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Shake
it up, Baby: A New Twist on
Salt
|
|
 (ARA)
- There it is in your kitchen, right next
to the pepper shaker. You shake it on
popcorn, french fries and hamburgers. You
use it everyday. But unless you use it for
thousands of other things, you're not
taking full advantage of its magical
properties.
Who knew salt is so much more than a
seasoning for food?
In fact, salt has more than 14,000 uses.
According to the Salt Institute, an
Alexandria, Virginia-based organization
that represents the salt industry
(www.saltinstitute.org), salt can be used
for everything from thawing ice to
relaxing tired muscles.
"While most of us think of salt in terms
of seasoning our food," says Bruce
Bertram, technical director for the Salt
Institute, "salt is an essential
ingredient in a wide variety of consumer
and industrial products, ranging from
foods and animal feed to chemical
feedstock and highway deicers. Life cannot
exist without salt."
Salt was recognized as a necessity in
human and animal nutrition more than 4,700
years ago in one of the earliest medical
reference works found in ancient China. In
the centuries since then, salt has been
used as money, has ignited wars and was
essential to preserving foods as recently
as 100 years ago - before refrigeration.
Salt even garnered more than 30 references
in the Bible, including the infamous
moment when Lot's wife looked back on the
destruction of Sodom and turned into a
pillar of salt.
But what about around your household? Can
salt play a more versatile role than
simply another ingredient in a favorite
cookie recipe? You bet, says Ramona
Bennett, a marketing manager with Cargill
Salt. Cargill Salt's Diamond Crystal brand
of iodized salt (recognized by its classic
red-and-white canister) can be used in
dozens of applications around the home. So
can other types of salt that are common to
many households, including kosher salt,
low-sodium salt, canning and pickling salt
and sea salt.
"Salt is extremely versatile," says
Bennett. "It can be used to clean kitchens
and bathrooms, remove stains in clothing,
relieve stress when added to a warm bath,
or even extend the life of brooms and
sponges."
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What
is Salt?
Sodium chloride or common salt is
the compound NaCl. It occurs
naturally in many parts of the
world as the mineral halite.
Seawater contains an average of
2.6 percent (by weight), NaCl, or
26 million metric tons per cubic
kilometer (120 million short tons
per cubic mile, an inexhaustible
supply). Underground salt
deposits are sedimentary in
origin. Salt occurs in beds and
in dome-like deposits. The
primary source of all salt
deposits is the world's oceans.
Salt even arrives on earth from
outer space.
Salt is sold in several different
particle sizes grades and forms,
depending on the intended end
use. Discrete crystals can be
seen in rock salt and solar salt
used for deicing roads. Fine
granules are typical of table
salt and even finer popcorn salt.
Kosher salt, canning and pickling
salt and ice cream salt are
slightly coarser. Small
compressed pellets are used in
water softeners and large salt
blocks are used as salt licks for
livestock and in some water
softeners. (Source: The Salt
Institute)
|
Tricks of the Trade
As most people know, there are some foods
that simply wouldn't be the same without
salt - like french fries, steak or
popcorn. And although most people use it
every day, it still holds some surprises
for food and beverages. For instance, when
enjoying a glass of red wine, sprinkle
some salt into the glass to bring out the
fragrance and taste of the wine. Or try
adding a pinch of salt on top of citrus
fruits and you'll notice the fruit's crisp
taste immediately.
Around the kitchen, you may want to try
boiling eggs in salted water; it makes
eggs easier to peel. And to test for
freshness, place an egg in a cup of water
and add a couple teaspoons of table salt -
a fresh egg will sink, a spoiled egg will
float. Table salt is good for preventing
mold on cheese (add a pinch of salt the
next time you wrap your cheese in plastic
wrap) and keeping milk fresher longer (add
a pinch to the carton or bottle). Salt
also can eliminate the burned food odor
from an oven and stovetop burners, and can
cut odors and prevent grease build up in
sinks.
Healthwise, gargling regularly during the
winter months with an iodized salt and
water mixture will alleviate sore throats.
For fresher breath, blend equal parts of
salt and baking soda in warm water and
swish. Apply cotton pads soaked in salt
water (one tablespoon of salt in a pint of
hot water) to reduce puffy areas around
the eyes.
