Mozzarella and Ricotta are two cheeses that do not require salt. All of the soft cheeses may be made without salt. Salt is added to these simply for flavor. The hard cheeses and mold-ripened cheeses do require salt.

Salt is used in cheese making, not just for flavor, but to slow the bacteria down and prevent overly acidic cheeses. Most cheeses finish with about 1-1.5% salt by weight. You may use any salt you wish, but be sure to get one where the only ingredient is salt. (Iodized salt will interfere with any bacterial ripening, so we suggest using one that is non-iodized.) Most canning salts qualify.

For brines, any non-iodized salt will do. The difference between our cheese salt and any canning salt is the larger crystal size. This ensures that when dry salting, the salt doesn’t dissolve too rapidly.