101 Uses for Salt Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sage

We all know salt adds saltiness (1) - "salty" is, after all, one of the five fundamental tastes. Salt is an essential molecule for osmosis and for nerve function, but it's also essential for making just about anything taste right. Salt literally frees up flavor molecules to be tasted (2), regulating the flavor of sausages, salami, salmagundi, sauces, salsas, and salads, all of which derive from the word "salt." So powerful is this property that an experienced chef can tell a dish is underseasoned by *smelling* it!

And like its fellow edible crystal, sugar, salt also neutralizes other flavors. Baristas and bartenders know that salt counteracts bitterness, and will add drops of saline to their concoctions for balance (3). The salt in salty caramel does the same!

Salt has two other basic properties with broad culinary use. First, different forms of salt can give foods different textures (4) - crunchy salt clusters for pretzels, flaky Maldon salt for focaccia (or steak, or vegetables, or cookies...). Finally, there are deliberately impure salts that lend flavors beyond their salty taste (5): smoky salts from volcanoes, clayey salts from Hawaii, black salts from India that taste like sulfur, and more!

Answer: Strengthening gluten

One principle we'll see time and time again is this: salt does weird things to proteins. Salt instantly strengthens the gluten network (6), and, according to Cargill, no one understands why. Weak gluten can't hold the gas produced by leavening, so your bread will be crummy instead of crumby. Of course, that pliable, weak dough we call pasta keeps itself limber by delaying the addition of salt until boiling.

Salt definitely doesn't nourish yeast, but its ability to kill yeast belongs on our scoreboard (7). A small amount of salt can be used to slow the expansion of a pre-ferment, such as a sourdough starter. Too much salt in bread, of course, will kill the yeast before anything happens. Thus, most breads call for about 2% of the amount of flour in salt. But processed foods often exceed this deliberately to increase the consistency of the production. They flood the yeast with salt towards the end of production to kill yeast and stop fermentation in its tracks, a process called "plasmolysis." (8)

Answer: Curds

Technically, cheese is any curdled milk that is then preserved by salt (9). Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking" explains: "First, salt by itself will stop the action of bacteria and thus turn milk curds directly into basic cheese." (Salt does weird things to proteins!) "Higher salt content can be used to make those hard, crumbly cheeses (Parmesan, unsurprisingly, is a lot saltier than string cheese)." Wheels of hard cheese are tumbled in giant drums for up to two years while the salt penetrates and eventually dries the interior (10).

All cheese is as basic as milk, salt, and (optionally) enzymes. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt even has a five minute ricotta that you make in the microwave! The variety of cheeses we love are chiefly differentiated by salt content and time, since the preserving power of salt allows for slow enzymatic action (11) that gives cheese the flavor of... cheese!

Salt-makers began deliberately leverage salt in another way. While *most* bacteria abhor salt, a few are "halotolerant." Purveyors of Munster and Limburger deliberately wipe down their cheeses with brine during aging to grow salt-loving bacteria (12) - the exact same bacteria that, as their sweaty-foot smell suggests, stinks up our salty skin.

Answer: Oysters

Oyster shells are unbalanced, so the tray of salt molds to keep the oyster jus in the shell (13).

There are other benefits to salting any food properly. The moisture content of vegetables slows down their cooking, so be sure to season in advance next time you sauté (14). A green vegetable boiled in salt will stay greener, and a piece of red meat will stay redder, since the high concentration of the water prevents leaching (15).

And have you heard that salt does weird things to proteins? Tomorrow morning, defy the conventional advice and salt your raw scrambled eggs 15 minutes before you cook them. Given time, the salt neutralizes the charge of proteins in the eggs, resulting in a more luscious scramble (16). Just don't wait too long, or the salt will start to toughen them back up.

Answer: Sauerkraut

Until the Industrial Revolution, salt was the main way to preserve meat. The suspended decomposition that gives cheese character works much the same in sausages, hams, bacons, jerkies, and basically all good things in the world. In cured sausages, salt breaks down proteins inside the casing (17) into basically a meat glue (now aren't you glad you asked how the sausage is made?).

