Your knowledge never ceases to amaze me, Sheldon. I wondered how anything
could be more hygroscopic than salt and still be food safe. But it makes
sense that agitating damp salt would only speed its liquification.
Personally, I never had much luck using shakers in humid environs. I almost
always pinch it from my palm.

"PENMART01" > wrote in message
...
> >"zuuum" writes:
>>
>>"kilikini" wrote:
>>>
>>> Here in Hawaii we have humidity year round. All the restaurants use a
>>> little bit of ice in their shakers. It works!
>>
>>Of course you meant R ice. Some people use popcorn, which has heavier
>>kernals. They both work to break up damp rice, but few things absorb
>>water
>>as fast as salt. The OP asked for something to absorb the moisture.
>
> Has nothing to do with breaking up salt clumps mechanically... in fact
> attempting to separate clumped salt when moist only worsens the situation.
> When salt is clumped due to excessive moisture it's best to just leave the
> salt
> alone while waiting for the humidity to abate, otherwise the salt will
> begin to
> further dissolve same as when stirring salt in a pot of water disolves
> faster
> due to agitation, and then when teh humidty lessens the salt will be
> solidly
> encrusted, no longer suitable for use in a salt shaker.
>
> Both rice and popcorn kernels absorb and wick moisture to their interiors
> without it condensing on their surfaces the way moisture condences on the
> surfaces of salt crystals. Rice and popcorn kernels behave similar to
> those
> those desiccant capsules sometimes included with medications... both work
> quite
> well at keeping the interior of a salt shaker dehumidified, and in turn
> detering salt from clumping, because they only release the absorbed
> moisture
> during periods of low humidity, therefore keep working, and working, and
> working....
>
>
> ---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
> ---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
> *********
> "Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
> Sheldon
> ````````````