We put the £60 must-have Christmas cookery block to the test with a full English Breakfast
The pink salt block has been hailed as the must-have culinary gift for Christmas 2016
FOODIES have been going mad for £60 blocks of heavy pink rock salt which can cook meat at crazy high temperatures.
The must-have culinary gift for Christmas 2016 is a hunk of 600-year-old Himalayan salt perfect for caveman-style cooking.
It will have gastro geeks licking their lips at its supposedly unrivalled ability to cook a steak.
The rose-coloured salt is hauled out of mines in Pakistan, originally discovered in 320BC by Alexander the Great’s soldiers after they noticed their horses kept stopping to lick the rocks.
But if you fancy yourself as a rock star chef, it comes at a price — a slab of the pink mineral will set you back anywhere from £20 to £60.
Seems a lot for what is essentially a steak pan, so we put it to the test. Can it handle a full English breakfast?
STEP ONE – HEAT IT UP
Make sure it is on the correct hob — once hot it is a nightmare to move as the block reaches 250C and can melt oven gloves. Salt can explode if heated up too quickly so it is best to pop it on the hob an hour early.
Start on the lowest heat and slowly increase it every 15 minutes — otherwise you risk a-salt by a deadly weapon.
STEP TWO – WAIT
This is no instant BBQ. One hour and three cups of tea later, I’m ready to rock (salt).
To check it is at the perfect temperature I flick a bit of water on its surface and listen for a tell-tale hiss. We’re ready.
STEP THREE – COOK
I fill it up with sausages, tomatoes, mushrooms and black pudding and watch the fat dance on the red-hot block. You will not fit more on in one go so have to cook in batches.
STEP FOUR – COOK MORE
I set the first batch aside and tackle the bacon. It sizzles and spits and is crisp in under a minute.
Finally I crack an egg onto the scorching surface, taking care as the whites can easily run down the edges. The egg pops and snaps, spitting oil and burning my hands as I try to slide a spatula underneath.
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VERDICT
It cooks grub quickly and, surprisingly, does not make everything taste of salt.
Instead, most of the food is tangy and well-seasoned — except the bacon, which does taste saltier than a mouthful of the Atlantic.
Once it has cooled, which takes hours, the block can be wiped clean. Don’t chuck it in the sink — unless you want it to dissolve into a salty mess.
The block can be used again and again until it inevitably shatters, cracks or detonates.
All in all, this trendy gift takes an hour to heat, can not be moved when hot, makes some food too salty and might explode. I’ll stick to the frying pan.