If you’re still reaching for a salt shaker while cooking, it might be time to level up with a salt cellar. This simple, elegant container doesn’t just add a rustic or modern charm to your countertop — it also offers functionality that serious home cooks and professional chefs can’t live without.
Let’s explore the uses and benefits of having a salt cellar in your kitchen.
What Is a Salt Cellar?
A salt cellar (also known as a salt pig, salt box, or salt keeper) is a small, lidded or open container that holds salt — most commonly kosher salt, sea salt, or flaky finishing salts.
Salt cellars are usually:
- Made from ceramic, wood, glass, marble, or stainless steel
- Wide-mouthed for easy pinching or spooning
- Sometimes designed with a lid or magnetic closure to keep moisture out
Common Uses
1. Effortless Seasoning While Cooking
Keep it next to your stove or prep area for quick and easy access to salt when you’re sautéing, roasting, or boiling.
2. Tabletop Finishing
Set it on the dining table with flaky sea salt for adding the final touch to steaks, salads, or roasted veggies.
3. Dual Use with Other Spices
Some models are divided to hold salt on one side and pepper, herbs, or spice blends on the other.
4. Stylish Serving
Use it for salt during dinner parties or cheese boards — a much more elegant presentation than shakers.
Benefits of Using a Salt Cellar
1. Quick, Precise Seasoning
Get a better feel for how much salt you’re using by pinching or spooning — crucial for consistent, delicious cooking.
2. Better Salt Choices
It encourages the use of higher-quality salts like kosher, sea salt, or Himalayan pink salt — all of which are harder to dispense with traditional shakers.
3. Elegant Kitchen Decor
Salt cellars are as functional as they are beautiful. With materials ranging from wood to marble, they double as kitchen accents.
4. Moisture Protection
Lidded salt cellars help keep salt dry, especially in humid climates.
5. Cleaner Countertops
No more scattered salt crystals from shakers or salt bags — everything stays neat in one container.
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