# Anti-caking alternatives (for salt) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 26, 2010, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-caking-alternatives-for-salt/558449 "2010-10-26T22:42:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HardlySanguine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HardlySanguine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HardlySanguine)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-caking-alternatives-for-salt/558449/1 "2010-10-26T22:42:21Z")
I’m looking to make my own “popcorn salt” by pounding the heck out of regular salt or putting it through a food processor. I’ve done this once before and it ended up caking annoyingly. Is there anything I might have around the house that I can add to prevent this? ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-caking-alternatives-for-salt/558449/2 "2010-10-26T22:58:16Z")
rice, beans or crackers in the shaker…I use the crackers for sugar shaker, cause the rice will fall out the hole. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-caking-alternatives-for-salt/558449/3 "2010-10-26T23:30:25Z")
> [@HardlySanguine](#): > > Is there anything I might have around the house that I can add to prevent this? Cornstarch used to be used as an [anti-caking agent](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-caking_agent) in powdered sugar. It’s not Calcium silicate, but it might do the job for you. [According to this site](http://www.food.com/library/powdered-sugar-140), about 3% cornstarch (presumably by mass) was the usual dosage. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-caking-alternatives-for-salt/558449/4 "2010-10-27T00:19:11Z")
I also vote for rice, it seems to be a moisture magnet ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-caking-alternatives-for-salt/558449/5 "2010-10-27T14:09:17Z")
Definitely rice. If the holes in your shaker are too large you can also get a little disc of unglazed but fired clay. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-caking-alternatives-for-salt/558449/6 "2010-10-27T17:26:43Z")
Yeah, my first thought when I saw the OP’s thread was, “What, rice ain’t workin’ out for ya?” ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-caking-alternatives-for-salt/558449/7 "2010-10-27T17:38:57Z")
Definitely uncooked rice. ---
**Author:** ![HardlySanguine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HardlySanguine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HardlySanguine)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-caking-alternatives-for-salt/558449/8 "2010-10-27T22:07:01Z")
I’ll try rice, then. 🙂 The problem was mostly it sticking to the sides/bottom of the glass container. I added a little bit of cornstarch but it didn’t seem to do much, if anything. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-caking-alternatives-for-salt/558449/9 "2010-10-27T22:13:49Z")
When I worked in a movie theatre for our popcorn salt we used…wait for it……wait for it… Unpopped popcorn kernels (really no different than rice, but the beauty is in the symmetry) ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-caking-alternatives-for-salt/558449/10 "2010-10-28T16:02:55Z")
A bit of sponge. Or the little package of dessicant you find in a bag of jerky. It’s the best remedy I’ve ever found (though I’ve never thought or heard of cornstarch till today). I’m sorry, but rice etc. has never worked for me. Maybe it’s just the humidity factor, possibly that rice can’t cope with the high humidity of where I live, or I don’t know what it just rattles around in the shaker and breaks into bits clogging the holes along with the caked salt.