Talk:Sea salt

There seems to be no reason to have this page. For one thing, sea salt is NOT sodium chloride (it contains sodium chloride). All of the information can be accomodated in the article salinity Marshman 00:40, 29 Jul 2003 (UTC)

You have to got be kidding me. A section of the taste of salt!!?? Salt is salt and it tastes like salt what is this nonsense about mouthfeel all salt tastes the same and its made of the same stuff. SALT!

I would have thought this article would discuss sea salt in cuisine, sources of sea salt used in cooking (there are several methods of manufacture - I've always wondered how the Brittany method worked exactly), whether it really tastes different, etc - but I see that this is all scientific bits that would be OK for salinity. Stan 01:41, 29 Jul 2003 (UTC)

I agreed (in VFD -- disagreed with myself) that there would be value in keeping sea salt for this other information Marshman 07:03, 30 Jul 2003 (UTC)

I don't see the fuss about having a separate article on sea salt. It's a common item in supermarkets and it is useful to know about it's specific properties and which ones are facts rather than urban legends. --Theorize (talk) 06:03, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

Since sea salt is sometimes touted as a natural more healthy alternative to common table salt, it seems to me entirely appropriate to include a factual article about it. In my search to identify it's constituents, all the breakdowns I have seen are in terms of atomic composition as opposed to molecular composition. The latter would arguably be far more useful in determining any potential health benefits and in understanding the effect of sea salt on the human body. E.g, I believe one of sea salts molecular constituents is Magnesium Sulphate, a laxative.Emansnas (talk) 05:57, 13 April 2009 (UTC)

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• sea salt - This page is somewhat redundant with salinity. I suggest deletion after material under sea salt (which has value) is moved to salinity. Marshman 01:06, 29 Jul 2003 (UTC)
  • I've gone ahead and moved material out of sea salt into salinity. Now I see there is also a page sea water. This too seems a redundant topic that could be blended into salinity. I'm open to suggestions as sea water is a common term -- but I note if one types seawater (also correct), one is transported to Oyster culture. Marshman 01:38, 29 Jul 2003 (UTC)
  • I guess I'm just talking to myself here ~ But went ahead and created a redirect from seawater to sea water. I'm now inclined to think we want to keep sea water and persue slightly different thoughts under salinity and ocean-only sea water Marshman 02:15, 29 Jul 2003 (UTC)
  • Sea salt has a seperate meaning as a culinary term, I added some information on this aspect. SimonP 20:25, Jul 29, 2003 (UTC)
    • I removed a statement that sea salt is typically <20% salt. In most countries anything sold as "food grade" salt must be at least 95% NaCl, and raw seawater mineral content is typically about 75% NaCl. Ref: Codex Alimentarius http://www.ceecis.org/iodine/07_legislation/00_mainpage/codex_food_grade_salt.pdf Chuck
  • Sea salt has historial importance. For example, the salt march of Mohandas Gandhi is a classical example of nonviolent disobedience. Somebody should add a section about history of sea salt in the article. wshun 23:05, 29 Jul 2003 (UTC)
    • I agree, the more technical aspects should be under sea water and salinity / sea salt could be used for the culinary and social/historical aspects of this important substance. Marshman 23:41, 29 Jul 2003 (UTC)
    • Keep Sea Salt for Culinary and cultural information reasons, very distinct from sea water. RB-Ex-MrPolo 06:56, 31 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Suggestion: merge

I suggest this article is merged with the article "Edible salt". --Eleassar777 11:56, 14 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Indeed. Now that's a sensible merger. --Wetman 11:58, 14 Mar 2005 (UTC)

There has also been a massive omission of Cayman Sea Salt.See caymanseasalt.com

• Not a bad suggestion. I'm starting to wonder whether Table salt should cease to be a redirect, since some people consider it to be synonymous with sodium chloride, whereas others with edible salt. --Rebroad 14:35, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

Enough With The Suggestions To Get Rid Of This Page

I found this page by searching for "sea salt" in wikipedia. So stop believing your suggestions are what's best for the readers. I never would have assumed to search for this information udner "salinity", or even "edible salt", as Sea Salt is marketed and known by this name.

