Try some Sel Gris on a meat product and you will be convinced and understand.
I also have three or four other "sea salts" for cooking and finishing depending on the dish I'm cooking and serving.
Having tried MANY salts, there is only one salt I ever use on my steaks. I use it prior to cooking them to season, and then put a light layer on a finished steak (if needed, usually not).
All the people I cook with can totally tell if I use it or not, and actually request it by name - Maldon. It's the ONLY salt I will ever use on steaks.
I would agree that if salt alone was applied as an overnight dry brine, or in a rub left overnight in the refrigerator before for a long cook, the average person would probably not be able to tell the difference. Because salt is hygroscopic in nature, it will equalize itself throughout the meat over time by means of osmosis until it reaches a point of equilibrium. Salt is also a balanced ionic compound, so it will can bond itself to virtually anything that has positive or negative ions.
But for something not left to sit before a long cook, I would agree with
MountainMan,
TXNewbie,
food4thot, and
SirPorkalot. Salting during or after a short cook or when grilling with specialty salts will undoubtedly produce different taste perceptions. Even if the perceived flavor is "saltier" as Mrs. Monkey Uncle replied to his inquiry.
We all know that commercially refined salts come in 5 different sizes, whether they be a refined table salt or a refined sea salt. These are all highly processed salts and will basically produce similar results and similar flavors. Yes, sea water is sometimes filtered and commercially evaporated before being ground to one of the five standard sizes. But this is no longer a natural product.
We all can agree that salt is a flavor enhancer, but I think the discussion MountainMan, TXNewbie, food4thot, and SirPorkalot are referring to in this thread and the other thread, are the naturally produced salts.
They can correct me if I am wrong, but I think they are referring to naturally formed sea salts.
MountainMan refers to Sel Gris (French Grey Sea Salt) which is grey due to the mineral content. Sel Gris has a damp like feel to it, but because it is a natural forming sea salt it has formed mineral rich crystals of many varied sizes, thus your taste bud / taste receptors perceive the salt differently changing the way our taste buds allow us to taste other flavors. food4thot referred to Celtic Sea Salt which is a similar product to Sel Gris from the United Kingdom.
TXNewbie refers to Maldon Sea Salt Flakes, parchment-like flakes of varied sizes provide a snap of texture and a brief explosion of pungency to steak, fresh vegetables, green salads, and wherever a more vibrant, salty presence is desired.
Unlike Sel Gris or Celtic Sea Salt formations, that are soft and moist; flake salts have dry, thin and brittle flakes that create bold, sparks of taste when eaten, thus bringing forth more of the natural flavors of the food item.
Refined table salt and refined sea salt are a more recent product of the industrial age when compared to the natural forming sea salts.
Sel Gris - is formed as the sea water flows into the Marshes in Guérande France during high tides. It was first harvested in
945 AD, and is still hand-harvested today by salt workers, to insure only the best possible quality of salt. This salt is favored by the top chefs in France and all around the world.
Fleur de Sel - A salt that forms as a thin, delicate crust on the surface of seawater as it evaporates. Fleur de sel has been collected since ancient times (mentioned by Pliny the Elder in the year
77 AD). Historically, the workers who harvested fleur de sel were women, because it was believed that these salt crystals were so delicate, they needed to be collected by "the more delicate sex." Because it is collected from the top of the salt marsh (like cream from milk), fleur de sel has been called "the cream of the salt pans." The name comes from the flower-like formation of crystals in the floating salt crust. This salt is also highly favored by the top chefs all around the world. Fleur de Sel has incredibly varied crystals that give only the most delicate, scintillating saltiness.
Maldon Salt Flakes - from Maldon Lake in Essex, England, a hard salt that resembles snowflakes. Flake salt was first manufactured in Maldon by accident
nearly 2,000 years ago, when the slaves of Casius Petrox overheated his bathwater. His slaves had inadvertently discovered a method of producing salt from sea water. Casius Petrox left the Roman Legion to produce salt because it was more economically lucrative than conquering and pillaging. Still produced and hand-harvested today, to ensure the old world traditional salt with the distinctive flaky texture, and taste that lends certain piquancy to virtually any dish.
Himalayan Sheppa Pink Salt - From the Punjab region of Pakistan, about 180 mi from the Himalayas. (It is falsely marketed as being from the Himalayas) Pink Salt was discovered around
326 BC when Alexander the Great stopped to rest and noticed the horses licking the reddish-pink (salt) rocks.[FONT="]
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[FONT="]If salt is just simply salt, how have these products remained a desirable commodity foe thousands of years in the free market when cheaper processed salts are readily available almost everywhere? Why do these remain a staple of prized chefs around the world?
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[FONT="]Because there is a difference.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]To say salt is just salt; is like saying cinnamon is just cinnamon. There are 4 different varieties of cinnamon, each having a distinct flavor profile from mild, slightly sweet, and to bitter. Yet the average consumer has no idea that these other varieties even exist, let alone which variety they are purchasing at the grocery store. Sadly, it seems that the majority of the products in the market are based on the cheapest prices, so many will never understand or experience different products in their life.
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[FONT="]It's like comparing a MacDonald's hamburger to your own freshly ground patty. Yes, many are happy to accept MacDonald's burgers and say there is no difference - beef is beef; but some will undoubtedly desire the higher quality and savor the flavor.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]It's not about the price because a higher price doesn't always mean a better product because there are imitations in the market, but an educated consumer knows the difference.
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[FONT="]It all come down to your personal preference and what you are willing to accept and what you want in the end product. But then again, you have never used these salt products.
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