Do you bring your own salt?

[shelora]

I've decided that when I dine out, I want to bring my own sea salt. Very rarely is salt available at restaurants these days and instead of trying to track down the waiter to ask and then be interrogated by the chef - which happened the other night - I just want to add salt when I deem it necessary.

The problem is what should I carry it in? Are there attractive salt boxes or containers that would discreetly fit in my purse, so I could carry a couple of tablespoons of my favorite sea salt?

Does anyone else do this?

[NulloModo]

Where are you eating that salt isn't availible? I can't recall ever going to a restaurant and not having salt on the table... or at least on the next table if the busser might have forgotten the shaker on mine. Now, it might not be fleur de sel, so, if you want you own special salt, I guess it makes sense.

I think a pocket pepper grinder makes more sense... as I am not totally spoiled such that preground pepper in pepper shakers just doeesn't do the trick.

[Genny]

I'd think that a pretty little pill box would do the trick. At the container store I found a 1" diameter metal container that would probably double as a mini salt cellar.

[jglazer75]

Where are you eating that salt isn't availible?  I can't recall ever going to a restaurant and not having salt on the table... or at least on the next table if the busser might have forgotten the shaker on mine.  Now, it might not be fleur de sel, so, if you want you own special salt, I guess it makes sense.

←

I've eaten at lots of places where salt is not available on the table. In fact, I wish MORE places would do that. But, that's sort of besides the point. I would advise the passive-aggressive route for getting the chef to listen to your requests: take the meal as offered (even if it doesn't have enough salt) and then talk badly about the chef on egullet, trashing him/her because he/she prepared your meal poorly.

If you really feel it's necessary, I've seen quite a few small grinders that are actually the tops of herb-storage devices (perhaps someone with more knowledge can post a link).

[shelora]

I've found that salt grinders don't do the trick because the salt I've got anyway, has too much moisture, so it doesn't grind.

Now, that you mention grinders, I've got a mini-pepper grinder that works like a charm, I might start bringing that with me too.

I would say most good restaurants do not put salt or pepper on their tables.

Everyone has their own preferences for salt in food and we shouldn't have to stop everything to try and find the waiter and/or the salt.

[Busboy]

I've always thought not putting salt on the table is a little pretentious, but I did work at one place where one of the main reasons they did it was because the crystal salt cellars kept going home with guests.

I don't have any problem asking for salt to be brought to the table, and have never encountered any attitude when asking for it. Seems easier than having one more thing to remember to bring, and to bring home, every time you go out. You can buy salt and pepper shakers at campging stores. They're not elegant but they don't leak and they're cheap if you leave one sitting on the table.

[Nyleve Baar]

I had dinner not too long ago at a supposedly casual Italian restaurant where there was no salt on the table. At first, I thought it was a mistake. But when I asked the waiter, he very audibly informed me that THE CHEF HAS ALREADY SALTED THE FOOD but IF YOU INSIST I'll see if I can find you a salt shaker. I found it pretentious and rude and I will never eat in that restaurant again. I might understand if this were the Type of Restaurant where One Does Not Question. But fercripesakes it was pizza and pasta. Give me a break.

[Busboy]

I had dinner not too long ago at a supposedly casual Italian restaurant where there was no salt on the table. At first, I thought it was a mistake. But when I asked the waiter, he very audibly informed me that THE CHEF HAS ALREADY SALTED THE FOOD but IF YOU INSIST I'll see if I can find you a salt shaker. I found it pretentious and rude and I will never eat in that restaurant again. I might understand if this were the Type of Restaurant where One Does Not Question. But fercripesakes it was pizza and pasta. Give me a break.

←

Dang -- you're not getting what you need at the "fancy schmancy" places and now your neighborhood trattoria is giving you a hard time about the salt. Tough Spring!

Possible root cause: chefs at every level taking themselves and their "art" too damn seriously.

[Bond Girl]

I keep a container of fleur de sel on my desk at the office. Another small container inside my purse when I dine out....as for my kitchen cabinet...well, we won't go there.

It's not that I can't get salt where I dine. In fact, most restaurants are happy to give you the salt and pepper shakers upon request. It's the table salt that they offer you that I cannot stand. Why could people just give you good sea salt? The mind boggles.

[shelora]

I had dinner not too long ago at a supposedly casual Italian restaurant where there was no salt on the table. At first, I thought it was a mistake. But when I asked the waiter, he very audibly informed me that THE CHEF HAS ALREADY SALTED THE FOOD but IF YOU INSIST I'll see if I can find you a salt shaker. I found it pretentious and rude and I will never eat in that restaurant again. I might understand if this were the Type of Restaurant where One Does Not Question. But fercripesakes it was pizza and pasta. Give me a break.

