Heating, Using, Cleaning & Storing Your Himalayan Salt Block
I don’t intend to spill an inordinate amount of ink on Himalayan salt blocks at the expense of other fine saline subjects, but there are enough inquiries from customers these days that a short series on the practical side of working with plates of Himalayan salt seems warranted.
There are dozens of ways to use Himalayan salt blocks, as plates, platters, skillets, curing bricks, freezing slabs, and more. Cooking, however, is an important one to get under your belt as soon as possible.
And by the way, I personally like to use one Himalayan salt block for cooking, and keep a separate Himalayan salt block/plate for room temperature uses such as curing, serving, and otherwise presenting food. That way, your cooking salt block benefits from the patina and structural changes inherent to cooking, much as a cast iron skillet benefits from careful use and cleaning. At the same time, the purity and simplicity of the unheated Himalayan salt block can be emphasized when used for presentation at the table..
So, with regards to heating and cleaning: Himalayan salt blocks like to be pampered, especially at first. So, as a rule, be especially careful the first few times you heat up your salt plate. The first few times you heat up your salt block, fissures and cracks will appear, and the color may change from its original pink to a whiter color. This is normal. However, after successive uses, you may find that the salt block regains some of its original hue, largely as a result of washing.
1: When cooking, be sure to use only Himalayan salt blocks that are at least 1 inch thick, and preferably 1.5 inches or more.
2: Pre-heating:
a. Using a gas range: put the your salt block on the stove top. Do not use an oven. Set heat to low, give the salt brick 15 minutes to heat up. You may notice moisture accumulating at the edges. As the salt block heats, this will evaporate off. The slower you do this, the better.
b. Using an electric range works even better than gas, as there is less moisture and more even heat distribution. If heating on the stovetop, use a pastry ring or wok ring or metal object to elevate the salt slab slightly above the burner. Again, start at very low temperature, for about 10 minutes.
3: Heating: Turn up the heat to medium, and wait another 5 to 10 minutes.
4: Really heating: Set heat on high, and allow 5 to 10 minutes to achieve desired temperature. You can use an infrared thermometer such as those available by Martrow, and dozens of other makers.
5: Cook your food, don’t burn it. Salt picks up things like color fairly easily, so the more care you take with your cooking the better your salt will look (see my earlier comments about A Portrait of Dorian Gray). Here is an example of one of my most
brutalized Himalayan salt plates. I use this one for experimentation and any application where rough handling is used. It may be beat up looking, but I love this salt block for all the amazing uses it has provided me. To the right you see a magnified image of the surface. The color has penetrated the salt crystals, but it still cooks very well. Also note above the small crack in the bottom of the salt brick. This crack appeared some time ago, but the salt plate nonetheless remains very stable and sturdy.
6: When done using your Himalayan salt brick, let it cool. This will take time. A lot of time. Maybe until tomorrow. be sure the piece is fully cooled to room temperature before washing.
7: Rinse your Himalayan salt brick under warm water. Remove from water and then scrub vigorously any areas where food has stuck of any glazing (as from fat) has developed. Rinse with water again to wash clean.
8: Dry your Himalayan salt block with clean rag or paper towel. Clean rags to the best job, as they don’t get chewed up by the salt’s surface. When nicely dry, set on drying rack, or any place where it can air dry.
9: Store in any location where humidity is at a minimum. I keep many of mine on the window sill.
Mark Bitterman :: Jan.30.2008 :: :: 12 Comments »
I just just unwrapped my birthday present to reveal a pink Himalayan salt stone. I am so happy to have found your website for guidance. Thanks!
Where can I buy a salt block, and what does one cost?
The best place to buy presentation grade and cooking grade Himalayan Salt Blocks and Rocks, Himalayan Salt Plates, and Himalayan Salt Bricks, is at The Meadow, http://www.atthemeadow.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1
Hi Mark,
I’ve been playing with my premium salt block, but I don’t get a good enough sizzle. I suppose it’s possible I’m not getting it hot enough, although I am heating it gradually 30 to 45 minutes. Perhaps I haven’t been cranking the heat high enough as the block heats. Once the block is heated, i’ve been moving it to a board to start cooking. Is that correct? Enjoying my Turkish black and Murray Darling salts!
