For goodness shakes, add dry rice to salt

Dear Readers: Salt is an ingredient in most recipes, and it can also be used around the house as a cleaner.
Salt varies in color -- it can go from colorless to brown. And did you know that salt is an essential element in most diets?
There are a few different types of salt. Here they are, along with their definitions:
Regular salt is granulated and has a free-flowing agent added. Keep in mind that this salt still might clump. Used for table seasoning, cooking and baking.
Iodized table salt came from iodine originally being added to salt in order to reduce the incidence of simple goiter. All salts that contain iodine will be labeled & quot;iodized. & quot;
Canning and pickling salt is granulated and doesn't have any preservatives or free-flowing agents added to it. You can use it in cooking, pickling and canning.
Kosher salt is a coarse flake with a free-flowing agent added. It can be used in cooking and when making kosher meals.
Popcorn salt is superfine and made specifically for popcorn and other snacks. It is also delicious on corn on the cob and french fries.
Here are some other & quot;salty & quot; hints I'd like to share:
Pour salt and other spices into your hand or a spoon first instead of sprinkling them directly onto steaming foods, because they absorb the steam and deteriorate faster, not to mention get all clumped up.
The classic way to keep salt from clumping is to put a few grains of dry, uncooked rice in the shaker. Some add crushed crackers. Heloise
Readers, did you know that you can color salt with food coloring? Put a small amount of salt in a container and add a drop or two of food coloring, stir well and let dry. An added bonus is that you can easily see how much salt you are adding to a dish! Heloise
Dear Heloise: I was baking cookies to take to my daughters in college, and I overestimated how many I should bake and mixed up four batches. Needless to say, I had a lot of dough left, even after filling two large containers with baked cookies. I rolled the dough into a tube, wrapped it in wax paper and then in aluminum foil, and put it in the freezer. I created my own & quot;slice and bake & quot; homemade cookies. I can bake as many or as few as I want. Kathy R. in Texas
King Features Syndicate