Fercripesake is right.

We all have different salt tolerances, including chefs. Must say I was a little taken aback the other night, when the chef met me on my way out of the restaurant to find out who it was at the table who wanted salt. I found myself making excuses, oh, it's just me, etc. - I hated myself later.

Damn it, I'm going to salt my food whenever and wherever I deem necessary and I'm going to do it in style. I'll even share it with my fellow diners. So there.

I keep a container of fleur de sel on my desk at the office

What kind of container?

Edited May 10, 2005 by shelora (log)

[touaregsand]

I had dinner not too long ago at a supposedly casual Italian restaurant where there was no salt on the table. At first, I thought it was a mistake. But when I asked the waiter, he very audibly informed me that THE CHEF HAS ALREADY SALTED THE FOOD but IF YOU INSIST I'll see if I can find you a salt shaker. I found it pretentious and rude and I will never eat in that restaurant again. I might understand if this were the Type of Restaurant where One Does Not Question. But fercripesakes it was pizza and pasta. Give me a break.

←

I would have responded, "YES I DO INSIST, CAN I ALSO HAVE SOME KETCHUP AND A LITTLE EXTRA OF THE PARMESSAN IN THE GREEN CAN THAT I KNOW THE CHEF USES."

[Bond Girl]

I had dinner not too long ago at a supposedly casual Italian restaurant

I keep a container of fleur de sel on my desk at the office

What kind of container?

←

The paper container of Fleur de Sel de Guerande. I do transfer them to a smaller vial for my evening purse.

[shelora]

I do transfer them to a smaller vial for my evening purse.

A vial. Great idea! Maybe I can find a rather scientific looking one, kinda like a test tube. That would be cool.

[Chris Amirault]

I do transfer them to a smaller vial for my evening purse.

A vial. Great idea! Maybe I can find a rather scientific looking one, kinda like a test tube. That would be cool.

←

Good idea. If you have a vial and anyone asks, you can mumble something about Chef Adria, molecula culinaria, and "the prototype."

[evilhomer]

I do transfer them to a smaller vial for my evening purse.

A vial. Great idea! Maybe I can find a rather scientific looking one, kinda like a test tube. That would be cool.

←

might not want to get pulled over with that

"i swear officer, it's just my fleur de sel"

[glossyp]

I do transfer them to a smaller vial for my evening purse.

A vial. Great idea! Maybe I can find a rather scientific looking one, kinda like a test tube. That would be cool.

←

might not want to get pulled over with that

"i swear officer, it's just my fleur de sel"

←

That was my first thought too! Carrying crystallized whitish substances around in a vial will certainly garner interest. How about a tiny silver spoon to use for delivery as well?

Seriously, I think carrying your own salt is an excellent idea. I would suggest a small tin. My ex carries around dry hot mustard in a small tin to use at Asian restaurants. My mil carries her own chopsticks and a cunningly designed personal ashtray as well.

Edited May 10, 2005 by glossyp (log)

[Grub]

A recent episode of American Iron Chef had a lot of lively debate about a dish, and differing opinions during the tasting session. It remained civilized though, until someone said, "could you please pass the salt?" -- at which point the other judges collectively groaned, as if to express dismay with this far too cruel comment. The chef's shoulders just sagged.

If a restaurant doesn't know how to prepare food to your liking, it must surely be a bad restaurant -- a cheap, crummy restaurant, I would think... Now, Iron Chef -- that's different. A good restaurant should be able to prepare a dish superbly, and thus "pass the salt" would be an insult.

McDonalds supplies condiments, and well, it isn't a very good restaurant -- but anything beyond that, you'd think a reasonable eating establishment should be able to prepare a good meal that can be enjoyed "as is" ?

I've just got bad memories of dining in Europe with a friend who'd never been abroad before, and had brought her own spice-mix, that she kept putting on every goddamn dish she ate. People though she had some sort of medical condition, or severe allergy, cause it looked like she was decontaminating the meal before digging in.

[Tess]

Oh, man, I've traveled with a guy who brought along his own hot sauces and put them on everything.

I think salt is somewhat of an exception. Depending on the dish, in my opinion, there is a certain amount of tolerance in how much people want. A sprinking of sea salt does not compromise every conceivable dish.

[shelora]

I've just got bad memories of dining in Europe with a friend who'd never been abroad before, and had brought her own spice-mix, that she kept putting on every goddamn dish she ate. People though she had some sort of medical condition, or severe allergy, cause it looked like she was decontaminating the meal before digging in.

I have a friend who salts and peppers her food not matter what it is, before tasting it. That's just a bad habit.

I taste my food. If it doesn't have enough salt or could use a few grinds of pepper, that's my preference. A chef cannot predict the dining public's taste - if they could they would all be millionaires. Some people require more salt and sometimes thats me.

