Salt containers

[shar999]

I live in a humid area and can't figure out why, or how, a salt pig keeps my salt dry. Does anyone have the answer?

[Marya]

If your salt pig is made of terra cotta the salt will remain dry because the pot will absorb any residual moisture.

[sparrowgrass]

My pig is made of glazed ceramic, so that is not it.

I think it is a miracle, just like that whole electricity thing.

[srhcb]

My pig is made of glazed ceramic, so that is not it.

I think it is a miracle, just like that whole electricity thing.

←

As long as the interior is unglazed it will work.

SB (or, it's magic!)

[racheld]

I vote MAGIC

[Carrot Top]

Every salt pig in the world comes with its own band of hidden elves. They live under the cover and are invisible, of course, as all good elves are. At night, they come out and slide grains of rice (where do they get the grains of rice? Why they just do a little rice dance, of course, and a little pile appears in the circle before them!) into the salt pig. The pig is happy, for he likes rice. The salt is happy, for it gets to dry out a bit, shedding all that dampness into the rice. The rice is happy because it is all dried out and needs a bit of softening.

When morning comes, at the break of dawn, the rice disappears, the elves go back to their hiding places, and the salt is just salt, looking for all the world like a regular thing.

I'm surprised nobody else knew this.

[srhcb]

I wonder if it's okay to keep Kosher Salt in a Salt Pig?

SB

[Jmahl]

I wonder if it's okay to keep Kosher Salt in a Salt Pig?

SB 

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Sure, just be sure to change its name to "salt zebra" or something like that -- then, you can use it for koshering if you've a mind to.

Jmahl

[srhcb]

I wonder if it's okay to keep Kosher Salt in a Salt Pig?

SB 

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Sure, just be sure to change its name to "salt zebra" or something like that -- then, you can use it for koshering if you've a mind to.

Jmahl

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Not quite the same thing ...., but

I wonder if unglazed ceramic shakers would keep salt from clumping, or does the wide opening for air circulation also have something to do with it?

SB

[miladyinsanity]

I also live in a humid area.

My mom keeps her salt in a plastic container that is not airtight.

But it doesn't clump. Now that's magic.

[andiesenji]

I do not live in a humid area but I do have friends that do, including several that live on boats in marinas from Oxnard to Newport Beach.

One uses salt shakers that include a little perforated glass container that holds a material that absorbs moisture and turns pink as it becomes "saturated" and then is baked in the oven until the material returns to blue. I think she got them at a store that sells marine products.

If this sounds familiar to some of you, at one time you could buy cookie/biscuit tins that had lids with a glass handle that was exactly the same. (I have several and they work nicely.)

However, you can also find the little plastic containers in vitamin bottles and other over-the-counter and prescription medications. I save these because they do keep moisture away from the contents.

The most common types are cylinders, about 1/2 inch in diameter and the same length, however you can also find ones that are longer, some are in soft little envelopes made from a material that doesn't tear and is resistant to the abrasion of the salt - one is called Tyvec, another is Duralon and they are safe to use with food.

Do not use the larger ones that are packed with electronic products from China, Southeast Asia or Korea. They are not food-safe.

When I was a child, in western Kentucky, living very near the Ohio river, every saltshaker in the house included some white rice, which served the same purpose, that is, to absorb moisture and keep the salt from clumping.

In the kitchen, they used large, open salt boxes, glass or ceramic and one always sat on a thin brick at one end of the hugh wood/coal stove. The heat kept the salt dry. There was one on each of the two Estate ranges. There were in the center of the big kitchen table where most of the baking prep was done and I think the turnover there was too rapid for the salt to become clumped. I really can't recall a salt-shaker per se in the kitchen. The cook and her help used their fingers - who knew, they were many decades ahead of the trend.

In the springhouse, where milk was processed and butter and cheese was made, (and it was damp because of the cistern in the room that was where the stuff was kept cool) the salt was in a large unglazed crock (made by Bauer when they were still in Paducah) and I think the unglazed pottery drew off any moisture.

I searched via Google and found someone has patented a device for this purpose.

