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Canning and pickling salt

4K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  maryb 
#1 · (Edited)
The new project this year has been canning and pickling. All has been going well, until I did a little too much research. Now I need help from experienced canners and picklers... substitutions for canning and pickling salt.

Canning and pickling salt simply does not seem to exist in my area. I've used Morton Kosher as a substitute but read that Morton is not best due to the anti-caking additives. I read that Diamond Crystal is better (more pure) so I got a box. I read that salt all weighs differently so doing weigh conversion is important to get the right balance for the pickle recipe. I hope I'm not reading too much!

The Wisconson Pickling Guide (http://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/b2267.pdf) gives some ratios that seem reasonable on page 7. Basically that canning and pickling salt weighs so much, and Morton Kosher is lighter per volume, and Diamond Crystal is even lighter.

But then I look at the side of the Morton Kosher box and it says use 1-for-1 in replacement of Morton Canning and Pickling salt.

How can that be... Morton Kosher is the lightest of the salts!

What do experienced canners and picklers substitute for gen-u-wine canning and pickling salt when the real-deal is not available?
 
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#5 · (Edited)
Thanks.  The scale is a "no-brainer".  I can easily figure out how to weigh salt to a volumetric recipe.  That's the easy part.





But which kosher salt?  Are they really all the same?  I read that the anti-cake ingredient in Morton can settle out.  Is that what leads to cloudiness?  Or is it other minerals in sea salt?


... and why would Morton say on their box to use their Kosher salt instead of pickling salt when it is at least 50% lighter? Most pickle recipes seem to be written volumetrically. That could make a big diff in terms of salinity.

With the two of us using Kosher salt successfully then maybe it is not worth worrying about. :)
 
#6 ·
Here is a Morton conversion chart from their website. It only shows 1 to 1 conversion for 1/4 teaspoon. The other measures show you need to use more kosher for table salt volume conversion.

http://www.mortonsalt.com/for-your-home/culinary-salts/salt-conversion-chart

I have used kosher salt for pickles. To make it easier to dissolve like pickling salt I ran it through the food processor until fine. You could use a grinder or blender too.

I think the iodine is a bigger problem in canning and pickling than the anti-caking agent. Morton says the anti-caking agent is less than 1/2 % of total.
 
#8 ·
Anti-caking agents aren't a huge deal in canning, not as much as in fermenting.  But even then it just usually contributes to a cloudy ferment, which usually doesn't affect the flavor.  Table salt is another story as not only does it usually contain anti-caking agents but iodine also which can affect canning, fermentation and the flavor.
 
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