Somehow, sublety becomes important in the palate of a true foodie. The hint of a flavor, the drop of EVO, the underlying note of an ingredient becomes the fascination for someone who enjoys food. Not just to eat, but to savor, and taste, and develop. In recipes, the ingredients called for may just be salt and pepper, but in our day, salt is no longer a generic word. The Spice Lab takes their salt seriously. So, it's our duty to take their salt seriously as well. If you love to cook, and enjoy the basic truth that salt brings to any table, try this one: Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt. Sprinkled on a puree of butternut squash soup, it lends the smoked flavor to the sweetness of the squash , and adds the flavor of the season to a pretty dish.
How: steam, roast, or simmer your squash, cut into pieces. Drain. Puree, or mash, or throw it into a blender (a Vita-Mix is the best). Add cream (either dairy, or non-dairy) for smoothness. Drizzle a trail of cream on top, dust with Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt, add a sprig of basil to the top, and serve.
I'm a big fan of smoky flavor. Whether it's in a meat or a cheese, I find that smokiness gives ordinary food that extra "oomph." It makes it at once both homey and intriguing, and always leaves me wanting more. Well, thanks to The Spice Lab, it's ridiculously easy to give your foods that smoky flavor without purchasing it "smoked" or spending hours trying to do it yourself! Their Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt is a quick and easy way to infuse food with a wonderful, natural, smoky flavor. This Pacific Sea Salt is slow-smoked over alderwood, giving it a clean and delicious smokiness. Just a pinch in your favorite dish will give do wonders to give it a whole new flavor profile. It can easily be added to marinades for food you're preparing on the grill, or simply sprinkled on top of an already-prepared meal. I found that it works well in soup, as well. I added a bit to my split pea soup recently, and it transformed it from an ordinary soup to an outstanding one! Going forward, this will definitely be a staple in my pantry!
An essential ingredient to any great meal has to be salt. It brings out the flavor of anything you are cooking. I don't know why I have only been using plain sea salt in all my cooking. After trying Spice Lab's Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt, I realize I need to start using gourmet salts on a more regular basis! The salt is slow smoked over alderwood, which actually gives the salt a deep smokey flavor! It really is quite unique, and it tastes great! It is perfect for using on BBQ dishes, but gives an extra layer of flavor to just about anything you can cook up. Once you have tasted its sophisticated flavor, you may want to use it in everything you make!
The Spice Lab Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt is perfection. I love cooking with smoked sea salt. It has a distinct taste and bring food to the next level. This salt is one of the best I have ever used. I love using this on meats. I think it gives it the right amount of smokey flavor without overpowering. It's a true unique salt. Very delicious.
I have been experimenting more with the foods I'm cooking. In this experimenting, I've been looking for different seasoning salts. I can't believe I've never used the Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt by The Spice Lab. I happened to use it to season a turkey burger I had and the flavor was unbelievable. My burger had such a unique smoked flavor that I've never tasted before and I loved it. I couldn't keep this spice to myself. I had to share with a friend of mine who loves to cook and he loved it as well and couldn't wait to purchase some for his kitchen. This is a spice I will keep stocked in my pantry.
***
Alderwood Smoked Salt & BBQ Smoked Salt Collection Add Outdoor FlavorNorthwest red alderwood has been used to smoke salmon and other meats for hundreds of years. Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt combines traditional alderwood flavor with sea salt to create a most unique and beautiful spice to enhance favorite recipes, both on and off the BBQ. The slow smoked process gives this salt an authentic, clean smoke flavor. Available in bags and jars in various sizes at www.thespicelab.com
Alderwood Smoked Salt also is featured in The Spice Lab’s BBQ Smoked Sea Salt Collection bringing the taste of the outdoors to your table. This sampling selection offers 11 unique smoked sea salts, each packaged in Pyrex test tubes with a natural cork stopper and displayed in a handcrafted, Made in USA wooden base constructed from recycled lumber. The BBQ Smoked Sea Salt Collection has a suggested retail price of $59.95
The BBQ Smoked Sea Salt Collection includes:
Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt – a taste of traditional wood used to smoke salmon
Carolina Hickory Smoked Sea Salt – the best hard wood to create Southern BBQ flavor
Cyprus Flake Smoked Sea Salt –large flake crystals from traditional evaporation
Cyprus Wild Garlic Flake Sea Salt – distinctive aroma and taste
Danish Viking Oak Smoked Sea Salt (Coarse) – outdoor aroma and natural smoky taste
Danish Viking Oak Smoked Sea Salt (Flakes) – an excellent finishing and table salt
French Lavender and Rosemary Sea Salt – the Herbs de Provence of flavored salts
Hawaiian Guava Wood Smoked Sea Salt – cool-smoked over native guava wood
Hot Habanero Pepper Sea Salt - high-heat habaneros create an intense salt with a kick
Smoked Chipotle Sea Salt – a spicy blend of roasted chipotle peppers and Pacific sea salt
Washington Apple Wood Smoked Sea Salt – sweet and smoky from the Yakima Valley
The Spice Lab offers over 180 different salts from throughout the world. The product line includes jarred sea salts, 17 different 4, 6 or 11 tube Sea Salt Collections, plus Himalayan salt shot glasses, salt plates, stones and lamps, salt cellars, spoons, jars and bath salts. The company’s extensive line of sea salts are sold in a growing number of gourmet and specialty gift shops, museums and other retail locations as well as online through Amazon.com and at www.thespicelab.com
The CompanyFor Christmas 2009, technology entrepreneur Brett Cramer wanted to share his new-found fascination with gourmet sea salts with his family and friends. Enjoying woodworking as well as being an avid gourmet cook, he handcrafted a wooden base out of scrap lumber to hold test tubes filled with exotic sea salts from around the world. The gifts were so popular that he was encouraged to begin offering his sea salt collections for sale – and that was the start of The Spice Lab.
The Spice Lab website quickly expanded as Brett continued to discover new sources and sea salt varieties from throughout the United States and far off locales. From Cyprus Citron Lemon Flake Salt, Bolivian Rose Sunset Salt and Persian Blue Diamond Rock Salt to Hawaiian Bamboo Jade Salt and Pink Himalayan Crystals valued for their therapeutic properties, every offering had a unique taste and tale.
Throughout 2010, the business grew as the company added an array of smoked sea salts and salt collections and became a direct importer. Ending their dot.com business ownership in January 2011, Brett and his wife Jennifer along with a growing staff now devote their energies full time to building The Spice Lab and its retail distribution.
As a young computer store retailer in the 1980s, Brett took pride in offering the widest selection of every possible type of software, often bringing in games from Europe before they could be found in the United States. With that same desire to give his customers the fullest range of products, The Spice Lab now boasts over 180 different salts from 30 countries, the largest selection of sea salts available from a single source.
The product line includes 180 jarred sea salts and 17 different Salt Collections – in 4, 6 or 11 test tube sets, each with an American-made, handcrafted wooden base constructed from recycled shipping pallets and other discarded wood. Pepper, peppercorns and spice mixes have been recently added to the company’s offerings which also include salt plates, stones and lamps, salt cellars, spoons, jars and even bath salts.
With the message to “Taste the World of Salt ™”, The Spice Lab brings exotic flavors and intoxicating fragrances to everyone who likes to experiment with foods and discover new taste combinations. Professional chefs and home cooks alike now are using gourmet sea salts to enhance their culinary creations.
The Spice Lab, Inc. is a family-owned business based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The company’s extensive line of sea salts are sold in a growing number of gourmet and specialty gift shops, museums and other retail locations as well as online through Amazon.com and at www.thespicelab.com