What is pickling salt? It sounds specialized, but it's really the simplest form of salt and keeps pickles bright and crisp.

It might not be a surprise to hear that pickling salt is a key part of the pickling process. But what makes it different? Can you pickle with table salt?

Kosher salt is the best type to use here; you can also use canning salt, if you happen to have it. Avoid table salt, since it often contains anti-caking agents that can cloud the brine.

Kosher salt, however, has large crystals, which do not dissolve as quickly as pickling salt. Either salt is fine, but kosher salt will take more effort to use.

Kosher salt is standard in the BA test kitchen; but which salt you choose depends entirely on how you want to use it.

If you've ever wondered, "What is kosher salt?" look no further than this article. We compare different types of salt so you can tell the difference.

Because iodized or table salt has much finer and almost uniform grains, and kosher salt and sea salt have larger, irregularly shaped grains, they are not interchangeable by volume.

We use sea salt, pickling, or kosher salt and tend to stay away from iodized table salt as a preference in pickling. Iodised salt can make the brine cloudy, and discolor what we are pickling.