Our salts have been featured in Sunset Magazine!
Salt is the single most effective way to enhance the flavor of virtually everything you eat. Salt is also the only universal food, used in every culinary tradition of every culture of the world. Sprinkle an artisan-made salt on a favorite dish and it will yield undiscovered realms of new flavor, texture, and beauty. Our collection of gourmet salts from around the world ranges from tried and trusty artisan sea salts for day-to-day use to super rare & exotic gourmet salts for special occasions. The categories of gourmet salt (and described below ) are organized by basic type, from the classic fleur de sel to the playful flake sea salts to savory smoked salts to gemstone-like quarried salts. We have the largest and most varied online selection of gourmet and artisan salts!
There are as many ways to use gourmet salt as there are ways to cook. As a general rule, you get the most from your gourmet salt (and from your food) by using as little salt as possible during cooking, then sprinkling your food with a finishing salt. Terms to describe how salt is used in cooking:
Finishing Salt - Salt for sprinkling on prepared food
Cooking Salt - Salt for roasting, brining, boiling water, & seasoning
Curing Salt - Salt for terrines & cured meat
The way gourmet salt responds to various food flavors, aromas, textures, moistures, and and colors depends on the mineral, moisture, and crystal properties of the salt:
Fleur de Sel – medium-mineral, moist, delicate granular crystals with mild saltiness great as everyday salt
Sel Gris – mineral-rich, wet, coarse but soft crystals for everyday cooking and for finishing bold moist foods
Flake Salt –low-mineral, dry, flakey crystals with bright, sparkly saltiness great for everyday use
Quarried Salt – medium-mineral, dry, mechanically ground hard crystals great for salt grinder
Coarse Sea Salt – from low- to high-mineral, dry crystals for dense-bodied foods or in grinder
Ground Sea Salt – low- to high-mineral, moist crystals, from rich to sharp saltiness, great as everyday salt
Himalayan Salt Blocks – quarried salt hand cut into plates for use in preparing and serving food
Salt Rocks – quarried salt broken up for use with grater, for decoration, or any creative use.
Smoked Salt – various types of salt smoked with hardwood (usually) to bring new aroma, flavor, and color
Flavored Salt – various salts blended with potent ingredients to achieve more than the sum of their parts
Call us any time to discuss your gourmet salt needs, or refer to the in-depth resources we offer online.
Quick references: Gourmet Salt Starter Guide | FAQ | Gourmet Salt Usage Chart
