DCL
You can use the salt shaker in your spice rack for much more than just seasoning, as Annie B. Bond of Care2.com demonstrates. Salt provides an inhospitable chemical environment for most bacteria, including Salmonella and E. coli, for instance, by siphoning off water from food and cells, making it harder for bacteria to grow without moisture. A brine of 10 percent salt will normally halt the growth of all pathogenic bacteria, says Bond, which is why meat-preserving brines were popular before refrigerators were invented. This also accounts for why a saltwater gargle is still recommended today if you have a sore throat.
