonderful truffle salt is. I use iodized sea salt in case designer salts have left us with iodine deficiency.

I collect salts, too--people bring me back salt when they go on vacation, and I always try to find local ones when I travel. When I was a little girl on the ranch, I loved those big blocks of salt for cows and would beg my dad to break me off little pieces (I'm not licking anything cows lick, thanks.)

My husband likes kosher for cooking, I like sea salt for table salt, but I love that Hawaiian pink salt and fleur de sal, too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Salt blocks

I like the flavor of salt but we don't use it in excess. I have three kinds of salt in the house right now - Kosher salt for cooking and sprinkling, fine grain sea salt for baking and smoked salt that one of my butchers makes in his smokehouse when he's smoking bacon. It's delicious on meats.

I've never bought any of the more exotic salt varieties, only because they're in the "do not need or want enough to buy" category of my budget.

John - Salt block roasters, what a cool idea! I immediately thought of searing shrimp at the table. Now to come up with $82 for a roasting block that will dissolve over time...

Here is a link that might be useful: saltworks

I don't love salt but I'm not phoebic about it either - & Ideefixe, I had to laugh about the salt licks. When I was a little kid, I didn't pass a salt lick without taking a lick unless my parents caught me first, LOL!

Oh yeah, I love salt. But not on everything and not so much that it overwhelms the taste of the food I'm putting it on.

I've got kosher salt, regular Morton's iodized table salt, pickling salt, coarse sea salt for the salt grinder, pink salt of some type, a dark brick red mineral salt and some ultra fine fleur de sel that Readinglady sent me when I mentioned that if you're salting during cooking you can't taste the difference in salts very much, you have to salt when plating or eating.

I love celery just dipped in salt and I like salty snacks like chips and salted bagels are my favorite. I don't like sweet/salty as much, so I don't want salted caramels or salted chocolate.

I feel the same way about hot peppers. I like the flavor on some foods, not on others and I don't want so much that it's just heat and overwhelms the flavor of the food itself.

Salt and hot peppers are condiments for me, not food, and I use them as complementary flavors for other things.

Annie

I love salt! All of it! Too much.

Call me when the tomatoes are ripe, Duane!

I currently have in my kitchen:
Kosher
Pickling
Morton's table salt
French Grey
Penzey's 4S Seasoned Salt
Penzey's Shallot Salt

Nothing too fancy, but I use them all.

Deanna

FOAS, Sur la Table has them on sale.

Here is a link that might be useful: Himalayan Salt Plate

Thanks Cathy!!! Even SlT's regular price is significantly lower than that site, for equal dimensions. Guess I'm going to have to head over there this weekend. I just hate having an excuse to go there. ;-)

Those salt blocks made for farm animals are different colours because they also have different minerals and things in them.

So, if you need increased milk production only lick the blue ones while licking pink ones will help you avoid roundworm or something.

Snort.

Here's a salt tip for those of you with a bit of property and those rats on stilts known as deer. We had a path that cut across our back yard and of course the deer ate everything in sight. An old timer told me they weren't really eating for the food value but rather the moisture.

He suggested I place a tub of water and a salt block out at the corner, where the path meandered back to. Sure enough, it worked, the deer taking the "easy" route to water and salt and not walking into the yard and out again.

I keep asking my feed and seed guy to find me salt blocks with deer birth control infused in them. Sigh.

Oh sherrmann, I do use salt in my cooking. I just don't like to use excess. The two boys' fussiness had nothing to do with the taste of vegetables. As long as they can see and pick them out, they will eat around the veggies. I have used butter to sautee veggies, served in sauce and gravy, even with cheese but somehow they managed to eat everything else and leave the veggies on their plates. The only meals they can't pick out vegetables are my veggie soup and crock pot meatloaf. I pureed the soup and finely chopped everything in the meatloaf so small that they can't tell what's inside! Somehow they like both dishes. Strange, isn't it?

Al

Huh. My son-in-law claims he has never eaten a vegetable or piece of fruit in his life! He is quite slim, eats nothing but meat, bread, cheese, dairy & pasta and junk food. And guess what? His dtr has refused fruits and veggies since the first time her mommy offered them to her when she was six months old. I was there and saw her gag and make an awful face! She is almost 7 now and will not eat fruits and vegetables, not even grape jelly or apple pie! She is not a fussy eater otherwise, in fact she's rather adventurous, as long as there are no fruits or veggies involved. I'm sure she would not go near your pureed meatloaf or veggie soup, no matter how invisible they were.

