Salt is an essential ingredient in all kinds of cooking and baking. You may think sweet recipes don't need salt, but salt brings out the flavors in your cookies, cakes and other desserts. It particularly accentuates the flavors of butter, sugar, flour and chocolate. In bread baking, salt helps the gluten hold more water and carbon dioxide.  It also creates a stronger and tighter crumb. 

With so many kinds of salt available, how do you choose the right one for baking? It comes down to crystal size, with finer grains more appropriate for baking and larger grains better for cooking meat and finishing. 

TABLE SALT
Table salt is typically produced by sending water down into inland, underground salt mines, then  evaporating that water until only salt crystals remain. Most table salt in the U.S. includes iodide, a nutrient that prevents goiters (which was a problem about 100 years ago). It may also include a non-caking agent to improve the flow from the container. 

SEA SALT
Like the name suggests, sea water is evaporated in a number of processes to create salt in a variety of crystal structures, from fine to flaky to coarse. Sea salt also contains the minerals that are prevalent in the local sea water, thus adding color and flavor to salt. Fleur de sel and flaky sea salt are pretty and great for finishing. Sea salts, especially "artisan" salts, can be very expensive.

KOSHER SALT
Kosher salt is typically just salt - additive free and available in medium and coarse grains. It can be produced from underground salt deposits or sea water. Morton's, which is sold nearly everywhere, is a small/medium grain kosher salt. Diamond Crystal is a large grain salt that is popular with foodies, but may be more difficult to source locally. ONE MORE THING: The term kosher refers to "koshering," the process of sprinkling larger crystals of salt over meat to draw out blood. All salt is Kosher.

BEST FOR BAKING
Fine sea salt, fine kosher salt or table salt.

BEST FOR COOKING
We like to use a small/medium grain kosher salt. It's rougher texture makes it easy to grab a pinch and sprinkle where you want. For pasta water or liquid based meals, table salt works well, too. When cooking meats like steak, try a coarse salt.

BEST FOR FINISHING
A fleur de sel or flaky salt dresses up baked goods, salads and other items, adding sparkle and crunch.

IN OUR KITCHEN
We keep it simple. We use a fine sea salt for baking, Morton's Kosher salt for cooking and Maldon's sea salt for finishing. They are all affordable, easily sourced and taste good.

The volume and saltiness of salts are not the same. Some people feel that iodized table salt seems saltier than fine sea salt. And larger grained kosher salts may provide less salt flavor than medium kosher salts because the coarse structure leaves air gaps (less salt in the same teaspoon). Check the chart below if you need to make substitutions in a recipe that calls for a specific type or brand of salt. 

Link to a great article about salt on Serious Eats here.  

This time of year we put a lot of miles on our mixers. With holiday gatherings, parties and gift-giving just around the corner, you need your mixer to be ready to handle it all. It's especially important if you only use your mixer this time of year.

Below find our handy checklist for making sure your KitchenAid is up to the tasks ahead.

Good luck and happy baking!

We wish you could smell this....the spicy, cheesy smell is almost irresistible. It's a crowd favorite for football parties and would be perfect for tomorrow's big Super Bowl Game. The best part? You can make almost the entire recipe in your stand mixer! Well, that and you'll be sure not to have any leftovers to clean up after your party. Someone usually takes a spatula to the serving dish.

This recipe is super-forgiving. You can adjust quantities to what you have on hand, and it will still turn out well. We made a half-batch for our photos and video (coming soon), but recommend a full recipe if you're hosting more than four people.

If you want to slow people down - or have a group that like really spicy food - you can increase the amount of hot sauce by up to 100 percent (double the amount). It won't change the creamy deliciousness.

You can substitute low-fat cream cheese in this recipe for half or all the listed amount. It won't be quite as creamy, but it will still be tasty. We don't recommend fat-free cheeses, as they don't melt well and your dip may turn out gritty.

Serve with celery sticks, toast, crackers or tortilla chips. We guarantee if you serve this, your friends and family will request the recipe!

A full batch makes enough for appetizer servings for 10-12 people. 
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