How pleasant it is to pamper the whole family with fragrant delicious pickles in winter. But how do you achieve great results? It is enough to choose fresh vegetables, mushrooms or greens? And the secret lies in the most important ingredient - salt. Habitual white crystals can not only preserve food, but also spoil the contents of the jar What salt to buy for a successful preservation?

It is difficult to imagine not only homemade preparations without your favorite seasoning, but also daily meals. But in order not to spoil your masterpieces, you need to learn how to choose a free-flowing substance.

The most important aspect is the size of the crystals. Fine-crystalline and powdery - this type of seasoning is perfect for cooking, cooking marinades. Small particles dissolve instantly and quickly salt the product. Minus - provoke accelerated fermentation.

Coarse and medium grinding - the slow dissolution of the crystals allows the lactic acid bacteria in vegetables to go through the salting process optimally. The products are spicy, firm and tasty.

Guided by simple rules you can choose salt:

• Buying table salt of coarse or medium crushing is an ideal option for preserving herbs, vegetables, mushrooms. The seasoning is also suitable for salting fish, apples, beets, watermelons.
• "Extra" - an option exclusively for the preparation of marinades, provided that the crystals are completely dissolved. Home cooking.
• Special canning salt - available in stores. Medium grind.

Nuance - when purchasing a spice for conservation, make sure that there are no additives in it. The presence of such can spoil the food. The manufacturer can put moisture evaporation formulations and other components in the pack.

What salt is better to refuse?

Surprisingly, different types of seasoning differ in their taste. It's all about the concentration of the product. If it is saturated, then the finished dish will be too salty. A striking example is "Extra", the smallest substance, where crystals are turned into powder. You need to use salt carefully, but it is better to refuse when making supplies for the winter. If the recipe specifies the norm of table salt, then "Extras" should be taken 1/3 less.

Sea salt has been heavily promoted to prove it is great for winter delicacies. In reality, the seasoning is enriched with many impurities - organic minerals, particles of algae, sand, etc. Such a bouquet can spoil any preservation. Therefore, you should not use sea salt.

Another outsider - iodized salt... She is irreplaceable in home cooking but is capable of destroying the contents of the cans. Iodine is an active element that easily reacts with various ingredients. Result:

• change taste qualities products;
• vegetables soften, lose their shape, and can become rancid;
• fermentation processes are very active;
• products become bitter;
• banks explode.

And iodine evaporates very quickly.

Do not experiment with Ekstroy - it is difficult to calculate the correct concentration, provided that you pour it directly into the jar.

What are the features of proper conservation?

We found out that to buy coarse rock salt - the best way... Let's figure out why this is important for each specific product.

Sauerkraut - its taste and harshness are completely dependent on the right choice salt. Crystals must be large or medium. This will allow the released lactic acid to ferment moderately, not to peroxide, and the product will acquire a delicate salty taste.

Cucumbers, tomatoes - tender vegetables, contain a lot of water. For their preservation, a long process of salting will be required. Therefore, only large crystals are suitable for canning. They will moderately saturate the vegetables with salt, will not allow them to ferment, and the marinade will not acidify.

Mushrooms - have a dense fleshy texture, are capricious in conservation, therefore, it is rock salt without impurities and any additives that is ideal. If you dare to use iodized seasoning or seafood, the effect will be unpredictable. Mushrooms will taste bitter, there is a risk of acid bacteria and an unpleasant odor.

Fish - to avoid the risk of poisoning, botulism infection, it is better to use coarsely ground table salt. Secret:

• crystals gradually penetrate into protein tissue;
• evaporate excess moisture;
• create an unfavorable environment for the growth of bacteria.

It is impossible to spoil the fish with coarse salt - it will not be oversalted, but will absorb so much seasoning to be safe and tasty.

Parsley, dill, cilantro, basil - greens are a delicate product and the usual coarse rock salt will allow it to be preserved for the winter. It is enough to put the selected greens in a jar, sprinkle with crystals and it will be fresh until spring.

Successful and correct conservation!

