Issue 14 – Salt
A wise man (James Beard) once said, where would we be without salt?
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A Salt Deep Dive
There are currently four types of salt that live on my kitchen counter full time–and I’m not someone with cluttered countertops. Maldon in a cute ceramic pinch bowl, Diamond Crystal in a wooden salt cellar, and two from Queens in SF–mushroom and gamtae. It sounds ridiculous, but I use at least three out of the four daily. Back when I used to work in an office, an office manager said she knew I had been on vacation because she didn’t have to restock the salt in the office kitchen as frequently. Perhaps that says something about how much I love salt, and I do love salt. I love the brands that I restock before I run out (any good kitchen has backup salt), and I don’t stray. For the purposes of this rabbit hole, I tried to keep mostly to salt salt–not seasoned salt–because any good creative pursuit has guardrails. What I found was surprising, or not surprising based on my own consumer habits. There are a handful of brands who more or less own the salt space, and a few newer ones innovating, particularly when it comes to mineral levels and sustainability. This is one of those weeks where the rabbit hole wasn’t that deep and I didn’t end up somewhere strange, I just found myself deciding whether or not buying a 3.1 lb bulk tub of Maldon salt was a good idea or a good idea. As always, if I missed anything or anyone, I wanna hear it. Now let’s get to it.
1. Salt for the person who always has a pocket tin of salt in their pocket (or purse)
By which I mean, you love salt so much it might have been part of your instagram bio circa 2014 (for the record, I never took my love that far). I have, however, carried a less cute version of the below Jacobsen Salt Co. tin in my bag until humidity ran its course and made it too crusty and rusty to open. To be honest, there’s not enough capital D design in the salt category to satisfyingly sort all of my findings like in issues past, so please forgive me. The below is what I think a salt enthusiast worth their salt already owns, or would buy because of the packaging. They don’t go together, but I like them all, and after all, isn’t that what personal style is? Putting things you like individually together to create a representation of you? That got deep but you get the gist. Also, when I mentioned innovation above, Spicewell was one of the brands I was thinking of with their “New Salt.” Do yourself a favor and click that link, the ingredient list is pretty wild (spoiler alert: there’s kale and ashwagandha).
2. Salt for the person who only likes salt produced in countries with red, white, or blue in their flag
That’s a joke because I think most flags have at least one of those colors in it, but you get the idea. Some of these are from Switzerland, Sweden, or parts of France you’ll only ever see via Instagram, and the packaging wants you to know. None of them are making much of a statement with their design, they’re just doing what salt brands do, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I would be remiss not to shoutout Morton Salt, because 1) name a more iconic or timeless brand icon and 2) like me, they originated in Chicago (raise your hand if you’ve seen this view driving into the city). Speaking of Chicago, I saw a show at the Salt Shed last year, a music venue where the old Morton Salt factory was for nearly 100 years. It was an A+ place to see a Guster show (judge me), and most importantly, they kept the logo on the outside so Chicagoans can continue to be greeted by it on their way downtown.
3. Salt for the person who wants to spare the planet while they spare no expense on their salt habit
I’m not saying all of below brands are expensive, but some of them are. Would I spend $22 on a 16 oz jar of pink salt? No. If I were gifted one inside a friend’s cookbook press mailer, would I use it sparingly as if it were a favorite lipstick shade that got discontinued? Yes I would and yes I did. For another kind of luxe salt experience, go to La Boite next time you’re in Manhattan and get yourself some fancy salt and nerd out on spices. And if you want to save the world by using less plastic, there are a lot of brands making cute branded salt cellars complete with recyclable bags of salt to fill them with.
Chatterbox
This week we’re sitting down with Sarah Shapiro, who writes Sarah’s Retail Diary. To quote her, “I read a lot about retail, fashion, and merchandising and have a lot of thoughts.” If you want to hear those thoughts (you do), check out her newsletter for lots of insightful writing surrounding fashion, style, pop culture and retail. And get an appetizer of it below.
What are 3-5 items that are always stocked in your home?
Diet Coke, Uniball Vision Fine (black ink only), Peloton
Why are you loyal to those brands or products?
Diet Coke is my fuel. I prefer a cold can–12 oz. And I tease that you can tell it is a wild day if I crack open a third can. I don’t drink coffee or tea so this is my only caffeine. I manage my inventory here so it is always replenished and fully stocked.
The Uniball pen is a smooth write, I love the thickness and easy writing. I like to have my writing uniform so always using the same pen helps.