Sea of Flavor
Sea salt, harvested from the ocean, has
been used for several thousand years. It
is ideal for bringing out the freshness in
salads and greens; it tends to make
lettuce and other vegetables crisper. When
cooking, grilling, baking or broiling
beef, pork, poultry and seafood, sea salt
brings out the natural flavors of the
meat.
Sea salt is also perfect for long, steamy
baths at the end of the day. Add a cup of
sea salt to a warm bath and soak for at
least ten minutes. Sea salt has a healing
effect - it pulls toxins from the body and
soothes the skin. Scented oils can be
added to the bath for both fragrance and
to soften skin.
For a stimulating facial, mix equal parts
of sea salt and olive oil. Gently massage
the face and throat with long upward and
inward strokes. Remove the mixture after
five minutes and wash with mild soap and
water.
Bigger is Better
Cargill Salt's Diamond Crystal brand of
kosher salt is a favorite of chefs around
the country. While it can be used just
like table salt, kosher salt is popular
because its crystals are slightly larger,
it's lighter tasting, it dissolves quickly
and is additive free.
Kosher salt is often used when baking
meats, such as beef, poultry and fish.
Kosher salt can be used to make a
removable crust, sealing the outer layer
of the meat and keeping natural juices and
flavor inside. Baked meats never tasted so
succulent.
When your favorite beverages call for a
salt-rimmed glass, the larger crystals of
kosher salt easily stick to the glass.
Perfect for margaritas!
Kosher salt also helps around the house.
Remove coffee or tea stains from cups by
rubbing them with kosher salt. Add a
teaspoon of kosher salt to soak up the
grease before cleaning pans with soap and
water. Easily scrub away stains from
bathtubs and toilets with kosher salt and
a wet sponge or cloth.
In the laundry room, wash curtains or
washable fiber rugs in a solution of water
and kosher salt to brighten the colors.
Restore yellowed cottons or linens to
their original white by boiling the items
for one hour in a kosher salt and baking
soda solution. Eliminate perspiration
stains by adding four tablespoons of
kosher salt to one quart of hot water and
sponge the fabric with the solution until
the stains disappear.
Sensible Salt
Reports from the Journal of the American
Medical Association (AMA) indicate that
for nearly 90 percent of the population,
sodium is a healthy part of the daily
diet. However, for the remaining 10
percent of people whose doctors suggest
they keep an eye on their sodium intake,
there are a number of alternatives.
Cargill Salt's Salt Sense is a unique
product consisting of 100 percent salt but
with 33 percent less sodium by volume.
Even though you or your family may not
have to watch your salt intake, it's a
good thing to keep a product such as Salt
Sense salt available for guests that
do.
Uncommon Uses
Here are some additional ideas from
Cargill Salt and the Salt Institute for
using common table salt around the
house:
- Soak a new straw broom in a bucket of
hot, salted water to increase its
lifespan.
- If red wine is spilled on a tablecloth
or rug, blot up as much as possible and
immediately cover the spot with salt to
absorb the remaining wine. Later, rinse
the tablecloth with cold water, or scrape
the salt up from the rug and vacuum.
- Remove white rings left on tables caused
by wet or hot dishes and glasses, by
rubbing a thin paste of salad oil and salt
on the spot and letting the mixture stand
for an hour or two.
- Soak new candles in a strong salt
solution for a few hours and then dry to
reduce dripping wax.
- Remove stains in vases by rubbing with
salt or soaking in a strong salt
solution.
- Keep fresh cut flowers perky by adding a
dash of salt to the water in the vase.
- For frost-free windows, rub the inside
of the window with a sponge dipped in a
saltwater solution and wipe dry.
- Use salt and cinnamon to eliminate the
"burned food" odor away from your oven and
stove burners. Sprinkle spills with a
combination of salt and cinnamon while the
oven or its burners are still hot. When
dry (and the oven or burners have cooled),
remove the salted spots with a stiff brush
or cloth.
- Regularly pour hot, strongly salted
water down the kitchen sink to eliminate
odors and reduce grease build up.
- Does something smell fishy? Dip a lemon
wedge in salt and rub the item (hands,
cutting board, counter) and rinse with
water.
- Mix a half a cup of salt and soda to a
gallon of water to wash away stains and
odors inside your refrigerator.
- Add a pinch of salt to coffee grounds
before brewing. The salt enhances the true
coffee flavor by removing some of the acid
taste.
Courtesy of Article
Resource
Association,
e-mail: info@aracopy.com
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