It often happens that the preparation of preservation according to the same recipe leads to unexpected consequences - cucumbers or tomatoes become soft and sprawling, while in other jars the vegetables are wonderful, crispy and elastic. Why is this happening, they cannot even understand experienced housewives with many years of experience in canning. The answer is simple - it's all about the choice of salt. What kind of snow-white seasoning is better to use, so that later you do not watch with bitterness and disappointment how the conservation turns into an inedible mass? And one more problematic question - can it be canned with fine salt? First you need to figure out which types of salt exist, and only then use each variety for its intended purpose.

Salt types

Before you start familiarizing yourself with the varieties of salt, you must remember that this product is not the same in its taste. It seems that it could be easier if you know the amount of seasoning per pot. ready meal? But not everything is so simple - the same proportions of white matter can sometimes cause bewilderment, because the same soup or borscht turns out to be salty. This happens because the salt is more saturated, and this produces a spoiled mood as well as lunch or dinner. Especially careful should be used salt "Extra", which is often the culprit of trouble during cooking.

There are several types of salt:

• stone;
• evaporation-vacuum;
• marine;
• cage.

Most people are familiar with rock salt, since it is it that is used to prepare canned food, snacks, first and second courses. It is mined with the help of special machines at great depths underground. At large enterprises, it is ground, after which it is used for its intended purpose - the coarsely ground product is sent to industrial production, and small for sale in stores.

Salt is familiar to everyone from the school course. It is extracted from the bottom of salt reservoirs, after which it is also sent for processing. This product has several drawbacks, the main one is most of the impurities that make the shade of the product a dirty gray, as well as a significant percentage of sand and clay.

The latter type of salt is very expensive and, although it is often found on the market, it is rarely purchased. Salt deposits are found at a depth inaccessible to extraction by machines. They act like this - they pump water through a well, the salt dissolves, the concentrated solution is pumped out, after which a salty product is obtained by evaporation.

Sea salt has recently acquired the status of a popular spice for winter preparations. There are no minuses in its use, and the snow-white shade indicates the absence of impurities. In addition, the product is rich in all kinds of elements, which has a beneficial effect on the body.

Using fine salt

Another important point in canning - the size of crystals, therefore, when canning, it is important to pay attention to the salt particles:

• powdery;
• fine crystalline;
• large;
• crushed.

It is best to cook food with fine salt, but canning with crushed or coarse. Why? Small crystals of a white product dissolve very quickly, which also leads to rapid fermentation of pickles. Large ones, on the contrary, dissolve for a long time, during this time the lactic acid bacteria successfully cope with the salting process, vegetables (especially cabbage and tomatoes) turn out to be tasty, spicy.

In stores, customers are offered finely ground iodized salt. There are no options here at all - it is not recommended to use it in canning. Iodine can react with the ingredients of the workpiece, the consequences cannot please - the banks safely pass into the category of spoiled ones. Even if the explosion did not follow, the vegetables lose their shape, taste, and the shelf life is significantly reduced.

The use of sea salt, even if it is finely ground, is allowed in canning, but only if the marinade is cooked until the crystals are completely dissolved. In pickles, the use of the product is also undesirable.

Crispy pickled cucumbers recipe (video)

Khrum-Khrum cabbage

A recipe in which it is strongly not recommended to use fine salt. If you follow the recommendations, the cabbage will turn out to be delicious, you can either send it to cabbage soup, salads or pies, or simply fill it vegetable oil, add a little onion and enjoy the delicious taste. Such cabbage is stored almost all year round, provided that the finished product is placed in a jar and tightly closed with a lid

Ingredients:

• 3 kg 300 g cabbage;
• 400 g carrots;
• 900 ml of water;
• 60 g of coarse salt;
• 25 g sugar.

Preparation:

1. Chop the cabbage finely using a special tool. If there is no shredder on the farm, you can use a simple kitchen sharp knife.
2. Rub the peeled and washed carrots. It is convenient to do this with a coarse grater.
3. Send processed vegetables to a large container (bucket or jar), be sure to tamp - first with a spoon, then with your hand.
4. Boil the brine by combining the ingredients that remain. You can do this in advance, because a cold liquid is needed for salting.
5. Pour vegetables with cold brine, close.

Do not take it out in the cold, it is better to leave it at room temperature. After 4 days, you can treat everyone to a delicious vitamin salad.

Tomatoes "Wow!"

Another recipe delicious pickles, in which, on the contrary, fine salt is very much even welcomed.

