# Salt keepers



## CookKoch (Oct 15, 2008)

Does any one use a salt keeper?  What are the pros and cons?  Should I get a regular wood or olive wood.  I am thinking about this one...any real life info would be greatly appreciated.

I know Berard makes one, William-Sonama and Bonjour.



thanks 
Matt


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## LadyCook61 (Oct 15, 2008)

I have a glass salt cellar I use for kosher salt.


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## GrillingFool (Oct 15, 2008)

I use an old glass jar with a cork stopper. Someday I will graduate to a real salt cellar....
To keep it "dry", I put a dessicant packet from some other package in the bottom and change it out every now and then.


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## kadesma (Oct 15, 2008)

I have  one that is ceramic and then a wooden box with 6 compartments..I love both..They keep the salt perfectly.
kadesma


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## sparrowgrass (Oct 16, 2008)

I have a ceramic salt pig, open on the front, sitting right next to the stove.  Even in my HUMID Missouri summers, the salt in the pig never clumps.  The salt shakers sit right next to the pig and get beads of water on top and the salt clogs the holes, but the pig salt is fine.

Somebody 'splain the physics/chemistry of that to me, please.


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## pacanis (Oct 16, 2008)

I just got a salt cellar. Prior to that I used a small, round tupperware container. The one I got has the sliding top on it and is wood. Amazon had two in this style, a small and a large. I got the small first and sent it back. It not only held a _very_ small amount of salt, I could not comfortably get my fingers into it to grab a pinch. The large is more what I would call a medium size and is perfect.
I just got one of those Unicorn Magnum pepper grinders today. Very chintzy looking for the price, but man what I nice grind. At least they put the work into where it counts.

I have a couple tupperware salt and pepper shakers out by the grill. Basically just for hamburgers, as I season everything else inside the house. I keep them outside year round and never have a clumping problem.


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## GB (Oct 16, 2008)

I have this one and I love it. 

I prefer one with a lid so that insects and dust and other things can't get it. 

The advantages of a salt cellar is that you have salt handy and you can just grab a pinch when you want.

There is no advantage of olive wood over other types of wood. It is just aesthetics.


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## pacanis (Oct 16, 2008)

Here's mine


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## GB (Oct 16, 2008)

pacanis said:


> Here's mine


That is a nice looking one pacanis.


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## pacanis (Oct 16, 2008)

Thanks GB. I needed one with a lid, too.


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## LadyCook61 (Oct 16, 2008)

GB said:


> I have this one and I love it.
> 
> I prefer one with a lid so that insects and dust and other things can't get it.
> 
> ...


 
I have that one too but without a spoon.  I had purchased it from Alton Brown's site about 4 yrs ago.  It did not have a spoon with it.  Now I know better  if I want to buy anything else , use Amazon.


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## GB (Oct 16, 2008)

Mine did not have the spoon either. I got mine from Altons site as well. I am glad I did not get a spoon with mine though. I would not use it. I like using my fingers.


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## Andy M. (Oct 16, 2008)

I have this one


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## GB (Oct 16, 2008)

How do you control the salt output on that Andy? I would think with holes that large and so many of them that is would be very easy to over salt something when you just want a little pinch.


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## Andy M. (Oct 16, 2008)

Just like anything else, you learn the nuances. The degree of tilt, the strength of the shake. 

I've just never been comfortable with pinching for sanitary reasons.


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## GB (Oct 16, 2008)

Cool.


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## pacanis (Oct 16, 2008)

GB said:


> Mine did not have the spoon either. I got mine from Altons site as well. I am glad I did not get a spoon with mine though. I would not use it. I like using my fingers.


 
I kinda figured it didn't come with the spoon when I didn't see a slot in the lid, but I see that some cellars come with small spoons. Nice if your fingers are wet, but harder to control IMO.

Hey, that's _sweet_, Andy. It looks just like the red pepper flake and parmesan shakers at the pizza joints. Imagine that  
Whatever works, right?


