What is the Difference Between Kosher Salt and Pickling Salt?

Kosher salt and pickling salt have different properties and purposes, making them suitable for different culinary applications:

1. Appearance: Pickling salt has fine granules, while kosher salt has coarser, uneven-shaped flakes. This difference in texture affects how they dissolve in food and brine.
2. Purpose: Pickling salt is used to create a pure, uncloudy brine for pickling vegetables, while kosher salt is ideal for drawing moisture out of meat and flavoring pasta water.
3. Density: Pickling salt is denser than kosher salt, so when converting between the two, you may need to use more than the pickling recipe requires.
4. Anticaking agents: Pickling salt typically contains only sodium chloride and does not have anticaking agents, which can make pickle brine cloudy. Kosher salt, on the other hand, may contain anticaking ingredients that prevent it from being a suitable substitute for pickling salt.

When choosing between kosher salt and pickling salt, consider the specific recipe and desired outcome. If you need a clear brine for pickling, use pickling salt, and if you need to draw moisture out of meat or flavor pasta water, use kosher salt. If a recipe calls for one type of salt and you want to substitute another, be sure to do so by weight instead of volume.

Comparative Table: Kosher Salt vs Pickling Salt

Here is a table comparing the differences between kosher salt and pickling salt:

Kosher salt has coarser grains and may contain anticaking agents, while pickling salt has very fine grains and is generally free of additives. Due to these differences, kosher salt can be used as a substitute for pickling salt, but you may need to adjust the measurement. However, pickling salt is not suitable as a substitute for kosher salt in cooking, as it may produce an opaque liquid.