Types of Salt - Which is the best for making pickles?

Of all the types of salt on earth, which is the best for making pickles? After all, they are all basically sodium chloride.

According to the Cook's Thesaurus, most recipes that call for it are referring to table salt, which has additives like iodine to prevent a thyroid disease, and an anti-caking agent so it will not get lumpy in humid weather.

The gourmet though, often prefer to use kosher salt for cooking, and sea salt for table use. They claim that both have a softer flavor than the table variety. Exotic types include the expensive French and the pink Hawaiian sea salts, the smoky, sulfuric Indian black salt, and the intensely salty Korean bamboo salt.

Specialized types of salt include pickling salt, which is free of the additives that turn pickles dark and the pickling liquid cloudy, and rock salt, used primarily to de-ice driveways and make cream (not inside the ice cream mixture but instead poured in the freezer!).

Pickling or canning salt

Pickling or canning salt is the best type for making pickles. This is similar to table salt, but lacks the iodine and anti-caking additives that turn pickles dark and the pickling liquid cloudy. Pickles made with table salt would still be good to eat, but they would not look as appetizing. Pickling salt is available in large bags or boxes in supermarkets, but it is hard to find in cities.

In addition to pickling or canning with it, you can also use pickling salt just as you would ordinary table salt, though without the anti-caking agents it may get lumpy if exposed to moisture. To prevent lumps, put a few grains of rice in your salt shaker. To get rid of lumps, spread the salt on a cookie sheet and bake in an oven. Do not substitute reduced-sodium salt for pickling salt when making pickles.

However, you can use kosher salt or table salt as substitute. For kosher salt, since it's not as dense as pickling salt, you will need to use more, but how much more varies by brand. Therefore, it is best to measure by weight rather than volume.

If table salt salt is used, the iodine in in it may turn your pickles dark, and the anti-caking agents may turn the pickling liquid cloudy.

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