Is cheap salt ok for baking or cooking?

London_Town

I've finally made a proper loaf in my Panansonic and having read the various bread making threads, now realise that my loaves weren't rising because I was using low salt.

So now I've been out to Sainsbury's and they do Basics salt for 34p a kg, called table salt. Next to it is something called cooking salt for twice the price. Then next to that there's a brand name like Saxo that you need to remortgage to buy.

Will the Basics salt be ok for baking bread? I can't see how it wouldn't be, but just wonder why anyone would pay more for salt?

I must add that my successful loaf was made with a few spare salt sachets from a very rare trip to KFC. Now, surely a fast food outlet will have the cheapest, nastiest salt ever, but it was still fine.

Please will someone wise enlighten me on this??!!!

madnotstupid

not completely sure what the difference is (except the price) - but I've only ever used cheap table salt for any cooking and have never found it to cause any problem

Big_Graeme

Salt is salt not an awful lot you can do to it. Table salt does have something added to it to keep it free flowing but other than that it is just NaCl.

tigerfeet2006

I never use the full amount of salt that my Panny recipes say. I have a grinder with rock salt in that I just give a few twists of into the pan. Never had a problem with a loaf

I have also Used the cheap stuff when needs be and never had a problem with it and again I have never used as much as the recipe says.

esuhl

Fancy rock salt seems to differ slightly in flavour, presumably because of the impurities. But once you add it to something, particularly if you bake it and the salt dissolves and spreads out, I don't think anyone could tell the difference.

Some salt (including the very cheapest) seems to have an added ingredient, which I think is to make it flow better (i.e. the crystals have less of a tendency to stick together). I guess that's only important if you want to put it in a salt shaker with small holes...

Anyway, I try to buy just plain salt (no added ingedients) to save me the bother of looking up a chemical name to see what it is, but I'm sure it's not harmful.

jackyann

I use plain salt in all my cooking - keep it in a jar by the cooker, with spoons handy for measuring.
I do put rock salt in a grinder on the table as I fancy it tastes nicer, looks nicer & feels like an "affordable luxury" to me.

Swan_2

I just use the cheapest salt for cooking & most breadmaking, I do what jackyann does & keep a jar by the cooker & the measuring spoons beside it

I have rock salt in a grinder for the table as well as table salt in a sprinkler (for chips ) the unground rock salt is also used as a topping for some olive oil breads & I have Maldon that's reserved for salted toffee, wouldn't dream of cooking with it though! & woe betide anyone who touches it other than me


one way that different salts do vary in a way that could affect your cooking ... if you're measuring with spoons rather than by weight, teaspoons or Tablespoons of different grades of salt will weigh differently

for example a teaspoon of fine table salt will weigh more than a teaspoon of coarse rock salt because the finer particles are smaller & settle closer together, possibly not critical most of the time but worth bearing in mind for sensitive recipes or if you're cutting down on salt


a cautionary salt tale ... I once made an egg enriched loaf in my breadmaker & the dough went absolutely mad, it was huge & tried to excape, it even stuck to the lid of the machine, it was like something out of the Blob horror movie :rotfl:
the finished loaf looked like a gigantic rectangular mushroom & it was only when we tasted it I realised I'd forgotten to put the salt in (salt helps control the action of the yeast)

rosie383

Swan wrote: »

a cautionary salt tale ... I once made an egg enriched loaf in my breadmaker & the dough went absolutely mad, it was huge & tried to excape, it even stuck to the lid of the machine, it was like something out of the Blob horror movie :rotfl:
the finished loaf looked like a gigantic rectangular mushroom & it was only when we tasted it I realised I'd forgotten to put the salt in (salt helps control the action of the yeast)

I did that too!!!! I never figured out that it was because I'd forgotten the salt at the time.It was like the magic porridge pot:eek:.
Took ages to clean up.

Swan_2

rosie383 wrote: »

I did that too!!!! I never figured out that it was because I'd forgotten the salt at the time.It was like the magic porridge pot:eek:.
Took ages to clean up.

lol, I can imagine! glad it's not just me does those daft things

the breadmaker had a window & I could see it growing & growing :eek: I was quite relieved when it got so big it covered the glass & I couldn't see what it was up to any more :rotfl:


PS ... I've not had a chance to try out those bread recipes you gave me ages ago as my kitchen's been getting decorated, for months (that'll teach me to accept 'help' from my big son) but I've got the correct semolina in now & will have a go soon

[Deleted User]

I use ordinary basic salt from the supermarket as salt is salt .In the salt pot I alway put a few grains of rice as it absorbs any slight dampness and keeps the salt free flowing.I couldn't say about bread as I don't make it (I actually have a bread maker as well,never used it either, its stuck on top of my kitchen cupboard) and as my right arm doesn't work so well it will probably sit there forever,climbing up to get it wouldn't be a good move .

Swan_2

JackieO wrote: »

I use ordinary basic salt from the supermarket as salt is salt .In the salt pot I alway put a few grains of rice as it absorbs any slight dampness and keeps the salt free flowing.I couldn't say about bread as I don't make it (I actually have a bread maker as well,never used it either, its stuck on top of my kitchen cupboard) and as my right arm doesn't work so well it will probably sit there forever,climbing up to get it wouldn't be a good move .

I have a couple of marrowfat peas in my salt cellar. I never thought of rice, it would certainly look nicer, I sometimes forget the peas are in there & wonder what's gotten into the salt!

you should get someone to go up & get that breadmaker down for you. I'd handmade bread for decades & never wanted one, but a friend gave me theirs as they never used it & now, although I still handbake, I love having the convenience of the machine too