Thread: Sea salt

Originally Posted by welshwizard

In the UK our salt mines are deposits from the sea when it covered the land millions of years ago. I think if you go back far enough, salt originated on land and was washed into the oceans. I've always thought of table salt as sodium chloride.

Natrium is just the latin name for sodium, that is why the chemical symbol is Na. Table salt comes from a number of different sources, what you get is largely dependent on where you are.

In most places, salt is mined from underground deposits, this is prehistoric sea salt. Salt is also produced commercially by evaporation of brine from natural sources, oceans, salt lakes, salt springs etc.

Most table salt contains additives to improve its pourability and also contains and iodine dietary suppliment.

You can make sodium chloride by reacting sodium hydroxide (lye) with hydrochloric acid, but this is not done on a commercially. In fact, most sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid is produced via processes that start with sodium chloride as a raw material, so there would be little reason to go the other way to reconstitute the salt.

Originally Posted by JMS

and depending on your location you might get pink salt or black salt and I have found that the flavor varies from mild to fairly sharp depending on where you get the seawater.

And depending on who's, or what's, bowels it passed through last!

Originally Posted by honedright

And depending on who's, or what's, bowels it passed through last!

Yep! Good stuff!!

Originally Posted by JMS

It is a fairly good guarantee but not 100% guarantee if you are only getting your water from heavily moving sources such as lots of waves that it will be clean enough for human consumption.

Nowadays our oceans are so polluted that i would recommend to filter the water or use at least some sort of chemical purification before distilling it to salt.

Ship wastes, not only oil but such as pilge water, black and gray water can travel hundreds of miles and it is not always visible or tastable. Nowadays there are also other wastes such as phosphorus and small amounts of mercury and cadmium.
Biological waste dies when boiling but unorganic bugs might remain.

An interesting read - regardless of it's origin, refining salt is not good.

Himalayan Salt - The Purest Salt on Earth with Amazing Health Benefits

Most sea salt has anti clumping agents & iodine added, and table salt, kiln dried at 2500 C, usually has preservatives & fluoride added as well

Unrefined salt has upto 84 different elements to it, apparently that profile is beneficial to our physiology.

Originally Posted by ofelas

An interesting read - regardless of it's origin, refining salt is not good.

Himalayan Salt - The Purest Salt on Earth with Amazing Health Benefits

Most sea salt has anti clumping agents & iodine added, and table salt, kiln dried at 2500 C, usually has preservatives & fluoride added as well

Unrefined salt has upto 84 different elements to it, apparently that profile is beneficial to our physiology.

Yes, refined sea salt literally has all the goodness removed from it which is why they say salt is not good for you, but, in its unrefined state it has many trace elements required by the human body.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Fish poop in the ocean y'know. I've never used salt in my food. I don't even buy the stuff. I do have a box of coarse kosher salt in the cabinet for radical cleaning of tobacco pipes but never add it to food. Just never cared for the stuff. Not good for the arteries if used in excess .... or so I've heard.

Salt much like everything else we commonly eat is necessary in moderation and can be harmful in excess, ever hear of Hyponatremia, or iodine deficiency? Table salt provides small amounts of iodine to avoid this very problem. Sea salt taste better and is less toxic than refining and bleaching, but it does not contain iodine and in deveolving countries people can suffer from iodine decficenies among a host of other things. Luckily it's problably in most of the foods you eat whether you know it or not and it is a vital part of our diet! without it we die! Sodium and Chloride have important roles in cellular biology. oh and cow's/pigs/dogs/horses/cats/etc. poop on land! They can pick it up and fertilize your fruits and vegatbles with it...yummy! I love my fruits and vegetables!

Cool!

I live by the ocean, I will definitely try this out! Thanks for posting!

I love sea salt. If its too coarse for the use, just put some in a pepper grinder!

Sea salt does not contain iodine -- it evaporates fairly quickly -- and contributes to the briny smell at the ocean. Sea vegetables like Irish Moss and nori do contain decent amounts of naturally occurring iodine. The issue you need to be aware of with evaporated sea water as your source of sea salt is the likely presence of heavy metals in the salt. Elements like strontium, cadmium, mercury, and lead are very toxic if consumed even in modest quantities. Commercial sea salts have been tested for heavy metals before packaging, or have been filtered to remove these elements.

Just a precaution to be aware of...

Originally Posted by ofelas

Most sea salt has anti clumping agents & iodine added

Iodine added to prevent iodine deficiency and resulting goiter from hypothyroidism.

A big problem amongst poor peoples with poor diets. Not so sure of it's necessity these days, at least in the US.