How to cook on a crystal salt slab
Himalayan Salt Slabs offer an innovative, fun and sensational way to prepare, serve and cook food. Slice apples or watermelon and garnish with mint on your cool Slab to make a refreshing snack. Serve some grilled vegetables on a beautiful Slab. Cut thick slices of tomatoes and place between two Salt Slabs in the sun for a few hours for a unique take on sun dried tomatoes. Even the simplest dishes take on a beautiful new dimension. Allow the Slab to be a canvas for your imagination.
Serving food on Himalayan Salt Slabs:
Using Himalayan salt blocks at cold room and room temperatures requires no special instructions. Just prepare and serve the food on a salt platter and serve. Keep in mind that the more moist the food is, the quicker it will pick up saltiness from the salt block.
5 Easy steps to cooking on Himalayan Salt:
Heating Himalayan salt slabs requires following some basic steps. Allow between 30 to 45 minutes to achieve the desired cooking temperature. Your Himalayan salt plate will crackle slightly while heating, especially the first time, as micro-fissures appear, giving the pink salt the elasticity it needs to expand as it increases in temperature. Heating will change the appearance of your Himalayan Salt plate, so if you are in love with your salt plate just the way it is, you may wish to buy a different block especially for heating and cooking.
- Be sure the salt block is completely dry. If wet, allow to dry at least 14 hours in a warm, dry place before heating.
- For gas ranges, place your Himalayan Salt Block on the burner over low flame. (For electric ranges, place a metal spacer—such as wok ring or pastry tin with a removable bottom—on the stove so that the Himalayan Salt Block is at least 1/2 inch above the heating element.)
- After 20 minutes, increase heat to low-medium. After another 10 minutes, your salt plate will be hot enough to cook on.
- Verify the plate is hot enough by flicking a drop of water on top and noting a brisk sizzle.
- Place the food of your choice on the salt slab. No seasoning necessary.
- Cook to desired finish.
Caring for your Pink Himalayan Salt Slab:
After each use, lightly rinse your salt plate with warm water, scrub with a soft brush or green scouring pad to remove any stuck matter, and rinse lightly again. Pat dry with a paper towel or clean cloth. Set on a drying rack. This process will remove a very thin layer of the salt. Treated with care, a large salt block can provide dozens of uses. The powerful antimicrobial properties of the salt ensure that it is always ready for future use, with no need for detergents.
Important: Himalayan salt blocks take on a life of their own when you start using them (and sometimes even before then). While it might be nice for salt to offer all the stability of stainless steel, this is simply not the case. When heated, it will change color dramatically, and may develop fissures. Don’t get upset by the behavior of your salt block. Salt is a complicated, wily, unpredictable substance. That is what gives it much of its charm.