The pick: True Salt from the Sea of Cortez
Why it rates: Entrepreneurs Brian Pierce and Kelly Egan wanted to produce a better, cleaner salt with an all-natural, unrefined and environmentally friendly harvesting process. Their journeys took them to towns along the Sea of Cortez, where artisanal sea salt has been hand harvested for generations.
"It was in this place that we experienced how a true salt really tasted," they write on the company's website, TrueSaltCo.com. "As we used it on meats, poultry, fish, veggies, tacos and sweets, the depth of flavor was undeniable."
The two began collaborating with salt farmers and produced three grains _ coarse, fine and kosher _ for chefs and home cooks. The three salts are available in 16-ounce packages for home cooks and large quantities for restaurants, and there's a new 3-pound box of kosher salt, created in answer to requests for a package size that can be a direct replacement for grocery store brands.
The Phoenix-based True Salt company also has a new cocktail salt in stores.
Info: On Amazon.com, a 16-ounce bag of cocktail salt is $7.99 and six 3-pound boxes of kosher salt is $22.99. Learn more about the products online at TrueSaltCo.com.