Now let's be real. Somehow, sea salt got marketed as being good for you....well kinda...
So, now, folks have two kinds of salt in their cupboard. It's a fad....I don't buy products that say sea salt and I'll never again buy regular sea salt...and if it doesn't sell, it will disappear.
I'm back to using my iodized salt.
Buying sea salt is as dumb as buying bottled water when all you have to do is turn on the tap(though I keep some for emergency).
FADS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sea salt does vary considerably, so I was speaking in the generic. However, there are a few twists and turns to things.
First of all, unless it is iodized, sea salt typically lacks enough iodine, which used to be a problem for people who lived inland, which is why table salt is often iodized. Raw sea salt is somewhat bitter, so it is mixed with an agent to precipitate out much of the other salts from the brine.
But some kinds of sea salt are actually used specifically for the trace elements within. For example by people whose drinking water is distilled. Over time they can experience some trace mineral deficiency, plus adding just a little sea salt to their water improves its flavor.
But the biggest, by far, reason to use sea salt is because table salt is processed to include anti-caking agents, such as sodium silicoaluminate or magnesium carbonate. These keep its crystal size very small, so salt dissolves quickly in liquids. Sea salt, otherwise sold as kosher salt, has much larger crystals that don’t dissolve so quickly.
This matters to taste. Table salt will blend into many dishes so well that they don’t taste salty. But sea or kosher salt can be used to give the dish a salty tang.
I have even had some ice cream “with sea salt”, which is added just before it is frozen. It is a noticeable salty taste, and works well opposite caramel.
If you have city water with chorine and other chemicals in it, then not drinking it makes sense. I can’t stand the smell or taste of city water. Luckily I have a well and live way out in the boondocks. But water in plastic bottles tastes like plastic and a lot of it has been shown to be city water put in plastic bottles.