In China, they even cure raw eggs in the shell using salt (18). The famous thousand-year egg, as the name suggests, takes 60 days to make. The eggs are slathered with salt and mud, then buried. The interiors turn gray, with the (formerly) whites soft and the yolks hard with a blue cheese flavor.

But dry brining doesn't have to take a millennium. Salting a day or two in advance in the fridge will improve meats (19), resulting in a better texture and a better crust or skin. If you prefer, the wet brine, where the meat is submerged in a large quantity of salted, water-based liquid, can make large roasts juicier (20). Salt doesn't exactly "tenderize" meat, but it relaxes muscle fibers in a way that moisture can pass into the meat, and allows herbs and spices to penetrate too.

Salt brine is also used to make pickles (21), of which sauerkraut and kimchi are well-known examples. Salt pickles take advantage of the same halotolerant bacteria used to make Limburger smelly to imbue preserves with extra flavor.

Answer: Cast iron

The mild abrasiveness of salt crystals actually make them ideal for cases that demand gentle scrubbing. Cast iron pans have a protective coating that can be stripped off by caustic detergents, but a handful of salt can scrape up stuck-on food like scrambled eggs (22). A mix of table salt and acid (either vinegar or lemon juice) can instantly shine up the bottoms of your copper cookware (23) as well as brass, silver, and precious metal fixtures around the house (24).

Table salt is also abrasive enough to shine glass vases, bottles, and coffee urns (25). Another classic home ec hack is to use a piece of raw potato and salt to get rust spots out of kitchen utensils (26). Rock salt is abrasive enough to clean out your garbage disposal mixed with ice and lemon peels (to smell nice!) (27). Because of its high melting point, you can use salt on a clothes iron to remove stains (28), or pour salt directly onto that hot black sludge in the bottom of your oven to do the exact same thing (29). If you keep your salt in a salt cellar on your counter, keep in mind that salt's use as a heat-sink makes it one option for putting out a grease fire (30). Go figure, fire extinguishers formulated for grease fires usually contain some potassium-based salts.

Salt also helps out in the refrigerator. You can use it much like its natural rival, baking soda, to absorb off fridge smells (31). In the freezer, salt can prevent the build-up of ice (32), and you can add salt to eggs before freezing them so that they won't weep when you thaw them out (33). Wrap a hunk of cheese in a saltwater rag will prevent mold (and won't turn it into Limburger) (34). For aging milk, Reader's Digest says to "keep it fresh a few extra days longer by tossing a bit of salt into the carton and giving it a gentle shake." (35) (I never said these were 101 uses you'd want to *try*...)

Answer: Exfoliating scrub

A simple salt-and-oil scrub can rub away dead skin (36) on your elbows, face, even your scalp. Salt's mild abrasiveness is good for whitening your teeth as well (37). In the bathroom , salt and vinegar can be used to buff out rust stains from porcelain (38). You can even use a potato as the scrubber, fry the result into chips, and give them to someone you really, really dislike.

Because it can prevent liquid from setting, salt is surprisingly good at buying time with a fresh wine or coffee stain on your carpet (39). Because salt does weird things to proteins, it's also good at removing blood and sweat from clothing (but presumably has no effect on tears). Sponge the affected area with 4 tablespoons of salt mixed into a quart of hot water before laundering (40). Salt will also absorb fresh sweat if placed in a pair of shoes or a funky-smelling bag (41).

Salt and oil are also a folk remedy for removing water rings left in your table (42). Salt water is great for wicker, too: wicker is delicate enough that salt makes an excellent surface cleaner (43), and it can also draw moisture out to strengthen it. If you have a vintage-style broomstick (an increasingly hip commodity), soak the tip in saltwater to harden its bristles (44).

