Measure salt by weight for consistent salinity

Yes, they do, and it matters more than you think.

The issue is volume vs. weight. A tablespoon of table salt has way more sodium than a tablespoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt—about double, actually. That’s because table salt crystals are tiny and pack tightly, while kosher flakes are big and airy. Sea salt is a wild card depending on grind.

For spaghetti water, you want the same salinity every time. The easiest way is to weigh your salt. Shoot for around 1-2% salt by weight of water (10-20 grams per liter). If you must use volume, remember that 1 tablespoon of table salt ≈ 2 tablespoons of Diamond Crystal kosher. Morton kosher is denser than Diamond but still less than table salt.

So if a recipe says “add a handful of kosher salt” and you grab table salt, you’re oversalting by a lot. That’s why some people think pasta water should taste like the sea—they’re using too much fine salt.

Just buy a scale. It’s $20 and stops the guessing.