Home Tips: Surprise, Its Salt!

This is the most common ingredient of a household. No matter what dishes you prepare with exotic herbs or spices, you always need this simple ingredient to complete a dish. No other ingredient can boast of its virtues like salt which as many know is an essential product for the efficient functioning of our body. But you have to use this judiciously. Too much and it takes you for a ride, too little and it spoils the entire dish. But should a substance like salt should be confined only to the kitchen? It has much greater potential outside the kitchen that it can prove useful in the most unlikely situations.There are different types of salt available for different purposes. I have tried to capture some of the most interesting tips and tricks involving the common salt.

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It is primarily responsible for the regulation of fluids in the body. IT provides adequate support to the nerves and muscles. The common salt as we know is actually sodium chloride. People from the west are known to take less salt while people from the eastern parts of the world have a higher intake of salt. Too much salt can derail the functioning of the important systems in the body. It can cause blood pressure and heart diseases.

When you add salt to vegetables while frying them lightly, they will cook faster. It is applicable to all the vegetables including tomatoes.

The next time you decide to boil eggs, boil them in salt water. You can easily peel them later.

To determine the freshness of an egg, immerse the egg in a salt solution to see if it sinks indicating that it is indeed fresh.

Immersing potatoes in a bowl of salt water will prevent them from browning.

You can sprinkle a little salt on salads to keep them fresh and crisp.

Always marinate chicken with a little salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder to get a well cooked and tasty chicken dish.

When making gelatin salads, place them on a tray of ice sprinkled with salt. This will aid in the desserts to set faster.

One of the most difficult vegetables to wash is the cauliflower. There are small insects in between which require careful scrutiny. The simplest way to wash them thoroughly is to put them in a solution of hot water and salt. After half an hour, rinse them in cold water. Now the cauliflower is insect-free!

Did you know that all sweets and cakes have a pinch of salt in them to bring out the best flavors in them?

If you add a dash of salt to your flower vase filled with water, the cut flowers wil remain fresh longer.

The easiest way to clean egg spills is thus: throw some salt over the spill and leave it to set for fifteen minutes. Then you can easily remove the spill from the floor without a trace.

Sometimes we find little weeds growing in between the cracks of the driveway. To tackle them, put some salt on them. Immediately pour hot water on them.

You can keep your wind shield frost free by rubbing them with salt water solution.

Immerse newly bought candles in salt solution and dry them well. They will not drip when you use them.

Cleaning your hands with a salt and vinegar solution will help remove onion odors (after peeling onions) from your hands.

Salt is a great cleaning agent. Use it with vinegar to polish copper.

Salt and turpentine is a powerful solution to remove the yellowed surfaces which are actually white. You can use this to scrub your bath tubs. They will be white again in no time.

Pour a strong salt solution down your kitchen sink. It will remove the dirt in the sink and eliminate bad odors if any.

Are ants or small insects bothering your kitchen? Use a pinch of salt to drive them away from their regular spot.

Remove grease, coffee or tea stains from the vessels by rubbing a little salt over the stained area.

Salt with cinnamon is an excellent mixture to remove burnt odor. Sprinkle the mixture on the hot burner and remove it after ten minutes.

Use salt with soda to clean the interiors of your refrigerator. It will easily remove the fridge stains.

Never use water for burning grease accidents. Grease fires can be put out by throwing salt on them.

Use salt with a few drops of lemon juice to remove rust stains.

Mix salad oil and salt and use the solution to tackle rings left on tables by wet dishes.

Clothes immersed in strong salt solution look bright and colorful.

Remove tough sweat stains from clothes by immersing them in a bucket of hot water mixed with salt.

To remove blood stain from clothes, wash the clothes in cold salt water and rinse the cloth lightly. Then soak it in warm water and wash it with soap.

Gargling with hot salt water thrice a day is a good medicine to get rid of sore throat. It is also a natural mouthwash.It kills harmful bacteria and helps in maintaining oral hygiene.

Salt and olive oil mixture is a easy homemade facial mixture.

Immersing your legs in a bucket of hot water with five spoons of salt will relieve persistent leg pains.

Salt is used to relieve pains from bee stings and mosquito bites.

More than 70% of the salt goes for industrial purposes only. A mere 6% is used for foods. Other than that salt is used for clearing highways of ice and for agriculture.It is also used in manufacturing plastics and soaps. In trades like pottery, salt plays an important role.