Ingredients:

• 2 kg of tomatoes (unripe green);
• 400 g pepperoni;
• 100 g of garlic;
• 100 g of dill (dill must be leaves);
• 120 g parsley;
• 90 g celery (leaves);
• 100 g of salt;
• 140 g cilantro.

Preparation:

1. All ingredients must be thoroughly rinsed and lightly dried on a towel.
2. Cut each tomato just short of the edge. Rub the inside well with salt.
3. Finely chop all other ingredients (herbs, garlic, pepper), mix. There is no need to add spices, there is enough salt in the tomatoes. For spicy lovers, you can put a little chili pepper, but this is not necessary.
4. Stuff each tomato with a green mixture, put at least a teaspoon in each vegetable fragrant green mixtures. Place in a large container. You don't need brine - the tomatoes will let out a fragrant juice, which is enough for pickling.
5. Put oppression on top and send to a cold place. In ten days, you can change the tomatoes in places in the container several times for better soaking with the released brine.
6. Appetizing tomatoes are ready to serve. Boiled potatoes go well with conservation.

"Beans"

Since beans are rich in selenium, canning is unthinkable without it for people who have a lack of this substance in the body. You can safely take fine salt, the preparation will certainly turn out excellent, because it does not need to be stored for a long time, it will certainly be diligently and with great appetite to be destroyed by the family and guests.

Ingredients:

• 980 g beans (dry);
• 900 g carrots;
• 210 g sugar;
• 950 g pepper;
• 800 g onions;
• 2 kg 800 g tomatoes;
• 55 g salt;
• 75 ml vinegar;
• 190 mil-ditch vegetable oil.

Preparation:

1. After soaking, boil the beans until full readiness... You can show culinary fantasy and combine several types of multi-colored beans, while you need to take into account that you will have to cook it separately, because the timing of cooking the legumes will be different.
2. Fry alternately grated carrots and coarsely diced onions in oil.
3. Combine vegetables (carrots, onions, sliced ​​tomatoes and chili peppers).
4. Put the container with vegetables on the fire, salt, add sugar, pour in the vinegar and the remaining oil. Pour the beans last.
5. Simmer the workpiece for at least an hour on low heat, stirring the mass regularly.
6. Prepare lids and containers by sterilization. Pack the ready-made preservation in a hot container, seal immediately. Cool under a blanket or an old blanket, remembering to put the lids down.

Canning without salt (video)

Now, not a single housewife should have any questions about what salt should be taken to prepare blanks for the winter. Marinades and pickles will certainly be tasty and aromatic. Exploded cans, cloudy contents and spoiled mood will also go far into the past.

The middle of summer is over and it's time to think about creating the first blanks for the winter. One of the main ingredients in every recipe is salt. In this regard, many summer residents ask a reasonable question: which salt is better to use?

What are the options?

On sale today you can find at least rock, iodized and sea salt. Let's list the main advantages and disadvantages of each product:

• If you want to get the classic tart taste of pickles, then close the cans along with the traditional rock salt. This excellent natural preservative will prevent cans from bursting during storage and will prevent the cucumbers in them from softening. This salt is cheaper than the others.
• Recently, iodized salt has been gaining popularity. Indeed, in most regions of our country there is a problem of iodine deficiency. In some regions of central Russia, residents consume 5 times less iodine than necessary. And this affects a person's IQ, the work of the thyroid gland, leads to delays in physical development in children. In addition, iodine itself is an excellent disinfectant and kills foreign microorganisms well. But canned cucumbers and tomatoes with iodized salt, according to many summer residents, are much worse stored. Plus, there is a slight smell of iodine and a characteristic mild bitterness. After a while, the fruits turn, as my grandmother says, into crumbs.
• For preservation, you can also use sea salt. It costs several times more than stone, it is often packed in less capacious packs (450 g each, for example). Of course, there are many fakes, but if the salt is still sea salt, then it has a number of valuable advantages. After eating pickles, a person will not form edema caused by stagnation of fluid in the body due to the large amount of salt. In addition to this, sea salt contains several dozen beneficial minerals that are essential for human health. For blanks, you should choose coarse sea salt.

By the way, it is important to note that recently a more stable substance, potassium iodate, has been used for salt iodization. It is not subject to destruction when heat treatment and long storage. Now manufacturers guarantee that such iodized salt can be stored for up to 9 months without losing its valuable qualities.

