Make Finishing Salt in a Multicooker or Instant Pot
As of two minutes ago, I have 17 different types of salt in my kitchen, including a Jacobsen sampler (which I am methodically working through) and a bag of THC-infused substances (which I have not tried). I love all my Salty Sons very much, but Diamond Crystal Kosher and Scaly Maldon are used far more than anyone else – DC is for cooking; Maldon comes to an end.
Some people claim that Maldon tastes “softer”, but its real appeal is its texture. These crunchy, crunchy crystals fit nicely on the teeth. I would never claim to be able to create the perfect pyramids that Maldon builds, but in fact, you can make your own quirky, scaly, beautiful salt crystals within your kitchen walls using either the multicooker or the multicooker feature in your kitchen. Instant pot.
As with ChefSteps before me , my method is based on the preparation of a supersaturated brine solution, followed by a slow evaporation of the water. Unlike ChefSteps, I did not use the sous-vide setting because our dear Heather does not have a sous-vide setting and it was Heather who drew my attention to the ChefSteps article and asked if she could make beautiful crystals in her multicooker. (Heather is my beautiful salt muse.)
Luckily for Heather and all of you, you can definitely use a slow cooker or Instant Pot to make some fancy finish salt. The ChefSteps recipe is a ton – they use a whole kilogram of kosher salt – but I’ve found that smaller batches give the crystals a chance to grow without clumping or clumping, so start with 100-200 grams. Also, since the slow cookers and instant pans are slightly hotter than ChefSteps’ recommended temperatures, you might be able to grow larger crystals with a sous vide – since slower evaporation means larger crystals – but that also means you’ll be wasting less waiting time (about three hours versus 12). Also, looking at the photographs of the sous vide salt, it doesn’t seem like it really mattered that much.
Anyway. To make your own salty friends you will need:
- 200 grams of kosher salt
- 800 milliliters of water (you can zoom in or out, you just need the ratio of one gram of salt to four milliliters of water).
- Stainless Steel Pot + Multicooker or Instant Pot
Add water and salt to the pot or Instant Pot and bring to a boil to dissolve. If you are using Instant Pot, just turn on the “Sauté” function to “Less”. Once the salt has dissolved – and mine has dissolved before it even boils – remove it from the heat (if using a saucepan) or press Cancel on your instant solution.
If using a multicooker, fill the insert with saline. Turn it on and set the minimum value. If you are using the Instant Pot, tap Slow Cook and make sure it is set to Less. Whether you’re using a multicooker or Instant Pot, don’t close the lid, walk away, and resist the urge to interfere, breathe, or otherwise disrupt your crystal growing process. After about an hour, you will begin to see little adorable pyramids circling in the water. They will make you squeal with delight because they are so cute and science is so magical. After a couple of hours, you will probably see a scene like this:
After about three hours, you’ll have a pile of wet salt, which means it’s time to gently scoop up the crystals and let them dry on paper towels.
Allow to dry, then apply on clothes. As you put it on, be sure to brag to everyone within earshot of how you created these gorgeous crystals and will be treated as such , then sit back and relax while the praise is heard.