According to Alton Brown, the size of the grains matters for convenience of cooking. That’s the big deal with kosher salt, as it’s easier to pick up. It also can be nice to have larger grains in situations where the salt stays on the outside of the food, e.g. throwing it on something battered.
But that doesn’t make grinders make sense. I had one once, and the main thing it did was make it take a bit of effort before I could salt on something. But it wasn’t enough effort to limit my salt usage.
I’ve used salt grinders at home for, maybe 10 years? I find they give much better control over the amount and placement of the salt. I use normal fine ground salt if I’m adding some while cooking though.
Huh. I would have thought simply pinching it and putting it on would do a better job with that. The ground salt, in my experience, seems to go everywhere, just like from a salt shaker.
But then I get it on my fingers.
Does it? I think in most recipes, whatever salt is added is just going to end up dissolving. It’ll affect the taste of the food but not its texture.
In recipes, you’re right.
Finishing salt is different than cooking salt. When you sprinkle large-flake salt on your steak, you’ll notice the delicate crunch when you bite into it, as it won’t dissolve before you eat it. Mardon Salt is one very popular brand. I have jars of large-flaked Murray River salt which are even better.
First, I agree that it’s largely about making you more involved in your meal, so mostly gimmick. It does have the small, but helpful side-effect in that the effort involved generally reduces the amount of salt I use, which is helpful for most American diets.
The issue with being able to chose a coarseness though is almost always a no-go with the shakers I’ve seen and used. It adjustment really seems to go from pretty much fine powder to just a bit smaller than table salt, plus little chunks that fall though the mechanism. Sure, a super high quality grinder could offset this, but not likely to be seen even at higher-end places.
For at-home use, I have kosher salt for meat seasoning, table salt for table seasoning, and a few specialty salts (smoked, large flake, pretzel, pickling) that (duh) only apply for specific uses beyond last minute at the table finishing. A salt grinder’s product doesn’t fit any of those categories better than the above, and generally cost far more than the ‘use at the table options’.
Speaking of those types, I have also discovered Black salt, which has sulfur compounds in it. It allows me to add the flavor of egg yolks without having to add egg yolks. This is useful now that I have to keep my per-meal fat content low. (Pretty much all of the fat is in the yolk.)
Thing is, it clumps up really badly, so I could see wanting a grinder just to separate it out. Regular salt (whether fine, medium, or kosher) doesn’t cake up nearly so easily.
(I also have what I call chicken salt and beef salt, which are just bouillon powder. It replaces the pepper-based salt/MSG mixtures I used to use.)
Clumping is an actual issue depending on climate. Here in arid front range Colorado, we blew the mind of some friends when we left a bag of pretzel sticks out on the counter overnight in a folded bag, no air tight container or anything.
Said guests were amazed that they were still crisp the next day!
But if you’re in humid climate, yes, a grinder, silica pack, rice, etc may be needed as an option. And granted, no chance of rice powder or chemicals being added to your salt with a grinder. But’s its such a uni-tasker, so I’d probably just use my mortar and pestle if I have that issue.
PS - the sulfur salt sounds interesting, but my better half hates those compounds, which is why she avoids eggs in any non-baked form. Perhaps I’ll have a chance to experiment another time.
On the Japanese TV show Soko Ga Shiratai, a gourmet chef demonstrates how different grindings of salt changes the flavor.
I use Hawaiian Alae salt which has numerous minerals and I can definitely taste the difference when it’s whole (sweeter) and ground (saltier). After years of eating alae salt exclusively at home, iodized salt takes bitter.
Salt grinders??? Ya’ll is just askin’ the devil fer trouble!!!
One of the virtues of coarse salt is that it doesn’t dissolve as quickly. That’s why it gets used as a finishing salt for some dishes. I normally use a salt cellar at home, but in a restaurant I might want to use less salt volume but still get sufficient coverage, for which a grinder can be handy. I normally will skip salt in a shaker because it dissolves too quickly.
ETA: yeah, kala namak (sulfury salt) is a godsend for making egg-free dishes like vegan french toast.
I’ve been to medium-high end steakhouses where the waitstaff will come around and offer fresh ground pepper from a digeridoo-sized grinder. Maybe this will catch on with salt…
A few posters have mentioned silica packs. Are they considered generally safe for use with food, such as in a saltshaker?
It’s common in Asian snacks such as rice crackers and cuttlefish.
Yes, if it’s a food grade desiccant. I put one in the jar when I dehydrate vegetables.
Ignorance fought. I didn’t realize there were food grade desiccants. I was thinking of the little packs that say “DO NOT EAT”. 
“Food grade” here means “safe to throw in with your food,” not “additional crunchy treat.” It’s like food grade plastic packaing for example.
They can be in WITH your food, as far as I know. They just shouldn’t be considered to BE food.