# Salt - How Long Does It Last?



## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

The box of Diamond Crystal salt in my kitchen is at least two years old, maybe even three or more. Will salt last indefinitely before losing any of its qualities? Might it absorb moisture, for example, and be loss "potent?" Is there a preferred way to store it? Mine's just in the box it came in, set near the stove. Do different types of salt require different handling and storage techniques?


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## chefhow (Oct 16, 2008)

Shel, salt wont lose any of its qualities as long as it stays dry and free flowing. You should store it in a dry place in an airtight container if you are going to keep it for any lenght of time. Otherwise there is no reason to throw it out. If you dont want to use it for food it makes a great natural way to clean copper, mix it with lemon juice or as a natural abrasive when you need one.


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

I'm naturally abrasive enough <LOL>

Thanks - I sort of figured that it could last indefinitely. Maybe it's time to find a better container than the box. Something with a little style and panache.


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## chefhow (Oct 16, 2008)

I keep 4 containers on my counter top next to my cook top, they are all airtight mason jars with lockdown lids.

1 for Kosher salt
1 for Kosher salt and course ground pepper
1 for fine grind sea salt 
1 for Isreali Dead Sea Salt for when I cook with fish or shellfish.


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

What percentage salt/pepper do you use. I think I was using 2:1 saltepper, but that was a while ago and I've since forgotten the proportions.


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## chefhow (Oct 16, 2008)

I dont really measure, its completely by eye. It is probably more like 60/40 salt to pepper but I couldnt say for sure.


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## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

I usually buy my Fleur de sel or French grey sea salt in smaller quantities. They're both a little bit moist and I don't see a reason to buy larger quantities and take a chance of drying out. I keep these in sealed glass container.

My kosher salt I keep in the box they come in. I recently tried Roland Course sea salt...it had a nice "sea" taste to it. Flavorful yet natural tasting. The ingredient was just sea salt for the course ground. The other grinds had anti-caking agents in them.

dan


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

Shel, salt, as such, is a mineral. Basically, it's the only rock we eat on a regular basis.

Unlike foodstuffs, which get their flavors from other things, salt's taste comes strictly from the two elements that make up the crystals, plus, in the case of gourmet salts, adulterants.

Thus, it lasts three days longer than forever, with no loss of flavor or potency.

If it absorbs moisture that will affect flowability (which may be one of the characteristics you mean). But it won't affect its basic characteristics.

In Mark Kurlansy's definative _Salt, A World History, _he talks of having obtained a hunk of salt from some famous place (I forget where, at the moment--maybe the mines at Salsburg?), which he left sitting on a windowsill near a radiator. He was facinated over the fact that it changed physical form depending on heat and humidity factors, but always returned to its basic shape. That is, indeed, what sparked his interest in salt, and the resulting book---which I highly recommend.


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

Unless we've got pica


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

As soon as you mentioned the title of the book I knew I had to read it, even before reading your description. I love books and other writings that are like this one seems to be. If you like this sort of thing, allow me to recommend Petroski's _The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance. _

There was that PBS TV series called _Connections_. Are you familiar with it. Great series!

The Trigger Effect (Connections - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)


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## jfield (Sep 4, 2008)

PICA--ack! Flashback to my days in Special Education!


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