2018

…WHAT

A salt server, also known as a salt cellar, pig, or holder, is a receptacle which holds salt to be used for cooking. Most recipes call for salt (because salt makes everything taste better), and pouring salt out of a box (or scooping it out bag) is slow. It is way more efficient to pinch or measure salt out of an open container. (Go ahead, I’ll race you…)

Who Needs It

Anyone who cooks regularly should own a salt server (because it will save a slight fuss every one of the zillion times they cook during their lifetime).

Why This One

It has a lid (which keeps the salt free of dust and kitchen splatter),
the lid is hinged (so it remains attached to the container and won’t get in the way or be lost),
the lid opens easily (for fast, unimpeded, one-handed operation),
the opening is wide (to accommodate larger hands and measuring spoons),
it holds more salt than the average salt server (so it needs to be refilled less often),
it weighs a decent amount, especially when full (so it will stay in place and not slide erratically on kitchen counters while being accessed),
the design is simple (which makes it intuitive to use and unlikely to fail), and
it’s made out of durable, time-tested materials—ceramic and wood (so it will last a while).

Which Color

Carrot (the orangish/reddish/salmon color) is likely the most practical color because it provides high contrast with average salt (i.e., it makes the salt contained within exceedingly easy to see and grasp). The color is also surprisingly more pleasant in person than it appears in stock photos online. Buy Carrot unless it would clash egregiously with kitchen décor.
White, conversely, is probably—I am theorizing—the most impractical color because it is the same color as most salts (white), which will make salt at least somewhat trickier to discern from the container when pinching or measuring. (I know—this is a totally pedantic observation, that the color may compromise its functionality, but that’s what I’m here for.)
Blue Berry, for full disclosure, is the color I own because the hinge on the carrot model I’d ordered concurrently was squeaky, and I became hyperfocused on the noise and decided to return it. I’ll likely reorder Carrot eventually. This color is okay; it’s a mostly inoffensive periwinkle hue.
Jeans Blue is drool-worthy from the photographs I’ve seen of it, but the color is currently (and for over a year has been) unavailable. Don’t wait for it.
I haven’t seen other colors firsthand and don’t have much opinion on them.

Shortcomings

Manufacturing quality can vary (which is an inherent characteristic of ceramics), so you may want to order multiple at once and return the ones that don’t sit quite flat, have tight hinges, carry blemishes, or are otherwise unsatisfactory.
The handle isn’t all that useful (I tend to grasp the salt server around the lid or base instead when moving it).
Lid slams somewhat loudly shut. (It could be possibly be quieted with a small adhesive bumper.)

These shortcomings are minor; the Bee House salt server serves dreamily.

Others Tested

RSVP Endurance Salt Server: The build quality of the RSVP is decent; however, the hinge is tight and the lid sits rather flush against the glass bowl, which makes it vexing to open. It’s also tricky to translocate because the bowl is removable and prone to being unintentionally dislodged. It felt like a hassle every time I’d touch or look at the RSVP. It doesn’t hold all that much salt, either.
StainlessLUX 73444 Salt Server: The StainlessLUX is nearly identical in design to the RSVP but worse in build quality. It does have a looser lid hinge, so it’s easier to open, but this hinge is insubstantial and seems susceptible to breaking.