Himalayan pink salt vs sea salt – which is best?
Himalayan pink salt vs sea salt in cooking – which is best? Well, I guess it depends on what you want to do with it. Is it for cooking, or is it for brining meat, or is it for food preservation or is it for baking?
What is the difference between sea salt and Himalayan salt?
When comparing Himalayan pink salt vs sea salt (and table salt) you may wish to consider things like:
- Taste
- Cost
- Convenience
- Ease of use
- Availability
- Perceived health benefits
Sea salt vs pink salt taste
Some people swear that sea salt and pink salt taste totally different from each other due to the difference in the number of trace minerals in each of them. Is there a difference – sea salt vs pink salt taste? Others say they cannot taste any difference when using Himalayan pink salt rather than sea salt, so I guess it is very much down to a personal choice when choosing which to use.
You definitely need to consider the cost of using Himalayan pink salt compared to sea salt, or table salt, in recipes as Himalayan pink salt is more expensive to buy.
Now let’s have a quick look at the types of salt on the market and compare them against each other.
Table salt
Table salt is a refined product. During the refinement process it is stripped of many of its trace minerals and is then blended with other agents until it becomes fine grains. You need to take this into consideration when using table sale compared to the larger crystal structure of Sea salt and Himalayan pink salt.
- Table salt – heavily refined
- Table salt is 97% to 99.9% sodium chloride
- Stripped of many its trace minerals
- Added anti-caking agent
- Added anti-clumping agent
- Plentiful and not expensive to purchase
Sea salt
Sea salt is created when seawater evaporates leaving behind dry white crystals (other colored salt crystals do naturally exist). Like table salt it is predominantly sodium chloride, however, it does not go through the same refinement process thereby retaining a larger salt crystal. Sea salt crystals contain trace minerals relative to where in the world they are mined, which add a layer of unique flavor.
- Sea salt – generally not refined
- Contains trace minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc
- Large crystalline structure
- Geographic differences in taste and colour
- Sea salt, rock salt, etc. readily available in supermarkets
- Middle pricing structure
Himalayan pink salt
Himalayan pink salt is mined in the Pakistan region, near the base of the Himalayan Mountains. It gets its pink coloring from the trace amounts of iron oxide within the crystals. It has a larger crystal structure than refined table salt, and sea salt, so it is recommended that only half a teaspoon of pink salt is used, rather than 1 full teaspoon.
- High levels of natural trace minerals
- No added iodine
- Larger crystalline crystal than table salt and sea salt
- Contains trace minerals such as iron oxide
- Not readily available – may need to order through a specialist supplier
- Most expensive compared to table salt and sea salt
Summary
With so many choices of salt on the market it is now possible to purchase both sea salt and Himalayan pink salt. Also remember to adjust the amount of salt used in recipes to allow for the different sizes of crystals. Okay, are you ready to buy and try each to see which one you prefer?
More ideas
Do you still want to learn more? Then why not head over to our other sections to find out more about salt, its uses, other salt products, and some quick and easy recipes?