Preference for salts in cooking as perceived by culinary arts students and professional chefs

The aim of this study was to determine the salt (sea, table or kosher) preference of culinary students and professional chefs. The study was conducted using instant mashed potatoes as the salt carrier. An unsalted sample served as a reference, and treated samples (sea, table and kosher salts) were compared in a sensory panel (n = 98) using a ranking test for best overall flavor. The objective of this research was to discover if culinary students and professional chefs have a preference for salt type. In a previous study on the preference for salt, it was discovered that everyday consumers did not have a distinct preference for salt type. However, the panel of culinary students and professional chefs indicated that sea salt was preferred over table and kosher salts, but there was no significant statistical difference between the table and kosher salts.