How to make salt from sea water

Eddie Shepherd

30 Oct 202207:28

EducationalLearning

32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRIn this engaging video, the host explores the fascinating world of salt, an essential ingredient in cooking that enhances flavor, preserves food, and is a fundamental taste. Inspired by traditional salt farming methods in France, the host embarks on a journey to create their own flaky sea salt from seawater. The process involves filtering, boiling, and reducing seawater to a sixth of its volume, followed by slow drying to form large, flaky crystals. This DIY approach not only offers a deeper understanding of salt production but also encourages thoughtful use of this versatile ingredient. The video concludes with suggestions on how to use the homemade salt, such as a finishing touch on salads or in recipes like salted caramel, where its distinct flavor can truly shine.

Takeaways

🧂 Salt is a fundamental ingredient in cooking, serving as a seasoning, flavor enhancer, and preservative.
🌊 Sea salt is traditionally farmed in specific regions, such as a small island off the west coast of France, and is known for its distinct flavor.
🍲 The process of making sea salt involves channeling seawater into trenches, where it evaporates under the sun, leading to the formation of salt crystals.
🏺 To make your own sea salt, you can start with seawater, which is about 3.5% salt, and expect to recover most of this salt through reduction.
🔥 Reducing six liters of seawater to one liter by boiling it down helps concentrate the salt and prepare it for the next stage of the process.
🕒 A slow and gentle drying process at 80 degrees for about eight hours allows for the formation of larger salt crystals, resulting in flaky sea salt.
🏋️‍♂️ Physically moving the salt crystals by hand and piling them up helps in their further drying and formation.
🍽 The homemade flaky sea salt is best used as a finishing salt to highlight its unique texture and flavor in dishes.
💡 Making your own salt is an educational process that can lead to a deeper appreciation and more thoughtful use of this essential ingredient.
🌿 Foraging for ingredients like wild fennel pollen can also provide a unique connection to a place and its culinary traditions.
📺 The video suggests that salt plays a key role in fermentation processes, hinting at a future video on simple lacto fermentation.
♻️ An energy-efficient way to make sea salt at home could involve using residual heat from an oven, though this method may be less controlled.

Q & A

Why is salt considered an important ingredient in cooking?
-Salt is important in cooking because it acts as a seasoning and flavor enhancer, preserves food, manages safe fermentation, can change the texture of foods, and is one of the five basic tastes that we have a receptor for on our tongue.
Why did the speaker decide to make their own salt?
-The speaker decided to make their own salt after realizing that they make many things from scratch, such as gin and honey, and have even made their own chef's knives. They were inspired by traditional salt farms in France and wanted to give the same attention to something as fundamental as salt.
What is the traditional method of making sea salt on the salt farms in France?
-The traditional method involves channeling seawater into trenches where it gradually evaporates under the sun. As the salinity increases, salt crystals form. These crystals are then gently moved by hand into piles to further dry out.
How does the speaker plan to make their own flaky sea salt?
-The speaker plans to make their own flaky sea salt by first filtering seawater, then boiling it down to about a sixth of its original volume. The reduced seawater is then placed in a tray and put in an oven or dehydrator at 80 degrees for about eight hours to allow larger salt crystals to form.
What is the approximate yield of salt from six liters of seawater?
-From six liters of seawater, which is about three and a half percent salt, the speaker expects to recover about 200 grams of finished flaky salt.
Why is it important to reduce the heat when boiling down the seawater to one liter?
-Reducing the heat is important to prevent overshooting the target volume and to avoid the risk of scorching the salt, which could affect the quality and flavor of the final product.
How does the slow drying process in the oven or dehydrator contribute to the formation of flaky salt crystals?
-The slow drying process allows larger salt crystals to form, resulting in a flaky finished sea salt. This gentle and slow process is key to achieving the desired texture.
What is the purpose of placing the formed salt crystals in a sieve after removing them from the tray?
-The purpose is to let any excess brine drain away from the salt crystals, ensuring that the salt is as dry as possible before the final drying stage.
Why might someone choose to use homemade flaky sea salt as a finishing salt?
-Homemade flaky sea salt could be used as a finishing salt to highlight its unique texture and flavor. It could be used on fresh salads, salted caramel, or truffles where the salt is a notable flavor component and may even serve as a garnish.
How can the process of making salt from seawater be made more energy-efficient?
-One could use the residual heat from an oven that has been used for another purpose, placing the tray of concentrated seawater inside to dry. This method might require repeating over a few days but uses less additional energy.
What is the shelf life of the homemade flaky sea salt and how can it be stored?
-The homemade flaky sea salt is shelf stable, meaning it can be stored for a long time without refrigeration. It should be kept in an airtight container to maintain its quality.
How does the speaker plan to use the homemade salt in their cooking or fermentation processes?
-The speaker is keen to use the homemade salt in fermentation processes, as salt plays a key role in controlling fermentation. They also plan to feature it on their menu and use it in dishes where its flavor and texture can be most appreciated.

