12 Different types of salt use in kitchen !

What is Salt ?
              Salt is a mineral consisting primarily of sodium chloride, a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in its natural form as a crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantities in seawater, where it is the main mineral constituent.
                   In chemistry, salt is mostly sodium chloride, the ionic compound with the formula [NaCl], representing equal proportions of sodium and chlorine. It consists of 40% sodium and 60% chloride, by weight.

 History of salt !
                             Salt has been part of peoples lives long before recorded history. The earliest humans got their salt needs from hunting animals. Gradually as humans turned to agriculture, they discovered that adding salt to vegetables gave it a satisfying taste similar to meat. Over thousands of years, humans learned that salt could preserve food, cure hides, and heal wounds. Salt was carried by early nomadic tribes for its many uses and most likely traded for other items.

 Types of Salt ..

                   You may already know about the one type of salt,Which you use in cooking in your kitchen.But you will be surprised to know about that there are 12 different types of salt in this world.So let's konw about 12 different types of salt today.


Sea Salt
                     Sea salt is that type of salt which is produce by evaporation of seawater. It is also called bay salt and solar salt.Sea salt is mostly composed of sodium chloride, a compound that helps regulate fluid balance and blood pressure in the body. Since it's minimally processed, it contains some minerals, including potassium, iron, and calcium. Most sea salts don't offer any real health advantages. The minute amounts of trace minerals found in sea salt are easily obtained from other healthy foods. Sea salt also generally contains less iodine.

Table Salt
                     Table salt is typically mined from underground salt deposits. Table salt is more heavily processed to eliminate minerals and usually contains an additive to prevent clumping. Most table salt also has added iodine, an essential nutrient that helps maintain a healthy thyroid.
                     Table salt is a refined salt containing about 97 to 99 percent sodium chloride. Usually, anticaking agents such as sodium aluminosilicate or magnesium carbonate are added to make it free-flowing. 
                      Main issue with table salt is the high content of the mineral sodium. Sodium helps regulate fluid balance in the body. High sodium intake can also double our risk of heart failure, increase our risk for obesity and even raise the risk of developing.

Black Salt
                     Black salt, also known as saindhav, kala namak, or sanchal, is harvested on land, around volcanoes, though some say it was formed by ancient seas that dried up. It is harvested in Central India.Black Salt has been praised in Ayurveda and used for its perceived medical qualities. 
                    The raw material for producing kala namak was originally obtained from natural halite from mines in India, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh in certain locations of the Himalayas salt ranges, or from salt harvested from the North Indian salt lakes of Sambhar Salt Lake or Didwana and the Mustang District of Nepal.
                    Kala namak is used extensively in South Asian cuisines of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal as a condiment or added to chaats, chutneys, salads, all kinds of fruits, raitas and many other savory Indian snacks. Chaat masala, an Indian spice blend, is dependent upon black salt for its characteristic sulfurous hard-boiled-egg aroma. 

Himalayan Salt 
                     Himalayan Salt is also known as pink salt. Himalayan salt is rock salt mined from the Punjab region of Pakistan. The salt often has a pinkish tint due to mineral impurities. It is primarily used as a food additive as table salt, but is also used as a material for cooking and food presentation, decorative lamps, and spa treatments.
                     Himalayan Salt contains 84 different minerals: iron, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, potassium and chloride to name a few; all of these are necessary for healthy bodily function.This means pink Himalayan salt is nutritionally similar to regular salt.
                    100 grams Himalayan salt can cost $5 to $8, up to 20 times more then table salt, means is is so costly.


Kosher Salt
                           Outside the US Kosher salt is also know as Kitchen Salt, Cooking salt and Rock salt. Its large grain size makes it perfect for sprinkling on top of meat, where it releases a surprising blast of flavor.
                           Used in cooking and not at the table, it consists mainly of sodium chloride and may include anti-caking agents.
                            If you cook something and it tastes bland and flat, try adding a bit of kosher salt! It makes flavors pop in a way no other ingredient can (with a squeeze of lemon as a close second!).



