Salt and Pepper Dinnerware
Salt and pepper shakers are such a common piece of household kitchen equipment that they're not just a functional item for seasoning your food! They crush and grind your salt and pepper to different textures, and developed with aesthetic appeal in mind for different table settings. Collectors of salt and pepper shakers of various vintages and novelty and quirky designs are not uncommon either!
What's the Difference Between a Shaker and a Grinder?
Salt and pepper commonly come in two forms: ground and unground. What type you choose relates to the type of vessel you need and vice versa. If you use salt and pepper already ground, you'll want a shaker. If you go for coarse sea salt or whole peppercorns, you'll want a salt grinder or a pepper grinder.
- Shakers: Salt and pepper shakers can glass, metal, ceramic, or plastic. They have holes in the top to sprinkle seasoning on your food. Pepper shakers usually have more holes than salt shakers for two reasons. One is to tell the difference between the two, the other is ensure you don't over salt your food, so salt shakers often only have one.
- Grinders: Grinders or salt mills and peppermills, have metal or acrylic inner surfaces that you twist or use a mechanical arm to grind your salt and pepper into a freshly ground product for seasoning your food. Battery or electric salt and pepper mills are very nifty. At one push of a button, your salt or pepper - in a measured quantity - lands quickly on your plate.
What's Shaking with Salt and Pepper Set Collections?
Collectors of salt and pepper shakers collect every type of salt and pepper dispenser under the sun antique, vintage, kitsch, cultural, novelty you name it. For the condiment connoisseur, here are a few collectible salt and pepper shaker set types for fun:
- Huggers: Huggers are salt and pepper sets that interlock and fit together like a glove, often in a male/female embrace or hugs.
- Hangers: Hangers sets dangle, one each side, from a tree or stand.
- Nesters or Stackers: Nesters or stackers are another type of set that interlock or fit together. They may be similar or complementary in appearance and design so that when put together they look like one.