sodium chloride does, and so can be separated The sodium chloride in turn crystallizes before the magnesium salts, whose slight residue on the crystal surfaces can then be washed off in new brine Crystal Shapes These days both edible rock salt and sea salts are produced from brines by evaporating the water away The evaporation process determines the kinds of salt crystals produced If the brine becomes concentrated rapidly in a closed tank and crystallization takes place throughout the brine, then many small, regular cubic crystals are formed: the familiar granulated salt of the salt shaker However, if the evaporation proceeds slowly and at least partly in an open container or seaside pool, so that crystallization occurs primarily at the brine surface, then the salt solidifies into fragile, hollow, pyramid-shaped flakes, a useful shape for sticking to the surfaces of baked goods, and for dissolving rapidly To be preserved, the flakes must be scooped off the surface before they settle and sink into the brine, where they fill in and become the large, coarse crystal often seen in minimally processed sea salts Once collected and dried, both granular and flake salts can be rolled, compacted, and crushed to make various particle sizes and shapes Kinds of Salt Worldwide, about half of all salt production comes from the sea, and about half from salt mines; in the United States, 95% is mined Depending on how they’ve been processed, edible salts range from 98 to 99.7% sodium chloride, with the lower figures typical of table salts treated with anticaking additives Granulated Table Salt Granulated table salts come in the form of small, regular, cubic ... preserved, the flakes must be scooped off the surface before they settle and sink into the brine, where they fill in and become the large, coarse crystal often seen in minimally processed sea salts Once collected and dried, both granular... Once collected and dried, both granular and flake salts can be rolled, compacted, and crushed to make various particle sizes and shapes Kinds of Salt Worldwide, about half of all salt production comes from the sea, and about half from salt... comes from the sea, and about half from salt mines; in the United States, 95% is mined Depending on how they’ve been processed, edible salts range from 98 to 99.7% sodium chloride, with the lower figures typical of