Salt snob

I admit it: I’m a salt snob.

I look with disdain at the ordinary salt shaker gracing most restaurant tables. It may as well be road salt given its full-on assault on the senses.

I checked my cupboard recently and counted eight different types of salt. Here is the low down on each of them.

Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.
This is our everyday salt. Its lovely pinchable flakes and subtle flavour makes it a hands-down winner. At about $5 for a large box, it's also a bargain! Check out my Canadian Family recipe for chicken baked in a salt crust and give it a try because the chicken is so moist and tender.

Fleur de Sel
Fleur De Sel de Guérande is known as “the caviar of salts” and is acclaimed by many chefs as the best of all sea salts. The delicate flavour and moist texture make this the ideal finishing salt.

Salish Himalayan de Guérande
Himalayan Pink Salt is harvested from ancient sea salt deposits deep in the Himalayan Mountains. Gives lasting minerally (in a good way) flavour. We love it on popcorn!

Salish Sea Salt
Salish Sea salt is cold-smoked over red alderwood for 24 hours. Salish gives food a delicious essence of smoke flavour. Try on salmon, red meat or baked potatoes.

Oak Smoked Fleur de Sel
Oak smoked fleur de Sel is cold-smoked over oak wine barrels that have been used for years to age fine Chardonnay wine. Use as a finishing salt on salads, veggies, meat...almost any dish on which you want a smoky kicker.

Hawaiian Sea Salt
Hawaiian Sea Salt is the traditional salt used in Hawaii to season and preserve. It contains purified Alae clay which is high in minerals and gives the salt a mild taste. Try mixing the coarse salt with herbs and use as a spice rub; it seals in the natural moisture of meats.

Cyprus Mediterranean Salt
Cyprus Mediterranean Flake Salt is a unique pyramid shaped crystal. The texture and mild taste make this a versatile salt for use in cooking, baking and garnishing.

New Zealand Organic Sea Salt
New Zealand Organic Sea Salt is harvested from the deep, clear waters of New Zealand's North and South Islands. Our second choice for everyday salt.

Salt is the single most effective way to enhance the flavour of virtually everything you eat. Sprinkle one of the finishing salts on a favourite dish and it should add some new flavour or texture. Think of it as inexpensive indulgence to spice up your life.

Go ahead, toss the traditional salt shaker and be a salt snob.