Salt is the ultimate flavor enhancer, but it's also a spinach cleanser, and it can help with lots of other cooking tasks. (Tip: Use table salt for these jobs and save the pricey specialty grains for sprinkling on food.)

Rub salt in the cavity of a chicken or turkey before cooking to keep the bird moist.

Add a pinch of salt to cream or egg whites before beating to make them whip up higher.

Salt raw eggplant to draw out the excess moisture and cut down on the oil absorbed during cooking.

Salting raw cucumber or zucchini pulls out moisture, preventing salads or sautes made with these vegetables from getting watery.

Wash dirty spinach leaves in a bath of salt water, which removes dirt more effectively than several washings in plain water.

Banish onion odor from your hands by rubbing them with salt and a splash of vinegar. (Be careful of nicks or cuts!)