I am curious to know how many people here have a salt grinder? I see salt grinders in many cookware stores and cookware departments, like Williams Sonoma, Sur La Table, Bed Bath and Beyond, Macy’s,…etc. Obviously, a lot of people buy them, but I don’t find a need for it (as far as I know), so I like to learn more about the advantages of owning a salt grinder.
If you do have a salt grinder, then what do you mostly use it for, or how do you use it?
I get the concept behind a pepper grinder because the flavor and aroma from freshly ground peppercorn is a little different than pre-ground pepper powder (sitting for a long time). However, the flavor of salt does not change. So I assume the salt grinder is largely to provide different size of salt grains.
We have one in a cabinet somewhere… It became cheaper and easier to buy the salt grinders at Trader Joes for $1.99 than to find the right sized salt crystals to put in the grinder. I like the salt “flake” texture of a grinder for finishing but I also have jars of other salts that are just normal granular shaped for cooking with.
I have a small thumb grinder I use for finishing salts. I have three more with various peppers in them.
As an avowed saltaholic, I have several salts that are larger and must be crushed to use like Hawaiian Alaea, Himalayan, etc. that are coarser. I think I have some pink Murray River in there now.
Another reason for buying a salt grinder is for making “popcorn salt”. With a salt grinder, you can set it to put out small, powdery salt crystals that stick to the popcorn better.
Yes, I use a Sur la Table house brand and it works well enough. Had to remember to buy low-humidity salt tho. I find the large grains too much of a salt hit for most purposes.
Nope. I use table or kosher salt for cooking, neither of which need to be ground. I keep a container of extra-fine salt in the cabinet for salting popcorn and fried foods. If I have a finishing salt that needs to be ground more finely than it already is, I use a mortar and pestle. I usually only use Maldon for finishing anyway, and I like the big flakes.
I am a crazy salt lover.
I have a few of those trader joe’s salt blends in grinders, and my refillable grinder has smoked salt right now since it’s chunky and i like it better as a finishing salt. I usually use maldon as my “table salt” and i cook with kosher salt
My grinder is similar to Gearguys. I usually grind into my cupped palm and then sprinkle. It is
a good grinder and will grind coarse and fine and everything inbetween.
I like crunchy pieces of really good salt, not a fan of flakes. I have Baleine sea salt in the house
right now for cooking.
I got hooked on using one of those herbed salt blends, like this one, so I always use a salt grinder now. (And I buy unsalted butter so that I can add my own amount of herbed salt.)
Also, the guy I buy my “nutritional salt” from just passed along an interesting bit of info regarding the Himalayan pink salt. You can read about it here.
