Creative Use of Salts

By Anne S. on Feb 17, 2010

This was a very informative video and I'm going to share it with others. When I clean my grinder, I use a little raw white rice and whir it to clean it out. It also takes out whatever flavor might be there and then I wipe it out. A question about leaving your salts out on the counter. Do you leave them open? If so, do they then pick up any flavor from other things cooking? These salts are so beautiful — I've made a couple of them (matcha and paprika) and love them but don't use them enough. Your video has energized me. Good job and can't wait for the next one.

By @breakawaycook on Feb 17, 2010

Hi Anne, I usually do leave them open; they're on a shelf several feet away from the stove, and don't seem to pick up any cooking odors. I do have some small aluminum tins with glass lids that I also sometimes use, especially for the matcha salt, which seems to lose its vibrancy somewhat quickly. The ideal scenario would probably be a few tiny glass jars with lids.

Thanks for sharing the vid!

By Deana Gunn on Feb 17, 2010

Hi Eric,

Another fantastic video! My kids and I just watched it together and they watched the whole thing, commenting on the various spices. (PS It says a lot about your presentation skills when you can keep a 6 and 7 year old engaged!)
I use the lavender, tangerine, hickory, and matcha salt at home – Wona got me started on those. Just like you said – it makes it really easy to have them so handy – plus the colorful jars are always a great conversation piece when people come over.

I use the salts in various things, but I have to say that my favorite things are simply popcorn, tomatoes, and eggs. The lavender always seems to create some interesting/complex notes. Your video's a good reminder to be a little more adventurous with using the salts.

I noticed that the matcha salt seems to lose its color quickly – in my little glass jars, the outside layer exposed to light turns a different (pale) color. Not sure if the flavor changes.

I love seeing you work in your own kitchen – I'm sure a studio kitchen would be roomier but it's always so charming and real to see someone in their very own kitchen.

By @breakawaycook on Feb 17, 2010

Thanks Deana! Very happy to hear I'm able to glue a 6-year-old to the monitor!

What jars do you use for the salts?

By Natalie Sztern on Feb 17, 2010

Your video is so inspiring for me…first I have smoked paprika which I use so rarely; I never would have thought to put it into my salt. which I am doing right after this because I am grilling rib steak..nor would I tangerine although I have used orange zest in my salt.

Anne I remember somewhere about using rice to clean my grinder and thank you for putting it up there again to jolt my memory.

Someday I would like to cook on a salt plate – that would be an interesting proposition although how would one go about cleaning it, for hygenic reasons.

Off to my salt pig now (what a name eh?)

By Deana Gunn on Feb 18, 2010

The jars are small glass jars with white ceramic tops that have a gasket and are held on with a tensioned metal closure. Wona got them at CostPlus World Market. They're a small (holds about 1/4-1/3 cup salt), cylindrical version of this:
http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?prod...

I like the glass because you can see the salts. Metal jars/tins would keep them from reacting with light but I think the salt would probably corrode the metal, especially with the higher moisture content of sea salt. (and it wouldn't be as pretty anyway)

Thanks for introducing me to flavored salts!
PS – Bacon salt seems to be appearing everywhere lately. That umami hit of bacon everyone loves. What do you think?

By @breakawaycook on Feb 18, 2010

Oh yeah, I know those jars, they're really pretty perfect for salts. It seems hit-and-miss at CostPlus though, their inventory changes so much. I do have some metal/aluminum tins with glass lids that are pretty great, but, as you say, long term, they will corrode from the salt, no doubt about it. Most though, I just leave them in small ceramic bowls. Easier to pinch! And I make my quantities very small, as in the video. Really just a big tablespoon or two, which lasts a week or two.

Bacon salt: eh. The bacon train is going so fast it's got to derail. Seems better to get the umami hit from the standbys of pulverized shiitake, kelp, parm, or dried tomatoes. This combo makes a KILLER umami salt. Straight-up plain dried tomato salt is awfully good, too.

By Paul Kastner on Feb 18, 2010

Eric, That is a very inspiring video. I went right to it. Dried lemon, lime, and ginger (Separately). Wow!
Can you tell me how you produced the video? I am just starting a video project here and could use some advice.
Do you do all the filming and editing yourself? This was so professional.
I will put a link to your site from my website if that is okay with you?

By @breakawaycook on Feb 18, 2010

Hey Paul, thanks! Of course it's ok to link, that's fabulous. Videographer Henry is a one-man wonder: he shoots, produces, directs, and edits. So you need to find your Henry. I'm not sure where you'd look in Nagano, but I'm betting there has to be a college nearby with a good film department. Start by talking to the faculty there. They might point you to a young, enterprising student who wants to build up a port for a very reasonable cost.

Btw, the ginger one is intriguing: did you just slice it and dry it in the oven a bit? Wasn't it kinda stringy? I haven't figured out a good way to do ginger yet. Though if I had enough quantity the Vitaprep would make short work of it, that's for sure ….

By Ernest Miller on Feb 23, 2010

Quick question: what brand of sel gris to you recommend? Thanks for the video!

By Kelly the K on Feb 24, 2010

I agree with Ann S about using rice to clean the grinder. It helps keep the rust from eating the grinder.

