Which of these ingredients are available?

Yeah, we used Morton for table salt, but also used a lot of the Himalayan Pink  and also Sea Salt. Morton's was iodized, which is probably what we are missing. More than that, though - the table salt we bought from Tesco was... less salty? We had to use twice of it just to be able to taste it.  My suspicion is that there must have been a lot of anti-caking material added. 

I thought I was just developing old-age brain, but the Daughter commented on it independently, too.

Humidity is the bane of my salty existence.

I've tried a few different things since moving to the UK but I finally found the best solution to the humid salt shaker problem for me.

I get one of these Kilner jars (doesn't have to be Kilner, just any jar with a rubber seal):
https://www.nisbets.co.uk/kilner-clip-top-preserve-jar-125ml/gg780

I take off the metal flip top part (I don't like it and find it damages the glass when it snaps down) so I'm left with just a glass bottom and glass lid with rubber seal and I fill with salt.

The rubber seal seems to keep enough moisture out with just gravity doing the work and it's easy to get into with a spoon for cooking or fingertips for salting plates of food.

We've got one for salt and another for butter. They live in the cutlery drawer since they're pretty short.

Yeah, we used Morton for table salt, but also used a lot of the Himalayan Pink  and also Sea Salt. Morton's was iodized, which is probably what we are missing. More than that, though - the table salt we bought from Tesco was... less salty? We had to use twice of it just to be able to taste it.  My suspicion is that there must have been a lot of anti-caking material added. 

I thought I was just developing old-age brain, but the Daughter commented on it independently, too.

This is a good thing to note when transferring recipes between the UK and US. I hadn't noticed this, but will salt with caution when cooking in the US next time!

I've tried a few different things since moving to the UK but I finally found the best solution to the humid salt shaker problem for me.

I get one of these Kilner jars (doesn't have to be Kilner, just any jar with a rubber seal):
https://www.nisbets.co.uk/kilner-clip-top-preserve-jar-125ml/gg780

I take off the metal flip top part (I don't like it and find it damages the glass when it snaps down) so I'm left with just a glass bottom and glass lid with rubber seal and I fill with salt.

The rubber seal seems to keep enough moisture out with just gravity doing the work and it's easy to get into with a spoon for cooking or fingertips for salting plates of food.

We've got one for salt and another for butter. They live in the cutlery drawer since they're pretty short.

In Minnesota my family always put a few grains of rice in with the salt. The rice is too large to come out the holes in the shaker and it absorbs the moisture. We never had any caking issues that I can remember.

I use rock salt in a grinder, so have never had the caking thing.  But I remember when I was a kid, sometimes seeing rice in the salt shakers in restaurants, and thought that was weird.

Salt mined from different regions will have different trace elements in different concentrations in it and these will affect flavour.

I reckon you'd need to be one of those 'super-tasters' to notice a difference. 

I reckon you'd need to be one of those 'super-tasters' to notice a difference. 

I reckon you're right.  And I reckon I'm not so into salt that I've noticed it.  But it must be a thing, because there are different 'varieties of salt available.  And it does make sense.  Water from different sources definitely has different flavours, and I have strong preferences about the water I'll drink.

I reckon you're right.  And I reckon I'm not so into salt that I've noticed it.  But it must be a thing, because there are different 'varieties of salt available.  And it does make sense.  Water from different sources definitely has different flavours, and I have strong preferences about the water I'll drink.

I'm the same about water. haha. I miss the water from the well at my old house in Colorado. It was so nice.

I'm the same about water. haha. I miss the water from the well at my old house in Colorado. It was so nice.

Mmmmmm, Colorado water....

I know the water can be pretty darn awful in parts of the UK from the various trips around the country I have had.  But the water in the Highlands is amazing. 

But the water in the Highlands is amazing.

I was just going to say that! 

The only time in my life that i've actually enjoyed drinking water was when I was there! 

Glasgow water's quite nice as well... when I lived in London and we'd come up to  visit family, I would always fill a few containers with Glasgow 'cooncil juice' to take back down south with me.

I reckon you'd need to be one of those 'super-tasters' to notice a difference. 

Yeah, unfortunately for me, my daughter IS a super-taster. Has been so since birth.    Plus, on medical advice she has to have a lot more salt than most people do and can tell me which one I've used (or rather, did, at "home" when we had several varieties) without seeing me put it on the food.

And yeah, Colorado and the Highlands have amazing water. I spent 20 years in far West Texas, and the city water was pumped in from lakes, heavily treated, and nasty. Had a friend who, before fracking ruined the water table, had a deep-water well. God, that was the best tasting water!!!!  If you ever get to Glastonbury, the water out of that magic well is pretty amazing, too. Tasted a bit like copper to me, but the daughter said it didn't to her - but she loved it. Wonder what the trace element is in it that is so strong?

Water in Glasgow is nice, too. I can actually drink it straight from the tap. In San Diego the water, while technically "safe" had xyz parts per million of industrial solvent, jet fuel, etc.... and the chlorine would have knocked your socks off. It was also extremely "hard" water.  I am just now setting up a tropical fish aquarium  and did my first water chemistry test as the tank "cycles" before we get a fish for it. That's the first time I've ever seen the results for water that wasn't heavily akaline. Thought I'd done something wrong, then remembered that I'd been told the water is very "soft" here. 

Sigh - fracking. I do remember the water in W. Texas got worse and worse over the years. (Thank you, oil companies!    ). The last time I was there for any length of time if you went through the car wash they had signs up to be sure to dry your car immediately or the water would damage the paint. 

I don't miss those days.

Have to agree about Glasgow water. So good! I drink so much water over there. I wonder if the tap water everywhere in Scotland is good?

I also notice a big difference when washing my hair too. (I think it's because it's soft water, whereas anywhere I've lived in the US has always had hard water.)

Have to agree about Glasgow water. So good! I drink so much water over there. I wonder if the tap water everywhere in Scotland is good?

I also notice a big difference when washing my hair too. (I think it's because it's soft water, whereas anywhere I've lived in the US has always had hard water.)

Yeah, you don't get that weird scum in your hair or left in the tub from the shampoo/soap interacting with all the minerals. Means you actually get really clean hair when you wash it here!