Peloton–might be a little random to consider it “stocked” but I have had the bike since 2017 and the treadmill since it launched and I keep my classes bookmarked and ready to go. It is how I start my day M-F. The night before I pick what class I’ll do the next morning.
What was the last thing you bought because it stood out to you on the shelf?
A baby Baggu. I have a bunch but this was my first baby size purchase. No longer on the site, but I bought the silver. Perfect for toting a few groceries or stashing your lunch in. Who doesn’t need to keep more bags in a bigger bag?
What was the last thing you bought because someone you know recommended it?
I have such a sweet tooth. I had heard of Bon Bon NYC from A Thing or Two podcast (love!) and Becca Freeman from Bad on Paper podcast and knew I had to try. I stock up when I go to NYC and when my parents were in NYC recently I sent via Uber Eats to their hotel for them to bring back to me.
Book recommendations from Grace Atwood, Bad on Paper Podcast and new to me find Tembe Denton-Hurst.
What was the last thing you bought because of an algorithm?
La Ligne. But also it stands out on the shelf and is a store I love to visit IRL so consider La Ligne the triple threat. But here is why algorithm–since I shop on their site and engage with the content I get served ads in Instagram. They do weekly new drops and have the Instagram ads that show the latest styles and I always love them. I have a hard time saying no to cashmere sweaters. Especially if they are black and white striped, all black or grey etc. so the algorithm knows me well.
Favorite place to shop irl?
Any book store–but I love Rakestraw, Orinda Books, Copperfield’s Books and McNally Jackson books. I could spend all day in a bookstore and usually have to be told it is time to leave. Same with art stores or stationery shops.
The truth is–any store! I’ve worked in retail for a long time and love stores, fashion, retail. Everyone gets annoyed because I wander and go into my own world. I treat stores like museums and will also act like a museum docent if you are in a store with me. I’ll also re-merchandise and turn hangers the right direction, fold sweaters, put things in size order…Not sure if this is because I love retail, I’m type A or a little OCD. At least I’m self-aware.
Favorite place to shop online?
A habit I can’t break (nor do I care to) is visiting the Shopbop new arrivals every weekday morning, Net-A-Porter new arrivals every M, W, F morning and The RealReal “MyTRR” bookmark every afternoon and heart-ing my favorites. When I’m ready to pull the trigger I’ll go back to these hearts and filter based on what I’m shopping for, but I just love that I can window shop non-stop in a virtual world.
Someone is visiting where you live for a day, what are 3 musts?
I live in the Bay Area but I’m going to take you all around. It’s a bit of driving but so worth it for my favorites.
Tilden Park in Berkeley. There are some great hiking paths to explore and hopefully it isn’t too foggy so you can really enjoy the views of the Bay.
Blue Barn–locations in SF, Marin and Novato. I am begging for them to open near me in the East Bay. The best salads and I always grab an extra one for the next day. For this exercise let’s visit the one in Corte Madera so we can also visit the shops at Marin Country Mart.
Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa. I just did a girls day here with some friends and relaxed at the spa, heated pools, sauna etc. Best afternoon with some close friends. Perfect day.
Thank you, Sarah!
Packing Peanuts
(Those loose leftover pieces at the bottom of the box)
Forget custom matchbooks at weddings, how about custom pocket salt tins. Salt and vin chips without the chips. Anchovy-infused salt if you really love saltiness, or a fish-shaped salt cellar if you love fish. My mom had two of these stainless steel shakers in our kitchen growing up, maybe that’s how I got hooked on large quantities of salt. An incredibly bougie salt to gift the salt fiend in your life. I’m going to start keeping these in my bag for emergencies. Bamboo salt is used in Korean medicine to cure gingivitis, gum disease, and inflammation, and this toothpaste has it (it was a thing in 1934 too). Bath salts that will transport you to the garden at Fäviken in northern Sweden (side note, didn’t that restaurant close?). I felt incredibly seen (and fell in love with David Shrigley’s work) when I first spotted these at sketch. An "old salt" is an old sailor or mariner who tells oral history and sea stories. For your flaky friend who loves salt, or your friend who loves flaky salt. A quick guide to salts.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading, I love you. If you’re feeling generous or inspired, please forward this newsletter to a friend and encourage them to subscribe too <3
Such a great post! Loved reading Sarah’s section as well!
How happy am I to have discovered this! Wonderful, and who knew there were private pocket salt tins? .... I'm now off to investigate beans...