Why Chefs Don’t Cook With Table Salt (And What to Use Instead)
If you’ve ever followed a recipe exactly and still thought, why does this taste off? there’s a good chance the issue isn’t the recipe.
It’s the salt.
Most professional kitchens avoid cooking with table salt, not because it’s “bad,” but because it’s harder to control and less forgiving. Once you understand why, choosing the right salt makes everyday cooking noticeably easier.
What Table Salt Actually Is
Table salt is designed for consistency, not cooking.
It’s:
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Extremely fine
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Highly processed
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Often iodized
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Very dense by volume
Because the grains are so small, table salt hits food all at once. A little too much can quickly tip a dish from seasoned to over-salted, especially when seasoning by feel.
It works well for baking, where measurements are precise. For savory cooking, it’s less cooperative.
Why Chefs Avoid It
Chefs aren’t trying to be fancy. They’re trying to stay in control.
Table salt makes that harder because:
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It’s easy to oversalt before you realize it
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It distributes unevenly on food
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It offers no texture or visual feedback
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Small differences in volume make big differences in taste
When you’re seasoning meat, vegetables, or eggs, you want salt that gives you room to adjust.
What Chefs Use Instead
Most chefs cook with kosher-style salt, often made from sea salt.
Why?
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Larger crystals spread out more evenly
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Easier to pinch and control
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More forgiving if you add a little extra
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Better texture on finished food
Crystal size matters as much as quantity. Bigger crystals season gradually and let flavor build instead of overwhelming a dish.
Where Kosher Sea Salt Fits In
Kosher sea salt combines two important qualities:
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Sea salt for clean, mineral-forward flavor
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Kosher-style crystals for control and consistency
That combination is why it’s so widely used in professional kitchens and why it translates so well to home cooking.
Salt doesn’t just make food salty.
It shapes how flavor lands on your tongue.
Why We Use Kosher Sea Salt at Summa Salts
At Summa Salts, we start every blend with coarse kosher sea salt on purpose.
It gives us:
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A clean, balanced salt base
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Crystals large enough to grind fresh
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Better texture and control for everyday cooking
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A salt that works for both cooking and finishing
We then grind fresh herbs, peppers, citrus, and spices directly into the salt, letting the crystals absorb the natural oils and aroma. The result isn’t a powder or coating, but a seasoning that releases flavor as you cook.
That’s why our salts work on simple food.
You don’t need complicated recipes.
You need better fundamentals.
What This Means for Home Cooks
Switching away from table salt:
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Makes seasoning more forgiving
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Improves consistency without measuring
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Enhances texture as well as flavor
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Helps simple meals taste intentional
Once you experience the difference, it’s hard to un-taste it.
Where to Start
If you want to cook with the same kind of salt chefs rely on, our Starter Pack is the easiest way in.
It includes:
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Our kosher sea salt base
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A few core blends we use every day
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Grinder-friendly salts that work across meals
👉 Explore the Summa Salts Starter Pack
Final Thought
Salt is the most basic ingredient in your kitchen.
That’s exactly why it matters so much.
Choose a salt that gives you control, and everything else gets easier.