Salt and pepper shakers or salt and pepper pots, of which the first item can also be called a salt cellar in British English, are condiment dispensers used in European cuisine that are designed to allow diners to distribute grains of edible salt and ground peppercorns. Salt and pepper shakers are sometimes held in a cruet-stand.
History and usage
Salt and pepper shakers can be made from a variety of materials, including plastic, glass, metal, and ceramic.
An 1872 newspaper stated: "A pepper-box for salt is the latest Yankee invention."
Salt shakers became increasingly common after anti-caking agents were introduced by the Morton Salt company in 1911. The Great Depression of the 1930s boosted the popularity of salt and pepper shakers as global ceramics producers concentrated on inexpensive items.
Except in the most casual dining establishments, they are usually provided as a matched set, sometimes distinguishable only by the number of holes on the top of the shaker. Designs range from small, plain glass screw cap containers (invented by John Landis Mason, inventor of the Mason jar) to more ornate works of art. Sometimes the design refers to some pair of related objects—such as a replica of a West Highland White Terrier containing salt and a Scottish Terrier containing pepper. Designs may also relate to specific occasions or holidays. As a result of this diversity of design, collecting salt and pepper shakers is a hobby. Design of salt and pepper shakers has also been used to transmit cultural perspectives about race and other cultural values.
Two Museums of Salt and Pepper Shakers in the US and Spain are dedicated to showing the variety and history of salt and pepper shakers through the ages. Żupny Castle in Poland also contains a collection of salt shakers.
Distinguishing salt from pepper
The number of holes varies by culture, health, and taste. In the United States where excessive salt is considered unhealthy, salt is stored in the shaker with the fewer holes, but in parts of Europe where pepper was historically a rare spice, this is reversed. In the UK, salt was often poured onto the side of one's plate and used for dipping, rather than shaken across the whole dish, hence salt cellars having a single, larger, hole.
The shakers may also be simply labelled "pepper" and "salt" or "p" and "s" (in some cases the latter may be formed of the holes for pouring), or may be colored white for salt and black for pepper. Many salt and pepper shakers are transparent, in which case they need not be otherwise distinguished.
As an alternative to salt and pepper shakers, pepper may be distributed at the table by use of a pepper grinder, while salt may be distributed from a salt cellar or a salt mill.
- SERVES
- 4
- COOK TIME
- 8 Min
Ready for a new kind of shrimp recipe that will break you out of that dinnertime rut? Say good-bye to steamed shrimp cocktail, because our jazzy Louisiana Shrimp Bake is to-die-for! Baking the shrimp gives them that plump, pop that we all love. Your taste buds will be tinglin' when you pop these sensationally seasoned shrimp in your mouth.
- 1 1/2 pound large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- Preheat oven to 400º.
- Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place shrimp in a single layer in baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Remember, the cayenne pepper is optional. Pour butter mixture over shrimp and stir until evenly coated.
- Bake, uncovered, 8 to 10 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.
1929 – Christopher George, American actor (d. 1983)
1938 – Diane Baker, American actress
1943 – George Harrison, English singer and guitarist, member of The Beatles (d. 2001)
1971 – Sean Astin, American actor
Each year on February 25th people across the nation have a bowl and spoon ready to be filled with clam chowder as they prepare to participate in National Clam Chowder Day.
A clam chowder in its simplest form is a soup or stew containing clams or fish. The most common type of chowder includes milk or cream as well as potatoes, though the Manhattan clam chowder has tomatoes.
The origin of the word “chowder” is up for a little bit of debate. The French word for cauldron is “chaudiere.” The English word “jowter” means fish peddler. Both are on the hook for possible origins.
In chowder, along with the clams, it is common to find diced potatoes, onions (often sautéed with pork or bacon drippings) and celery.
Following is a list of the basic clam chowder variants:
- New England clam chowder
- Manhattan clam chowder
- Rhode Island clam chowder
- Delaware clam chowder
- New Jersey clam chowder
- Hatteras clam chowder
- Minorcan clam chowder
- Long Island clam chowder
- Puget Sound clam chowder
