Table Salt

[barry1010]

I always thought table salt was table salt and that there was no difference. I was surprised that Saxa is much saltier than Tesco own.

Has anyone else found this?

[barry1010]

I noticed the Saxa was saltier because I put the usual amount on my salad and it was too salty. Later I put equal amounts of Saxa and Tesco salt on two chunks of raw carrot and the Saxa carrot did taste saltier.
Today my wife gave me a blind test using raw carrot and I correctly identified the Saxa.
My wife agrees with me although she didn’t expect to.
I agree it is odd and surprising.

[theprof]

Take a look at the salt shelves in any of the big supermarkets. You'll invariably find that the Saxa salt drums are fairly full of stock whereas the supermarket own brand ones are depleted.

Currently, Tesco sell a 750g drum of Saxa salt for £0.90. Their own brand salt container of the same weight sells at £0.38. The curious that look at the ingredients in both cannot see any difference in the ingredients. Therefore,they cannot justify in their mind the price disparity. The end result is that the own-brand products sells in vastly greater quantities.

[barry1010]

I've always bought own brand salt

[theprof]

I have no answer for this barry1010. It is indeed both odd and surprising and I can't explain it.

If the crystals were very much larger in the Saxa salt, that would account for it, but I know that the manufacturer takes great care to specify the crystal size they need and will accept nothing else.

[barry1010]

They look identical. The grains certainly aren't as big as my mouth :D It's a mystery

[barry1010]

I notice they have different anti-caking agents. I wonder if that has anything to do with it?
Saxa - Sodium Hexacyanoferrate II
Tesco - Sodium Ferrocyanide

[theprof]

No, it's the same chemical barry1010. Manufacturers nowadays are allowed to use both names but they generally prefer the sodium hexacyanoferrate (ii) as the original name contains the word "cyanide". The chemical is perfectly harmless in the quantities contained in culinary salt.

[barry1010]

Darn, thought I'd solved it. Thanks for the explanation, though

[AuntPollyGrey]

Are they both from the same source? ie rock salt or sea salt? I buy Malvern flaked salt crystals and they are very mild -I can't stand the salty taste of table salt.

[theprof]

Most budget/own-brand salt refers to it as sodium ferrocyanide. I often wonder whether the the presence of the word "cyanide" puts some people off buying these budget brands, which theoretically could increase the sales of Saxa and other premium brands.

[theprof]

AuntPollyGrey, I take it you mean Maldon flaked sea salt crystals? The crystal size and the fact that they contain very slightly less sodium chloride is what makes these taste less salty.

The source of budget culinary own-brand table salt and Saxa salt is the same.

[THECORBYLOON]

It might be the supermarkets as less fussy about their salt and the size of the grains are less uniform and larger than those from Saxa.

If they are, a level spoonful of supermarket salt will weigh less than a level spoonful of Saxa salt and will taste less salty if added as an ingredient.