• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

CooksInfo

  • Home
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Recipes
  • Food Calendar
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Food Calendar
×
Home » Spices » Salt » Preserving Salts » Saltpetre

Saltpetre

Saltpetre is naturally occurring nitrate crystals that are soluble in water. It is found in surface deposits in many countries, or can be induced by mixing decaying organic matter with lime or through chemical solutions.Saltpetre was used in curing but is no longer used commercially (though apparently trace elements are allowed in some jurisdictions) because it can be toxic in quantity. Instead, sodium nitrate or sodium nitrite is used. Saltpetre was also used for gunpowder.

There are actually three types of saltpetre, but the other two (chile saltpetre and wall-saltpetre) never had any application in cooking.

To compare, refer to See Also links below for:

  • Sodium Nitrate (NaNO3)
  • Sodium Nitrite (NaNO2)
  • Potassium Nitrite (KN02)

Language Notes

Saltpetre comes from two Latin words: “sal” for salt, and “petra” for rock.

Its scientific name is Potassium Nitrate KNO3. Its E number is E252.

Other names

AKA: E252, Potassium Nitrate
Italian: Nitrato di potassio, Salnitro

This page first published: Mar 31, 2004 · Updated: Jun 7, 2018.

This web site generates income from affiliated links and ads at no cost to you to fund continued research · Information on this site is Copyright © 2023· Feel free to cite correctly, but copying whole pages for your website is content theft and will be DCMA'd.

Tagged With: Curing, Preserves

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I’m Skylar! This is a fake profile talking about how I switched to a paleo diet and it helped my eczema and I grew 4″. Trust me, I’m an online doctor.

More about me →

Popular

  • E.D. Smith Pumpkin Purée
    E.D. Smith recipe for pumpkin pie
  • Libby's Pumpkin Pie
    Libby’s recipe for pumpkin pie
  • Pie crust
    Pie Crust Recipe
  • Smokey Maple Pepper Glaze for Ham
    Smokey Maple Pepper Glaze for Ham

You can duplicate your homepage’s trending recipes section in the sidebar to reinforce the internal linking.

We no longer recommend using a search bar, newsletter form or category drop-down menu in the sidebar. See the Modern Sidebar post for details.

If the block editor is not narrower than usual, simply save the page and refresh it.

Search

    Today is

  • Hot Mulled Cider Day
    Mulled cider
  • German Butterbrot Day
    Butterbrot with cress

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About this site
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright enforced!
  • Terms & Conditions

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Site

  • Recipes
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Food Calendar

This web site generates income from affiliated links and ads at no cost to you to fund continued research · The text on this site is © Copyright.