What is the best salt?

[tonyp0387]

Hi People,


I think since I started on this forum about a month ago , I  now understand pizza much better. This is a very helpful site!!! . I was reading a post by Peetza about
salt yesterday. It was posted at the Lehmann NY  Dough recipe page 31 (I think) which he stated Tom Lehmann has never mentioned anything about the type of salt to use  when making his dough!!!!!!!!!! sea salt, kosher, table etc...
http://www.pmq.com/mag/2006august/article.php?story=inlehmannsterms

Read the page. Lehmann states it does not matter what kind of salt you use.......I THINK THIS IS HARD TO BELEIVE!!!!!!!!!!! What is everybody's elses opinion about this matter?
I'm starting to think that Lehmann is more concerned with efficiency than quality. Well, what does everybody else think about this subject? Can you just use your table salt like lehmann says, or does the type or brand of salt really make a difference?

thanks
 tony p

EDIT (1/25/13): Since the above link to the article on salt is no longer operative, see the Wayback Machine link to the same article at http://web.archive.org/web/20080121183435/http://www.pmq.com/mag/2006august/article.php?story=inlehmannsterms

[Bryan S]

I voted sea salt because that's the most purest form of salt, and what i use the most. I also use Sea Salt for pizza making and all my cooking but will also use Kosher at times. I never use table salt/iodine salt ever. When cooking, I use fresh ground pepper from my many pepper mills along with fresh ground sea salt from the salt mill.

[tonyp0387]

Bryan,

Can you taste difference in your dough?

[November]

I never use it in cooking, but potassium chloride is my favorite salt because it's radioactive.

- red.november

[Pete-zza]

tony p,

I think Tom Lehmann’s recommendation of ordinary table salt for making pizza dough is based mainly on economics and the desire to keep things simple for himself and pizza operators—his primary constituency. If you look at the cost of the La Baleine fine sea salt (the one that Evelyne Slomon uses in her business) in relation to ordinary table salt, for example, as given at http://www.saltworks.us/shop/product.asp?idProduct=83, you will see that even at the wholesale level the La Baleine costs multiples of ordinary table salt (I paid $0.29 for a pound at retail). One could order the La Baleine salt by the pallet to get the price down even further, but a similar cost reduction would also apply to a pallet of ordinary table salt. If the typical pizza operator could see eye-opening differences when using sea salt, and could capitalize on it in some fashion, some of them might consider if. But, even then, I suspect that most wouldn’t because of the higher cost. I don’t think Tom Lehmann wants to become an expert on sea salts, and even Kosher salts, and to have to counsel operators on their use (or misuse).

Peter

[SLICEofSLOMON]

Hi All,

Let me clarify something here, I use Baleine sea salt at home not at the restaurant. It takes me almost a year to go through one container at home. In the restaurant we buy our sea salt in bulk from Giusto's and it's downright cheap: 7.50 for a 50 pound bag--comes to .15 cents a pound. As I've said before, Tom Lehmann's thing is commercial pizza, not artisan pizza, so using sea salt for the average operator doesn't make sense. However if you are using special flour, fresh mozzarella and San Marzano tomatoes for your pizza, you should be using sea salt. On the commercial level, if an artisan pizzaiolo is making the ingredient commitment, why scrimp on sea salt when it is clearly an inexpensive yet key ingredient. It is doubtful that one might actually taste the difference in a dough, but it goes beyond that. If you are committed to using only the finest and purest ingredients for your pizza, sea salt is the way to go. If you want to consider yourself an artisan pizza maker, you wouldn't use anything else. Artisan pizza is not just about technique, it is equally about making pizza with the purest essential ingredients. Every component of artisan pizza must be looked with the same importance. If you are only going to use flour, water, yeast and salt (and occasionally olive oil) they must all be of the same quality.

As for the extra expense for the home cook, you can purchase sea salt in bulk at health food stores and it is much cheaper than in a container like La Baleine. I like La Baleine, and I especially like the handy container, but I use so little that it doesn't really cost me that much in the long run. I use the Giusto's bulk for baking at home though, because I only use the La Baleine as a finishing salt condiment.

Also in general cooking, you certainly can taste the difference. I don't like the way regular table salt tastes. Once you get used to the pure flavor of sea salt, it becomes impossible to go back.

PS: At my restaurant we use sea salt on the tables as well...

Evelyne

[Bryan S]

Bryan,

Can you taste difference in your dough?

Not in the pizza dough but I did a salt test several years ago with my home made kraut. One crock i used Sea Salt and the other i used Kosher. We did a side by side taste test and the family and myself picked the Sea Salt kraut over the Kosher salt one. The amount used for kraut (3 TBS per 5lbs of shredded cabbage) is quite a bit compared to the minimal amount used in pizza dough.

[November]

We did a side by side taste test and the family and myself picked the Sea Salt kraut over the Kosher salt one.

That's somewhat predictable.  Calcium chloride, a component of sea salt, is used in cucumber pickling (i.e. dill pickles) because of how more reactive it is over sodium chloride, so it's a time tested and popular salt for pickling in general.

- red.november