Edited December 3, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[jackal10]

Salt pigs don't keep the salt particularly dry.

You just think they do.

They have a big hole in the top so it doesn't matter if the salt clumps a bit, and you keep it next to the stove, where its warm...

Edited December 3, 2006 by jackal10 (log)

[andiesenji]

By the way, a few months ago I bought one of these Wet Sea Salt grinders and would like to report that it works very well. In fact I have ordered two more - just in case they discontinue it.

It is made by Peugeot and is carried by Fantes, Sur La Table, etc., but this site sells it for a couple of dollars less and I buy quite a bit from this vendor.

[miladyinsanity]

I do not live in a humid area but I do have friends that do, including several that live on boats in marinas from Oxnard to Newport Beach. 

One uses salt shakers that include a little perforated glass container that holds a material that absorbs moisture and turns pink as it becomes "saturated" and then is baked in the oven until the material returns to blue.

←

It's an anhydrous salt. Probably contains copper.

[Jmahl]

I wonder if it's okay to keep Kosher Salt in a Salt Pig?

SB 

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Sure, just be sure to change its name to "salt zebra" or something like that -- then, you can use it for koshering if you've a mind to.

Jmahl

←

Not quite the same thing ...., but

I wonder if unglazed ceramic shakers would keep salt from clumping, or does the wide opening for air circulation also have something to do with it?

SB

←

I, of course, ment the salt.

Jmahl

[alwang]

I was almost about to post this question in the Too-Embarassed-To-Ask thread, but here goes: what do people use to store their kosher/sea salt for kitchen use? I've seen the little Alton Brown salt cellars: are they actually practical? What I currently do is just pour little handfuls from the box that my Morton's Kosher came in, and then use the other hand to salt.

A related question: if you're using one of those salt cellars, is it hygenic to just stick your fingers in there and grab a pinch? If I had to wash my hands everytime I needed some salt, that seems really inconvenient. Or do the anti-bacterial properties of salt make this a moot issue?

-al

[K8memphis]

My hands of course are the epitome of clean.

But yes we get all kinds of schtuff in our salt.

We have ours in a pretty sugar bowl that has butterfly wings for handles... and it gets butterfly poop in there I guess. Just when the salt gets low, toss the old, refill and you're all set.

[larrylee]

I have one of those AB salt cellars and I think they work just great. If I'm going to be using salt for food prep I might pour some out into a little prep dish.

[SheenaGreena]

I have one of those salt containers that I bought from the japanese (dollar) store. It has a handle with a flip top and a little scooper to pick up the salt. I just flip the lid off and take pinches as I need them with my fingers. There is no way I could use a salt shaker because of the amount of salt I need. I'd be shaking all day

[Special K]

I use a couple of lacquered wooden sake boxes, one for Kosher and one for Grey. I used to use little caviar spoons to scoop out the salt, but lately I've just been grabbing a pinch when I need it.

[KristiB50]

I have the AB salt cellar and love it.

I also have some salt pigs I bought at an antique store.

I'm a compulsive hand washer.

[memesuze]

I have my cooktop kosher salt in a small french canning jar lookalike - keeps it dry and I can flip open the bail closure with one hand and use my other to pinch out the salt as needed

Edited July 5, 2007 by memesuze (log)

[DerekW]

Salt pig, of course

I was mildly surprised to find that most salt pigs lack ears and tails, but these ones are adequately equipped.

[Richard Kilgore]

I have used a small glass prep bowl in the past, but a year or so ago picked up one of the glass condiment bowls with the flip top metal lid SheenaGreena mentioned above. I just take a pinch with my fingers. I also keep sea salt in an Italian glass jar with rubber seal and clamp closure.

[Porthos]

I was almost about to post this question in the Too-Embarassed-To-Ask thread, but here goes: what do people use to store their kosher/sea salt for kitchen use? 

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I use a small shaker designed for parmesan cheese. I rarely measure salt when I cook but I can grab the box of Kosher salt or unscrew the lid when I do measure out salt. I think I paid all of $2 for it at Wal-Mart.