Answer: Slugs

Slugs, to say nothing of snails, lose all of the water in their bodies when they touch salt (45). Supposedly (count this one as a bonus) salt is also potent enough to dry out fleas and disrupts the pheromone trails of ants. I hope you won't have occasion to test either.

If you do sprinkle salt in your garden, it may be better to use Epsom salt, which is magnesium-based. However, if you are a legionary at war with the cities of the Barbary Coast, then salting the earth (46) may be of use to you. The Romans never actually salted Carthage, as legend has it, and apparently the soil recovers fairly quickly. Salting as an insult or curse did occur though. The Bible records it being done to the city of Shechem.

If you just want to feel a little Roman, saltwater is a natural killer of such weeds as poison ivy (47).

Answer: False

There's nothing about ordinary salt that violates kosher law. Rather, kosher salt is used in the process of making meat kosher (48). Koshering meat is neither seasoning nor curing it. The salt is used to draw blood out of the meat, which is then repeatedly rinsed off (along with the salt). Halal meat eaten by Muslims is treated with salt in much the same way.

Early Jews also believed they had a "covenant of salt" with God. For instance, the Book of Leviticus instructs worshippers to salt the grain sacrificed to God (failing to do so would be a shortcut - bad when paying tribute!). The belief that salt binds a promise, as it does a sausage, spread to the Romans, and any negotiations were made with a saltcellar on the table (49). The notion of "breaking bread" with someone derives from bread's saltiness!

Answer: Shintoism

Throwing salt, as well as stomping on the ground, are believed to drive evil spirits out of the dohyo (50). Then wrestlers clap, drawing the attention of the gods. In Japan, both Buddhist and Shinto businesses offer bowls of salt at the door to purify oneself. It's also customary to throw salt on yourself when you come home after a funeral (51).

In the West, salt has also been used to purify homes of devils (52). When Robert Burns first moved to his home at Ellisland Farm, he brought his servant along, carrying a bowl of salt on top of a Bible. That Bible would have mentioned another use for salt: baptism. Ezekiel 16:4: "Thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all." Early Christians (and some Christians today) placed "sal sapientiae," the salt of wisdom, on the tongue of the person being baptized (53).

Purity, wisdom - let's not leave out fertility. A folk tradition common to the Pyrenees, Ireland, and the Isle of Mann says that a couple that goes to be married with salt in their left pocket will have healthy children (54).

And of course, when you spill salt, always through a pinch over your left shoulder, to blind the Devil (55). This may have been popularized by da Vinci's "The Last Supper", where Judas Iscariot is depicted holding a saltcellar upside down.

Answer: Egyptian mummies

In fact, mummification techniques are very similar to the way Egyptians cured poultry. The mummy's organs are removed and brains are drained, then the corpse is seasoned with cooking spices (yum!) and finally submerged in natron for forty days. Some historians speculate that normal sodium chloride was used as a budget alternative for the highly precious natron. Whether the Egyptians did it, *you* could use salt to mummify someone (56). Just don't forget the pumpkin spice.

Salt and death actually share several connections. Parts of Scotland and Wales sprinkled bread and salt over the casket at a funeral (57). At the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, eight bodies of past Dalai Lamas are preserved in golden mounds called stupa. Inside the stupa, the Lamas are preserved with salt, sitting upright in the lotus position, symbolizing their death as a deep meditation (58).

Answer: Tyrean purple dye

Purple dye made from snails was a principle good for both the Romans and Phoenicians. The glands of the sea snails called murex are removed and stewed in a solution of roughly 1% salt for several days (59). "The fresher the salt, the stronger it is," or so says Pliny (I suspect he might have meant "the purer the salt").

Modern synthetic dyes use salt too, to "salt out" the dissolved dye through osmosis, allowing the pure dye to be collected (60). Much the same process makes salt good when dyeing fabric: of the many methods for dyeing, so-called immersion dyes, where dye is added to large quantities of water, benefit from using the salt to drive dye out of solution and into the material (61). Finally, by the same principle, adding table salt to the laundering of a new garment can prevent dye from bleeding (62).

