If you’ve ever prepared a classic pizza dough or some gooey chocolate chip cookies, you may notice that many recipes don’t just call for salt –– they specify a specific kind as well, especially kosher salt. A lot of bakers swear by using this salt and no other varieties, including standard, run-of-the-mill table salt. But how important is it really to follow that guidance?
The short answer is that switching between different salt types is probably fine and won’t cause a disaster. Your muffins won’t explode, and your cake won’t sink into a sad, little pancake. Of course, there is one small caveat: It’s sometimes advised that you at least try to avoid sea salt in baking because it is less than ideal. Sea salt grains are less even in texture and shape, and for baking, it’s better if those grains are more even. That said, flaky sea salt is sometimes recommended for finishing baked goods like chocolate chip cookies (and it’s not generally a good idea to sub in table or kosher salt for this particular purpose). Otherwise, you can skip the sea salt in baking. Although in a pinch, it won’t cause real problems.
So, now that sea salt is pushed out of the way until you’re finished with your bake, you’re probably wondering, “What is the difference between table salt and kosher salt?” If you truly want to know the difference like a true professional, here’s what you should know.
What to know about baking with table salt
Table salt is the most common salt out there. It’s usually mined, and if you’re buying it at the supermarket (and there’s no other descriptor like “sea salt” or “kosher”), it’s probably simple table salt. Some bakers like using it because it has smaller crystals, which will disperse more evenly throughout a dough, making for more consistency. However, other bakers disagree, noting that different table salt brands sometimes vary in terms of saltiness –– potentially creating a less consistent flavor. Some complain that its taste is harsher and less pleasant than other salts, although there seems to be little agreement on this across the board. One other concern with table salt is that it sometimes has iodine added to it, which can add a slight metallic taste. Fortunately, you can simply buy non-iodized table salt. But if you’re stuck with iodized salt, remember that you’re likely using so little that the taste would be close to imperceptible.
One key difference is that due to its smaller crystals, table salt is heavier than most other varieties, including kosher salt. This means you’ll get more salt in a teaspoon of table salt compared to a teaspoon of kosher salt — so if you’re making substitutions, remember to factor this in if the recipe doesn’t specify a particular weight of salt. There are conversion guides online if you need them.
Is kosher salt really so amazing for baking?
Kosher salt has a fan club that includes Ina Garten, with some cooks swearing by it for all kitchen uses, including baking. They like that it doesn’t have iodine, avoiding that chemical flavor. Some say that it also has a milder taste that works well for baking. You should bear in mind that it has larger grains, though. Some bakers claim that this makes the salt dissolve slower and that, as a result, it will spread more evenly throughout a dough. This is questionable since the exact same point has been argued about table salt. But in any case, the main draw is the taste.
Those larger grain sizes can cause one problem with measuring: It’s a bit harder to measure kosher salt by volume (teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, and so forth), so some bakers say you should only measure it by weight for baking. Of course, this is hard to do if your recipe uses volume measurements and doesn’t specify the salt weight you need. There are conversion guides online if you need them, of course.
There are two big kosher salt brands out there on the market — Diamond Crystal and Morton — and kosher salt fans sometimes distinguish between them as well. Morton salt is denser and therefore saltier in taste than Diamond Crystal, which is why Diamond Crystal is sometimes flagged as the better option for baking. But at the end of the day, there’s no single right answer, so it’s best to try different methods and go with the one that works best for you.
