Rachael Ray Doesn't Get Fancy With Her Salts

Salt is far more powerful than people give it credit for. According to Saltworks, salt has been ingrained in human civilization for more than 8,000 years. It's been tied to religious offerings and even used as payment. Today, salt is employed medically as a way to deliver iodine to the body so that our thyroids create the right hormones, so says WebMD.

This humble seasoning is literally as old as dirt. It comes from rocks, according to the National Ocean Service. But in recent years, salt has received a bit of a culinary makeover. A few decades ago, stores would stock nothing but standard table salt and some kosher salt for those who required it. Now, the spice aisle is replete with sea salt, Fleur de sel, and pink Himalayan salt, and it likely won't be long before there's Sriracha-infused, gluten-free, non-GMO, imported salt blessed thrice by a voodoo priest.

With all these salt choices, it can be tough to determine which one is going to make food taste better. This is why we so often look to professional chefs to see what salts they're pinching, sprinkling atop, and tossing into their dishes with an exclamation of "Bam!" Today we look at what salt the queen of "30 Minute Meals," Rachael Ray, uses to enhance her creations.

Rachel Ray doesn't get fancy with salts. According to her website, a curious cook, Monica, once asked, "I want to know the difference between salts and when to use each one — Kosher, flake, pink, etc." As with most of her advice, Ray kept it simple. "I use Kosher as my everyday salt and I use it with my hand." She went on to explain that she'd reach for coarse salt baking fish and making bagels but didn't seem enthusiastic about it for any other purposes.

Ray also uses flaky salt as a finisher for steamed edamame and to finish dishes like steak or chicken liver. But she doesn't really need much of anything else. "You can go down a whole rabbit hole of what to do with your specialty salts ... but the day-to-day, Kosher for cooking, flaky sea for finishing." For those who aren't familiar with the term, a finishing salt, according to Martha Stewart's website, is intended for use at the end of a dish. It's what you sprinkle on because something is too bland and needs a little extra help in titillating the tongue.

The one salt Ray said she avoids is finely granulated salt. She says "I don't even have it in my house." Thus, anyone hoping to eat the way the bubbly TV chef does should toss out all the standard salt in your pantry.