Salt

For very special seasoning, I sprinkle either fine fleur de sel (French sea salt) or English Maldon sea salt on such indulgences as Rosh Hashanah challah smeared with a sublime honey. I sometimes use regular table salt for baking—for example, in some breads.

But for regular purposes, I nearly always use kosher salt for cooking and at table. I prefer its pure, clean flavor and coarse texture. Because of its large crystals, it doesn’t melt into foods and is essential for certain recipes like curing Pastrami-Style Salmon or salting eggplant. When a recipe calls for coarse salt, choose either the coarsest grind of kosher salt available or a coarse sea salt.