Outlines

00:00

🧂 The Importance of Salt and Making Sea Salt

The first paragraph introduces salt as a fundamental ingredient in cooking, serving as a flavor enhancer, preservative, and texture modifier. It highlights salt as one of the five basic tastes we can detect. The speaker reflects on their culinary journey, making many things from scratch, and questions why they haven't made their own salt before. The video promises to show a simple method for making flaky sea salt from seawater. The setting is a picturesque island off the west coast of France, renowned for its salt farms and culinary delights. The traditional salt farming process is described, where seawater is channeled into trenches to evaporate under the sun, leading to the formation of salt crystals. The video aims to present a miniaturized and accelerated version of this process that can be replicated in a kitchen.

05:02

🏺 The Process of Homemade Sea Salt Production

The second paragraph details the process of making homemade sea salt. It begins with the collection of seawater, which is then filtered to remove any impurities. The filtered water is boiled down to one-sixth of its original volume, concentrating the salt. The reduced seawater is then placed in a tray and heated gently in an oven or dehydrator at 80 degrees Celsius for about eight hours, allowing for the formation of large salt crystals. These crystals are removed, drained of excess brine, and dried further in a low oven or dehydrator to ensure they remain flaky. The paragraph concludes by acknowledging the inefficiency of this process but emphasizes the educational value and the thoughtful use of an ingredient when made from scratch. The speaker suggests using the homemade salt as a finishing touch on dishes where its unique flavor can be appreciated, such as fresh salads, salted caramel, or truffles. Lastly, the paragraph hints at a future video on lacto fermentation, another process where salt plays a crucial role.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Salt

Salt is a fundamental ingredient in cooking, serving as a seasoning and flavor enhancer. It is essential for preserving food and managing safe fermentation. Salt also has the ability to alter the texture of foods and is one of the basic tastes that humans can detect. In the video, the creator reflects on the ubiquitous nature of salt and their decision to make their own salt, which ties into the broader theme of creating things from scratch.

💡Sea Salt

Sea salt is a type of salt made from the evaporation of seawater. It is traditionally farmed in specific regions, such as the one described in the video located off the west coast of France. Sea salt is known for its flaky texture and is often used as a finishing salt to enhance the flavor of dishes. The video demonstrates how to make flaky sea salt from seawater, which is a central part of the narrative.

💡Seasoning

Seasoning refers to the process of adding flavor to food, often through the use of various ingredients like salt, herbs, and spices. In the context of the video, salt is highlighted as a critical seasoning agent that the creator uses in almost every recipe, including sweet ones, where it serves to balance and enhance other flavors.

💡Texture

Texture in cooking refers to the sensory experience of the food's surface or inner composition. Salt can influence the texture of foods, as mentioned in the video, by affecting the water content and structure of ingredients. The creation of flaky sea salt is an example of how salt can have a distinct textural contribution to dishes.

💡Evaporation

Evaporation is the process by which a liquid turns into a vapor, which is a key step in the traditional method of making sea salt. In the video, the process of channeling seawater into trenches and allowing it to evaporate under the sun is described, leading to the formation of salt crystals.

