Here at The Salt Oasis Kingsport, we love salt! We know a lot and learn more about Salt Therapy every day. Himalayan salt can do amazing things! We have recently expanded our inventory to include the Cooking Collection. While these pieces are not only beautiful they are fully functional. We wanted to know just how functional, so we tried them out! With that, we bring you the series "Season Your Summer!" In this series we will be talking about things like why you should cook with Himalayan salt, how to use it, some recipes and other helpful tips. Get ready to add some flavor to your food!
Why Cook with Himalayan Salt?
A lot of people think salt is bad, and when you're talking about regular processed and bleached table salt those people are right....table salt is bad. Himalayan salt though is completely different, packed with 84 trace minerals such as zinc and magnesium, it is so good for the body.
Those minerals do great things for us like promotes healthy water distribution in the body, helps absorb nutrients from food, naturally promotes sleep, essential for neurological function, and promotes healthy blood sugar balance.
There are many different ways to use salt in your food. The most common way is of course to use fine salt to add it to food. But there are many more ways to use salt such as cooking on a salt block, eating out of a salt bowl (yes a bowl made of salt) or drinking out of salt glasses.
How to cook with Himalayan Salt?
Cooking with Himalayan salt is a lot more fun than just sprinkling it on your food for seasoning. All of these products are so versatile and can be used for grilling, searing, cooking and can be used for chilled foods and even desserts! All while sealing in that heavenly salt flavor. In the first part of this series, we used the salt blocks to grill an awesome summer meal. My husband is a grill master and was excited for a new way to use his grill.
Because of the make up of Himalayan salt, the blocks can stand extreme temperatures. So, the good news is, the blocks can be used for hot foods and cold foods. Before heating or freezing, be sure the block is fully dry. Freezing the block for a few hours can work great for appetizers and raw foods like sushi. Heating the blocks slowly is the first very important step in using them to cook food. The rule of thumb is 20 minutes on low heat, 20 minutes on medium heat and 20 minutes on high to reach the temperature you need. A way to test the heat of the block is to sprinkle a couple drops of water on it, if it sizzles away very quickly it is ready to go!
Place seasoned (not salted) meat of choice right on block and enjoy the sound of flavor sizzling right into your food.We cooked steaks, veggies and chicken on our blocks. After a couple minutes, flip the food and cook on the other side. Do not put any oil on the block! There is no need, your food won't stick to the block but it will become encrusted with Himalayan salt and the flavors will be sealed in. The veggies took a few more minutes than the steaks and chicken, so we seared them on the block then placed them in a large pan to finish cooking.
After the food was done, we also served it on a salt block so it would add a little more flavor. This is optional of course, but make s a really unique serving block! We also served appetizers on a couple of cold blocks, and what flavor! I've never salted Caprese before and now I know what I've been missing. Also, you can fully imagine how delicious this watermelon was on such a hot day.
My husband was a little skeptical at first, but as we began digging in to our beautiful plates of food he was really surprised at how different the flavor was. The steaks and chicken had a delicious salty flavor with an encrusted outside. The veggies had more of their own flavor with a zest of salt to them. It was great knowing we had found a new way to fix food and was even better knowing the food was actually healthier! Due to the absorption of the salt and minerals into the food, yes, the food is really healthier.
Cleaning Your Block
This is a very important step of caring for and prolonging the use of your block or salt made dish. After cooking let the block cool all the way down ( a couple of hours) before cleaning. To clean it all you need to do is run a small stream of water and wipe the block with a damp towel or scrub brush. NEVER EVER use soap! Salt has anti microbial properties and will clean itself. Soap can dramatically change the taste of your food and can ruin your salt block/dish. After the block/dish is clean, wipe dry with a towel and store in a very dry place to dry out. Be sure to give the dish a 24 hour rest and dry time before using it again to prevent cracks (all the more reason to have 2). To watch a how to video on cleaning your block, click HERE.
Some Ideas For You To Try!
Here are some ideas you can try and of course, create your own recipes! The more you
use a Himalayan Salt Dishes the better you get at using them AND the more benefits you receive.
Cold...
Watermelon
Caprese
Sushi
Shrimp
Icecream
Veggies/Fruit
Mini Cheesecakes
Hot...
Steaks
Chicken
Veggies
Eggs
Shrimp
Cookies
Brownies
There are so many things you can do with Himalayan Salt. These days, it is so versatile you can literally use dishes made out of it. Which isn't only a really beautiful serving tray but also comes with great flavors and health benefits. This was honestly some great food and we can't wait to try some more for next week blog and the second part of this series!
Come on by and see what we have in our Cooking Collection. We also think Dad would love some of these grilling slabs!
We want to hear from you. Comment below some recipes we should try next!