Salt, Is There Anything It Can't Do? Redux

Long time readers of this blog know that yours truly is a big fan of salt. I love the stuff the way koalas love eucalyptus leaves. I love it the way Joey Chestnut loves Nathan's hot dogs.* I love it the way Charlie Sheen loves grain alcohol. Salt is good food.

So, when someone releases an article extolling the many uses of salt, I'm not surprised at the versatility of the wonderful granules of goodness. Indeed, the Salt Institute's report on uses for salt is somewhat similar to the Web article I linked to in my 2007 post.

There are 14,000 uses for salt! That's just slightly more than the receipes I have for the stuff. (If the secret ingredient for Iron Chef were salt, I might just stand a chance. My presentations would be a little grainy, though.)

What I really love though is the fact there's such a place as the Salt Institute at all.  This sounds like a dream job for me, so long as I was in a taste-tester position. I think it would be cool if the institute had leadership positions

The part of their Web site that I find most inspiring is the "Miracle uses" section. I know salt is mentioned in the Bible (several places but Matthew 5:13 is the one that comes to mind. I shudder to think of unsalty salt -That's dirt, people.**) However, I did not know salt could extinguish grease fires, clean fish tanks, drip-proof candles, kill poison ivy, keep windows frost free, and track and capture Osama Bin Laden.

OK, I made that last one up, but given a chance, I bet salt could swing it.

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Osama Bin Laden is sitting in his private cave on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. There is a knock at the door.

Osama: Who is it? More Jehovah's Witnesses, I bet!

Voice: Candygram.

Etc. etc. and pretty soon Osama is sitting in a U.S. Marine encampment, with dozens of paper cuts, and  covered head to toe in coarse kosher salt.

Angela Jolie: Wow, and I thought my character in Salt was badass.

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Salt is a tough mammajamma, baby.

*I am a fan of Nathan's as well, just not in the same quantities.
**There is the downside of that whole thing about Lot's wife. I'm guessing though that she was fairly unsalty salt.