confused of chalus Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I've often wondered what the French cook uses pricey greyish grains of salt for? Sel de Mer, often from specific coastal areas, take up a fair amount of shelf space in the supermarket, and now I notice it featured on the christmas specialities page of the supermarket leaflet. What is it used for?Kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Beats me. I often wonder if people don't believe that because it comes from the sea it is a "natural" product and therefore somehow less harmful to health than "ordinary" salt is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Eating, of course! [:D], just as Maldon salt is used in the UK.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt#Forms_of_salthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_salt#Taste_and_healthThe best known are Fleur de sel de Camargue and Sel de Guérande.Try a few crystals of either on top of cookies or biscuits, just before you put them in the oven... [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Fleur de sel de Camargue is used on foie gras - so lots of it is needed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemonimo Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Is anyone else addicted to beurre au sel de guerande? When I get back from the UK after christmas I'm going to spread it liberally on some CRUMPETS!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I find that one well salted crumpet at a time is sufficient, especially if there is an old salt around[6] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
confused of chalus Posted December 3, 2009 Author Share Posted December 3, 2009 Thanks. Might give it a try. Sounds very unhealthy - my sort of thing really! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 We just had some salt from www.himalayancrystalsalt.co.uk they sell salt from Australia, Hawai,Cyprus, Denmark, India and Portugal as well as France. We like salt from the Guerande, and the butter and the caramels - mmmmm [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 All on the same tartine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 No, each to be savoured as appropriate [;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Funny, I pile them all together and hope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 The stuff from Ile du Re which costs an arm and a leg is sold for a face scrub ...rub in neck and face works like a buffer I suppose .....not a bloke thing ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 [quote user="Russethouse"]We just had some salt from www.himalayancrystalsalt.co.uk they sell salt from Australia, Hawai,Cyprus, Denmark, India and Portugal as well as France. We like salt from the Guerande, and the butter and the caramels - mmmmm [:)][/quote]We have a himalayan salt crystal lamp, don't eat it of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 In the Spring (happily only 2-ish months away down here!), we sprinkle it on braised asparagus which has been liberally soaked in butter. Bet that got your juices going.Good stuff though - I just find that its easier to 'control' the amount of seasoning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 We don't eat much salt so think when we do it's worth having good quality. I stocked up on a visit to the Guerande a couple of years back. There's a very interesting museum about Salt production there, and I found the Salt marshes quite beautiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I visited the salt hotel on the Uyuni salt plateau bordering Bolivia and Chile, the whole building, furniture including beds was made from salt blocks, interesting but a bit of a tick the box tourist attaction and more than my 5 dollars a day budgetary limit so I didnt stay.I do a cookery course once a month and Chef uses a lot of Sel de Guerand, we once did a pot au poule, or is it poule au pot? anyway he filled his hand to overflowing with Sel de Guerand and threw it in with a flourish for seasoning, he is quite demonstrative when he is trying to get a point across, in this case the finished dish did not taste salty at all and needed all of it.We have also used a similar quantity with a small amount of huile d'olive as a marinade for pannequet de saumon, nce again everyone winced and he pulled his Blue Peter dish out of the fridge (the one he had prepared earlier) it looked to be swimming in huime d'olive, in fact it was the oild floating on all the water that the salt had drawn out of the salmon, once again the finished dish did not taste salty and IIRC correctly we added some seasoning later on.Its now one of my favorite dishes and makes a great entrée or apero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I too love the Guerande salt marshes; I went as a teenager when on a school exchange to St Nazaire. The haunting picture stayed in my mind, and I was so pleased to find it just the same when I returned years later with my OH and children. I haven't been for years, as the Camargue is on the doorstep. I use both types of salt. Incidentally, I used to live at Stafford, where part of a school and other buildings fell down the salt workings; very dramatic, and not as tasty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkkent Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Salt is salt is salt. All salt is sodium chloride and anything which differentiates it from any other salt is an impurity. Added salt is a totally unnecessary ingredient................Whew! Having got that off my chest, I do wonder why people are prepared to pay lots of money for a product that is an undifferentiated commodity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Sodium chloride is sodium chloride, is sodium chloride.Technically speaking any chemical salt is an ionic compound made up of a metal cation (+) and a non-metal anion (-), so you have magnesium salt, Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate) etc. "Whew! Having got that off my chest, I do wonder why people are prepared to pay lots of money for a product that is an undifferentiated commodity".Why does un-refined sugar cost more than refined bleached white sugar?Answer, the economic scale on which it's produced Billingtons told me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairyNuff Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 [quote user="Gemonimo"]Is anyone else addicted to beurre au sel de guerande? When I get back from the UK after christmas I'm going to spread it liberally on some CRUMPETS!!!!![/quote] Yes, we go through loads of it! Don't keep it in a stainless steel butter dish though, you get rust spots. [geek]FairyNuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 [quote user="Théière"]Sodium chloride is sodium chloride, is sodium chloride.Technically speaking any chemical salt is an ionic compound made up of a metal cation (+) and a non-metal anion (-), so you have magnesium salt, Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate) etc. "Whew! Having got that off my chest, I do wonder why people are prepared to pay lots of money for a product that is an undifferentiated commodity".Why does un-refined sugar cost more than refined bleached white sugar?Answer, the economic scale on which it's produced Billingtons told me [/quote]Salt comes from different areas and different salts have diferent ratios of various minerals - the only reason we got to hear about the himalayan salt company was because the OH collects elements from the periodic table and just one of their salts has something he wanted - so not all salts are created equal.We haven't salted veg for 25 years plus - and use it very sparingly in other cooking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 [quote user="Clarkkent"]Added salt is a totally unnecessary ingredient.[/quote]I assume that you mean when cooking or at the table.I have to disagree with you, if you eat healthily and avoid processed foods then we, like animals, need to add salt to our diet.As I usually do very physical work in summer and pespire a lot I have to take in a considerable amount of extra salt to avoid excruciating muscle cramps, at this time of year I dont usually need to but last night at the swiming pool during dive training I amongst others in the group suffered cramp whilst doing the recovering an injured diver exercise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 [quote user="Russethouse"][quote user="Théière"] Sodium chloride is sodium chloride, is sodium chloride.Technically speaking any chemical salt is an ionic compound made up of a metal cation (+) and a non-metal anion (-), so you have magnesium salt, Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate) etc. "Whew! Having got that off my chest, I do wonder why people are prepared to pay lots of money for a product that is an undifferentiated commodity".Why does un-refined sugar cost more than refined bleached white sugar?Answer, the economic scale on which it's produced Billingtons told me [/quote]Salt comes from different areas and different salts have diferent ratios of various minerals - the only reason we got to hear about the himalayan salt company was because the OH collects elements from the periodic table and just one of their salts has something he wanted - so not all salts are created equal.We haven't salted veg for 25 years plus - and use it very sparingly in other cooking[/quote]Completely agree [:)] when OH collects certain elements from the periodic table move out!although if you can get a nice Uranium glass dish it would show off you ornaments very nicely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Don't worry we have 'lead pig' for those things that are obtainable [:)] Others will just have to remain a dream ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Iv'e heard of taking a pig by a lead, but not a lead pig [:D] bet you can't get it to drink [Www]Pig in a poke?[:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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