What distinguishes kosher salt from the dining room. The use of kosher salt in cooking

Often culinary amateurs come to a standstill, confronted in a recipe indicating that it requires kosher salt. Without being Jews, people begin to suspect that something exotic, difficult to obtain, and possessing some kind of almost mystical properties is required. Searches on the Internet, inquiries of more sophisticated cooks, almost visits to the synagogue - and all in order to find out what "kosher salt" means. At the same time, research is being conducted, which can be replaced if it does not find such an important ingredient. All these difficulties are useless: everything is much simpler than it seems at first sight.

Kosher salt: what is it and why is it called so?

First of all, it is necessary to understand that the mysterious term does not imply any intricate seasoning. Under it lies the well-known NaCl, which every housewife enjoys. Simply due to some physical and chemical features, kosher salt more quickly and qualitatively carries out a process called osmosis, that is, extraction from meat fibers of liquid. According to the rules of Jewish kashrut, eating blood is strictly prohibited. Therefore, to make the meat become kosher, all the blood is completely removed from it. First, it simply merges with the carcass, after the animal is placed in salt, which pulls out all the remains from it. Kosher salt got its name because it copes with it most effectively.

By the way, in order for it to become truly kosher, all the stages of its production should be conducted under the close supervision of the rabbis. If kosher salt is not bought in a specialized store, then it is not suitable for cooking, observing all the rules of the Jew. This seasoning simply corresponds to certain physicochemical characteristics.

Visual differences

What are the properties forced to render ordinary salt in a separate subspecies? First of all, the size and shape of its crystals. Kosher salt (photo) has much larger and coarser grains of irregular shapes. Due to the greater surface area, it has the best absorbing qualities. It also provides a faster solubility. Due to the size of the granules, there are also some misunderstandings: inexperienced cooks begin to believe that the kosher salt is "not so salty". At the very end, sodium chloride in it as much as in conventional cookery. Just the crystals are not so tightly packed in a spoon, resulting in sent to soup in smaller quantities.

Differences in composition

The next important point is the chemical components of the salt. In the usual salt, additional components are introduced. Their number is strictly regulated and amounts to an insignificant mass share. However, they affect the taste qualities (for an intelligent person). So, to prevent caking, sodium ferrocyanide is added to the fine salt, and sodium salt and calcium silicate are used to slow the curing.

Even more complicated is the composition of iodized salt. Iodine for the prevention of thyroid disease is extremely necessary, and why it is introduced into table salt. However, potassium iodide is a very unstable compound. To ensure that it does not decompose under the influence of moisture and heat, grape sugar, dextrose, is added to the seasoning.

All these additives are completely superfluous in the case of kosher salt. Because of the rough shape of the crystals, it does not cake, so it contains practically pure sodium chloride.

Application in Cooking

Chefs kosher salt is appreciated immediately for several reasons:

1. Rapid solubility. Thanks to her, to overdo the dish is difficult: all the salt almost immediately turns into a meal, without appearing brine later.
2. Lack of extra after-taste. This is especially important where there are various condiments that can change their culinary "sound" under the influence of chemical additives.
3. Drying properties, which gave the salt a name.

The most demanded kosher salt in meat and fish dishes, as well as in the preparation of all brines. So you can buy it in almost any supermarket. If you can not find the kosher salt, the dining room will serve as a "substitute", but not "extra", but rough, stone. Of course, it still has extra components in its composition, and its grain is not large enough, but it's good for home cooking.