- Hi friends.
You probably clicked on this video
because you want to learn something about salt.
Well, I'm hanging out in the Test Kitchen today,
and I'm gonna show you what my favorite salt is
to use on beef, especially a pan-seared steak.
(upbeat music)
There's a whole world of salts out there,
different colors, different shapes, different tastes even.
But today I wanna talk about the salts
I recommend that you use,
and you probably already have them in your cupboard.
(steaks sizzling)
Okay guys, so check this out.
I grill steaks all day long.
And what I have found is the salt that I choose to use
when I'm seasoning my beef is really important,
for a lot of different reasons,
but one of the main ones is the texture that it adds
to the crust I'm developing.
With the steaks I have here
I've used table salt on this one,
I've used pink Himalayan grinder crushed salt on this one,
and I've used coarse kosher sea salt on this one.
So the difference I think is clear
in where I get the best texture
and where I've gotten the best crust development
and crusts equal flavor.
So the brown caramelization you're seeing,
that's all flavor.
And cooking in general is flavor building.
The coarse kosher salt holds up so nicely on the steaks
and it keeps a really nice crunch to it,
so when you slice into that perfectly cooked steak
you get that bite that everybody loves.
And honestly, you sometimes don't even know that it's there.
You're not thinking about how it's playing
into that perfect experience you're having.
Coarse kosher sea salt is where, as a chef, I live.
I love this salt.
I can measure it with my fingertips.
I have control over how much I'm using.
I have control over the placement
of where it's gonna land versus really fine salts
that just dissolve instantly when they hit moisture
and they don't actually stick to create any caramelization.
So here's a visual of some salts
that you may recognize or not.
On this part of the pan we are starting
with our iodized salt, or table salt,
normally found in a shaker.
We've got coarse kosher salts
and we've got some fine flaked sea salt.
These types of salts are the salts that will
most commonly be used to season food
before it's been cooked.
For example, the middle one here,
the coarse kosher salt is my recommendation
for perfectly seared steaks.
But then when we move over
into this beautiful area of salts,
we've got Hawaiian rock salts
and we've got flavored salts here.
So this is a lemon flaked salt,
this is a rosemary flaked salt, and this is a truffle salt.
So visually they're much different than coarse kosher salts
or any kind of seasoning salt over here.
But this is what we use as chefs
to amplify a finished dish, add a crunch to a salad,
and add some truffle to our French fries.
This is where you'd live.
If you're looking to really
kick up that dish another notch.
Okay, so we've covered kosher salts and baking salts.
Let's talk about some of these fancier salts
you may have in your cupboard.
So I have my favorites that I've brought from home.
We've got some really nice small batch finishing salts.
We've got Maldon, which is the most famous
flaked finishing sea salt.
And then we have things like flavored Maldon.
We've got this rosemary flaked sea salt,
that's these really, really large pieces,
which will add really great texture to a salad
or something like that, but also adds flavor.
So think about your salt as being
an additional flavor component to your recipe.
We have a much loved, everywhere, black truffle sea salt,
which we're gonna use on French fries in a little bit.
Some Hawaiian rock salts over here to add a pop of color
and a nice crunchy crunch to like a caprese salad,
maybe on French fries as well.
And then this is the Maldon.
So the Maldon is so satisfying.
This is something that's visually pleasing
to finish salads with,
to finish on top of steaks, even,
to give a nice touch of salt at the end.
Black truffle salt is a really great gift
that I actually really enjoy giving.
Foodie in your family will definitely appreciate it.
And it goes really well with French fries.
So I've got some fresh fries right here for us,
seasoned with black truffle sea salt.
Let's talk about the Hawaiian salts and the Maldon.
The Maldon salt's gonna give you
a really, really great texture.
I'm gonna go ahead and season a fresh mozzarella salad,
or a caprese salad, with some Maldon salt.
And maybe a little bit of that
red Hawaiian salt for some color.
And then last but not least,
our strip steaks have been turned into my lunch,
which I'm excited about.
So I put that on a salad,
and I'm gonna pair it with a little bit
of the rosemary flaked salt,
just to add that really pleasing texture
and nice crispy bite at the end.
Welcome to the life of being a salt pro.
Thanks for hangin' out with me in the Test Kitchen.
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