I Paid $40 for a Salt Container. Here’s Why.

Confession: I love kitchen supplies. From my KitchenAid stand mixer to my Epicurean pizza cutter, my cooking gear and baking tools give me joy. But one of my favorite pieces is one that stores salt.

The Emile Henry Salt Pig ($40) is both practical and eye-catching. While there are many cool salt cellars to choose from, here’s why this salt pig is the best.

Benefits of a Salt Pig

It keeps out dust. This salt pig looks like a pipe sticking out of the counter, and there’s a reason for that. The signature curve allows easy access for your hand while still keeping out dirt and dust. Because there’s no lid to remove, you can grab a pinch whenever you need it—without being slowed down by popping off a lid.

It prevents clumps. My husband jokes that he could have made me a salt pig out of PVC pipe. Sure, it would look similar, but it would not work! This salt pig is made out of Burgundy clay and hand-crafted by skilled artisans. The inside is not glazed, which prevents the salt from clumping since there’s less moisture.

It’s wide enough for your hand. The opening is wide enough for your hand. Grabbing a pinch of salt gives you more control than a spoon does. (Are you salting pasta water the right way?) Since some salt containers are only big enough for a spoon, that’s a big plus for this pig.

It stores a lot. Measuring 5.2″ x 4.1″ x 4.9″, this is the biggest salt container I’ve ever seen. That means you don’t need to refill it very often. I filled mine up with kosher salt two months ago and still haven’t hit the bottom.

Why I Love My Salt Pig

I first saw a salt pig at a Sur La Table cooking class (I highly recommend—they’re a lot of fun). The teaching chef had it out on the counter right next to the range and used it to add a dash of salt here and a pinch there. I had never seen such a special container for salt. It was such a cool and odd-looking thing that it really stood out to me. And I couldn’t stop thinking about it. For, like, years. So, four years later—yes, four!—I finally bought one.

I love my salt pig because it makes me feel like a chef who knows what she’s doing. As silly as it sounds, it gives me confidence in the kitchen. It’s a piece I invested in because I love to cook and want to get better at it every day. So I treated myself. And I have zero regrets.