Wednesday, March 24, 2010

No Salt

Can you believe that there is a bill that would ban the use of salt in New York restaurants??? State Assemblyman Felix Ortiz has has introduced a bill that would ban the use of salt in New York restaurants - and violators would be smacked with a $1,000 fine for every salty dish.
"No owner or operator of a restaurant in this state shall use salt in any form in the preparation of any food," the bill reads.
Needless to say, some of Manhattan's top cooks are very upset. Considered the restaurant capital of the world, a ban on salt would make gourmet meals taste like hospital food.
There's little argument that too much salt causes high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attacks - but even hardcore salt haters say banning it outright is a pinch too much.

Back in the 1970's when I first married, I didn't really think about the amount of salt that I used in cooking. You can tell that by the size of the salt shaker that set on my stove. This set held about 2 cups and lasted a good long while before I had to refill.




Nowadays, most of us can't get by with just one salt, we have multiple salts that we use for cooking. Mine now sit out in pinch bowls near the stove. Food Network has taught us that we need certain things to cook. We need chef's knifes, we need a microplane, we need a Boos board...and we need pinch bowls or you might as well just make a bologna sandwich and close up shop!



I have used Morton's Lite Salt in our shakers for over 30 years. My Mother-in-law was diagnosed with high blood pressure in the 1970's and I realized then that we needed to be careful about too much in our diet.


Bacon Salt is a new product that I love! I even did a blog on it recently, you can read about it HERE. It's a low sodium, no fat alternative to one of my downfalls, BACON!

Of course there is a plethora of salts out there. Grey salt, pink salt, even Jurassic salt ($12.50-$35.00)! There are some health reasons to buy the specialty salts...
Why Sea Salts?
Sea Salts
help to balance and replenishes all of the body's electrolytes
It provides renewed energy
It gives you a high resistance to infections and bacterial diseases
It supplies all 82 vital trace minerals
It balances alkaline/acid levels
It restores good digestion
The natural iodine in these salts protects against radiation and many other pollutants
It can aid in relieving allergies and skin diseases
And overall greatly reduces toxins and to help prevent ill-health





If you're gonna shell out the big bucks for gourmet salts, then you need a beautiful salt cellar to store them. This one from NapaStyle.com would hold a larger amount than a pinch bowl.


Another one from NapaStyle.com
Black Olive Flor de Sal
$39.00
“Flower of the Salt” is completely unrefined thus preserving all 84 minerals. The rich olive intensity complements the mineral notes in the naturally harvested sea salt, creating the perfect seasoning for robust Mediterranean fare. Made in Spain.


Isn't it amazing that we managed so long with just this plain ol' salt shaker!


8 comments:

  1. Well, I'm sticking my neck out here - but a bill - not to use salt? Doesn't anybody have important things to do and think about?

    Sandie

    ReplyDelete
  2. If that bill passes it will be the beginning of the end (again)...I love salt but try to be careful with it...I can usually tell when I have had a bit too much...

    ReplyDelete
  3. When we first heard about oils that restaurants can and cannot use - I was not surprised when other things started popping up in government bills - state and federal both. Mark my words, 'there will be many many more regulations on foods, food vendors, and restaurants coming to areas near YOU!'

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a "spicy" post! Thanks for all the great info.

    Now, we just need to get the government to let us decide what is best for us, and not decide for us...

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is crazy! I doubt it will get passed!

    ReplyDelete
  6. My mom told me about it the other day. I didn't believe her! That's crazy after all to a person in thier right mind that is!!!! So I looked it up and found it to be true. I almost blogged it but didn't have time. I'm glad to see that you are getting the word out! This is just scary to me!

    Loved all of your different salt containers and salts! I didn't realize there were that many different salts out there. I will be stocking up on salt for my own use at the house. Who knows "they" being the government, might just take it off the shelves in our stores too!

    Hugs,
    Angela

    ReplyDelete
  7. Another brilliant post. You never disappoint me. I love salt but try to never abuse its use.

    I think assemblyman Ortiz should get a life or at the very least mind his own business. Please! What next?

    I love the salt cellar and must have it. I am thinking that must be Michael Chiarello's website.

    It looks like Deruta pottery, beautiful!

    Happy salting :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. NO salt? Ridiculous!
    Plain old table salt? I can live with that but it';s more fun with the "gourmet" salts!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...