What is in the secret sauce found in most restaurants?

After spending time and working in the food & service industry, we often times get asked, “what’s in the secret sauce?”

To be completely honest, it’s salt. But to dive deeper, it’s actually the kind of salt you use.

Now it sounds silly to say that one salt is saltier than another salt, but it’s completely true. We urge you to take your standard table salt (mostly iodized salt) and taste it side-by-side kosher salt. Table salt will have a much saltier, and somewhat more overwhelming saltiness per grain.

Now there’s a reason for why this is the case. Table salt is actually a dense, small, stacked cubic structure. Because it is literally stacked in layers, each grain is much denser than a flakier salt, like kosher salt.

History of Iodized Salt

The most common table salt used, is iodized salt, which does, in fact, contain iodine. The history behind this is as follows: prior to the 1920s, there was an iodine deficiency causing inflamed thyroids in many people, known as goiters. This occurred mostly in what was known as “the goiter belt region” - the Great Lakes, Appalachians, and the northwest area of the U.S - where 30-40% of the population endured this condition.

Because of this, Morton started producing salt with iodine to reduce iodine-deficiency problems and have since kept iodized salt on the shelves. However, due to the ample amount of iodine we already consume in our daily diets, there isn’t really much need to keep purchasing it. Instead, you can opt in to non-iodized salt for less of a metallic flavor.

Kosher Salt (*Chef’s Kiss*)

The reason kosher salt sits at the top of our pyramid is because of its course, large flakes, which allow anyone who cooks with it, more control over the dish’s overall taste and flavor.

If you’re starting to think that “controlling” the taste of your dish with table salt is easy, try it compared to kosher salt. It is much easier to over-salt a dish with standard table salt, than it is to over-salt with kosher salt. The quick-dissolving properties of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, allow for better judgement on if your dish is truly seasoned enough. Plus, due to its coarse, flakey structure, using more kosher salt doesn’t necessarily mean you’re adding an absurd amount of sodium. Think of table salt as a brick, while kosher salt is a feather. You can add much more kosher salt (a feather) to a dish and incrementally enhance the taste with each small pinch. However, it will be very difficult to incrementally add grains (or bricks) of table salt to a dish without accidentally adding too much. Case in point.