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Salt might seem like the most standard of pantry staples. Whether it’s in individual packets, added to a shaker and placed alongside black pepper, or sold in a 3-pound bucket, it’s all just the same ol’ crystals of sodium chloride, right?
Not so fast. The style and brand of salt you use can make all the difference between a dish that falls flat, one that sings and is full of flavor, or one that is so salty, it’s inedible. (Also, when you add salt during cooking also matters!)
To help us smartly stock up and season like the pros, we asked chefs from coast to coast to reveal their favorite salt brand as well as the ways (both classic and unexpected) they like to use it.
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Our Panel of Salt-Savvy Chefs
- Jeanette Donnarumma, a recipe developer and Emmy Award-winning producer in Ridgewood, New Jersey
- Lauren Grant-Vose, recipe developer and founder of Zestful Kitchen in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- George Guzman, chef at Carta Wine Bar in New York City
- Sammy Mila, recipe developer, food stylist, and owner of Crème Bakery in Des Moines, Iowa
- Mary Payne Moran, chef-owner of The Silver Lake Kitchen cooking school in Los Angeles and the author of “The Vita Gang Mysteries: Who Stole Vita D?”
Qualities of the Best Salt
Regardless of whether they’re using the salt for baking or cooking, the chefs say they look for the following features:
- It’s kosher. No, we’re not talking about kosher-certified salts (although keep an eye out for those if that’s an important factor for you). In this case, we’re talking about the category of salt called “kosher,” which has larger and coarser grains than the table salt that’s customarily packaged in shakers and packets. As we mentioned in our salt guide, if you’re only going to have one type of salt in your kitchen, kosher is a good call. The coarseness makes it easier to control and it “melts into food nicely,” Grant-Vose says, adding, “the same can’t always be said of sea salt.” As far as table salt goes, unless a recipe was developed specifically with table salt in mind, “it can easily make recipes, especially baked goods, taste over-salted since it’s really dense,” explains Moran.
- The crystals are uniformly sized. Big flakes of Maldon salt are lovely on top of cookies (just ask Courtney Cox). However, for measuring and distributing flavor evenly, Donnarumma recommends seeking out a kosher salt with similarly sized granules.
- It tastes clean. Guzman believes the best salt delivers an unadulterated flavor: “I avoid salts that taste metallic or overly processed. Those with too many additives can ruin a dish.” Of course, flavored salts are meant to add additional oomph to a dish, but salt with iodine, found in many table salts, can throw things off, Grant-Vose confirms. “People who have a very discerning palate can taste the iodine,” she says.
The Best Salt Brand, According to Chefs
Coming out on top in one of our tightest "chefs' best" matches to date, Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt is the best salt brand for home cooks, according to three of our five pros.
"[Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt] is light, easy to pinch, and allows for great control over seasoning," Guzman declares. "It’s my go-to for everyday cooking.” Donnarumma praises the even level of salinity and consistently sized grains.
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Grant-Vose says it's her top choice when she’s cooking and baking for herself. “I like the finer, more crushable flakes. They melt into batters, sauces, and food incredibly well and it's hard to over-season something," she explains.
That being said, Grant-Vose also sees the appeal of Morton Kosher Salt, which is the favorite of Moran and Mila, and uses it when she's developing recipes. “The crystals are denser and they pack together more readily than Diamond Crystal [Kosher Salt], which means a teaspoon of Morton is technically saltier than Diamond Crystal.” By creating recipes using Morton, Grant-Vose says she can simply call for "kosher salt" and not run the risk of them turning out too salty. (It's much easier to add salt than take it away, she adds.)
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Just like Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, Moran says Morton Kosher Salt is “large enough to grab with ease," and has become an essential part of her arsenal. “I get stressed if I’m cooking in someone’s kitchen and they don’t have Morton," she admits.
Mila says that Morton is her MVP because of its wide availability, price point, and consistency. "I use it for everything… in cakes, frostings, jams and jellies, to season proteins—you name it,” Mila tells us.
Other Types of Salt That Can Come in Handy
As long as you know what you’re getting into in terms of seasoning potency, you can’t go wrong with using either Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt or Morton Kosher Salt. (Here’s a memory trick: You’ll need to use a little more of Morton than Diamond Crystal.) But besides kosher, there are a couple other salt categories the chefs say are nice to have:
- Table salt. Keep this around for things that “don’t matter” as much in terms of seasoning, such as salting pasta water, Mila suggests.
- Flaky salt. “Maldon Sea Salt is my favorite for finishing,” Guzman says. “Its delicate, flaky texture adds a great crunch and burst of flavor to any dish.” Mila, Moran, and Donnarumma swear by adding a pinch of Maldon (or any other delicate, flaky salt) to certain baked goods when they’re fresh from the oven. “It’s visually appealing and doesn’t taste as salty as kosher or table salt,” Mila explains. On the savory side, Moran recommends adding flaky salt as you might add chopped basil or chives to enhance a dish.
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- Pink Himalayan salt. Although she doesn’t use this salt in her food, Donnarumma likes to add a pinch or two of Himalayan pink salt to a glass of water instead of drinking it on its own. Similar to those pricey electrolyte water enhancers, this type of salt sneaks some minerals—including sodium, chloride, iron, zinc, and calcium—into each glass. “I feel much more hydrated since I started doing this,” Donnarumma admits.
How to Season Like a Pro
Guzman notes the importance of tasting as you go: “Adjusting as you cook is the easiest way to avoid over- or under-seasoning.” Whichever salt you decide will be your go-to, Grant-Vose shares some helpful conversions:
- ¾ teaspoon table salt = 1 teaspoon Morton Kosher Salt = 1¾ teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
- 1 tablespoon table salt = 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Morton Kosher Salt = 2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
We asked the chefs some of their favorite ways to use salt and ended up with a mix of classic and unexpected results. The most popular ideas included using salt for pasta water, mixing up a wet or dry brine, seasoning proteins, and enhancing dishes. Some answers were outside the box, like adding a few flakes of kosher salt over a bowl of ice cream, shaking up cocktails with a pinch (or rimming the glasses with a more generous amount), and combining it with half a lemon as a scrub and deodorizer for your cutting board.
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Turns out, salt is an endless topic of conversation. While most of the chefs we interviewed may agree on their top choice for cooking and baking, there are plenty of arguments in favor of stocking up on a few types. But one thing is certain: a home should never be without this pantry staple.
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