Natural mummies are occasionally found naturally preserved in salt mines at places like Salzburg (named for salt). Their woolen clothing retains its bright colors, as though it were brand new.

Answer: Salt actually melts the ice

Sand isn't an icemelt; it's actually added to provide traction. Of course, salt itself gives some traction as well, but it's more expensive, so a 90:10 ratio of salt:sand is commonly used. Salt physically interrupts the formation of ice crystals (63), weakening the ice, but salt can do nothing below 5 degrees F, or -15 degrees C.

There has been some about the environmental impact of those 25 million tons. The state of Rhode Island has had success treating roads with salt brine before a storm. This isn't ice melt, but rather "anti-icing" (so I'm totally counting it for our total - (64)).

Ironically, salt is also used beneath the roads. Soft soils can be hardened to support modern roads by using sodium chloride (65).

Answer: Goiter

Upon its introduction in the early 1900s, iodized salt expunged the number one cause of goiter, a serious swelling of the thyroid caused by iodine deficiency (66). Iodine deficiency is now unheard of in places like the Alps, the Himalayas, and the Great Lakes, places where the iodine in seawater could not accumulate.

However - talk about a literal first-world problem - iodine also makes pickling liquid cloudy. The product sold as "pickling salt" is simply un-iodized table salt (67). Iodine also has a subtle metallic flavor some people dislike.

Iodized or not, sodium is an essential nutrient for your nerves and muscles All animals depend on salt, but plants are low in salt, hence why our agrarian ancestors took to salting just about everything. Humans use salt licks to guide livestock or to bait wild herbivores or hunting (68). Counter-intuitively, the electrolyte sodium prevents dehydration (it's even in Gatorade). Endurance athletes losing salt through sweat will deliberately ingest salt tablets to prevent dehydration (69), and a sodium drip is standard kit in many emergency rooms (70).

Finally, saline solution is another staple of the ER and the medicine cabinet alike. Saline has use as an eye wash (71), a wound cleanser (72), or as a way to clear your throat and sinuses (73). Salt or saline can draw venom out of a bee sting, providing some relief (74).

Answer: The Abyssinians

Amoles were still used in Abyssinia (modern Ethiopia) as recently as the 19th century (75). As with gold bars, these amoles weren't used for everyday transactions. They were valuable treasures that could keep indefinitely.

Yet I almost feel that to portray salt as money underseasons its importance. Many of humanity's earliest industrial settlements were established around salt - salt mines, dry salt lakes in China, and salt wells around the Mediterranean. Trading posts were established in the desert to trade in salt: at the height of imperial Mali, Timbuktu thrived as a point of exchange between the salt-loving south and the gold-loving north. Even today, camel-driven caravans transport huge salt slabs there for trade.

We can attribute the Roman Empire's wealth to salt as well. Rome had four chief exports: salt, Tyrean dye (fermented in salt), salted fish, and salty fish sauce (a.k.a. garum). A single saltworks next to a fishery could produce all four. We should credit salt as more than a medium of exchange: it was an engine of commerce, imperial wealth, and industrialization (76).

Answer: Marco Polo

For the purposes of statecraft, salt has one very useful property in common with gold: it is rare enough to be controlled. The earliest salt monopolies were in China, constructed around early salt beds in the province of Shanxi, as early as 6,000 B.C. The philosopher Guan Zhong said that while taxes stir resistance in the populace, "if you take firm control over the policy on salt, the people cannot manage to dodge it even though you are going to take a profit of one hundred times over" (77).

The Roman republic also used salt as a source of its power and benevolence. They controlled the saltworks at Ostia to keep salt cheap when they wanted the citizenry happy (78), and taxed it when they wanted to finance wars (79). Emperor Augustus made a gift to the people out of olive oil and salt shortly before his accession (80), presumably so they could make an exfoliating face scrub. In the salt-wealthy nation of thirteenth-century Venice, Marco Polo wowed his doge recounting the salt coins issued by Kublai Khan.