Ernest, Trader Joe's has an inexpensive sel gris. It's labeled Sea Salt, but it's course sel gris. Too bad we can't buy it as easily as you can in France… it's about a euro for a kilo at any market.

Eric, what brand of matcha do you recommend. The one I got last time made the salt taste a bit like seaweed.

By @breakawaycook on Feb 24, 2010

Ernest, I don't really have a brand. I buy mine at the SF Herb Co (you can google them) and it's fantastic, and dirt-cheap (until very recently, it was about $2.50 for a pound, now it's a little more, but still cheap. And good.) I don't think you should pay more than $7 or $8/lb. Never tried TJ's.

Kelly: very soon I'll be able to recommend the breakaway blend! For now, Matcha Source has a pretty nice tea from Nishio (their top tea). Alissa, the owner, is very nice, tell her I sent you!

By Ernest Miller on Feb 24, 2010

Kelly the K and Eric …. thanks!

By Divina on Mar 2, 2010

I'm loving the videos. Still hoping to see you live in San Francisco. The video only takes time to download on my computer. Your flavored salts are brilliant.

By Kitchen Butterfly on Mar 9, 2010

I loveeeeeeeee the video and I already have some salt combos to try – mexican chocolate salt, persian rose salt (using dried persian roses) and. I also want to try some flavoured sugars…….Hmmm. Well done

By Dee on Mar 19, 2010

Arrggh. Frustrated. No sign of a video loads here for me. I'm on high-speed internet, via Safari (Mac's browser) but also tried Opera and Firefox browsers without success. I did enjoy watching how to make japanese bacon. Saw the Deborah Madison video. But that's it. I'm interested but disappointed.

By Dee on Mar 19, 2010

Oh piffle. I waited and waited to allow plenty of time for loading before I posted that comment. But of course, then the video loaded. Great fun I'm not a fan of green tea / grassy flavors, but I will HAVE to try the matcha salt. THANKS!

By Crystalvine on Mar 23, 2010

Eric, thank you so much for writing about this. I had the idea for flavored salts (and sugars) a long time ago and actually was given a patent in 2003. A full line of flavored salts is offered by Crystavine.com. Saffron salt, Matcha salt, Lavender, Coffee, Wine salt etc. The company also offers a line of similarly flavored sugars and there is nothing on the market like them. The sugars are of a larger size than regular sugar and so can actually be used to frost a cake or sit on top of desserts or fruit and provide a light, pleasant crunch, visual appeal and flavor of course. The products are all natural. Saffron sugar is unexpectendly and suprisingly declicious, although Indian cusisine makes yogurt desserts with saffron. The wine sugar is really delicious and a surprise product. Many salts on the market are not necessarily visually appealing or might be clumpy. The Crystalvine.com salts are visual stunners, free flowing and uniform in size.

By @breakawaycook on Mar 24, 2010

Thanks! Those salts are beautiful, but they look a bit … processed to me. Whenever something related to food relies on a patent, I guess I get a little, I dunno, uninterested. I think it might work well for large industrial food companies looking for an edge, but I'm not seeing it in end-user kitchens. It's also very, very expensive at nearly $70/pound! Sheesh.

By Crystalvine on Mar 24, 2010

The products actually have only 2 ingredients. The differecne is that I need to make these in larger scale.

By Crystalvine on Mar 24, 2010

I am going to the store right now and look for the lime leaves. I have been looking for ways to perfect a lime offering. For retail shelf sale, the salts have to look good and pass certain characteristics, and usually a completely dry product is ideal. I also make a Lavender salt, but I start out with a wet process so as not to change the coarse salt shape as I cannot grind it. When I initially thought of these salts, which was before 2000, people thought I was nuts.

By Crystalvine on Mar 24, 2010

They look uniform because of the Kosher salt base used which is uniform in size. Some of the salts like wine salt, which uses Cabernet Sauvignon really require a different method of preparation to retain actual wine characteristics. It is difficult to prepare that at home. In addition, wine has many organic components that react with certain sea salt resulting in a black product. I started making the salts in my kitchen the way you have done and then moved to a more reproducible method to create a more predictable, uniform and stable product. But it is all organic and only 2 ingredients are used. I make 200 lbs at a time, vs 2 tbs, and use a standard salt base that has less unpredictables than harvested sea salt which may have many minerals some of which may react with delicate ogranics such as wine. But thanks though. Great stuff!

By Darcy Self on Mar 29, 2010

Eric,
As always your happy personality shines. It's hard to notice much else except what your creating and the lit shelves behind you.
As for the tee shirts and comments from others on this, like most men you have your comfortable favorite kind. I see they are clean and not ripped or stained. Big deal they are not new. Your comfortable style is laid back and your happiness is powerful.
I have made some of the salt's and also purchased Black Lava salt from the World Spice Co. I bought an old fashioned relish dish, you know the kind for the picnic table that has 2 glass bottoms and a flip top metal lids for the salt. Dates from the 60's I think. You can reach in with your fingers to take a pinch and then flip the top down to keep hair and dust out. Works great.

By @breakawaycook on Mar 29, 2010

Thank you Darcy, let me know where to send that bribe!