• I second this. Chefs and gourmands regard sea salt as distinct from table salt as an ingredient in recipes; this should be enough reason to distinguish the two. --Soultaco 21:58, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

• There is a reason for this page. But I do have a porblem with the "some claims" of a different taste. I beleive that the einstein reference says it doens't "necesarily" taste different, which is true. And it's not necesarilly different for peopel avoiding salt in their diet. The way the article is worded however, implies that some people claim it can *never* be distinguished. The different taste should be one of the main concerns of this article. Also the einstein book

http://www2.wwnorton.com/catalog/spring02/001183excerpt.htm gets the whole cooking pasta issue wrong. You add salt after it boils, because salt water takes longer to boil, you add salt with the pasta, so that the saltiness cooks into the pasta, so that salt is more evenly distributed in the dish. So I dont' trust teh book entirely. Another important point here is that most salt used today is a bi-product of oil discovery and production, that's why salt is so cheap. mjolsnes Oct 2006

• The people that think "Salt is just salt" have no idea what they are talking about. There is a HUGE difference between sea salt, and salt that is mined or quarried. Also, there is a lot of variation to all of the salts. Do you homework. There are at least 100 different types of salt out there with different tastes, qualities, and minerals.Magneteye (talk) 22:07, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

Content for Water Cure

I propose adding a section to this article regarding the belief of using unrefined, pure sea salt, as an alternative medicine. Details can be found at www.watercure2.com. It's relevant to at least have a link to an approriate page that documents this belief.

Wow

who knew so many people cared this much about salt?

Health benefits?

The Taste section currently begins, "Its purported health benefits notwithstanding…". What purported health benefits are those? —mjb 04:10, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Health Benefits

"Its purported health benefits notwithstanding, gourmets believe sea salt to be superior to ordinary table salt."

This sentence references purported health benefits which are never discussed in the article.

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I would be curious to see any info related to the impact of sea salt on hypertension as compared to regular salt's impact. There seems to be less Na per gram in sea salt, and Na is what is usually blamed for increasing blood pressure, but is there any evidence to say that sea salt is better for you? Tom Hubbard (talk) 20:58, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

Caveat emptor

Many consumer brands of sea salt are pure sodium chloride. It's just refined from seawater instead of rock salt. These brands sell a salt that tastes no different but has a different texture (usually coarser) than garden-variety "table salt". Buyers should check that what they're buying is unrefined seawater evaporate, if they really want the sea salt that doesn't taste like a purified chemical. That's what sodium chloride tastes like to me. 68.121.165.9 20:13, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Ths raises a good point- what, exactly, is the "legal" definition of "sea salt". The reason I visited this page was to see what the FDA (or whomever) requires - Just like "organic" or "natural", these labels are getting harder to figure out! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.123.160.138 (talk) 22:29, 3 January 2009 (UTC)

Misleading?

I'm a little concerned about this statement:

"However, unrefined sea salt contains many important minerals that regular iodized table salt does not contain."

Does it contain them in amounts that are significant to a person's health? If not, I think this assertion is somewhat misleading. I mean a Snickers bar contains important minerals too, but people don't really consider them especially healthy...

Forgot to sign! Actionsquid

okay well i gotta question does anyone know how it is transported? its homewrk that is the only reason im on this thing! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.238.114.153 (talk) 21:59, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Calcium and potassium are definitely important for health, but they're also easy to get from other sources. It'd be incorrect to say sea salt has no health benefit, but it'd be naive to think it's a significant one over, like, vitamin pills. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.73.70.113 (talk) 03:20, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

Taste and health

"Gourmets often believe sea salt to be better than ordinary table salt in taste and texture, though one cannot always taste the difference when dissolved." This sentence needs some rewording to sound less biased.

"However, unrefined sea salt contains many minerals that regular iodized table salt does not contain, such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, sulfate, and traces of others (including heavy metals such as mercury, lead, and cadmium, as well as strontium)." sounds really interesting. I would really like to know more about the possibility of heavy metals in sea salt, but I haven't been able to find anything conclusive with regular internet searches. Can someone contribute more information here? --Theorize (talk) 05:59, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

I found the page through a Google search on "Sea Salt" because I was curious about the potential for heavy metals in sea salt. I would indeed love to see more information on this one. If it's just evaporated sea water, shouldn't there be all kinds of nasty things in there? I use sea salt and now I wonder. AncientWolf (talk) 22:42, 15 April 2009 (UTC)AncientWolf

What Einstein told his cook

The following book:

• Wolke, Robert L.; Parrish, Marlene (2002). What Einstein told his cook. W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 49–55. ISBN 0393011836.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

asserts the following:

• Salt harvested by solar evaporation of sea water produces salt that is 10 times as concentrated in sodium chloride as normal salt water.
• Sea salt sold in the stores may not necessarily have been taken from the sea.
• The flavor benefits of sea salt come from the fact that they are produced by slow evaporation techniques, yielding flakes instead of cubes.

Does commercial sea salt include less Sodium than regular table salt? It doesn't sound like it.—RJH (talk) 21:38, 27 March 2009 (UTC)

Downsides to Sea Salt

With our oceans and seas so polluted, what does this do to salt that is harvested from the sea? Does anyone know what downers there might be to injesting sea salt?