Many people believe that salt is the most important seasoning, adding a touch of salt to almost every dish. But salt isn’t just a seasoning; it has many creative uses, from preventing apples from discoloring to removing stains from teacups. Today, we’ll explore these uses.

Preventing Apples from Discoloring

If cut apples aren’t eaten immediately, the cut surface will turn brown when exposed to air. This is because apples contain polyphenol enzymes, which oxidize when exposed to air.

To prevent cut apples from discoloring quickly, soak them in salted drinking water. It doesn’t need to be soaked for long, at least three minutes. The longer the soak, the saltier the apples will be. If you prefer a less salty taste, you can substitute sugar water for salt.

Making Pickled Egg Yolks

Like other pickled foods, salty and fragrant pickled egg yolks are easily consumed simply with rice or noodles. In fact, in the culinary world, pickled egg yolks are considered a finishing touch, adding a layered flavor that enhances the dish.

Michelin-starred chef Magnus Nilsson teaches you how to make delicious cured egg yolks in his cookbook. It only requires three ingredients.

Ingredients:

2-4 egg yolks
1 cup kosher salt (0.8 cup of regular table salt can be substituted)
1 cup sugar

Steps:

• Take a mixing bowl, combine the salt and sugar, and stir with a spoon.
• Pour the salt and sugar mixture into the container in which you will be curing the egg yolks.
• Use a spoon to place the egg yolks on top of the salt and sugar in the container, and scoop up any salt and sugar that’s nearby to cover the egg yolks.
• Let the container sit at room temperature for at least 75 minutes.
• Use a spoon to remove the egg yolks from the salt and sugar. Then, soak the spoon and yolk in drinking water to remove any salt and sugar stuck to the yolks.
• After removing the spoon and yolk from the water, place the egg yolk on the food, sprinkle with your favorite seasonings like pepper, prick the yolk, and serve.

Removing Teacup Stains

Whether it’s a teacup, coffee cup, mug, or glass, after a while, some stains may develop that won’t come out. Lemon peel and salt can be a great way to clean these stains.

First, dip the lemon peel in salt. Then, use the salted area to clean the cup. This is both effective and natural.

Cleaning Wooden Cutting Boards

Cutting boards are often used in cooking. Ingredients that require a knife are cut on them. Cleaning them immediately after cutting reduces the chance of food residue and odors lingering.

If standard cleaning methods don’t completely remove any residue or odors from your cutting board, try pouring salt directly onto the surface, gently wiping it with a damp cloth, and then rinsing it with warm water.

Quickly Chilling Drinks

Many people find drinks like soda, beer, and champagne taste better when they’re cold. But if you need to chill your drinks quickly at home, ice and salt can help.

This trick is especially useful in hot weather. Simply take out your ice bucket, add your drink, then add a layer of ice cubes, sprinkle in 2-3 tablespoons of salt, then add another layer of ice cubes, and then sprinkle in salt.

Repeat this process until the ice cubes almost cover the drink. Then, add water until it reaches the same level as the ice cubes. After waiting for 10-15 minutes, you can enjoy the chilled drink or mix it with other ingredients to create various flavors.

Making Ice Cream

You don’t have to use an ice cream maker to make ice cream; you can also use “salt and ice” instead. Combine the ice cream ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Then, add ice cubes to a larger bowl and sprinkle with salt. Once the salt and melted ice water mix to form salt water, the freezing point of the resulting ice drops to around -21°C, rather than the 0°C of pure water.

As the ice and salt melt, they absorb the surrounding heat, cooling the mixture. Simply place the mixing bowl containing the ice cream ingredients into the larger bowl and stir while chilling. The ice cream will begin to solidify.

Unclogging Drains

Salt is a natural disinfectant. Mixing salt with hot water and pouring it down the sink drain will clean dirt and remove odors.

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, a professional plumber in the United States, recommends doing this weekly. Salt and hot water can also be used to unclog clogged drains.

First, pour half a cup of salt directly into the clogged drain. Wait about five minutes. Then, pour two liters of hot water (not boiling hot) into the drain. Repeat these two steps until the drain is clear. This method only works for oil-based blockages; it will be less effective if the blockage is caused by foreign matter or other factors.