Tips
Salt has always been the world's most essential seasoning for cooking. But did you know that, for centuries, all-natural salt has made life better in other ways, too? In fact, whether as a health and beauty aid, as a natural cleaning agent or as an outdoor safety tool...salt has more uses than you can imagine. Here are just a few amazing ways that salt can enhance your everyday life.
Household Tips
Cooking Tips
Household Tips
Control poison ivy
Add three pounds of salt to a gallon of soapy water. Spray it onto leaves and stems.
back to topPick up a dropped egg
If an egg breaks on the kitchen floor, sprinkle salt on the mess and leave it there for 20 minutes: You'll be able to wipe it right up.
back to topKeep windows frost-free
Dip a sponge into salt water and rub it on windows. They won't frost up even when the mercury dips below 32 degrees. (Be sure any metal parts are sealed with a quality sealant or are painted.)
back to topClean tarnished copper
Fill a 16-ounce spray bottle with hot white vinegar and three tablespoons of salt. Spray it onto the copper, let it sit briefly, then rub clean. (Don't do this to lacquered copper.)
back to topClean a cutting board
Cover it with bleach and salt, scrub it with a stiff brush, then rinse with very hot water and wipe with a clean cloth. Repeat with each use.
back to topRestore tub whiteness
Use a solution of salt and turpentine to restore the whiteness to yellowed enameled bathtubs and lavatories.
back to topClean brass or copper
Try a paste of salt and vinegar to clean tarnished brass or copper.
back to topFreshen sinks
Pour a strong brine down the kitchen sink to prevent grease from collecting and to eliminate odors.
back to topControl insects
Salt helps destroy moths and drive away ants.
back to topMake ironing easier
Use a dash of salt in laundry starch to keep the iron from sticking and give linen and fine cottons a glossy, like-new finish.
back to topRestore wood
A thin paste of salt and salad oil removes white marks caused by hot dishes or water from wooden tables.
back to topClean ovens
Use salt and cinnamon to take the "burned food" odor away from ovens and stove burners. Sprinkle spills while oven and burners are still hot; when dry, remove the salted spots with a stiff brush or cloth.
back to topClean refrigerators
Salt and soda water will clean and sweeten the inside of your refrigerator without scratching the enamel.
back to topCooking Tips
Salt Crusted Baked Potatoes
Wash your favorite potatoes: white, red, sweet, etc., Rub with canola or olive oil, then rub with Diamond Crystal® kosher salt. Place on rack in oven (no piercing, no foil). Bake time based on number of potatoes.
back to topImprove coffee
A pinch of salt in coffee will enhance the flavor and remove the bitterness of over-cooked coffee.
back to topBoil water
Salt added to water makes the water boil at a higher temperature, thus reducing cooking time. (It does not make the water boil faster.)
back to topPeel eggs
Boiling eggs in salted water will make eggs peel easily.
back to topPoach eggs
Poaching eggs over salted water helps set the egg whites.
back to topPrevent browning
Apples, pears and potatoes dropped in cold, lightly salted water as they are peeled will retain their color.
back to topShell pecans
Soaking pecans in salt water for several hours before shelling will make nut meats easier to remove.
back to topPrevent sugaring
A little salt added to cake icings prevents them from sugaring.
back to topCrisp salads
Salting salads immediately before serving will keep them crisp.
back to topImprove boiled potatoes
Boiled potatoes will be given a fine, mealy texture by sprinkling with salt after draining, then returning them to the pan and shaking them back and forth quickly to get rid of the excess moisture.
back to topImprove poultry
To improve the flavor of poultry, rub the fowl inside and out with salt before roasting.
back to topRemove pinfeathers
To remove pinfeathers easily from a chicken, rub the chicken skin with salt first.
back to topKeep milk fresh
Adding a pinch of salt to milk will keep it fresh longer.
back to topThese tips courtesy of the Salt Institute