Why Is Kosher Salt Called “Kosher” Salt?

Published on Thursday, October 25, 2007, by Melissa Wagenberg Lasher / Edit Post

According to Morton Satin of the Salt Institute, the industry’s trade association, the name stems from the salt’s original use: to draw blood out of meat so that it meets the dietary rules set by Jewish law. (The Bible sanctions against ingesting blood and commands the use of salt to draw out the blood.) While table salt’s fine grains would disintegrate if slathered on a side of beef—potentially making for one very salty brisket—kosher salt’s larger crystals wouldn’t all dissolve. “Both the blood and salt wash off,” says Satin. The process is sometimes called koshering.

Kosher salt, like most mass-produced salts, does also happen to be kosher—that’s to say, it contains no additives and has been certified as kosher by a rabbi or an authorized organization. (To debunk one common myth, kosher foods do not receive a rabbi’s blessing.) Sometimes small producers don’t bother having their products certified. Salts that have been certified kosher are marked as such with a circled K or U on the label.

Kosher salt has a coarse texture, which makes it easier to gauge and control how much you’re using. That makes it more popular with chefs than table salt. Some say it has a cleaner taste than table salt. And those large crystals sure do perch up well on a margarita glass.

But bakers beware: Kosher salt weighs at least 26 percent less by volume than table salt. That means if you use a 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt in a recipe calling for 1/4 teaspoon of table salt, you’re adding too little. And different brands of kosher salt have different-size flakes, says Susan Reid, editor of The Baking Sheet newsletter from King Arthur Flour. That makes it hard to come up with an absolute rule of thumb for substituting kosher salt for table salt in recipes. Reid recommends this method: When a recipe calls for a teaspoon of table salt (or 1/4 or 1/2, etc.), use a rounded teaspoon (or 1/4 or 1/2, etc.) of kosher salt. The CHOW test kitchen, which always uses Diamond brand kosher salt, follows a 1-to-2 ratio of table to kosher salt.

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POST A COMMENT |10 Comments

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  • Mangojane, I'm glad I'm not the only one who picked up on a representative of the Salt Institute having such an appropriate name...

  • Melissa,

    This is not strictly true

    "Kosher salt, like most mass-produced salts, does also happen to be kosher—that’s to say, it contains no additives"

    I used to think it was true until I discovered that any brand of Kosher salt I cared to look at contained anti-caking agent to keep the salt from clumping. I've got a box of Morton's Kosher salt in my kitchen now that contains yellow prussiate...+READ

    Melissa,

    This is not strictly true

    "Kosher salt, like most mass-produced salts, does also happen to be kosher—that’s to say, it contains no additives"

    I used to think it was true until I discovered that any brand of Kosher salt I cared to look at contained anti-caking agent to keep the salt from clumping. I've got a box of Morton's Kosher salt in my kitchen now that contains yellow prussiate of soda.-COLLAPSE

  • The circle with a K inside it is the symbol of OK Kosher Certification, a well respected organization. The administrator is R. Don Yoel Levy.

    http://www.ok.org/Content.asp?ID=13

    There are many registered kosher symbols. Each is as reliable as the people behind it. If you see a symbol new to you it can be researched to find out what their standards are. But the OK and OU are accepted by...+READ

    The circle with a K inside it is the symbol of OK Kosher Certification, a well respected organization. The administrator is R. Don Yoel Levy.

    http://www.ok.org/Content.asp?ID=13

    There are many registered kosher symbols. Each is as reliable as the people behind it. If you see a symbol new to you it can be researched to find out what their standards are. But the OK and OU are accepted by almost all kosher consumers.

    Ruthie of America-COLLAPSE

  • The U (inside an O) stands for the Orthodox Union, one of the groups that certify that a product is kosher.

  • Does anyone else find it hilarious that a guy named Morton works for the Salt Institute? Also--I've always been confused about the circled U and K. Does the U mean unkosher or kosher?

  • I feel your pain, happyclaired. I haven't found anywhere at all that stocks it over here in the UK yet, and I haven't found a local substitute that's half as good.

    I'm lucky enough to be married to a fine Texan gal, so we typically bring back a couple of large boxes any time we visit the States. We get some odd looks heading through customs, but a 1kg box typically lasts us for about a year. May...+READ

    I feel your pain, happyclaired. I haven't found anywhere at all that stocks it over here in the UK yet, and I haven't found a local substitute that's half as good.

    I'm lucky enough to be married to a fine Texan gal, so we typically bring back a couple of large boxes any time we visit the States. We get some odd looks heading through customs, but a 1kg box typically lasts us for about a year. May be worth a try if you know anyone States-side, or if you ever visit.-COLLAPSE

  • Hello, I live in the UK, and I can't find Kosher salt anywhere, I tend to use flaked sea salt instead. Does anyone know of a supplier in the UK? Many thanks!

  • I bake with Morton's Kosher but grind it in my hand pestle first for better distribution, if it doesn't have liquid to dissolve into. Sometimes I like the zap of a flake, 'tho.

  • Diamond brand kosher salt needs a 1-2 ratio of table to kosher salt, but Morton kosher salt (which I use) is 1 to 1 1/2 (source, Cook's).

  • I love cooking with Kosher salt but baking is something different. Whenever I add Kosher salt in my baked goods (with the dry ingredients) I find that Kosher salt never really dissolves properly and my cookies end up having really salty parts.