What I learned today (Take Two)

Mine is Himalayan Pink salt, which is considered better for you than regular sea salt. Himalayan pink rock salt is said to contain a wide range of trace minerals the human body needs. These minerals include zinc, magnesium, potassium, iron, sulfur, and many more. Most importantly, it provides essential sodium to the human body. This salt is unrefined, unprocessed, and free from chemicals, which makes it better than many salts.

[Jenise]

I only use two salts: Diamond Crystal for cooking and Maldon for finishing. I have Penzey's Pepper (a very finely ground three-pepper blend) for cooking and tellicherry black in a grinder for finishing. (And white is in the pantry for certain dishes in which I consider it essential, like hot and sour soup). No need for different colors!

[Jenise]

A few days ago I found -- I'm going to sound like Larry here -- Portland brand mustard curry hot sauce on a clearance shelf at the local Co-op. My brother is a huge fan of bottled sauces so I bought one for him and tasted it later at his house. OMG it's good! This stuff calls for a pastrami or corned beef taco, it really does.

We go with three basic salts: Morton's kosher, Maldon, and Baleine fine sea salt. Morton's was the first kosher that I used and I prefer it to Diamond Crystal. In addition to these, we have a pantry full of all kinds of salts, from Himalayan Pink to Hawaiian Black to Fleur de Sel, and many more. These have been accumulated through our own purchases while off on vacations and as gifts from others. It's kind of ridiculous as these just sit on the shelf while we go though boxes of the other three.

Pepper is Costco's black pepper in one mill for the kitchen and one for the table. I wish they still carried the Tellicherry at Costco but those days appear to be over. White pepper is in the spice drawer, and there might be some pink there as well.

In our house Diamond Crystal and Maldon by the stove. Coarse sea salt in table grinder (I know no difference in fresh grinding for salt, but what Betsy likes). Fine sea salt in pantry that Betsy uses in sourdough.Like Mike, some gift salts (Himalayan etc) in cabinet but mostly ignored. Also some gifted Momofuko flavored salts (I actually use the Savory one sometimes)
Tellicherry in grinders by stove and on table. White pepper in spice cabinet (mignonette, Asian dishes). I think pink peppercorns as well, but not sure what she uses them for.

I know, I know... every cooking show, every chef video, every cookbook says you should use Diamond Crystal. I just don't get it. (Yes, I have read all about the structure of the crystals but, as salt-by-weight is what matters, so trim your measures!

I don't have a lot of gift salts. I recently used up the chunky, hand-harvested stuff that a friend brought me from the Camargue; I'm looking for a suitable replacement. I suppose Malden would do...

I know, I know... every cooking show, every chef video, every cookbook says you should use Diamond Crystal. I just don't get it. (Yes, I have read all about the structure of the crystals but, as salt-by-weight is what matters, so trim your measures!

I don't have a lot of gift salts. I recently used up the chunky, hand-harvested stuff that a friend brought me from the Camargue; I'm looking for a suitable replacement. I suppose Malden would do...

I like Diamond Crystal, which I use on occasion. One thing I like about it is the simple ratio of DC to table salt: 2:1. Morton Kosher Salt is 1.50:1. I also think DC makes a superb salt to sprinkle on a steak. It doesn't turn to sludge, and the shape fools the tongue and gives a salty flavor even when using less.

So I've had a continuing issue with my ice cream. When I take it out of the ice cream freezer, it's a soft-serve consistency. Once it's transferred to the regular freezer, it stays reasonably soft for four or five hours, but by the next day it's hard as rock. It gets difficult to serve neatly, and I don't like letting it sit out to soften. Then I heard something about adding a little vodka to the ice cream mix prior to freezing in order to lower the freeze temp. (I think this might be a David Lebovitz trick but I'm not sure.) I tried using a half tablespoon of a very strong vodka the first time I did this (which would be the equivalent of about a tablespoon and a half of 80 proof). This was a little much, and it never went beyond that soft-serve state. When I made the Thia basil ice cream this last time, I used about a half a tablespoon of the strong stuff, and this worked really well. It's solid after a couple of days in the freezer but still scoopable. This is a huge advance for me!!!

Congrats on finding a happy technique! I think all ice creams act like you describe - mushy from the churn, solid after a day in the freezer - but I'm usually fine to let it sit out a bit. But I'm always up to learn something so I will KIM for my next batch.

[Jenise]

I know, I know... every cooking show, every chef video, every cookbook says you should use Diamond Crystal. I just don't get it.

What the texture and lower sodium do is help ensure you don't oversalt. I keep a salt cellar with a laterally adjustable lid next to the stove and an identical one on my prep station--I can one-handedly open it just slightly for a direct pour or open it more fully for sprinkling from my fingers. I was sold the first time I used it and have never gone back. I once had a box of Morton's, which is too hard and salty, because once I couldn't find DC and was miserable until I could find DC again. If the difference isn't immediately obvious to you, then I don't know what to say...sure was to me!

The test I instruct friends to do or do for them to demonstrate the difference? Cut open cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle each with a little of the contenders. Choose your favorites. Most immediately pick DC and Maldon among the finishing salts, but not everyone.

[Jenise]

At a restaurant in Vancouver, for the first time I ever I had sauteed squid strips. Not breaded or deep fried, just natural in a sour-spicy sauce not unlike Buffalo wing sauce, but with more butter and wine. Really really good, was my favorite thing we ate that night. It surprises me, on reflection, that preparations like this aren't more common.

If the difference isn't immediately obvious to you, then I don't know what to say...sure was to me!

There's definitely a difference, but I prefer Morton's. Most of my salting is done freehand, sprinkling into stuff, and I've gotten pretty good at knowing how much to sprinkle in to a given dish. When we had the box of DC, I had to adjust and it was a pain. If I were measuring, and certainly if I did more baking, I might go to DC. But for what I do and how I do it, I like the Morton's.

[Jenise]

Mike, one size doesn't fit all. And it has a lot to do with what you get used to.