Fresh Ground Salt and Pepper

[enchanted_one1975]

Has anyone else made this stuff the norm? It is sold in the spice aisle. I recommend McCormick. The cheaper ones have second-rate grinders and are so hard to turn it's ridiculous. Anyway, for a little over two bucks each you get this glass thing full of Sea Salt or Black Peppercorns. (They make others but these two are the only ones most of us would use regularly.) You pull off the cap, turn the thing over, and grind fresh salt or pepper into your food. Seems so simple yet it is unbelievably good. If you are trying it for the first time, go easy. The stuff, being fresh, has a stringer taste than the traditional stuff. It is easy to overdo it. A hidden bonus is since it does have a strong taste, you don't need as much. That means less salt in your diet with no sacrifice. This reduces your sodium intake.

 

[Panda]

Always had salt and pepper grinders at home.

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Fresh ground is so much tastier!

 

[Valjean]

I can see fresh ground pepper, but "fresh" is pretty much meaningless with salt, isn't it? There are no volatiles to evaporate and no essential oils to release. It's a simple, inorganic compound.

 

[enchanted_one1975]

I can see fresh ground pepper, but "fresh" is pretty much meaningless with salt, isn't it? There are no volatiles to evaporate and no essential oils to release. It's a simple, inorganic compound.

You would be shocked. It is wonderful. :yes:

 

[Valjean]

I'll have to take a look next time I'm at the grocer's, maybe they added MSG to it.
Maybe you get a more intense taste by grinding the salt grains smaller, but other than this, how is this salt any different from any other salt?

 

[enchanted_one1975]

I'll have to take a look next time I'm at the grocer's, maybe they added MSG to it.
Maybe you get a more intense taste by grinding the salt grains smaller, but other than this, how is this salt any different from any other salt?

Well even if the grinding does not affect it, it is sea salt. It does not have iodide added like normal salt either.

 

[Valjean]

But regular salt is sea salt -- deposited when ancient seas dried up millions of years ago. The only difference is that mined salt doesn't have the heavy metals, organophosphates, petroleum breakdown products and other pollutants found in present-day seas.

Commercial salt does often have iodine added, though you can buy it without, but there was a reason it was added. I wouldn't consider it a problem, as I do a lot of other modern food additives. Iodine's a pretty innocuous. It's an essential micronutrient, in fact.

 

[enchanted_one1975]

Well whatever they do it just seems to taste better, and is stronger so less is needed.

 

[Valjean]

always a plus for the blood pressure

 

[Buttercup]

I have a couple of spice blends that have built in grinders. I agree it seems to make a difference.

 

[Valjean]

Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a seperate, good-quality grinder and then buy unprocessed, bulk spices?

 

[enchanted_one1975]

Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a seperate, good-quality grinder and then buy unprocessed, bulk spices?

The problem is the spices are best when ground immediately before putting them in the food. To buy a good grinder to use for several spices would lead to a lot of work in loading, unloading, reloading, and all that jazz to switch between stuff when adding a pinch of this and a dash of that. However, many people do have a nice pair of salt and pepper grinders for their dinner table. Being on a truck most of the time, the disposables work fine for me for now.

 

[worldz]

i always prepare them at home.

 

[Father Heathen]

i always prepare them at home.

You grow and dry your own pepper and mine your own salt?