It has to be a genetic mutation.

metaxa, I agree about the deer, although I've been calling them "rats on hooves". Pah. I don't want them to be extinct, just threatened. I have a pond in the middle of my pasture and they still come up to within 50 yards of the farmhouse to eat out of the hay feeders and lick the mineral blocks.

My mineral blocks are brick red, they have added selenium because there's a shortage of that mineral in the soil here.

Annie

Duane, I too can't wait for fresh tomatoes with some salt. That is my absolute favorite as well.

I bought my sister a gift box of salt from the Himalayan salt site. Not only were the varied salts wonderful (the block of pink salt particularly), but the packaging was lovely as well.

Sherrmann - that is really interesting. It must be some weird taste thing, but it sounds like his body has found a way to compensate. I can understand being sensitive to fructose, the sugar in fruits (does he eat other sweet things?), but the vegetable thing is weird. Do they take suplements? Getting your vit and min through whole foods is the best bet, but it sounds like for them supplements might be a good idea.

We also have deer wandering through the property, but they've stayed farther away since we got the dumb mutt. They're clearly not afraid of her, since they just look at her when she barks, but they do keep a respectful distance now.

AM

I use salt lightly, when it comes to sprinkling over food. I know many people who can't travel without a salt shaker. I am not one of those people, but if I am going to reach across the table for a shaker, I go for my home made seasoning salt. Over french fries, a hard boiled egg. To me it has more flavor and a kick to it, rather than just salt alone. Popcorn however, is a different issue. I only use regular salt for that. Interesting thread!

Metaxa, thanks for the clue about the deer and the moisture! That makes so much sense, especially where I live which is deserty.

I am bemused by the idea of eating a tomato with salt. Our store bought, let alone homegrown, tomatoes have so much flavor it never occurred to me to add anything to them.

French fries, yes, please, a little plain old table salt if they're yummy ones. They're good with flavored salts and sprinkles, but I'd rather have a crispy, fluffy french fry with just a little plain salt, so it tastes all potato-y and good. (I don't eat them very often, but I know how I like 'em!)

Yes, arabellamiller, they eat sweets....Chocolate, ice cream, cookies, salty foods. He's a physician, runs marathons, seems to be very healthy - good BP, cholesterol levels, etc. Gdtr is also very healty, looks just like him (but she's a lot cuter (ahem!). My dtr eats lots of fruits & veggies, grows them, in fact, but eats them by herself. He's a good cook, too!

I'm not sure, as I seem to be very sensitive to food that's either under- or over-salted. Sensitive in terms of either way kind of ruins a meal for me.

I don't really like potato chips but do occasionally get a craving for something really salty, like Fritos!

Wow, sherrmann, how strange. He's a physician and an athlete, so I'm sure he's completely aware of how to take care of himself. Sounds like he has a sensitivity to fructose, but is ok with glucose which has a slightly different chemical structure.

Isn't that interesting?! I can go without chocolate, potato chips, and cookies for a very long time but cannot imagine myself living without fruits and veggies. I have to have some with each meal or I would go crazy. Hubby and little man definitely are not sensitive to fructose. Think they are allergic to the word "vegetables" LOL

Al

I also love fruits and vegetables, but I do not have an affinity for salt, and I especially do not like it on fruits or vegetables. I prefer to taste the vegetables instead of the salt, and I don't like anything sweet that is also salty. I buy a box of salt about once every two years or so, and I do use it with meat, beans, and sauces, but it takes me a very long time to use it up. I prefer unsalted pretzels to salted ones, but I do use salt when I make bread. So, to answer the question: No, I am not a salt lover. I especially like potatoes and squash without salt and have been eating them this way since I was a child.

Lars

When you go to a Chinese restaurant and order "Plain Chciken", it comes with a dish of salt for the chicken.
First, the so called "Plain Chicken" is amazingly delicious. The chicken must be free-ranged chicken and it is done to absolute perfection.
The salt is "Hua jiao yan" It is a mixture of salt and Sichuan peppercorns, roasted and browned in a wok and served as a condiment to accompany chicken, duck and pork dishes.

All I can say is that you have to try it.

dcarch