With what salt to make the blanks, it's up to you. For example, you can make a couple of jars with different types of salt in order to personally check the quality of each of them in winter. If there is no difference (in taste, physical properties of salted fruits), then use iodized or sea salt in the future, as they are more beneficial to health.

Hello Complaints Book! There are so many practical tips in your materials that it seems like you know everything. Maybe you can tell me why cucumbers or cabbage, harvested according to the same recipe from year to year, have a different taste. Either they turn out to be tasty and crispy, or soft, flabby. My friends and I think the salt is to blame. Which one is better for pickling? Please answer as soon as possible, because now is the season of procurement.
Maria, Krasnoyarsk

Not salted on the table, salted on the back

Salt is one of the most mysterious, in my opinion, foods. Seems like it could be easier? Salt, it is salt, and everything should be the same. But sometimes you will salt the soup, as usual, but you will oversalt it. It turns out that salt differs in salinity. The most salty is "Extra", because it contains fewer impurities and is richer in sodium chloride. And the lower the grade (highest, first and second), the weaker the salt.

The salinity is initially affected by the method of production. By its origin, it is:
* stone
* cage
* vacuum-evaporation

ROCK SALT. This type is probably the most popular and widespread. Solid salt deposits are found in many regions of the world, where they occur at depths ranging from a few hundred to over a thousand meters. Special harvesters chop salt underground and it is transported by conveyors to the surface of the earth.

There it gets into mills and crumbles to obtain particles (crystals) of various sizes. The coarser salt is used mainly for industrial purposes, the coarser salt is used for food. Rock salt is distinguished by the lowest content of impurities, low humidity and the highest sodium chloride content - up to 99%. This means that it will be more intense than others.

GARDEN SALT is formed by natural evaporation of salt in water bodies. From the lessons of geography, everyone remembers the famous salt lakes in the Astrakhan region Elton and Baskunchak.

Special combines (harvesters) remove a layer of salt on dried-up lakes and send it along a conveyor for crushing, washing, drying and further processing. The salt contains more impurities (clay, sand), and the mass fraction of sodium chloride can be 95–96% (because of this, it often has a grayish appearance).

VACUUM-VAPORIZED SALT. Where the salt is very deep, it is extracted by the dissolution method. A pipe is placed in the salt layer and fresh water is pumped into it under high pressure, which dissolves the salt, forming cavities in the deposit. Then the concentrated brine is raised through pipes to the surface, where it is processed and evaporated under vacuum in vats to obtain a highly purified product.

Sometimes the brine raised to the surface is evaporated under the sun in open containers. Salt in deposits is often very clean and requires only minor additional treatment.

Evaporated salt is the most expensive and at the same time the most chemically pure and high quality. In our country, it is sold under the Extra brand.

Evaporator is also rich in sodium. Therefore, the hostess should pay attention to what salt she uses, and from here calculate its amount.

Small, even smaller

For canning, the granulometric composition is also important - the size of the particles. The industry produces fine crystalline salt, crushed, coarse and ground (fine powder). Ground salt is preferable for cooking. But it is not recommended to use it for pickles and marinades. For the preparation of products for future use, it is better to use crushed or coarse salt. This is especially important when pickling cabbage. The fact is that small granules dissolve quickly, killing fermentation bacteria already at the beginning of the process, which makes the leaven poorly. And the cabbage turns out to be more sour than salted. And less stable in storage.

Coarse salt dissolves more slowly, without having time to "harm" lactic acid bacteria responsible for fermentation. The process goes as it should, the cabbage turns out to be crunchy, spicy, well stored.

And the quality of canning also depends on water. Therefore, if possible, you should use well or spring water. Plumbing contains a significant amount of residues of chemicals used to clean it. Therefore, it not only impairs the taste of canned food, but even leads to their spoilage. To improve the quality of water, it is advisable to pass it through household filters or to settle for a day.

To check the amount of impurities in the salt, you can crystallize the salt from a saturated solution. If in it a large number of impurities, it will not be possible to obtain large and transparent crystals. If the salt is clean enough, then transparent crystals will grow at the bottom of the dish when the water evaporates at room temperature. This method is good, but it takes a lot of time. Very often housewives restore salt by calcining it in a clean, dry frying pan. It is suitable for canning if the crushed crystals stick together. After calcining, the salt should be coarser.

