Want to learn a simple
secret of some of America’s greatest chefs? It’s
kosher salt. The ingredient used solely in restaurant kitchens
for decades is now quickly gaining favor with a new generation
of food enthusiasts for traditional home cooking. According
to a recent poll, 86 percent of certified chefs prefer cooking
with kosher salt to any other kind. What do they know that
you don’t?
It’s simple. Kosher salt, which you can recognize by
its large, coarse flake, adds a pure, clean and crisp flavor
to any dish. Chefs also prefer kosher salt because of its
ability to dress-up a meal for presentation.
Kosher salt’s name and roots are based in its use in
the process of making foods Kosher. But for chefs and food
enthusiasts alike, it is kosher salt’s coarse flake
– which adds tremendous flavor and allows them to better
control portions with their fingers for seasoning and sprinkling
– that provides the greatest benefit.
Based on the popularity and increased education provided by
cooking shows and magazines, average everyday cooks are beginning
to experiment with kosher salt in droves. Morton Salt, America’s
authority on salt for more than 150 years, is seeing the category
of kosher salt explode. Within the last five years total kosher
salt category sales have grown by more than 150 percent.
“I won’t use anything but kosher salt. While traditional
table salt does a wonderful job of adding flavor to food at the table, chefs
agree that kosher salt is preferable in the preparation, cooking,
broiling and barbecuing processes,” says Larry Piaskowy,
Executive Chef of Indigo Restaurant in San Francisco. “It
can also be used in so many dishes. What started as a process
to make meat Kosher has turned into an all-around ingredient
for cooks to enhance the flavor of meat, chicken and fish.”
Many consumers had their first introduction to kosher salt
along the rim of a margarita glass. But it can be used in
so many other ways. Kosher salt can be used in appetizers,
side dishes and main courses. Among its many uses:
Encrusting
Kosher salt can be mixed with water to form a thick paste
to encrust both meat and fish. After baking, the salt crust
is removed and discarded, leaving behind delicious and moist
meat or fish. Coating a beef roast and letting it slowly cook
for four to five hours will produce the juiciest piece of
meat you’ve ever tasted.
Brining
Cooks can soak meat in a bath of water and kosher salt to
add flavor and juiciness to meats and seafood. It’s a wonderful
way to produce an exceptionally moist, flavorful Thanksgiving
turkey. Learn more about briniing in the Ultimate Guide to Brining.
Flavor Enhancer
Chefs like using kosher salt because they feel it provides
the cleanest, truest flavor. You can use Kosher as you would
table salt in most cooking applications.
Rub
Looking for a way to spice up the flavor of chicken or steak?
Try using kosher salt as a rub. You can mix the salt along with other
ingredients and marinate the meat in the refrigerator for
at least 30 minutes. Then, bake, broil or grill the meat to
your desired tenderness.
Here’s an easy-to-prepare entrée that the whole
family will love.
Southwestern Rub
Ingredients
4 teaspoons Morton® Coarse Kosher Salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground chili powder
2 teaspoons dried cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
Directions
Combine ingredients in small bowl. Store in airtight container
in cool dry place until needed. Preparation time: 15 minutes.
Cooking
Chicken or steak -- Sprinkle, then pat on about 1 teaspoon
Southwestern Rub on each chicken piece or steak. Use additional
Rub for whole bird or roast. Allow to marinate in refrigerator
at least 30 minutes. Proceed to bake, broil or grill until
chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.
Variation
Southwestern Paste: Mix 1 tablespoon Spice/Rub with 3 tablespoons
oil. Brush warmed tortillas with oil, sprinkle with Southwestern
Rub. Use to accompany chili or for southwestern-style
salads. Toss 1 tablespoon Southwestern Rub with 4 ounces
shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese. Use as topping
with tacos.
For other great, easy-to-prepare recipes using Kosher salt, visit ourrecipe
section.
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