On a boat, it’s imperative to have a salt shaker with an airtight lid. Without it, there’s no chance that you’ll actually be able to shake salt out of it — the salt picks up moisture and will just clump and clog the holes.
For years, both cruising and camping, we’d used the Rubbermaid salt and pepper shakers with great results.
So I was really disappointed when a friend told me that Rubbermaid recently changed their salt shaker design and that the new design just didn’t work. While we were cruising, over half the boats had the same set we did; the others had Tupperware shakers.
Rubbermaid’s new design (shown at right with the big red circle and slash) doesn’t form a good seal and thus I can’t recommend it. Not only does it let moisture in, but friends have had problems with it flipping open if the shaker tips over. Don’t buy it!
Instead, I’m now recommending the Tupperware salt and pepper shakers. They come in a couple of different sizes and several different colors, one of which is shown at the top of this article. Yes, they’re a little more expensive than the Rubbermaid ones — but they actually do the job!
The one complaint that people have with the Tupperware shakers (and we had to some extent with our old-style Rubbermaid shakers, too) is that the holes are a little small for the salt or pepper to shake freely. I simply used a paper clip (you could also use a needle) and enlarged each hole slightly.
Also, be sure to put a few grains of rice in the salt shaker. This will absorb any humidity that does get in when you’re using the shaker, and will keep the salt flowing freely. I threw the old rice out every time I refilled the shaker, as it can only absorb so much moisture. A reader once commented that they use pinto beans instead of rice and that it also works well — and the beans don’t get caught in the holes.
If you get salt in a larger container as is typical in the US and larger cities elsewhere, be sure that the “big container” that you fill the shaker from is tightly sealed in a freezer Ziploc with some rice.
In some places, we could only buy “bulk” salt in little baggies — I always transferred it to a more airtight container — either double freezer Ziplocs or a Lock & Lock or Lock-It box — always with some rice, too!
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
LaDonna says
Popcorn works just as well as rice (and presumably beans) and also doesn’t plug holes. Interestingly, I’ve lived aboard for nearly a decade, cruising up and down the West Coast including Alaska which is VERY damp in the summer, and I’ve had no problem with my old Trader Joe’s Sea Salt shaker. It has a screw down lid and no gasket of any kind. It certainly not meant to be an airtight salt container. I just keep refilling it, expecting it to cake, but I guess the popcorn really does help (and I’ve only refreshed it a couple of times).
Carolyn Shearlock says
Thanks for the tip! We chartered once in Alaska, and I remember condensate EVERYwhere. Anything that keeps salt flowing there has to be good!
Carolyn
Waterwoman says
I wonder about the beans in a salt shaker. I used beans as an “anchor” for hatch screens our first summer in Mexico (instead of weights or chain). We put the boat to bed for the summer season, removed all canvas, put the hatch screens away, and when we returned, the beans had hatched critters that thankfully died and didn’t cause any damage. I was surprised I didn’t know any better, and learned a lesson about using beans (at least for that purpose).
Carolyn Shearlock says
I’m guessing that the bugs got into the beans where they were put away. I’d think that if the beans were in the sealed salt shaker, no bugs would get to them. But there is never a guarantee . . .
Thanks!
Carolyn
Laura Welborn on Facebook says
Anyone know of someone who sales tupperware?
Carolyn Shearlock says
I haven’t seen anyone selling Tupperware locally in years — I now buy it online. Amazon has a number of Tupperware products:
https://amzn.to/2JpRBS2
Debra Perfitt on Facebook says
I still use the set I bought in the 70s. They are much smaller but work great. Tupperware is garenteed
Lisa Rio on Facebook says
Before we took off cruising I bought 12 or so of these Tupperware salt/pepper shakers off of EBay. I put all different kinds of spices in them and have had great luck for a year now…
Sherry Day on Facebook says
I have used the Tupperware ones for years at our northern Michigan summer house and they work well. I highly recommend them.
Sea King says
I have been using the McCormick “Grinders” for salt and pepper for years… They always work. Expensive in comparison to bulk, I know, but I can’t leave it all to my Grandson!
