Salt, the Foundation of Flavor

Salt is an integral part of the cooking process. Without it, food becomes flavorless, lifeless, dull. However, too much of it can make even the most delicious foods absolutely inedible. Understanding how to find that perfect balance with the variety of salts now available on the market is one of the foundations of knowing how to cook.
As you have probably already noticed, there are many different kinds of salt out there: table salt, sea salt and rock salt. You might be thinking, “What’s the difference between these three? Don’t they all do the same thing?” Although it’s true that table salt, sea salt and rock salt are all used to flavor food, they are sourced and processed in very different ways and contain wide-ranging benefits.

Not that long ago, table salt was pretty much the only option, well, on the table. This cooking essential, produced by finely grinding and processing rock salt in order to remove any of its impurities, was ubiquitous in kitchens and restaurants for the better part of the 20th century. However, this process also removes beneficial minerals such as calcium and potassium and adds other substances like anti-clumping agents. Oftentimes, iodine has also been added in order to help with worldwide iodine deficiencies.

While rock salt is mined from the earth, sea salt is produced through the evaporation of seawater. Harvested by hand by salt marsh workers according to a traditional method that has been passed down from generation to generation, it may be used for both seasoning as well as cooking food and will subtly elevate the taste of all your preparations. Since it is usually more coarsely ground than rock salt, chefs often opt for its one-of-a-kind texture and larger flakes that provide extra flavor to any dish. At Peugeot, the unrivaled quality of Guerande salt, harvested from the Brittany coast in northwestern France, has been selected to highlight the cuisine of all home cooks. This wet salt is perfectly adapted to salt mills equipped with the patented Peugeot wet salt mechanism made of ceramic and guaranteed for life, like in the Oléron model (#29937, #29920), designed for adjustable, continuous grinding.