Salt and pepper shakers

A Spice Shaker is a handy vessel made of plastic, glass, ceramic, stone, ivory, wood or metal, are kept in the spices used for seasoning food. The upper part of the container is provided with small holes through which the condiment can be scattered. Widely used are salt and pepper shakers, spreaders for different kitchen spices.

Filling of spice spreaders occurs either after removal of the upper portion or from the bottom, which can be closed in this case with a plug. Frequently spreaders are made in the same design, mostly for salt and pepper.

Salt shaker

Before the discovery of the salt shaker salt was stored ( a salt shaker ) at the table in a Saliera. In the Middle Ages they used to princely tables a so-called salt ship, a richly decorated bowl in the shape of a ship. For antique today's salt spreaders are similar, there are mostly sand boxes that were used to quench written with the quill texts.

In Britain, Henry Thacker received on 21 October 1893 Pat. 17,210 for "Improvements in the Manufacture of Pepper Castors and the like ," in which he describes mechanisms by which the scattering ability and portioning of spices can be obtained through the spreader ( tight container, Ausschüttventil ).

Early patents in Germany were given, for example, John Oster from Berlin on December 8, 1891 for the construction of a " salt and pepper spreader " with valve mechanism for dispensing the grit material and sealing of the reservoir ( Imperial Patent Office, Patent No. 60175 ) and John Schaar from Hamburg on May 28, 1899 for a " salt shaker " which " combines the properties of a dredger and an open salt barrel " ( Imperial Patent Office, Patent No. 108173 ).

A special salt spreaders 1919 filed by Raoul Heinrich Francé on utility model 723 730 with the German Patent Office. He had developed a spreader to distribute micro-organisms evenly on earth can. Since he was one of the first bionics of the 20th century, he was after many unsuccessful scattering experiments with different forms inspired by the poppy capsule. Even if said " spreader for spices, medicines, etc. " then not fully mature was ( the poppy capsule is optimized for large and wide spread their seeds, but a salt shaker to accurately and not necessarily wide scatter ), it can still than the first " bionic " developed salt shaker to be considered.

The production, but especially the widespread use of salt shakers was made ​​possible only by the developed in 1911 by the American salt producer Morton Salt flowability of salt.

After the salt shaker was originally only intended to scatter salt, it is still evolving even an artistic design object (example: " Max and Moritz" by Bauhaus student and teacher Prof. Wilhelm Wagenfeld, since 1953 without interruption produced by WMF ) and a popular souvenir, usually together as a couple with a pepper shaker or a pepper mill. In the late 1920s presented German porcelain factories (eg Goebel porcelain factory, Roedental ) specifically for the U.S. market scatterers along the lines of cartoon characters (eg, Mickey Mouse, Adamson ) ago.

The salt and pepper shakers were therefore also be collector's items - in the U.S. there is a private club of salt and pepper shakers collectors and special literature for collectors. In Germany, a private collection is presented as a virtual salt and pepper shaker museum with more than 1,000 Streuerpaaren on the Web, the collection pieces are sorted and presented according to different categories (see links). The virtual museum also includes an extensive bibliography and a short essay on the cultural history of the salt and pepper shakers.

With the addition of salt shakers rice is common to prevent clumping due to moisture penetration. A variant of the salt shaker, the salt mill, the coarse vacuum salt - rare rock salt - served before use.

Pepper shakers

The pepper shaker is a vessel that contains pre-ground pepper. In general, salt and pepper shakers make a similar styled pair. Mainly from Eastern Europe and triple combinations are known: salt, pepper and pepper shakers are made to the same design and often sold on an associated platter. Salt and pepper shakers are almost always part of a cruet in combination with oil and vinegar bottle, mustard pot or other spice shakers.

As a pepper mill, a container is referred to with built-in grinder, can be freshly ground with the peppercorns.