Pickling Salt

Pickling Salt is as fine as table salt -- in fact, it is table salt, but without any additives. Iodine, and many of the anti-caking additives in our table salt, would turn pickles brown and make the brine go cloudy. Oh, it would all still be completely fine to eat -- but who'd want to, and what a heart-ache to have all your labour turn into such an unappealing mess.

You could also, if you wished, use Pickling Salt as a table salt. You could substitute any completely pure, additive-free sea salt - but who'd want to at the price? Some brands of Kosher Salt can be substituted: either the ones that have no anti-caking agents, or if they do, if it's sodium ferrocyanide (yellow prussiate of soda), as that won't affect your pickling the way other agents will.

Note that if you are using a coarser salt than Pickling Salt, use 1 cup plus 2 tbsp of the coarser salt for every cup of Pickling Salt that you need if you are measuring by volume. If you are measuring by weight, in ounces or grams, just substitute weight for weight.

But economically, you're better just getting the Pickling Salt as it is quite cheap and is sold in largish bags and boxes, which is the quantities that you'll need in preserving, anyway.

Don't substitute any of the low-sodium or salt substitutes: they might bluff your taste buds at the table, but they ain't going to fool Mother Nature when it comes to the chemical stuff that has to happen with your pickling to keep it safe.1 cup = 7 3/4 oz = 220 grams

Also called:

Nitrite Pickling Salt, Preserves

Dairy Salt, Morton's Tender Quick, Nitrite Pickling Salt, Pickling Salt, Prague Powder, Saltpetre

Coarse Salt, Dishwasher Salt, Finishing Salts, Roman Salt, Sea Salt, Well Salt

Chocolate, Cinnamon, Galangal, Ginger, Mustard, Paprika, Peppers, Pepper