Not all salt is the same, and the most common mistake with seasoned salts is not the amount but the timing. Broadly, there are two groups: salts that go onto the finished dish, and blends that tolerate heat and are applied before cooking. Mix them up, and you either waste the aroma or never get it out in the first place.
Why finishing salts go on at the end
The aroma compounds in truffle, lemon or herbs are volatile: they evaporate with heat. In a pan that simmers for twenty minutes, nothing is left of a pinch of truffle salt by the end — the dish is still salted, just without the very thing you bought the salt for.
That is why the same rule applies to flavoured salts as to fresh truffle: season with ordinary salt as usual while cooking, and sprinkle the seasoned salt only onto the plate. The residual heat is enough to open up the aroma.
The salts in detail
Truffle salt
Truffle salt is sea salt with dried black summer truffle (Tuber aestivum) and truffle flavouring. In the spoon you can see the pieces of truffle between the salt crystals — they are the reason a pinch is enough.
Over chips, roast potatoes, scrambled eggs, pasta, risotto and steak. One pinch per portion is enough.
Smoked salt
Smoked salt is cold-smoked over natural wood in Germany. Cold-smoked means the salt absorbs the smoke without melting or clumping — the aroma sits in the grain, not just on the outside.
Over grilled meat, roasted vegetables, soups and sauces. It is the only salt in the range that also works in marinades and rubs. Use sparingly — smoke quickly takes over and masks finer notes.
Lemon salt
Lemon salt replaces the squeeze of lemon at the end without watering down the dish. That is the practical point: acidity without liquid.
Over fish and seafood, salads, grilled vegetables, avocado, hummus and yoghurt dips.
Garlic salt
Our garlic salt contains fermented garlic with wild oregano. Fermentation takes away the garlic’s sharpness and makes it dark, mild and almost sweet — in flavour a different ingredient from fresh garlic, not simply a dried version of it.
Over roasted vegetables, grilled meat, pasta, potatoes and tomato salad, and in dressings too.
Curry salt
Curry salt is spicy and warm rather than hot. It is intended as a ready-made seasoning, not a substitute for a real curry paste.
Over rice dishes, vegetables, chicken, eggs, roast potatoes and dips.
Truffle granules: the dry alternative
Between salt and sauce sit our truffle granules. They are granular and dry, so they don’t change the texture of a dish — that is the difference from truffle oil and truffle sauce, and the reason they often work better than either over chips, popcorn or scrambled eggs.
Here too: sprinkle over the finished, warm dish, not while frying. And don’t dose them over a steaming pan — moisture makes the granules clump.
The other group: blends that tolerate heat
Rubs and spice blends work exactly the other way round. Their main players are dried spices that need heat to open up.
- BBQ Smoky Rub — garlic, rosemary and marjoram. Rub it into meat or vegetables before cooking and leave to rest so the spices can penetrate.
- Spanish spice blend — paprika and saffron. Add at the start of cooking so both can release their colour and aroma. The base seasoning for paella and Mediterranean braises.
- Thai spice blend — paprika, turmeric, ginger and leek. Toast briefly in hot oil before adding the remaining ingredients.
How much is enough?
With flavoured salts, a pinch per portion, then taste. You can always strengthen the flavour, but you can’t take it back — an over-flavoured dish quickly tastes perfumed.
And remember: seasoned salts are salt. If you are planning to finish with a pinch of truffle or smoked salt, go easier on the salt while cooking.
Storage
Salt absorbs odours. All salts should be kept airtight, cool and dark — and not next to coffee, spice grinders or cleaning products. Spice blends and rubs should be stored dry, dark and well sealed; light makes paprika and turmeric in particular fade.
The four most common mistakes
- Cooked with the dish. The aroma is gone after a few minutes; the salt remains.
- Salted twice. If you finish with seasoned salt, you need to use less salt while cooking.
- Too much at once. You can add more, but you can’t take it away.
- Stored open. After a few weeks next to the coffee, every salt tastes the same.
You’ll find the whole range under Salt and spices. If you want the tuber itself rather than a pinch: fresh truffle by season — how much you need per person is explained in Shaving truffles.