What I Use

A working list of my own preferred varieties, brands, etc., where I think these make a difference.

Basics #

Salt #

In my kitchen, I generally use Morton’s Coarse Kosher Salt for my day-to-day cooking. I have a little bin with a lid mounted on the wall next to my stove, and I keep it full of salt so I can grab a pinch whenever I need it. Whatever salt you use, I recommend keeping some kind of salt bin (sometimes called a “salt pig”) near your stove. Season in layers, and don’t be afraid of salt.

Chefs will say that they prefer Diamond Kosher Salt, but I can’t get that at my grocery store and have never had any problem with Morton’s.

I know a lot of people will be accustomed to iodized table salt - that’s what I grew up with, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with it. I like the coarse salt because the large grains mean that there’s more open space between them in a given volume - in effect, it’s ’less salty’ per volume than the very fine-grained table salt. This means that I can season with abandon, with less risk of oversalting things.

This does mean that the actual amount of Sodium Chloride in, say, a teaspoon of table salt is greater than the amount in a teaspoon of coarse salt (by about 25% in my experience). But I have found this is rarely a problem.

To be honest, I don’t pay much attention to the salt quantities in recipes. I’ve been cooking for decades, and I know how to season food. The big exception is baking and batters, or anything where you can’t really tell in advance or can’t correct the seasoning later. For these reasons, it’s not a bad idea to keep some table salt around.

Iodine deficiency was a public health problem in the US in the 19th century, which is why table salt has it added. The effects of iodine deficiency are pretty unpleasant, but it’s not likely to be an issue for modern middle-class Americans. If you eat a diet that includes lots of different vegetables and at least occasional seafood, you’re not likely in any danger. But to be clear - there’s nothing wrong with iodized salt. Kosher salt simply doesn’t include it, for kosher reasons that I won’t pretend to understand.

Finally, you may have heard of flakey sea salts like Fleur de Sel or Maldon sea salt. Unlike every other salt we’ve discussed, these can be pretty pricey, and should NOT be used for general cooking. They don’t taste any different, but they do provide a textural element that can be very special. These salts are used after cooking, as finishing elements in a dish.

Flakey sea salts can be a wonderful finishing element on a salad. I also like to sprinkle a pinch of flakey sea salt on peanut butter cookies before going in the oven. Pretty much anything where you want salt grains to be eaten undissolved.

Oil #

I use olive oil for most of my day-to-day cooking. For frying, use peanut oil. There’s simply no contest - it can withstand high heat, isn’t overly spattery, gives beautiful results and (unlike the bizarrely popular canola oil) smells wonderful when heated.

Since I buy this for frying, I also use it for anything that needs a neutral flavored oil (Asian recipes, some salad dressings, etc.)

Parmesan Cheese #

When I say this, I mean imported Parmigiano-Reggiano if at all possible. It’s one of those ingredients where the cheaper domestic replacements are only the palest shadow of the qualities of the real article. More than just something to shake on your spaghetti, real aged Parmigiano-Reggiano is one of the world’s greatest cheeses, and only small quantities are needed to bring amazing complexity to any dish.

Brands #

I’m not generally very particular about brands, but some firms simply make a better product.