Sea Salt vs Table Salt: What’s the Difference (and Does It Matter)?

Standing in the salt aisle (or scrolling it online) you’d be forgiven for thinking salt is salt. But then there’s the £6 bag of flaky sea salt next to the 30p box of table salt, and you start wondering if you’re missing something. So what is the difference between sea salt and table salt? Chemically, almost nothing — both are sodium chloride. Practically, the differences in texture, taste and how you use them are real and worth knowing.

I’ve cooked with both for years, and here’s my short version: they’re interchangeable in most cooking, but not in finishing. The long version is more interesting, because it involves seawater, mining, iodine, and why your chips taste better with flakes.

Sea Salt vs Table Salt: How They’re Made

Sea salt comes from evaporated seawater — either sun-dried in salt pans (like the famous Maldon flakes from Essex) or boiled down. Because it’s minimally processed, it retains trace minerals like magnesium, calcium and potassium. These don’t add meaningful nutrition (you’d need to eat dangerous amounts of salt to get them), but they do affect flavour and texture.

Table salt is mined from underground salt deposits, then heavily refined to remove minerals and prevent clumping. Most table salt has anti-caking agents added (so it pours freely in damp British kitchens) and, in many countries, added iodine — though iodised salt is less common in the UK than in the US.

Then there’s the middle ground: kosher salt, beloved by chefs, which is pure sodium chloride with large, coarse crystals and no additives. It’s brilliant for seasoning meat because the big crystals are easy to pinch and distribute evenly.

What Is the Difference Between Sea Salt and Table Salt in Taste?

In blind tests, dissolved in food, most people can’t tell them apart — because once dissolved, they’re the same chemical. Where you can taste a difference is as a finishing salt: those crunchy flakes of Maldon on a tomato salad, a steak, or a chocolate brownie deliver little bursts of salinity and a delicate crunch that fine table salt can’t replicate. Texture is doing most of the work, and it’s doing it beautifully.

The trace minerals in sea salt can add subtle flavour notes — some describe it as slightly sweeter or more complex — but honestly, in a stew or a pasta pot, save your money. Use the cheap stuff for cooking water and the good flakes for finishing. That’s what every professional kitchen does.

The Practical Differences That Actually Matter

• Crystal size and measuring. A teaspoon of fine table salt contains significantly more salt by weight than a teaspoon of flaky sea salt, because the flakes don’t pack down. If a recipe says “1 tsp salt” and you swap flaky sea salt for table salt, you’ll under-season. When precision matters — especially in baking — weigh your salt: 1 teaspoon of table salt is roughly 6g.
• Dissolving speed. Fine table salt dissolves fastest, which is why it’s best for baking and for anything where you don’t want crunchy surprises. Flaky salt needs a moment.
• Iodine. If you use non-iodised sea salt exclusively, just be aware that iodine matters for thyroid function. In the UK most of us get enough from dairy, eggs and fish, so it’s rarely an issue — the NHS guide to iodine has the detail if you’re curious.
• Price. Table salt costs pennies; artisan sea salt costs pounds. Use each where it earns its keep.

Which Salt for Which Job?

1. Pasta and vegetable cooking water: cheap fine sea salt or table salt. You’re using tablespoons; don’t waste the good stuff.
2. General cooking and seasoning: fine sea salt. No anti-caking agents, clean flavour, dissolves well.
3. Finishing — salads, steaks, eggs, chocolate: flaky sea salt (Maldon is the classic). This is where it earns its price.
4. Baking: fine salt, weighed. Crystal size affects measurements, so consistency matters.
5. Brining and curing: kosher salt or pure sea salt without additives — anti-caking agents can cloud brines.

If you’re seasoning chips, by the way, flaky salt after cooking is transformative — see crispy chips in the air fryer for the full method, then finish with flakes and thank me later.

A Note on Health Claims

You’ll see sea salt marketed as “healthier” or “more natural.” Nutritionally, it’s not — gram for gram, it contains the same sodium as table salt, and the trace minerals are negligible. The NHS advice on salt is clear: most UK adults eat too much salt (around 8g a day against a recommended maximum of 6g), whatever the type. Himalayan pink salt, with its pretty colour from iron oxide, is in the same boat — lovely to look at, no health advantage. If you want to cut down, the type of salt matters far less than the total amount.

Building a Sensible Salt Collection (Three Is Plenty)

You don’t need twelve artisan salts. Three covers everything:

1. Fine sea salt (the workhorse): a 1kg bag costs about £2 and lasts months. For pasta water, general cooking, baking. Keep it by the hob in a cellar or open bowl for easy pinching.
2. Flaky sea salt (the finisher): Maldon or similar, around £3–4 for 250g. For salads, steaks, eggs, chocolate desserts — anywhere you’ll taste the crunch. This is the one guests notice.
3. One “fun” salt (optional): smoked salt for barbecue and roasted veg, or a flavoured salt for cocktails. Nice to have, not essential.

Storage: keep salt dry (damp salt clumps — the irony of anti-caking agents is they exist because of British humidity), away from the steam of the hob if possible, and don’t stress about “expiry dates” on salt — it’s a rock; it doesn’t expire. Replace flaky salt when it loses its crunch from moisture, which takes a very long time in a sealed box. Three salts, used in the right places, and your seasoning will be better than 90% of home kitchens.

The Takeaway

The difference between sea salt and table salt is texture and use-case, not chemistry: both are sodium chloride, but flaky sea salt shines as a finishing salt while fine salt wins for everyday cooking and baking. Buy one good box of flaky salt for finishing, one cheap bag of fine salt for everything else, and ignore the health hype. Your food will taste better and your wallet won’t notice — which, for a store-cupboard staple, is exactly right. And if you’re rethinking pantry basics more broadly, the healthiest cooking oil for everyday use is worth the same clear-eyed look.