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Rice In Salt Shakers |
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Keeping Salt Running Free... To keep salt from drawing moisture and hardening into chunks put a few grains of rice in the bottoms of the salt shaker. Works great!
By Robin
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RE: Rice In Salt Shakers
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Post By jean (Guest Post)
(07/23/2007)
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The silica gel packs are NOT food safe. Do not put them in salt shakers.
RE: Rice In Salt Shakers
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Post By gloria (Guest Post)
(07/22/2007)
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can i put the silica gel packs in salt shakers to dry salt?
RE: Rice In Salt Shakers
a small bit of saltine cracker bits works good too. :)
Rice in Salt Shakers
Question - There has been a debate about the reason many people put uncooked rice in the salt shaker. Most will answer that the rice will absorb the atmospheric moisture instead of the salt so that the salt will not cake. I have trouble believing that rice is more likely to absorb moisture in the air than table salt. I believe the larger rice grains more likely "knock" the lumps out of the salt when it is shaken, rather than keeping the salt from absorbing water. So, what is the answer?
Stephanie
Stephanie,
I think both sides of the argument are correct. Indeed, the grains of rice will tend to "knock the lumps out of the salt." So would small glass beads. However, the porous starch structure of well dried rice is also very attractive to moisture by virtue of hydrogen bonds that can form between water molecules and the -OH groups in the starch matrix. Thus, dried starch grains make a fairly decent desiccating agent.
Regards, ProfHoff 713
Never really thought about this but your explanation makes sense. Rice does not readily absorb water. That is why you have to cook it for 10-20 minutes in boiling water -- so it would not seem to be very hydroscopic, does it? I tend to agree with your mechanical interpretation. You notice when you dissolve salt in water that the solution is hazy, that should not be. But if you look at the list of ingredients on the box you will find silica gel or aluminum silicate added (to prevent clumping). These fine particle powders DO absorb water and act as anti-caking agents.
Vince Calder
Source: Newton
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