Silly question about salt

Okay, I've given up trying to figure it out myself and I'm raising a white flag!

Why do so many cooks specify "kosher" salt in their recipes? What is the difference between kosher salt and my regular Morton's salt? Someone told me that it was because kosher salt doesn't have added iodine, but that doesn't make sense to me because how would the iodine alter a recipe? AND, if I go to the store to find kosher salt, does the label say "Kosher Salt"? I'm curious if this is just a fad or what because I've been collecting recipes and old cookbooks for years and the fact that some cooks specify "kosher salt" is a new thing. I'm befuddled.

That's all I can help you with since I'm not knowledgeable about salts. But here's a Yahoo page with information about Kosher salt. It says that Kosher salt doesn't usually have additives, for one thing http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20030310.html

very helpful and I appreciate it.

Morton's salt is mined salt with anticaking ingredients. It's why the bird on the cover is laying down a salt trail in a rainstorm.

Kosher salt is mined salt that has no additives. To be Kosher, a product has to be free of adulterants, and anticaking ingredients are seen as adulterants. It has the largest crystal of any of the types of salt and is especially good for crackers and breadsticks that are rolled in salt as a topping.

Sea salt is what it says it is, evaporated sea water. It has the finest crystal of the various types. Sea salt may or may not have anticaking additives, so reading the label is essential if you want to avoid them.

Iodized salt is either commercial salt or sea salt, and is recommended for people who live in land locked areas and don't eat seafood or seaweed. They can easily become deficient in iodine.

It's all sodium chloride, so please yourself with whatever type you choose. I use kosher salt in baking and for scouring out iron pots and pans; I use sea salt at the table because the finer crystals stick better. I avoid commercial salt because I just don't want the additives. I live in the desert, so I don't need them.

these reasons may or may not make a difference to any given cook.

The larger crsytals, as in Kosher and 'gros' sea salt make dispersing the salt easier. You're much less likely to get a clump of salt all in one spot.

The finer grains are generally preferable for that 'final sprinkle' as in table use or a final seasoning adjustment on a completed dish.

But the fact is, anyone can get by with just one salt. I prefer to use several, but that's a choice I made. Your choice may be different and is just as honest as mine.

As to fad .... that may well be the case for some people.

I use Alessi sea salt, but I guess you could use any brand you like. Put about 1/8 tsp or so of sea salt in the palm of your hand and taste it. Then try it again with Morton's or any other commercial salt. Then ask yourself which salt you want in your food.

I'll tell you how the experiment usually goes. When you taste the sea salt, you get an intensely salty, but not unpleasant taste. When you taste the commercial salt, you make an icky, sucking-on-a-lemon face. Since my diet doesn't put me at risk for goiters, I use nothing but sea salt.

except for baking. I like it much better. It's too coarse for a salt shaker so I keep a bit in a ramekin and pinch a bit with my fingers. It's especially good on meat and chicken.

All this good commentary makes sense to me. I never gave much thought to the most basic of seasonings. But then, I remember that Mom used to put rice in the salt shakers to keep it flowing. I wonder if people still do that?