The quality and value of salt

* Do not forget that a person's needs for table salt depend on energy consumption, climatic conditions, etc. With increased physical activity, a person loses up to 20 grams of salt per day, therefore, in a temperate climate, salt consumption is 10-15 grams per day.

* Please note that the lack or lack of salt impairs the taste food products... If a person does not receive table salt for a long time, it can cause dizziness, fainting, weakness and other painful phenomena. Excess salt is no less harmful.

* Make sure that the taste of the salt is purely salty, without any foreign aftertaste, odorless. The color of the salt (extra) is pure white. For other varieties, shades are allowed: grayish, yellowish and pinkish. There should be no contamination visible to the eye.

* Store salt in a dry place with relatively high humidity. At lower humidity, it gives off moisture to the external environment, i.e. dries up, and at a higher level it is moisturized. Salt is capable of caking, loses its flowability, and fine salt is stronger, coarse salt is weaker. Raw salt cakes more strongly than dry salt.

* Iodized salt containing potassium iodide oxidizes in the presence of moisture, air and light, releasing iodine, which then evaporates. There is always moisture in table salt and in the air, which promotes the decomposition of potassium iodide. As iodized salt is stored, the iodine content gradually decreases. Store it in a dry place in a sealed container. After six months, it is considered normal food.

Iodized food salt Is a salt for kitchen use, enriched with a strictly controlled amount of iodine-containing salts. How is salt iodized? It is known for sure that according to GOST, iodized salt can contain only potassium iodate in its composition, although many manufacturers use potassium iodite for processing salt, a chemical compound with completely different qualities and properties.

Salt can be considered the only edible mineral used by humans for culinary purposes since ancient times. Even the primitive ancestors of Homo sapiens noticed with what pleasure various animals lick the white islands protruding from the water, and applied the experience of the animal world to their own way of feeding. And since then, salt has become a constant companion of our society. It was used as a seasoning, and as a bargaining chip, and even as a magical and mystical substance with various otherworldly qualities.

Iodized boiled salt began to be used in connection with the study of such a phenomenon as iodine deficiency of the population in various regions of the world. The addition of iodine supplements is associated with uneven distribution of the natural iodine content in food. Of course, in the lands adjacent to the sea and ocean, iodine is found in sufficient quantities in various plant and animal products. Regions more remote, as a rule, suffer from a low content of this element, which is extremely necessary for the full-fledged mental and physical development of a person. That is why a mechanism for enriching ordinary salt with this mineral was launched to replenish the iodine deficiency in the diet of the population.

Now a product enriched with a useful element can be seen on the shelves of any store, and photos of iodized edible salt are found not only in medical journals, but also in ordinary cookbooks.

Beneficial features

The beneficial properties of iodized salt lie in its unique chemical composition... That is why from the very beginning of the emergence of this product, it began to be considered not only safe, but also extremely useful for humans.

Iodine is a very important trace element, the supply of which must be regularly replenished. Due to the decrease in natural food products in the diet of a modern person, this process cannot be carried out in a natural way. But iodine deficiency is very dangerous for the body. The constant lack of this trace element is fraught with various serious diseases of the thyroid gland, digestive organs and can even affect the mental development of several generations in a row. Iodized salt can be an excellent solution to this problem. Of course, the iodine content in this product is minimal, but its positive quality is its accumulation (iodine tends to accumulate in the body). So, if you include this type of flavoring seasoning in your regular diet, you can completely solve the problem of iodine deficiency.

In addition, salt as a food product retains water in the body, thereby supplying various nutrients through the membrane of our cells. This food supplement calms the nervous system, destroys harmful microorganisms in the digestive tract and is the main component for the production of hydrochloric acid.

Cooking use

The area of ​​using iodized salt in cooking is very extensive. Therefore, you should pay attention to the fact that currently there are several types of this product, depending on its receipt and production technology:

1. Rock, table iodized salt is unrefined or refined ordinary salt, which has been artificially enriched with appropriate additives.
2. Sea salt is a salt that is obtained by evaporation of ordinary sea water, followed by purification. Such a product does not contain artificial chemical compounds and can be a source of a wide range of beneficial trace elements.
3. Black is an unrefined product with a composition very rich in various microelements.
4. Diet - the dietary salt obtained by laboratory research contains less sodium in its composition compared to other types, but it has more calcium and magnesium.

