You’ve probably seen a variety of salt in the salt section of your local grocery stores, all with different characteristics and applications. While technically, all are sodium chloride, the difference lies in their use.
Canning salt and table salt are two of the familiar and distinct salts you can find in your grocery store. Both are fine sea salt variants and have the same salty flavours, but the difference lies in their use.
The basics of canning salt
Canning salt is used for pickling and is additive-free. As no other chemical compound is mixed into the salt, the use of canning salt can prevent a dark or cloudy brine in your pickles. Canning salt also dissolves fully, so you won’t find granules floating in the brine during the pickling process.
Canning salt tends to clump when moisture is high in the environment. That is why it is best to store it inside an airtight container.
Canning salt is also referred to as a pickling salt and is used to preserve fruits and vegetables for extended storage. Often, you’ll see that canned tomatoes use pickling salt precisely for this purpose.
Canning salt has very fine granules, unlike other pure salts with coarser appearances. This texture is the reason why it will tend to clump when the environment is moist.
The basics of table salt
Table salt is 97–99% sodium chloride, but there are some additives used to make it work as table salt. These include sodium iodate, sodium iodide, and potassium iodide.
Iodine is added to culinary salt to prevent iodine deficiency in humans, which can cause serious illness. There are also minute amounts of dextrose, to control the iodine.
Other additives in this salt include fluoride and iron, as well as anti-caking ingredients that prevent the salt from clumping during storage. Like canning salt, table salt also has fine granules, hence, the need for anti-caking agents.
Table salt, as its name implies, is stored in a salt shaker and made for sprinkling during mealtime. You don’t need much of it and a shake or two is enough to improve the flavour of a dish, such as a salad. A salt shaker is relatively open with its tiny holes, but you don’t need to worry much about clumping because of the anti-caking agent found in table salt.
Table salt doesn’t dissolve well in pickle brine as canning salt, so if you use it in this way, you may find salt sediments at the bottom of the can.
Canning salt vs table salt as a substitute for other salts
Sometimes, running out of a particular kind of salt in your kitchen is unavoidable, hence the need to use a different type of salt for your recipe. If you only had canning salt and table salt available, when can you use each as a replacement?
Substituting kosher salt
Kosher salt is not ideal for baking, but it does work wonders on smoked meats, steaks, pasta water, seasonings and even margaritas. Kosher salt has a lighter flavour than other kitchen salts, can enhance your favourite dishes, and is considered a healthier alternative.
Table salt can be used as a substitute for kosher salt, but you need to modify the quantity. Due to the saltier flavour of table salt, you need to reduce the amount by half. If your recipe calls for a tablespoon of kosher salt, use half a tablespoon of table salt instead.
Canning salt, like kosher salt, is also a pure form of salt, making it a good substitute. You can swap kosher salt for canning salt, but the quantities to use will vary per application. Canning salt yields better results when pickling, while kosher salt works better for dry rubs.
Substituting sea salt
Sea salt is used as a seasoning for various dishes, including steaks, burgers, and vegetables. This contains no additives. It is ideal for making sauces, such as chili sauces.
Canning salt is the better option for substituting sea salt in your recipes. As both are very pure salts and have a similar level of saltiness, you can make a direct measure-for-measure replacement for sea salt using canning salt.
Table salt, meanwhile, isn’t as pure and tends to be saltier than sea salt. The substitution value tends to vary and depends on the quantity of salt and the size of the granules. Often, small quantities can be replaced directly, while more significant amounts would need some adjustment.
Substituting Himalayan pink salt
Himalayan Pink Salt is salt mined from the Khewra Salt Mine near the Himalayas, in Pakistan. It naturally contains other minerals, and these create its distinctive pink hue. Given the beneficial extra mineral content, Himalayan Pink Salt is also considered a healthier alternative.
Himalayan Pink Salt can be used as a seasoning for sauces, marinades, or regular salt. Some people use it as a cooking surface to add saltiness to meats on a grill.
While you can’t use canning salt as a grilling surface, you can use it directly as a substitute for Himalayan Pink Salt. Just use the exact quantities the recipe calls for.
Table salt, meanwhile, also uses the exact quantities as a substitute. However, larger quantities require minor adjustments due to the amount of saltiness.
Can you substitute one for the other?
You can substitute canning salt for table salt, but table salt doesn’t make a good canning salt substitute; it’s perhaps the worst salt substitute for pickling salt.
This is primarily because the anti-caking agents in table salts do not dissolve well. You’re likely to find residue at the bottom of the pickle jar when you use it to preserve fruits and vegetables.
Meanwhile, you can use canning salt when you’ve run out of your regular table salt. You can use the exact quantities without changing your dish’s flavour.
Summary
Canning salt and table salt add salty flavours to your foods but both have uses to maximize their properties. It’s best not to use them interchangeably, but that doesn’t mean you can’t substitute one for the other in a pinch.
It is best to have both on hand, especially if you love preserving.
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