Kosher salt - advice

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Mad Cook

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A lot of American recipes call for kosher salt. I know what it is but it is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to get hold of in the UK. Would coarse sea salt such as Malvern or Halen Mon or Fleurs de Sel make a suitable substitute?

And can any ex-pat Americans currently cooking in the UK please advise me if there is a British equivalent to semi-sweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate?

Thanks in anticipation
 
A lot of American recipes call for kosher salt. I know what it is but it is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to get hold of in the UK. Would coarse sea salt such as Malvern or Halen Mon or Fleurs de Sel make a suitable substitute?

And can any ex-pat Americans currently cooking in the UK please advise me if there is a British equivalent to semi-sweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate?

Thanks in anticipation

Coarse sea salt could be a fine substitute. A lot depends on the grain size when measuring by volume. In the US, kosher salt brands compared to table salt - one requires twice the measure while another calls for 1.5 times. So finding an equivalent measure may be an issue.
 
Coarse sea salt could be a fine substitute. A lot depends on the grain size when measuring by volume. In the US, kosher salt brands compared to table salt - one requires twice the measure while another calls for 1.5 times. So finding an equivalent measure may be an issue.
Thank you for this.
 
Coarse sea salt could be a fine substitute. A lot depends on the grain size when measuring by volume. In the US, kosher salt brands compared to table salt - one requires twice the measure while another calls for 1.5 times. So finding an equivalent measure may be an issue.
i agree with Andy. I think I'd go with the "less is more" theory and keep tasting until it tastes good.
 
I live in the U.K. and have just looked at my container of Kosher salt (can't remember where I bought it though - sorry) and it says on the pack -
"Lior" fine sea salt - product of Israel

Ingredients: Sea salt - anticaking: E500, E535, Free flowing E551.

I also checked on the Nigella Lawson cook's forums and found this
Bittersweet Chocolate | Kitchen Queries | Nigella Lawson

Hope they help :)
 
I live in the U.K. and have just looked at my container of Kosher salt (can't remember where I bought it though - sorry) and it says on the pack -
"Lior" fine sea salt - product of Israel

Ingredients: Sea salt - anticaking: E500, E535, Free flowing E551.

I also checked on the Nigella Lawson cook's forums and found this
Bittersweet Chocolate | Kitchen Queries | Nigella Lawson

Hope they help :)
Oh, thanks Acerbicacid. That's a great help.
 
I haven't used salt for years & years but I am slowly starting to use kosher salt in things I am happy I am. I really do think my cooking has improved.

too bad I can't ship you some kosher salt because if I could, I would.

Is it legal to mail salt to another country?
 
Mad Cook, in theory all salt is kosher. And thus the labeling is confusing and is not necessary true. In Russia, for example, same type of salt was simply called coarse salt, which is much more appropriate name. I'd look for any coarse salt which is used more for cooking as an opposite of table salt which grain is usually fine, at least in countries I have visited. If you know any professional chefs ask them what they use. I’m sure there is an equivalent in England.
 
Actually, Kosher salt should be called koshering salt as it's supposed to be the salt used in koshering meats.

Check this out: Kosher salt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yes, I believe it's called Kosher not because other salt isn't Kosher but because it's used to preserve meat under Kosher rules. I got there in my original search but thank you all the same.

I used to do quite a bit of salting of pork, beef etc., and I always used coarse sea salt - the same difference I think.
 
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LOL Kind of like "wine is wine", "cheese is cheese" and a "car is a car", right? :LOL:

My point is that kosher salt, sea salt and table salt, can be a sub for each other. I'm not talking ,pink , gray etc . which have a different flavor and texture. You don't use table salt on a pretzel, but you can use kosher or corse salt. The point is the taste is the same.
 
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