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## bethzaring (Oct 16, 2008)

I use a lidded glass salt cellar with the cutest tiny spoon.  It is way easy to spoon out a tad of salt instead of dragging out my bag of kosher salt from the cupboard.  I love salt, especially the large flaked kind.


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## Andy M. (Oct 16, 2008)

pacanis said:


> ...Hey, that's _sweet_, Andy. It looks just like the red pepper flake and parmesan shakers at the pizza joints. Imagine that
> Whatever works, right?


 

That's what it is, a cheese shaker.  I had a smaller one that you sometimes see with pepper flakes in it but I had to refill it too often.

I just got a Magnum Plus.  It sure cranks out a lot of pepper!


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## jpmcgrew (Oct 16, 2008)

I use a handmade ceramic honey jar that has a lid with a small opening on it's side so you can keep a spoon in it. I put a stainless steel teaspoon thats the size of a toddlers spoon in .


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## DramaQueen (Oct 16, 2008)

GB said:


> I have this one and I love it.
> 
> I prefer one with a lid so that insects and dust and other things can't get it.
> 
> ...


 
*I have this same one and I love it.  It sits next to my stove on the counter and I fill it with coarse sea salt.  I don't use the spoon, I can control the amount of salt going into my food by just scooping it up with my fingers and spreading the salt into the pot.   This is one of my " can't do without" gadgets. *


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## LadyCook61 (Oct 16, 2008)

GB said:


> Mine did not have the spoon either. I got mine from Altons site as well. I am glad I did not get a spoon with mine though. I would not use it. I like using my fingers.


 
same here, use fingers.  Amazon is cheaper than Alton's.


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## Michael in FtW (Oct 16, 2008)

In the kitchen I use a round cut glass sugar bowl that has a lid, about 4-4.5 inch diameter and about as deep, that I picked up at an estate sale for about 25-cents. I, too, use my fingers so it not having a spoon is a moot point.


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## pdswife (Oct 16, 2008)

I should use one.  I have a shaker but always shake into my hand so I can tell how much I'm adding.  I think I'll add it to my list.


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## pacanis (Oct 16, 2008)

Andy M. said:


> That's what it is, a cheese shaker. I had a smaller one that you sometimes see with pepper flakes in it but I had to refill it too often.
> 
> I just got a Magnum Plus. *It sure cranks out a lot of pepper*!


 
The reviews weren't kidding, that's for sure. Like barely 1/4 turn puts out a nice amount. I was dialing it in in my white sink


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## GB (Oct 16, 2008)

pdswife said:


> I have a shaker but always shake into my hand so I can tell how much I'm adding.


When I use a shaker I always do that. I have been burned too many times by shakers that pour out too fast. Pouring into your hand you can make sure you get the right amount.


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## pdswife (Oct 16, 2008)

GB said:


> When I use a shaker I always do that. I have been burned too many times by shakers that pour out too fast. Pouring into your hand you can make sure you get the right amount.


 
Very true.  That's why I do it.  But why have the shaker if you're going to use the hand anyway?  It seems silly now that I think about it.


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## Jeekinz (Oct 16, 2008)

I bought one of those 3 pack matching container thingys from Linens & Thingys, I think. Large, medium and small. The large one has the coffee, medium has the sugar and the small one has the salt.

I keep the salt next to the pepper, but people _STILL_ put it in their coffee.


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## Mama (Oct 17, 2008)

GB said:


> I have this one and I love it.
> 
> I prefer one with a lid so that insects and dust and other things can't get it.
> 
> ...


 
That's the same one I have.  I love mine too!  Keep it right next to the stove filled with Kosher salt.


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## pacanis (Oct 17, 2008)

You know what I love?  Seriously? 
I love when we can all have a good talk and share ideas based on a question by someone on their first post. And we usually never _do_ here whether we helped them or not, but we had a good discussion anyway.
I love that!   Seriously!


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## Mama (Oct 17, 2008)

Me too, Pacanis...me too!


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## pacanis (Oct 17, 2008)

I think some of the longest posts here have been started by folks who pop in and ask one question.
Not that there's anything wrong with that....


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