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Salt
Salt is a plentiful natural resource that is found throughout the world. Totally versatile, salt is used in more than 40,000 different applications, from manufacturing to medicine, but our most beloved use of it is in our culinary endeavors.

Held by mankind as invaluable since time immemorial - indeed, we could not live without consuming it, this essential mineral has also been used as money, holds religious significance, and provides character to the foods we eat. A basic component of taste, salt is a culinary staple that penetrates ingredients and draws out their juices, while it simultaneously adds depth and enhances flavor.

In recent years, the salt category has diversified, becoming filled with options from regular table salt to kosher to pickling and canning salt, to specialized sea salts. No longer is the "When it rains, it pours variety" all-encompassing - consumers are now demanding salts that add both complexity and subtlety to their dishes. Some of such salts carry a hefty price tag as well.

Table salt, primarily used in the kitchen, is mass-produced; most of it is mined. The refined final product has been treated with an anti-caking agent, such as calcium silicate, a white, odorless, tasteless agent that absorbs moisture. In some cases, potassium iodide, a trace element that is lacking in some diets, is added to salt for health reasons. Aside from the typical processed table salt variety, other more highly prized mined salts include those from famous salt quarries in Cheshire, England, and Luneburg, Germany, in addition to other locations in the world.

Sea salt becomes obtainable when ocean water floods shallow coastline areas. These salts are collected throughout the world, from places along the Mediterranean coast to the coastal salt pans of Tunesia, and even in England.

Sea salt is produced by evaporating seawater - a process that is accomplished mostly by artificial means today. However, in many places, particularly the Mediterranean, traditional techniques for extracting the salt are still employed. The sea salt best known to Americans hails from Guerande in France's Brittany where farmers channel the seawater into clay ponds and wait for it to evaporate to reveal the salt crystals. Considered by many to be the best, Fleur de Sel is harvested by hand-skimming the pond's surface. Fleur de Sel is used only for finishing, whereas regular sea salt is used for cooking. (Gros sel is another French term used for sea salt).

Tasty sea salts from around the world are marketed using their appellations, with the flavors depending upon where they originate and how they're harvested. They are usually more expensive than mineral salts and are sold as coarse salt, containing as they do other trace elements that lend the salts their unique flavors. These moist, grayish-white crystals contain about 85-percent sodium chloride in addition to magnesium, calcium, and other beneficial minerals. Besides delivering more distinctive taste, sea salts are considered to be better for you as they don't contain any of the additives typically used in regular salt, including the anti-caking chemicals. Sea salt is growing in popularity as consumers continue their search for more natural foods.

Kosher salt whose large crystals allow it to absorb more moisture than other more finely processed salts usually contains no additives. For this reason, kosher salt is an excellent choice for curing meats. Though its flavor is more distinct than ordinary table salt, nutritionally speaking it does not differ from table salt (although it does not contain iodine).

Other popular salts include the fine-grain canning and pickling salt that has no additives and is best for certain recipes as calcium silicate may cloud any liquid.

Rock salt is not usually sold as "food grade," but it is used to make ice cream. The lumpy black salt used in India is a brownish-black color, but once powdered, turns to a pinkish-brown. It is enjoyed for its special taste, as well as its smoky aroma.

Since salt is quickly becoming a fashionable ingredient, it is important for retailers to educate consumers about the tastes and uses of different types of salt from around the world. A bit of education will entice customers to purchase several different salts, while simultaneously "salting" your register with additional profits.

The Rolling Pin
For centuries, the rolling pin has been an essential cooking tool. In fact, during the 18th century, young Pennsylvania Dutch men presented their sweethearts with carved rolling pins as engagement presents.

The rolling pin's primary function is to roll out mounds of dough evenly, but it may also be used to crush crackers and breadcrumbs or flatten chicken breasts. While its primary function is to roll a lump of dough into a thin disc, there are many different styles of pins that accomplish the task differently - each is designed for a different purpose and a different type of dough. For instance, a buttery pastry dough requires a different type of pin than does a floury flatbread dough. Obviously, an avid cook needs to own more than one rolling pin.

A correctly chosen rolling pin will facilitate the task of rolling dough. A rolling pin's composition, its shape, and even its size are important criteria for choosing one. A user's preference for a particular size and shape will generally determine which one a customer will purchase; however, it is important to ask what the rolling pin will be used for so that the customer can be directed to the appropriate style of pin.