To this day, Italy's salty history is still easy to find. The Via Salaria, older than Rome, still runs inland from the sea as a major highway. The saline spas are still a draw at Salsomaggiore, a town named for salt, in the region of Parma, synonymous with a type of cured ham.

Answer: Titanium

TiCl4 is titanium tetrachloride, which can be extracted from ores. The liquid sodium used is extracted from salt; the free ions then bind to the chlorine in the TiCl4. The Hunter process was the first to enable the extraction of pure titanium to make strong alloys (81) (although magnesium is more common today).

Sodium chloride is involved in producing many chemicals, including chlorine, lye, sodium carbonate, sodium sulfate, and hydrochloric acid (82). Sodium chloride can be used as a water softening agent to remove minerals like calcium (83). It's used by paper mills to break down pulp (84), by metallurgy to "quench" (that is, rapidly cool) steel (85), and by tanneries to cure leather (86). In ancient Germany, leather was deliberately over-salted to make tough armor (87). In addition to its use in dye making, the technique of "salting out" is used again in soap-making, to separate the final product from the water and glycerin (88).

Finally, salt is useful to create molds for hollow metal wares (89). When the metal cools, you can dissolve the salt in water and leave no residue.

Answer: Four chapels

No less than four chapels were hewed from the abundant rock salt at Wieliczka by the miners themselves (90). The intricate tunnels of the mine are a labyrinth containing statues and bas-reliefs carved into the salt. It's been a tourist attraction for centuries, with Copernicus, Goethe, and Chopin among its famous visitors, and was still producing salt during World War II.

The chapels feature prominent chandeliers made of salt. If that sounds outside your budget, rock salt lamps made of Himalayan sea salt are available cheaply (91). You can buy mortars and pestles made of pink salt, which are supposed to impart saltiness as they grind (92). Finally, some retailers sell huge, pink slabs of salt. They can be put in the oven, then taken tableside to sear in front of your guests, or they can be refrigerated to chill whatever you're serving (93).

Answer: Tubes of salt brine keep the rink cold.

Salt requires energy to dissolve, so salt brine does a great job of sucking heat out of anything it touches. Just beneath the rink is a convoluted network of pipes that circulate brine (94). Brine refrigeration has lots of uses, including as a back-up cooling system at your local grocery store (95). Saltwater brines are significantly better at transferring heat than glycol, though the downside is that they corrode the pipes they're in. As any fraternity brother can tell, you, saltwater can also chill any bottled beverage down to 40 degrees F in about two minutes (96).

Rock salt is also an essential chemical coolant for an important culinary product: ice cream! Because cream freezes at a lower temperature than water, you need to lower the freezing point of ice itself, which salt accomplishes (97). I scream, you scream, we all scream for salt!

Answer: To make it rain

Salt melteth snow, but salt also maketh rain (and snow, too). When poured into clouds, granular substances intensify precipitation by giving water "nucleation sites" upon which to condense (98). You might've seen this process occur if you've seen a pot of water roar with bubbles when salted (something that Diamond Crystal's original "101 Uses for Salt" wrongly states is "boiling faster"). Despite experiments with exotic materials like silver iodide, scientists now think that plain old sodium chloride actually works best! However, don't try this use (98) at home, as weather control is highly, highly, highly regulated.

And finally, three more oddball uses that fit nowhere else. The unique cuboid crystals in sodium chloride make it useful for designing the lenses of infrared goggles (99). Cowboys spin yarns of how a shotgun shell loaded with rock salt can deter animals without killing them (100). And last, but most, the exceptional flatness of salt make it a record-breaker. Dozens of speed records have been broken at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, a dry lakebed, including in sports cars, motorcycles, and jet-powered dragsters tailor-made to shatter the record. (101)