Hawaiian Red Salt
                    Alaea salt, sometimes referred to as Hawaiian red salt, is an unrefined sea salt that has been mixed with an iron oxide rich volcanic clay called 'alaea', which gives the seasoning its characteristic brick red color . 
                   Red salt is part of Native Hawaiian cuisine and is used in traditional dishes such as kalua pig, poke, and pipikaula (Hawaiian jerky). It was also traditionally used to cleanse, purify and bless tools, canoes, homes and temples. Once exported to the Pacific Northwest to cure salmon, it saw a resurgence in popularity late in the 20th century in fusion style cuisine of Hawaii both on Islands and beyond.



Hawaiian Black Salt
                         Black Hawaiian Sea Salt all-natural also known as black lava saltis commonly thought to draw out toxins and impurities from the body, and is used in a variety of scrubs, soaks, and many other cosmetic creations.  

                         Skin detoxifier and exfoliator,relieve stress, aching muscles, and fatigue so be ready for a deeply relaxing experience Using black salt in bathing water helps opens up your skin pores and boosts the blood circulation in your skin and thus hydrates your skin tissues in order to heal your skin.


Celtic Sea Salt
                     The salt normally used in most homes and restaurants (refined table salt) is very different from unrefined Sea Salt. Natural Celtic Sea Salts are a “moist” unrefined sea salt usually found on the coastal areas of France. Its light grey, almost light purple color comes from the clay found in the salt flats.
                                 The Celtic salt contains traces of Magnesium that gives it this distinctive color. This grey salt contains 33% of sodium as compared to Himalayan salt which contains 98% sodium chloride. The lower sodium concentration is because of the presence of brine water in Celtic sea salt. Both the salts differ in taste as well.


Smoked Salt
                     Smoked salt is an aromatic salt smoked with any number of select bark free woods for up to 14 days. The kind of wood used for smoking impacts the flavor, which can range from subtle to bold or even sweet. The most common choices are alder, apple wood, hickory, mesquite, and oak. Infused smoked salts like smoked bacon chipotle sea salt are very popular because of their dynamic flavor profiles.
                    Smoked salt is used to enhance the inherent flavors of a dish, while also imparting a smoky taste. It is suitable for vegetarians, often acting as a replacement for bacon crumbles. Smoked salt differs from smoke-flavored salt, as the latter contains a smoke-flavored additive, and is not classified as a natural salt product.

Fleur De Sel Salt
                    Fleur de sel ("flower of salt") in French or flor de sal (also "flower of salt") in Portuguese, Spanish and Catalan is a salt that forms as a thin, delicate crust on the surface of seawater as it evaporates. 
                    Fleur de sel has been collected since ancient times (it was mentioned by Pliny the Elder in his book Natural History), although it was traditionally used as a purgative and salve. It is now used as a finishing salt to flavor and garnish food. The name comes from the flower-like patterns of crystals in the salt crust.
                    Fleur de sel can only be collected when it is very sunny, dry, and with slow, steady winds. Because of the nature of its formation, fleur de sel is produced in small quantities. At Guérande, France, each salt marsh produces only about one kilo (2.2 pounds) per day. Because of this and the labor-intensive way in which it is harvested, fleur de sel is the most expensive of salts.


Flake Salt
                     Flake salts are a category of salt characterized by their dry, plate-like ("lamellose") crystals. Their structure is a result of differing growth rates between the faces and edges of the crystal, an effect that can be achieved in various ways.
                         Flake salts may occur naturally but can also be produced by a variety of methods, including boiling brine over metal salt pans or evaporating it in greenhouse solar evaporators. The technologies used as well as atmospheric conditions can yield varying crystal structures. 
                     Flake salts can form as irregular shavings, pyramidal shapes, boxes, or potato chip-like laminated crystals.These salts tend to have lower trace mineral content than other salts, giving them a stronger salty taste. Most form as thin, flattened out crystals with a large surface area and low mass that give them a crunchy texture and relatively fast dissolution rate.Because of the salts' delicate structures, selmeliers tend to use them as finishing salts.
Pickling Salt
                    Pickling salt is a salt that is used mainly for canning and manufacturing pickles. It is sodium chloride, as is table salt, but unlike most brands of table salt, it does not contain iodine or any anti caking products added. 
                    A widely circulated legend suggested that iodisation caused the brine of pickles to change color. This is false; however, some anti-caking agents are known to collect at the bottom of the jars or cause the brine to cloud, a minor aesthetic issue. 
                   Pickling salt is very fine-grained, to speed up dissolving in water to create a brine, so it is useful for solutions needing salt.