Salt

Salt.  Love it.  Fear it.  The doctor tells you to avoid it, yet even the Bible touts its importance.  Of course, the answer is moderation for the sake of health, but why not take it a step further and insist on quality when you buy it.  Once you commit to that, you open yourself up to a surprising amount of options.  Here, I'll talk about some of the most common styles of salt that are available (the choices keep expanding) and try to break it down so you'll have an idea which ones are more the standards versus those that fall into the luxury category.  Whatever your eventual tastes in salt, try to accomplish one key thing:  stop buying iodized table salt.  Sure, iodine fends off goiters and malaria, but if you aren't afflicted with these ailments, just drop it already.  I have to admit that while it's hard to actually taste the iodine, after tasting un-iodized salt, the "table salt" variety just tastes awful.  Spend a little more for something pure - it's salt after all, a box should go a long way or you need to consult a nutritionist.  By the way, for what it's worth, I also only buy unsalted butter - that way I only buy one kind and I always know it won't affect my pastry recipes.  Savory cooking always gets seasoned anyway, and your butter service for table bread hits a new level if you have a side dish of specialty salt alongside it.

Kosher salt - this should be the workhorse in your kitchen.  I prefer coarse grind, but fine works just as well.

Sea salt - as it sounds, it's a bit more "ocean-y".  More often as a savory garnish, but nice with chocolate.

Fleur de sel - the crown jewel of sea salts deserving of its own category.  Read the description on the jar about how it's harvested.

Maldon salt - primarily a garnish salt with big pyramid shaped delicious crystals that make you want to snack on them.  Also a favorite with fancy chocolate desserts.

Hawaiian red sea salt - it's red!  Definitely used for its visual quality, but still with a premium flavour.  The colour comes from the iron oxide content of a mineral called "alaea" used in the production process.  

Smoked salt - often made from Maldon salt.  Comes in different flavours and is fantastic on steaks as a garnish.  One of the hardest to make yourself, so worth the investment.

Truffle salt - ridiculously good.  A bit tricky and expensive to make yourself, so go ahead and buy it.

Black sesame salt - very tasty, great with Asian food.  If you feel adventurous and can get black sesame seeds, make your own blend with your favorite salt and a coffee grinder (just a couple taps).

Citrus salt - tasty, great for fish, but frankly quite easy to make - dried zest and salt.  For flavour's sake, I would probably use a nice garnish salt and microplane some fresh zest right on top. 

Herb salt - comes in many different varieties, and like citrus salt, can be done at home to your own preference.  We have a very nice Aegean oregano salt, but depending on the season, you might get the herbal punch you're looking for with fresh herbs.