Amelia
Amelia, it’s great that you’re giving the salt block a good while to get hot. That will give the slab of Himalayan salt a longer and happier life. But it sounds like you could definitely get it hotter. Assuming you have a gas range, you should continue to work up the heat slowly, over the course of a half hour. Then about 10 minutes before cooking-time, crank it up to the low end of high, or the high end of medium for a about 10 minutes. Or, if you find that it still doesn’t seem hot enough, perhaps go all the way to full high heat.
If you are cooking on an electric range, definitely turn the heat up to maximum at least 10 minutes before cooking on your Himalayan salt plate.
At first, I would suggest you actually cook right on the stove, so that the salt block is continually heated. If this is a very thick brick, say 2 inches in thick, it really should have no problem cooking on it away from the stove, but first you should nail getting it hot enough. If this is a thin piece of salt, it may simply not have enough thermal mass to keep hot long enough to cook.
One other thing to consider is your hot plate. Go to a good kitchen supply store and get a very nice, super high temperature oven mitt or trivet to put under the Himalayan salt block so that it keeps it insulated from your table or counter top. This will keep your counter cooler and your block hotter!
I’m new to the idea of cooking with salt blocks don’t the juices of what you are cooking get into the salt block?
Mark – I was given the large salt platter by a close friend whom we will refer to as “Portland’s Chocolate King” and have a question regarding heating it up. If my salt block is long enough to span two gas burners on my stove, do i want them both on? Or am I better off having the middle of the block over one burner?
Also – any plans to hold another salt block cooking class?
Thanks for your help – can’t wait to start exploring its uses.
Diane, yes, the juices from the food get on the block, which in turn imparts saltiness to the food. You can control how much salt the food takes with the temperature of the block: the hotter the salt block the more the food is seared and the less the juices it releases. Either away, just cool down, scrub off any adhering protein, and pat dry.
Matt, I’d put your hefty Himalayan pink salt slab across both burners to give the most even heat distribution possible. Say “hi” to the king for me. We’ll probably have another salt block cooking class in the early summer.
Great article. I have a question regarding cleaning. I use this block on my grill and grease from steaks seems to be a significant problem. Is it OK to use baking soda to remove the grease?
Is there any tips on using my 9x 9 Salt Block on my BBQ Grill? It’s Natural Gas and is on the grill about 6 inches from the heat difusers. I did not leave the lid down as this would act as an oven. Our steaks were very good once I placed them on the grill to speed up the cooking.
You can easily use the Himalayan salt block on the gas grill.
HEATING: Set the salt block on the grill and then turn the burners beneath the salt block low. 15 minutes later, turn the grill to medium. 10 minutes later, turn to high or to the desired cooking temperature. Wait ten minutes, and the fire it up!
COOKING: If your steaks are thick, you’ll just want to sear them briefly, 1 to 2 minutes, on the Himalayan salt block. Trying to cook the steaks more than this can result in salty steaks and can also cause excessive wear to the salt block. After 1 to 2 minutes, remove the steaks from the salt and grill to finish over the fire. You can use this same technique with chicken. Salmon fillet or tuna steaks can be cooked to rare entirely on the salt block, as the cook quickly and do not exude much moisture that causes saltiness. If your food is too salty when you’re finished, it’s probably because your salt block wasn’t hot enough when you started. A hot Himalayan salt block will season the food to perfection when used properly. However, you an also reduce the influence of the salt yet further by oiling the meat and fish lightly before placing on the salt block.
I received a salt block for my B-day, which I finially used on the grill last night, worked great I think I should have let it get a little hotter to cook the scallops, but everything was fine. My question is about cleaning the block, I see that you say rinse under warm water and then scrub. what are you scrubbing with, a brush or sponge or other tool?
Thanks