Salt

• A major freeze in Mexico will significantly increase tomato prices. — Wall Street Journal
• Also expect to see a rise in the price of cheap beef. — The Consumerist
• Learn how to keep salad greens fresh. — The Kitchn
• Saveur magazine is now reviewing restaurants. — Eater
• Gourmet's Italian Kitchen has hit newsstands. — Gourmet Live
• Must make: spinach, provolone, and pepperoni calzone. — Serious Eats
• What model Selita Ebanks eats in preparation for Fashion Week. — Grub Street NY
• Vote now for the People's Best New Chef. — Eatocracy
• An easy way to take your food to the next level? Use good salt. — The Atlantic

Do you shake your salt shaker like a Polaroid picture? If so, it may be time to part ways with your salt shaker. Based on the government's newest guidelines, Americans are consuming more sodium than we should. If you thought a few dashes on your food at every meal was alright, you may be grossly underestimating the additional sodium that is already in your prepared food. Reports say:

Under the guidelines released Monday, about half of the populace should consume 1,500 milligrams of sodium or less each day. That includes children, African-Americans and anyone who is older than 50 or has hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease. Everyone else may consume up to 2,300 milligrams, about a teaspoon.

If you're unsure how to go about cutting back on the sodium, I've got some tips to help you get started.
Ready to see them?

In this week's new DVDs, we have plenty of big releases hitting shelves (just in time for those last-minute stocking stuffers!). Take a look at these three picks.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Gordon Gekko is back! Michael Douglas reprises his role as the moneygrubbing villain in this sequel to the iconic '80s film. This time around, Gekko enters the financial world once more following a long stint in jail. Shia LaBeouf costars as a naive Wall Street kid, who's engaged to Gekko's estranged daughter (Carey Mulligan) and becomes Gekko's mentee of sorts. The movie feels heavy-handed with its message of anti-greed — it's trying a little too hard to be timely — but LaBeouf and Mulligan's chemistry help keep it afloat. DVD extras include a featurette on Gordon Gekko and commentary from director Oliver Stone.

54%

Easy A
Emma Stone turns her charm on for this likeable high school spin on The Scarlet Letter. She stars as Olive Pendergast, a social misfit who gets way more attention than she bargained for when rumors spread that she's sleeping around. Gossip Girl's Penn Badgley costars as a love interest, and Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson step in as Olive's hilarious parents. DVD extras include an audio commentary and gag reel, but the Blu-ray offerings sound a little more enticing (a featurette on '80s movies!).

87%

One more release when you read more

The celebrity designer train just got a huge dose of A-list — that's because Angelina Jolie is hopping on it! The actress, UN goodwill ambassador, and busy mom has teamed up with former CEO of Asprey, Robert Procop, who's been designing pieces for her for the past decade, to create a classic collection she will also likely wear. The first of the duo's collaboration came to life on the red carpet at Salt's Berlin premiere (below). You can also see some pieces — namely a vintage diamond choker and yellow sapphire, cushion-cut earrings — in Angelina's new flick, The Tourist. But unlike many celebrity lines, this collection won't be on sale in stores. Rather, it will be sold privately through Procop's clients, with all of the proceeds going to her charity, the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict.

• ABC is developing Family Owned, a food truck sitcom. — Eater
• San Francisco's "best year for restaurant openings" may overshadow old standbys. — Grub Street SF
• Shipping cookies: how to do it right this holiday. — Chow
• Is it kosher to ditch a restaurant before ordering? — Inside Scoop SF
• Marketing sham? Wendy's revamped fries are virtually the same. — Serious Eats
• Simple truths about salt, straight from a Portland selmilier. — The Kitchn
• Chef Susur Lee rethinks the sequence of the Western meal. — Huffington Post Food
• The ultimate Top Chef Power Index.— The Stew

If you pooh-pooh generic table salt, you're not alone. As USA Today reports, sea salt is so hot right now. In 2010 alone, it's been introduced to 1,350 new food products — a substantial jump compared to several years ago.

Trend analysts at research firm Mintel believe sea salt, which is known among culinary professionals for being flakier, crunchier, and larger in surface area than its table salt stepsister, "has the potential to grow as fast as low-carb did."

Campbell's, Whole Foods, and Target's Archer Farms all proudly offer products with sea salt on the ingredient label, be it in soups, chips, or sweets.

Wendy's is the latest to join the club, announcing it'll overhaul its fries for the first time in 41 years with a new sea salt-seasoned version, out in all its stores by the end of next week. Its explanation for the addition? "There's a halo around [sea salt]. People associate it with good, natural things." What do you think of the craze? Do you find the trend worth its salt?

Source

DrSugar is in the house! And she's answering your health-related questions.

Dear DrSugar,
I am a vegetarian and when I first started cutting meat out of my diet I still craved it. I ate a lot of "fake meat" products, which I understand are highly processed. I will still eat Morningstar and Quorn products on occasion, but rarely. How bad are these products for you? I noticed that they have a lot of salt in them. What does all this salt do to you exactly? Also, how much salt per day is OK? When I search for daily salt intake, nobody can really give me a clear answer. Thank you!
— Salty Gal

Thank you for your great question, as I too worry about my daily consumption of salt given the fact that my nutrition seems to come second sometimes to daily patient care. One of the major life lessons I learned in medical school is that physicians should "eat when you can and sleep when you can" and I must say that I often find myself just grabbing whatever is quickest in the hospital cafeteria in the short period of time I have between patient care duties. Unfortunately, this does not lead to eating the most well-balanced, healthy, and lower sodium diet. So, I am very glad you asked this question regarding salt intake and if you want to learn more, please keep reading!