It's All About What You Put In Your Salt Mill

By Author: Charlotte Lawrence
Total Articles: 21
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Many people think that pepper mills and salt mills are much the same concept. However, many other people have found that unless the right salt mill is used, problems are not too far away.

The reason for this is simple - salt is an extremely effective corrosive material. As such, the materials used for grinding it are limited. The most common types of metals used in pepper mills for example are untreated and made from grades of metals that will, over time, corrode.

This of course not only affects performance, but taste too; as tiny particles of metal are released in the grinding process. It is however unlikely to cause any health problems, so there should no alarm bells ringing in that regard!

But still, care should be taken when selecting your salt mill. Look for a product that uses ceramic grinders ideally, these should stay sharp no matter what. These can be quite pricey though, so you may wish to look at something that uses treated metal instead.

It is also important that your salt mill is fully adjustable in order that you can control the size of grain that falls to your plate. As discussed below, ...
... there are a host of different types of salt you can put in your mill; each with a different set of properties. Indeed, even if you keep to just one type of salt, the grain size and strength will change from packet to packet.

Other than that, you are free to select from the wide range of mills available. That they are fast becoming somewhat of a modern icon though, this really is not going to be easy.

Plastic, wood and glass are just a few of the materials you can expect to find the cylinders to be made out of, whilst the amount of designs they come in is simply overwhelming.

As they increasingly become a fashion and style statement too, more and more manufacturers that are not best known for their culinary devices are beginning to hit the market too. Many of these products are worth trying out as they are not necessarily worse quality than some of the better known brands.

Once you have your salt mill, you then have the tricky task of selecting which salt to put in it. Not table salt, obviously, but types other than that. There are hundreds! From Maldon Sea Salt from the United Kingdom, Fleur de Seul or La Rochelle from France, or even sea salt from the Himalayas!

There are many wonderfully flavoured salts to choose from too, each with their own qualities and dimensions. Plus they are talking points for dinner guests to muse over. With so many to choose from, perhaps you will need more than one salt mill!

Because different salts have different qualities, they will react differently to grinding of course. And many will cause clogging far more frequently. Usually, these blockages can be removed quite easily by rinsing your salt mill in warm water, though it will take time to dry, and some metals may well be prone to rusting, so always check the manufacturer's instructions.

Scotts of Stow is based in Stow-on-the-Wold, a small market town in the Cotswold hills - one of the most renowned and picturesque regions of England. If you are looking to buy a salt mill for your kitchen, please visit us online at www.scottsofstow.co.uk to view the range we have available.