I was rushing through the Metro Grocery yesterday and was thrilled with two salt finds. The first, and more unusual, are 4 pound boxes of Morton’s Ice Cream Salt at PHP105 a box. Marketed specifically for use with churn-style ice cream makers, (we have a classic white Mountain version that can make up to a gallon of ice cream), the salt helps make the ice melt and help the ice cream chill faster. Don’t ask me the science behind salt and ice but for some reason reactions result in that fantastic treat – ice cream. I have never seen Ice Cream Salt for sale here before and I just used to use regular native rock salt, but since these were on the shelves, I got a few boxes… Frankly, one could argue that salt is salt, so I can’t really tell you if there is any difference between this salt and the salt you get from Batangas but isn’t the packaging attractive? No seriously, salt and ice results in a cooler temperature than ice alone… and presumably the size and consistency of these granules were designed to help that salt/ice chemistry as best it can…
Also at Metro Gaisano yesterday was a relatively new shipment of Morton’s Kosher Salt (PHP130 or so for a 4 pound box). I love this salt. Though I have purchased dozens of different salts and stock at least 10 at any one time, I like the consistency, dryness and flavor of Morton’s basic kosher salt. I try to NEVER run out of this in the pantry. But a few months ago local shops were out of stock and my pantry supplies were dwindling, so my sister kindly sent several boxes in a shipment… but now they are back in stock so if you want some, stock up now. At just 10-15% more than an American grocery price, it is a deal. And since one uses it relatively sparingly and it is such an essential ingredient for a nicely done dish, this is definitely a bargain for me. Others may argue that at 3x the price of local rock salt, this is extravagant. You may have noticed that I often call for kosher, rock or non-iodized salt in my recipes… more often than not, I am using this salt.
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i tried cooking buco tart using your pecan tart recipe. pumalmak ako. my dough was kind of sticky and watery. i had it refrigerated overnight. i also pricked the bottom of the dough with fork, yet it still bubbled up.
the result was a pancake like tart crust– i topped it with buco filling na lang para di masayang.
please help
mandayamoore, did you use softened butter or melted butter? You cannot use melted butter. Did you use a food processor to blitz the dry ingredients first? Then only add the egg and blitz for split seconds just until the dough came together? If not, that is a bad start. If you followed the instructions as written, then there might be something off with the proportions you used. However, my guess is that you did not use a food processor or if you did, you overworked or overmixed the dough. Next… Once you thawed the dough from the fridge, did you roll it quickly enough so that it did not melt? You only have a few minutes after rolling to get them into the pans/forms. Once they are in the forms, it is good to put them back in the fridge to solidify again before baking them. Now that you have the dough in pans, chilled, you need to prick the dough and stick it into a heated oven and keep watching it until it cooks sufficiently… Please describe where you strayed or did not do what the recipe says, that will help me identify where you may have problems. But the dough doesn’t sound good as described… :( Your oven may also not be as hot as you think it is, so you may have to cook the tarts longer until they crisp rather than flop like pancakes…
I never thought Metro Gaisano’s Supermarket was stuffed with these kinds of items. WIll try to head there this weekend!! Nice finds, very nice finds.. :)
hi MM. can you post an article about the virtues of the different kinds of salt? the american markets typically carry kosher or iodized salt (the fine kind). i had to go to a korean market to buy the sea salt that i was so used to. but honestly, i don’t really know the difference. thanks in advance!
Hi, can you direct me to where Metro Gaisano is located?
Never thought Cebu’s Metro Gaisano have those unusual finds :p Thanks for sharing, MM. Will share these with my Cebu-based pals. :p
The salt keeps the ice from melting too fast, maintaining an even temperature, the lower melting point needed for ice cream.
I love walking up and down the aisles of Metro Gaisano, they probably have the highest percentage of global goods among the local supermarkets (where else can I buy kitty litter from Canada, Europe, the US, and a local wood chip version?).
In Chemistry the lowering of temperature caused by adding salt to the ice is called freezing point depression. Here’s the explanation if you are interested: https://chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/a/aa120703a.htm
Would you know where to buy the Kosher salt and a good sea salt here in Manila? Thanks.
no food processor. i did it as fast as i could — following your apple pie crust recipe. maybe it’s the butter. or, may i overworked it when i mixed the eggs (small ones kaya dalawa instead of one large egg).
will try it again tonite. will update you kung success or what.
thanks
Is think this the grocery in Market!Market!
Is this the grocery in Market!Market! Mall in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig?
mandayamoore, try it with one egg instead of two, and unfortunately, mixing this by hand may not yield a pate sucre, more like a pie consistency. In a food processor, it takes seconds, so the dough is not “abused” in a way…
Hi All, sorry, I should have been clearer, I got these at Metro Gaisano Grocery in Market!Market! Mall in Taguig, Fort Bonifacio. But I also saw the kosher salt at Metro Gaisano in Cebu last week. nina, thanks for the chemistry link!
morton’s iodized salt is buy one take one in snr
Hi MM,
Just wanted to say that I tried your risotto recipe and you’re right, it is simple, easy and not at all that long to make. It only took me 30 minutes! Yum! I used homemade vegetable stock though and did a “test batch” with shiitake mushrooms. I just wanted to say thanks for sharing your tips, it really helped because the last time I tried doing it a couple of months back it was a disaster! But now, it was perfect! thanks again!
Dear MM,
I’ve been looking for that manual ice cream maker but I can’t find any. Have looked in Quiapo and food expos, but I only find the expensive institutional versions. Do you know where we could get that simple cranky ice cream maker?
Thanks in advance.
Hi suzette, I tend to avoid iodized salt, I don’t like the iodine aftertaste it imparts to many dishes. It does work well for salt shakers as it flows well, but again, I can taste the iodine. zel, glad the risotto recipe worked for you, and a totally vegetarian version, no less! Noel, our White Mountain ice cream maker, while using ice and salt, has a motor, not a hand crank. I haven’t seen a non-motorized version in decades!
White Mountain also has a cranked version but why torture yourself when progress has been made? We had a hand cranked one circa 1960 and it took 3 persons cranking away furiously in turns to produce a gallon of ice cream. Pay the electric company a few pesos and be done.
i would like to buy an old-style barrel like ice cream churner. i tried my luck in divisoria and quiapo but they don’t make them anymore. MM i need your help. I want to experiment with our native fruits and gatas ng kalabaw. super thanks. : )