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Dispensing fine salt


TdeV

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I bought some very fine black salt at King Arthur Flour's suggestion and carefully dusted the top of chocolate cookies. According to the main recipient of the cookies, they were the finest chocolate chip cookies he had ever eaten.

 

My husband has decided to remove salt from his diet and this has me missing that tang. I'd like to put some of the black salt on the table, but I can't think of an easy way to dispense it. When I did the chocolate chip cookies I practised several times and then concentrated carefully, but even then, dusted some cookies overmuch.

 

Can you think of some vehicle which will deliver a fine layer of powder?

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A salt grinder?

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Just to be clear, here, is the problem a) that it's either too fine or too coarse for a conventional shaker; or b) more about portion control than actual "salt delivery"?

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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I'm confused. How would a grinder help if the salt is already super fine? As finishing salt, a shaker might not be the best way to regulate dispensing it. Maybe just a teensy bowl and a teensy spoon? I use a teensy bowl and pinch with my fingers to get the best control when using finishing salt for the two of us. If serving a crowd I would provide a teensy spoon in case anyone would consider the alternative unsanitary. 

 

If I am salting cookies I also use my fingers for accuracy, and assume that any errant germs get baked out. Salts vary so widely in so many ways; pinching is very effective! 

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Finger-pinch-sprinkle is also how I use my fine salt, which is kind of why I asked for clarification.

 

I keep it in a salt pig. I'd wanted one for years (had even written a "What Is a Salt Pig?" article for one website) but never got around to tracking down something suitable online. Then one day it occurred to me that my downstairs neighbour was, in fact, a working potter...so I commissioned one from her. :)

 

They're handy, but a tiny bowl on the table or prep counter will serve adequately on a meal-by-meal basis.

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“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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12 minutes ago, chromedome said:

Finger-pinch-sprinkle is also how I use my fine salt, which is kind of why I asked for clarification.

 

I keep it in a salt pig. I'd wanted one for years (had even written a "What Is a Salt Pig?" article for one website) but never got around to tracking down something suitable online. Then one day it occurred to me that my downstairs neighbour was, in fact, a working potter...so I commissioned one from her. :)

 

They're handy, but a tiny bowl on the table or prep counter will serve adequately on a meal-by-meal basis.

 

got a photo?

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4 hours ago, chromedome said:

Just to be clear, here, is the problem a) that it's either too fine or too coarse for a conventional shaker; or b) more about portion control than actual "salt delivery"?

 

It's very very finely ground already. No further grinding required. Just a smidge of that fine-ness gives a superb flavour.

 

I want to be able to "dust" the top of food. Delivery by an ordinary spoon requires care and precision and one is likely to end up with too much.

 

Oooh. Maybe I need a tiny, tiny spoon. I have a measuring spoon which is 1/64th of a teaspoon. Maybe something like that. And the pig.

 

@KennethT, know where I can find a very fine strainer?

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1 hour ago, gfweb said:

 

got a photo?

I don't...perhaps later, when I've finished working for the day. 

 

It's pretty similar to Nigella's (you can search it on Google Images) but custom-sized for my hand. 

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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I'd try putting the salt in a standard salt shaker and lightly sprinkling over a mesh strainer.

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I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

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If you put fine salt into a small hinged tea infuser like this oneir?t=egulletcom-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B000I1ZZ2, it's fairly easy to tap the handle with your finger and dispense a very light sprinkling of salt.

I have the 1.5 inch diameter version and it worked OK when I tried it with salt.  

IMG_0567.JPG

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1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

If you put fine salt into a small hinged tea infuser like this oneir?t=egulletcom-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B000I1ZZ2, it's fairly easy to tap the handle with your finger and dispense a very light sprinkling of salt.

I have the 1.5 inch diameter version and it worked OK when I tried it with salt. 

 

The globe tea strainer that I have doesn't seem fine enough for the powdery black salt. Tonight, I used a spoon. Carefully.

 

One interesting factoid I discovered is that a tiny, tiny sprinkling of salt doesn't taste like much. :P

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8 minutes ago, TdeV said:

The globe tea strainer that I have doesn't seem fine enough for the powdery black salt.

I wondered about that.  I use it for cocoa and ground cinnamon so I thought it might be OK but I guess not.  

With Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, only the fine bits came through.

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