In general, one of the key features consumers consider when making their pin-purchasing decision is the pin's ease of use. Too frequently, consumers lean towards purchasing lighter versions so that they may easily wield the pin while rolling. But, it is important to inform customers that ironically a heavy rolling pin will decrease the amount of pressure the consumer must exert when rolling, thereby actually requiring less effort than a lighter pin to accomplish the same task.

Another important design feature to point out to customers is a rolling pin's taper, which affects its maneuverability. Pins that are thicker in the center and thinner at both ends enable the user to easily rotate them during the rolling process, a useful capability for creating circles of dough. Other customers may desire a pin that weighs more than a pound and has handles that allow it to be easily controlled.

No hard and fast rules exist for purchasing a rolling pin, but the final decision should definitely be based upon how the consumer plans to use it. For instance, heavy pins (in the four-pound range) with handles that measure 18 inches long and are three inches in diameter are adept at pressing yeast dough, but not as good for flattening pastry. Similarly, a rolling pin without handles allows the user to have their hands in direct contact with the pin, enabling them to feel the dough's thickness, monitor the rolling-out progress, and make any necessary adjustments, which are often ongoing. Additionally, smooth pins are best suited for the everyday baking of pies, cookies, pizzas, and other crusts.

Rolling pins are made from a variety of materials - wood, stainless steel, porcelain, marble, nylon, polypropylene, and others. The material the rolling pin is composed of will also affect the results. For instance, marble and stainless steel pins stay cooler than wooden ones (especially when placed in the freezer to chill), which helps prevent pastry from sticking to the pin. Marble's cool surface makes it appropriate for working with buttery pastry or dough. However, a rolling pin cover also produces the same effect.

On the market too are hollow rolling pins that may be filled with ice cubes so that they remain cool. Please note that critics of this pin style believe that condensation may form on the pin, which makes the dough soggy. Stainless steel pins are naturally nonstick, while polyethylene, nylon, or nickel pins are heavier and work best for rolling thick, difficult dough.

The pin's size - its length and diameter - also affects the preparation of different doughs. Mini pins that resemble small paint rollers are good for rolling dough into pans. And longer pins remain a good choice for rolling out wide sheets of pasta. Other features that may influence the purchasing decision include contoured ergonomic handles that are raised to protect the user's knuckles from striking the countertop, steel axles for solid performance, and self-lubricating bearings for a smoother operation.

Complementing the wide array of sizes and shapes of rolling pins are accessories like the pastry cover and rolling pin rings that help improve performance. The pastry cover slides over the pin to help prevent the dough from sticking to the pin, while rolling pin rings allow the user to roll dough evenly and to perfect thicknesses for cookies, pie crusts, puff pastry, biscuits, and the like.
A little attention made to the wide variety of rolling pins available by the retail staff will boost rolling pin sales.

Following are brief descriptions of some of the most popular rolling pins.

American Rolling Pin: American-style rolling pins generally come in lengths of from 10 to 15 inches and have a metal dowel that runs through the center with handles on both ends. These pins are good for rolling dough for heavy bread because they are easy to grip. Many American home chefs have been brought up using wooden rolling pins with handles, and choose them for nearly every rolling task.

French Rolling Pin: The French rolling pin measures approximately 18 to 20 inches long, has no handles, and is often made of beech- or boxwood. Easy to maneuver, this pin is tapered with ends that are narrower than the middle. A good choice for pressing delicate dough, as well as pie crusts since one end can be anchored while the other is pivoted in a circle to fashion the dough into a round shape.

Hardtack Rolling Pin: The hardtack rolling pin is used for creating flatbreads and crackers. Once the dough is rolled out, the hardtack pin is used to emboss the dough with indentations that will restrict it from rising in the oven, thereby giving crackers a rough texture and an easy-to-break finish.

Knobbed Lefse: Traditionally, this pin was used to form saucer-shaped breads that are made of potatoes, cooked on a griddle, and sprinkled with sugar and butter. Also referred to as a Corrugated Pin, the grooves help remove air pockets from the dough. (A cover may be used to keep dough from becoming stuck in grooves.) The Lefse can also be used for pies, cookies, and pizza. Also available is a square-cut pin utilized for potato Lefse, but most often for making Hardanger Lefse, a variation of the potato version.

Springerle Decorative Rolling Pins: Instrumental in the making of the popular cream-colored cookies that are embossed with images and flavored with lemon and anise.

Other textured pins include those with fanciful designs, such as the basketweave, diamond mesh, or floral.