I've eaten in restaurants where the food is cooked by an esteemed chef that has a reputation for often oversalting his food. When people comment on it, he blows a gasket. Or ignores you.

If a restaurant doesn't know how to prepare food to your liking, it must surely be a bad restaurant -- a cheap, crummy restaurant, I would think... Now, Iron Chef -- that's different. A good restaurant should be able to prepare a dish superbly, and thus "pass the salt" would be an insult.

I don't think that is necessarily so. I've had stellar dishes, perfectly seasoned in Mom and Pop establishments where there are no celebrities in sight. Other times, like I have mentioned, in esteemed restaurants, where just a sprinkling of my special salt makes my meal memorable.

[chefzadi]

It's hard to get salt these days in a restaurant?

Sometimes we don't put it on the table at a restaurant because people steal the shakers even at the fancy shmancy places (I've never experienced this in Europe though).

At home we don't put salt on the table because we never salt food at the table, of course we salt while cooking to suit our owns tastes.

I can't imagine a chef training FOH to deny a customer salt.

[barolo]

These little glass topped aluminum tins from Lee Valley tools might work.

[CompassRose]

Those Lee Valley tins are extremely seductive, but I must warn you that the lids on them are not, as a rule, terribly secure. Nice for storage, not so practical for a purse.

[divalasvegas]

I had dinner not too long ago at a supposedly casual Italian restaurant where there was no salt on the table. At first, I thought it was a mistake. But when I asked the waiter, he very audibly informed me that THE CHEF HAS ALREADY SALTED THE FOOD but IF YOU INSIST I'll see if I can find you a salt shaker. I found it pretentious and rude and I will never eat in that restaurant again. I might understand if this were the Type of Restaurant where One Does Not Question. But fercripesakes it was pizza and pasta. Give me a break.

←

I would have responded, "YES I DO INSIST, CAN I ALSO HAVE SOME KETCHUP AND A LITTLE EXTRA OF THE PARMESSAN IN THE GREEN CAN THAT I KNOW THE CHEF USES."

←

Amen to that, Touregsand! Maybe someone can enlighten me: what is so insulting to a chef (or in Shelora's case ASSBUCKET) if a customer asks for salt, but there doesn't seem to be a problem with a customer asking one of the wandering waiters offering to grind fresh pepper from some behemoth of a pepper mill over your food? Kind of silly, if you ask me. And for the record, follow me out to the street to ask me about SALT at your own risk!

[racheld]

May I suggest a tiny enamel-lined pillbox---mine is from Bilston & Battersea, a gift way back in the 70's. It's round, about 1 1/2" across, and the tiny hinge just keeps on workin' and keeping the contents tight inside. It's been carrying plain salt, and then sea salt, for many years. I don't waste good fleur de sel on someone else's cooking.

Most metal containers will tarnish and corrode with a steady diet of salt next to their skins, but enamel---it just doesn't change at all.

And I cannot believe chefs are so above themselves that they would COME OUT to upbraid you for a perceived criticism of their cooking. Guess I need to get out more. But not to THEIR places.

Edited May 10, 2005 by racheld (log)

[chefzadi]

I had dinner not too long ago at a supposedly casual Italian restaurant where there was no salt on the table. At first, I thought it was a mistake. But when I asked the waiter, he very audibly informed me that THE CHEF HAS ALREADY SALTED THE FOOD but IF YOU INSIST I'll see if I can find you a salt shaker. I found it pretentious and rude and I will never eat in that restaurant again. I might understand if this were the Type of Restaurant where One Does Not Question. But fercripesakes it was pizza and pasta. Give me a break.

←

I would have responded, "YES I DO INSIST, CAN I ALSO HAVE SOME KETCHUP AND A LITTLE EXTRA OF THE PARMESSAN IN THE GREEN CAN THAT I KNOW THE CHEF USES."

←

Amen to that, Touregsand! Maybe someone can enlighten me: what is so insulting to a chef (or in Shelora's case ASSBUCKET) if a customer asks for salt, but there doesn't seem to be a problem with a customer asking one of the wandering waiters offering to grind fresh pepper from some behemoth of a pepper mill over your food? Kind of silly, if you ask me. And for the record, follow me out to the street to ask me about SALT at your own risk!

←

It's a new pretension that's starting to become some sort of trend these days. I can probably give numerous reasons for why customer's shouldn't salt food at the table. However a chef who is insulted by something like this has a fragile ego or a monumental one. I'm sure someone here can mention some famous chefs of yester year emphatically against customers salting food. But I've never heard of customers being refused salt untill recently or being lectured by a server about how the chef has perfectly seasoned everything.

The whole thing is really comical from my point of view.