What is a salt cellar, and where should it go?

A salt cellar is a small container that keeps salt within reach for pinching or spooning. On a kitchen counter, its broad opening makes it easy to take the amount you want. On a table, it gives people a place to find the seasoning without passing the cooking packet around.

The useful question is where you season food. If you always return to the same patch of counter beside the chopping board, that is the place to consider first. A cellar on a distant display shelf creates another trip across the kitchen.

Salt cellar, salt pig or shaker?

A shaker dispenses through holes in its lid. A salt pig usually has a hooded opening. A cellar may be open or covered, with access wide enough for fingers or a small spoon. These are shapes to choose between rather than a ranking of better and worse ways to cook.

Think about the salt you use and the way you pick it up. A cook who likes taking a small pinch may prefer an open bowl. Someone who wants a lid and a dedicated spoon may find a covered cellar more convenient. Check that the opening and supplied utensil suit your hands before deciding by appearance alone.

What goes in a divided salt cellar?

A two-compartment cellar is useful when you regularly reach for two seasonings. You could keep salt in one side and peppercorns in the other, or separate a cooking salt from a finishing salt. Choose a pairing you actually use; there is no need to fill both sides just to complete the picture.

With two similar-looking salts, choose a consistent left-and-right arrangement. Leave the original packs in the cupboard so you retain their labels and storage instructions. If someone else shares the kitchen, tell them what is where.

Our Table Pinch acacia salt cellar has two compartments, an attached swivel lid and a small wooden spoon. The lid turns aside so the contents stay accessible while you prepare a meal. Seasonings are not included.

Where should you keep it?

Maldon's storage advice is to keep its salt in a cool, dry place. Apply the salt maker's guidance to the position you choose. Right beside a steaming pan or a splashing tap is an awkward home for a container you want to keep dry.

Try the cellar beside your preparation area with the lid fully open. Check that it doesn't catch a board, block a drawer or sit where you put hot cookware down. A swivel lid needs room to turn as well as room to sit.

Decant a manageable amount for everyday use and keep the rest in its original packaging. Use clean, dry hands or a clean spoon. After handling raw ingredients, wash and dry your hands before touching shared seasoning containers, following the Food Standards Agency's kitchen-cleaning advice.

Looking after a wooden salt cellar

For Table Pinch, wipe it clean and dry it thoroughly. Avoid soaking it or putting it in the dishwasher. The acacia has a mineral-oil finish and needs to be kept dry between uses. Keep the spoon dry before returning it.

Don't treat a turning lid as a promise of an airtight seal. Check the product's stated construction and the storage needs of whatever you intend to put inside. A container that suits dry seasoning is not automatically suitable for wet sauces.

Make room for the recipe too

Put the cellar where seasoning happens, then see what else crowds that space. If an open recipe book takes over the counter, our guide to choosing a cookbook stand considers the page stays, working angle and room you need around it.

A small adjustment is often enough: the recipe upright, the board clear and the seasoning somewhere you can reach without putting down the spoon.