Show 181, July 23, 2016: Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish Restaurant Group, Huntington Beach

Andrew Gruel and his son WilliamSpecialty salts are appearing everywhere. There are a whole variety of salts to cook and prepare foods with. There are also now pricey finishing salts available. Let’s not forget salt substitutes. It’s all a bit confusing. Our resident chef, Andrew Gruel, is here with some clarity…

In ancient times salt was actually used as currency. Wars were fought over salt.

Chef Andrew points out that salt used for cooking and preserving is processed to remove the minerals. Finishing salts (not used for cooking) are more delicate and unprocessed. They retain the complex flavors of their source such as the pricey fleur de sel French sea salt.