💡Salt Crystals

Salt crystals are the solid forms that salt takes as the seawater evaporates and the salinity increases. The video details the formation of these crystals, which are then manually collected and further dried to produce the finished sea salt. The size and flakiness of these crystals are important for the texture of the final product.

💡Flaky Sea Salt

Flaky sea salt is a type of salt known for its large, delicate crystals that are characterized by a flaky texture. The video provides a method for making this type of salt, emphasizing the slow and gentle process that allows for the formation of large crystals, which contribute to the unique texture and use of the salt in cooking.

💡Gin

Gin is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage that the creator mentions distilling themselves. This detail is part of the creator's broader interest in making things from scratch, which includes not only gin but also honey from their bees and their own chef's knives. The mention of gin illustrates the creator's commitment to understanding and controlling the ingredients used in their cooking.

💡Fermentation

Fermentation is a process that involves the conversion of sugars to acids, gases, or alcohol by the action of microorganisms. Salt plays a crucial role in this process, as it helps to control the fermentation by inhibiting the growth of unwanted bacteria. The video hints at the creator's interest in using their homemade salt in fermentation processes, which will be covered in a future video.

💡Finishing Salt

A finishing salt is a type of salt that is used at the end of the cooking process to add a burst of flavor and texture to a dish. The video suggests using the homemade flaky sea salt as a finishing salt on dishes like fresh salad or in recipes where the salt flavor is prominent, such as salted caramel or truffles.

💡Shelf Stability

Shelf stability refers to how long a food product can be stored without significant quality degradation. The video mentions that the homemade sea salt, like other salts, is shelf stable and can be kept on hand for use in cooking. This property makes it a practical ingredient to produce and store.

Highlights

Salt is considered the most important ingredient in cooking, serving as a seasoning and flavor enhancer.

Salt preserves food and manages safe fermentation, as well as altering the texture of foods.

Salt is one of the five basic tastes with a specific receptor on the human tongue.

The speaker reflects on why making their own salt had not previously occurred to them despite their efforts to create things from scratch.

The process of making sea salt is demonstrated, starting with seawater collected from the Anglesea coast in Wales.

Seawater is filtered to remove any impurities before the salt-making process begins.

The seawater is boiled down to about a sixth of its original volume to concentrate the salt.

Reducing the heat during the final stages of boiling prevents scorching the salt.

The concentrated seawater is then placed in a tray and heated at a low temperature for several hours to form large salt crystals.

A slower, gentler process is used to allow for the formation of larger, flaky salt crystals.

The finished salt is gently removed from the tray and any excess brine is drained.

The salt is dried further in a low oven or dehydrator to ensure large flake formation.

Making salt at home is not the most efficient but offers an educational and insightful process.

The homemade salt can be used as a finishing salt to highlight its unique characteristics.

The salt can also be used in traditional ways, and is shelf-stable for long-term storage.

The speaker is interested in using the homemade salt for fermentation processes, given salt's key role in controlling fermentation.

A future video on simple lacto fermentation is teased, emphasizing salt's importance in that process.

The video concludes with an invitation to subscribe for more informative content on food and cooking.

Transcripts

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How to make salt from sea water

Takeaways

Q & A

Why is salt considered an important ingredient in cooking?

Why did the speaker decide to make their own salt?

What is the traditional method of making sea salt on the salt farms in France?

How does the speaker plan to make their own flaky sea salt?

What is the approximate yield of salt from six liters of seawater?

Why is it important to reduce the heat when boiling down the seawater to one liter?

How does the slow drying process in the oven or dehydrator contribute to the formation of flaky salt crystals?

What is the purpose of placing the formed salt crystals in a sieve after removing them from the tray?

Why might someone choose to use homemade flaky sea salt as a finishing salt?

How can the process of making salt from seawater be made more energy-efficient?

What is the shelf life of the homemade flaky sea salt and how can it be stored?

How does the speaker plan to use the homemade salt in their cooking or fermentation processes?