Where can I buy rock salt?

September 21, 2004 12:08 PM

Where can I buy rock salt?

I just bought an ice cream maker that needs rock salt to work, and as far as I can tell, there is no place in the Baltimore area that sells the damn stuff until the middle of winter. I've checked Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, three grocery stores, a drug store, Lowe's, Home Depot and even a gas station. I'm sure I could order it online someplace, but I find it hard to believe that there isn't a store somewhere nearby that sells rock salt year-round. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I really need some ice cream.

posted by TBoneMcCool to Shopping (13 answers total)

Did you look in the cooking supplies aisle in the supermarkets? Near the regular salt. It's in boxes, probably on the bottom shelves.
posted by aacheson at 12:15 PM on September 21, 2004

I assume it just uses the rock salt to keep water liquid at low temperatures, not for the wonderful taste of the impurities? So why not use regular salt? It might be slightly more expensive than keep-your-driveway-free-of-ice salt, but it still isn't very expensive.
posted by fvw at 12:19 PM on September 21, 2004

If you need copious quantities cheaply, and you're not drinking it, you could try water softener salt...
posted by shepd at 12:24 PM on September 21, 2004

the giants in fairfax county (i know, not really *close*) used to stock it (but according to peapod.com, they don't anymore). you can check pool supply stores, or try asking for "solar salt" which is for water softeners.

table salt doesn't work as well in *my* ice cream maker, but i don't know about yours.
posted by crush-onastick at 12:30 PM on September 21, 2004

Hardware store maybe? A smaller one I mean, not a giant chain like Home Depot.
posted by JanetLand at 12:58 PM on September 21, 2004

Also, if that doesn't work, wholesale janitorial supply houses will be getting their winter supply into stock around now, try asking someone on the sales counter to sell you a bag.
posted by Keith Talent at 1:05 PM on September 21, 2004

Response by poster: Thanks all for the ideas. I just called a small hardware store not far from my house that has it in stock. I owe you all a bowl of ice cream. Janet gets two bowls for coming up with the winning idea.
posted by TBoneMcCool at 1:27 PM on September 21, 2004

Try a landscaping place; I don't know of any brand names other than Agway and I'm unsure if that's a local chain or not. But as Keith implied, it's often used on driveways and roads so landscaping places are usually good places to find bags of it.

On preview: d'oh! Beaten to it. Glad you found some!
posted by cyrusdogstar at 1:43 PM on September 21, 2004

The old style hardware stores (just stand at the counter, tell 'em what you want and they bring it to you) really are the best. Janet beat me to the punch.

Ever have lemon ice cream? Baskin-Robbins doesn't carry the flavor any more, I bought a manually cranked ice cream maker off eBay just so I could try making it myself.
posted by alumshubby at 2:03 PM on September 21, 2004

Any place that sells ice melting driveway salt in the winter. Of course, you're porbably looking to make ice cream in the summer . . .
posted by yerfatma at 2:09 PM on September 21, 2004

Surely somewhere around you would sell kosher salt? It's rock salt. The salt still has its saltiness.
posted by Goofyy at 12:39 AM on September 22, 2004

Are you claiming sea salt doesn't have "its saltiness" anymore Goofyy? Because I'd be willing to debate that, if only for the novelty value.
posted by fvw at 6:30 AM on September 22, 2004

No, was just embellishing with the weird biblical notion of salt that's lost its saltiness. All I know is the kosher salt I've seen was chunky. What makes it kosher, I've no clue, being a goy.
posted by Goofyy at 12:55 AM on September 23, 2004