You've Been Pouring Morton Salt Wrong All Along

TikTok has proven to be a game changer when it comes to discovering new food hacks, often teaching users mind-boggling tricks for using common products. A recent video suggests that you might be pouring Morton Salt the wrong way, and people seem to be absolutely in love with it. 

If you've ever purchased a Morton Salt container, you'd know that the metal pour spout is sealed by a sticker. But, as the recent video by TikToker @trip82city revealed, that sticker is actually covering more than just the spout: The container can be used as a salt shaker.

When the sticker is completely removed, it reveals two holes in the metal spout that are sealed off by cardboard attached to the inside of the spout. But if you unblock them, they can be used to sprinkle small quantities of salt over your food. No need to transfer it to another container or simply pour salt from the open spout and hope that you don't overdo it. You can even avoid the restaurant method, where you cut a hole (or corner) in the box to eliminate dealing with the pesky spout altogether. The shaker gives you more control straight from the container and you won't have to mess with the metal pour spout. Even better, you won't have a gaping hole in your box waiting to give you bad luck. With over 13 million views (and counting), it's clear that this trick has changed some lives.

Though this hack can save you a lot of trouble, there are some things to watch out for. The TikToker suggested removing the paper from the spout entirely to unblock the holes. But the paper keeps the metal spout in place, and several viewers reported that the spout fell off after following that version of the hack. These comments led to a second video that suggests keeping the sticker on but using a toothpick to expose the holes.

@trip82city ♬ original sound – trip82city@aol.com

But what if this shaker function wasn't Morton's intention? According to the second video, Morton claims that the paper isn't meant to be removed and is used to guard the salt against moisture. Salt is hygroscopic, meaning it can absorb moisture from its environment, which causes the salt to clump. Having a barrier to keep the air (and moisture) helps ensure you'll have shakeable salt. So, does opening up the holes in the spout risk creating a clumpy salt rock? It's worth noting that Morton adds anti-caking agents to its salt to prevent it from clumping anyway. Storing it correctly (for example, in an airtight container) may also help protect your salt. While possibly no one but Morton can say for sure what the holes in the spout are for, the shaker hack could prove to be an effective bonus.