For eating according to culinary needs, it is best to use iodized table salt and sea salt.

According to research, no living thing can do without salt for more than three weeks. That is why this food supplement is so important in cooking. In addition, unsalted food becomes tasteless and bland. And this, of course, does not add to the appetite of the diners.

Most often, the following question arises regarding this product: "Is it possible to salt foods with iodized salt during the cooking process?" The answer is very simple! Sure you can. It is permissible to use iodized salt in any form of cooking and at any stage.

By the way, there are several types of this type of salt:

A special modern technology for enriching salt with iodine allows it not to be destroyed during heat treatment, which means that you will fully receive all the benefits inherent in this seasoning.

You can preserve it with iodized salt. The fact is that at the beginning of the appearance of this product on the market, the iodine enrichment technology consisted in the use of sodium thiosulfate. He had the ability to change the appearance of any products intended for long-term storage, and blackened, shriveled tomatoes with cucumbers caused their appearance great doubts about the possibility of eating them.

Modern production has changed. The use of iodized salt for pickling food, for pickling and smoking is absolutely safe. Moreover, the list of products suitable for preservation with iodized salt completely coincides with the list of products intended for preservation with ordinary rock salt extra. Therefore, if you have a question: "Is it possible to salt lard with iodized salt?", Then, without hesitation, feel free to cook this delicacy in order to later enjoy delicious sandwiches.

Iodized salt benefits and treatments

The benefits of this type of salt for human health lies in its therapeutic effect on the body, which is deficient in such a trace element as iodine. Thus, the product has a positive effect on the thyroid gland, which most of all suffers from the lack of the above element.

To fully appreciate the benefits of iodized salt we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the main symptoms of iodine deficiency:

• stratification of nails;
• hair loss;
• dry skin;
• drowsiness;
• fatigue, etc.

Considering the above symptoms, the introduction of iodine-fortified salt into the diet as a permanent component of this flavoring seasoning itself can be regarded as a healing procedure.

In addition, in medicine, a huge amount of different ways using iodized salt to solve health problems and enhance existing procedures. As an example, you can cite several of these medicinal recipes:

1. After the operation to remove the inflamed appendix, iodine-salt compresses are used to reduce edema in the operable area, for the speedy healing of the incision and to prevent the possibility of suppuration.
2. A bandage soaked with a solution from this product and applied to the forehead and neck may help relieve headaches.
3. A warm compress with a strong solution of iodized salt can relieve coughs with acute respiratory viral infections and flu, while this procedure will serve as an excellent way to better sputum discharge (the so-called expectorant effect).
4. A sore throat with sore throat can be cured by gargling with a mild solution of this mineral.
5. If you received a minor burn, for example, accidentally touched a hot frying pan, then a salt bandage can perfectly heal the damaged area.
6. Baths with iodized salt will help you deal with skin irritations and rashes.

And these are just a few examples of the use of iodized salt in medicinal purposes... As you can see, this universal assistant simply must be in the arsenal of any housewife.

Iodized salt in cosmetology

Iodized salt is of great importance in cosmetology. However, it should be borne in mind that it is best to use not food, but sea salt for these purposes. After all healing properties This product has been known to mankind for a long time. It is able to improve the elasticity of the skin, has bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties, moreover, this salt is able to significantly strengthen the main components of the beauty of every woman - hair and nails.

In order to make sure that the above is true, it is enough to apply to yourself several following recipes beauty, and the result will not be long in coming:

Harm of food iodized salt and contraindications

As a rule, iodized salt does not harm a healthy person. However, situations are possible when the following diseases are contraindications to the use of this product:

• thyroid cancer;
• tuberculosis;
• furunculosis;
• increased functioning of the thyroid gland;
• kidney disease;
• chronic pyoderma;
• hemorrhagic diathesis.

If you do not belong to people suffering from one of the above diseases, then this product will not harm you. But remember, the iodized version, unlike ordinary table salt, has a shelf life and should be observed when storing the right conditions, for example, protect the product from direct sunlight and keep in a tightly sealed container.