Now if I could just refill the empty grinders with garlic powder, etc., etc,, life would be a “Tire Swing”!
Chris G. says
Sea King. I found a site that says all you have to do to open the grinders is microwave a bowl of water for 2 minutes. Put the black plastic rim in the water for a couple minutes and then it should pry off easily. McCormick also sells a Garlic Sea Salt grinder among others.
Margaret Henry Bujnoch says
Expensive, but so worth it to me.
Rusty says
I grew up on the Gulf Coast of Texas, and most everyone just used “normal” salt shakers. The trick is to use enough rice in them…a “few grains” isn’t really enough. I’ve always used 1/4-1/3 of the shaker full of rice to work well. We seldom dumped the rice out. This worked on the water quite well. Have a great day!
Kathryn Schmidt Oler says
I like to “pinch & sprinkle” salt rather than putting it in a shaker or grinder. To use rice without getting individual grains in each pinch, I purchased the small muslin bags sold for bouquet garni, filled one with rice, and plopped it into the plastic airtight canister I use for salt storage. It works perfectly! The salt stays dry, and I can add pinches or measuring spoonfuls without rice grains ending up in the food.
Soupy Sayles says
In outdoor stores that sell camping equipment, they sold salt & pepper “caps”, with a lid on them. You then took an old used plastic film canister, filled with salt & put these caps on. I’ve went a year without cake ups. No beans, no rice. They work the best I’ve ever found.
Jim Allen says
I have used the salt grinders all summer on the boat for the last three seasons. I take it home and use during the winter. NEVER had any problem with the salt clumping AND you don’t have to hassle with rice, etc. One grinder lasts me about year.
Melinda Taylor says
Rice helps a bit.
Anne says
If you are in an area with Aldi stores, they sell grinders that are refillable. The jar is glass, the top scews off easily, and it’s a snap to refill. And they are less than $2/ea. We are just on the baby steps of setting up our galley, but that is one of the first things I bought.
Donna Chiappini says
Amazon sells a pop up lid salt and pepper shaker by Trudeau. I love mine. They look good and the rubber top keeps out the moisture. I would post a photo if I could.
Liz Parkinson says
good tip Carolyn . I haven’t yet found a shaker that works so will check these out. I have found that both sea salt and kosher salt don’t clump like regular table salt however
Caroline Gross says
Also, Tupperware has a great warranty – so if your shaker fails, i.e. It cracks, peels, blisters, or loses it’s seal they will replace it or give you a credit!
Cindy Faden Harper says
I use tupperware shakers similar to these. I leave them on the boat all season and have no problems.
Anonymous says
Tupperware shakers are a little pricey. But I am always on the lookout at the thrift stores. I have a old set of small ones and use both for salt.
Anonymous says
Reuse spice containers myself. Use emptied metal black pepper container for salt at work
Anonymous says
Gram used to add a spoon of rive to salt and pepper shakers in humid Wisconsin.
Anonymous says
They used to make lids for filn containers back in the day. Since the advent of digital cameras they have gone the way of all good old things.
The Boat Galley says
Diabetes test strips come in similar containers. Make friends with a diabetic <3
Sam says
I live in the tropics by the ocean, and the salt clumps and spices go bad. It drives me crazy. I was wondering if you have any experience with something like this https://amzn.to/2jJkBwr or shakers other than tupperware?
Carolyn Shearlock says
I haven’t used those. I’d feel better about them if they had a gasket inside that lid, but the lid might be tight enough without one. If you decide to get a set, let me know how well they do!
Noelle says
Just a thought: pure salt or sugar are toxic environments and unlikely to grow critters, unlike, say, flour. The rice or beans or popcorn to absorb moisture in a salt shaker are most likely safe.
Dana says
We are currently living in the tropics and beans and rice didn’t work to keep our salt dry. A local told that they use a saltine cracker and THAT is what is doing the trick for us currently!
Carolyn Shearlock says
Haven’t heard that one — I’ll have to try it!