MyTastr

Best salt (kosher and flaky), according to chefs

Three picks, each tied to a named taster and a public source — from Samin Nosrat, Nate Appleman, Leina Horii, Stephanie Izard and 9 more. Recommendations come from foodandwine.com, tastecooking.com, yahoo.com and alisoneroman.com and 3 other sources.

Pantry Staples · The ranking

  1. 1
    Top pick

    Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt

    Chosen by
    Also chosen by
    The clear winner when Food & Wine polled nine chefs. Trabocchi: “For everyday cooking, I use Diamond Crystal. Almost all chefs use it for a reason.” Chung: “It’s fluffier… because its structure is less dense, you are less likely to oversalt.” Nosrat learned on it at Chez Panisse: “You can use a lot of this and an extra bit won’t make a difference… I like that freedom.”
    Where to buy · Amazon ↗Instacart ↗Source: foodandwine.com ↗
  2. 2

    Maldon Sea Salt Flakes

    Chosen by
    Nosrat: “I feel paranoid when I’m in a kitchen without Maldon.” Ina: “that crunchiness tastes great.”
    Where to buy · Amazon ↗Instacart ↗Source: yahoo.com ↗
  3. 3

    Jacobsen Salt Co. Pure Flake

    Chosen by
    Also chosen by
    Nosrat uses it on salads, fish tartare, burrata; Roman packs it as her flaky salt (2026).
    Where to buy · Amazon ↗Instacart ↗Source: alisoneroman.com ↗

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Questions, answered

What is the best salt (kosher and flaky), according to chefs?
MyTastr’s top pick is Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, chosen by Fabio Trabocchi, Shirley Chung, Stephanie Izard, Leina Horii and Nate Appleman (Food & Wine chef poll); Samin Nosrat; Melissa Clark (The New York Times). The clear winner when Food & Wine polled nine chefs. Trabocchi: “For everyday cooking, I use Diamond Crystal. Almost all chefs use it for a reason.” Chung: “It’s fluffier… because its structure is less dense, you are less likely to oversalt.” Nosrat learned on it at Chez Panisse: “You can use a lot of this and an extra bit won’t make a difference… I like that freedom.” Source: foodandwine.com ↗
What are the other top picks for salt (kosher and flaky)?
No. 2 is Maldon Sea Salt Flakes, chosen by Samin Nosrat; Ina Garten; Gwyneth Paltrow. No. 3 is Jacobsen Salt Co. Pure Flake, chosen by Samin Nosrat; Alison Roman. Each card above links to the original source.
How does MyTastr choose these picks?
Every pick is tied to a named chef, cookbook author or food expert and links to the public interview, panel or article it came from. We survey dozens, often hundreds, of top chefs, food writers and critics, and order reflects how often and how strongly a brand is recommended. Only organic recommendations count — paid endorsements don’t — and brands can’t buy a spot. Read how we pick.

The tasters behind this ranking

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