Himalayan Salt Block vs. Swiss Raclette Grill
Thursday 4 May 2017 — Category: Cooking & Food
![]() However, I have not used the salt blocks since then, well over a year later. If cooking on them was so wonderful, why have I been neglecting them? To understand the reasons, I first need to explain a few things. During the eight years I lived in Switzerland after marrying a Swiss woman, I enjoyed meals where some or all of the food was cooked at the table rather than in the kitchen. Using a variety of appliances, we cooked various cheeses, meats, vegetables and crêpes right at the table we were all sitting around. Those were fun, unique and memorable experiences. In the U.S., even at a large meal like Thanksgiving, it is common for everyone to gobble down their food so that in 15 to 30 minutes the entire meal is over. But when cooking at the table, one of the best parts, besides the food, is that such a meal can last for two or three hours. This makes the meal much more of a social event. And you eat slowly, because the food is cooked in small batches. ![]() ![]() I have already written a couple of articles about cooking with a raclette grill, so rather than repeating myself here, I urge you to click through and read them for all the delicious details. A cheese and veggie meal is covered in A New Year’s Day Swiss Raclette, while a meatier repast is explored in A Ten-Meat Christmas Grillade. ![]() I am sorry to report that for all these fondue and raclette dishes I don’t have nearly enough photos to document them. I guess I get so distracted by interacting with my dining companions, and by the awesome food, that I totally forget to take pictures. I really need to improve in this area. ![]() Unfortunately, I discovered during my second try that a 1500-watt hot plate — the most powerful I could find — did not have nearly enough wattage to heat the salt blocks to the recommended 450° to 500°F temperature. Thus the dream of cooking food on salt blocks at the table was completely shattered. If you have an alternative strategy, I would love for you to share it in the feedback section below. So now us salt-block chefs realize that we are stuck in the kitchen (or maybe the barbecue, but I have’t tried that) cooking the food for our guests, while they are having fun socializing and eating around the dining room table. The next major problem with salt-block cooking is the small surface area of the block(s). ![]() I had bought two 8x4x2” Himalayan salt blocks which cost $18 each and together provide 62 square inches of cooking space. If I really wanted to take advantage of the size of the cast-iron grill, I could have gotten a single 10x10x2“ salt block for $78 with a total of 100 square inches of cooking space. In comparison, the 15x9.5x⅝” granite stone slab on our raclette grill has an area of 142 square inches. With any of these cooking surfaces it is certain that you will have to cook food in batches in order to serve six to eight guests, and maybe even for four. The big difference is that with the raclette grill you are all at the table cooking batches of food together, while with the salt block you as the chef are cooking the food in batches by yourself, apart from the guests, while they wait for you to bring them their food, again and again in small batches. Another advantage of the raclette grill is that you can cook food on the lower level in trays while cooking food up top. This greatly increases the amount of food you can cook at one time. Even if your guests are at a table in the kitchen, or you have an open kitchen as I do, cooking at the stove is not the same as being all together at the table while cooking, which is a much better experience. ![]() ![]() To minimize the cooking time, the salt block should be preheated to 450° to 500°F, as I mentioned above. Cooking on a salt block that hasn’t been heated high enough will not only over-salt your food, but it will also degrade your block much faster. Another way to reduce the cooking time is to slice thicker food into thinner pieces. For foods that have high water content, like tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and others, you can try putting a bit of oil on either the salt block or the food or both. From the little bit of experimentation I have done, I don’t think it made much difference. When cooking on a stone or metal raclette grill top you don’t face any of these issues or difficulties. And I highly doubt that you can cook mini pizzas on a salt block like you can with a raclette grill. What else is there to say? ![]() Without a doubt I think a raclette grill facilitates a much nicer dining experience with your friends and family than a salt block. For this reason, as well as the others discussed in this article, my salt blocks have been sitting in the cupboard, untouched and unused, for over a year. And I have absolutely no plans to use them in the future. I just got a brilliant idea! Maybe I can break the blocks into small pieces and put them in my salt grinder. Well, that will be another story for another day.
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