Brine ratio calculator
Salt by weight is far more accurate than by the spoon, because coarse and fine salts differ so much in volume. Choose a wet brine, an equilibrium brine or a dry brine, enter the weights and the percentage, and read how much salt to weigh.
Runs in your browser: nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Choose the method. Wet brine needs the weight of water, equilibrium needs food and water, dry brine needs the food only.
- Enter the salt percentage you want.
- Weigh the salt shown. Add water and stir until it dissolves, then chill the brine before the food goes in.
How it works
Wet brine: salt = water × percent ÷ 100. Equilibrium brine: salt = (food + water) × percent ÷ 100. Dry brine: salt = food × percent ÷ 100. Water is counted as 1 g per millilitre. For wet brines the tool also shows the brine weight and the salt as a share of the whole solution.
Worked example
1000 g of water at 5%: 1000 × 5 ÷ 100 = 50 g salt, total 1050 g, and a true strength of 50 ÷ 1050 = 4.76%. An equilibrium brine for 1500 g of food in 1000 g of water at 2%: (1500 + 1000) × 2 ÷ 100 = 50 g. A dry brine for 2000 g of meat at 1% needs 20 g.
Tips
- Always brine in the refrigerator and keep raw meat away from other foods.
- Rinse and dry the surface before roasting so the skin browns; remember that brined meat needs less salt in the pan.
- For the bird itself see the turkey cooking time calculator and the thawing calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the three methods?
A wet brine is a salt solution you submerge the food in; its strength is a percentage of the water weight (5% means 50 g of salt for 1000 g of water). An equilibrium brine uses the weight of food and water together, so the food ends up near the chosen salinity however long it sits. A dry brine is salt rubbed on the surface, as a percentage of the food weight.
Why does the real salt content differ from the percentage I entered?
The percentage is taken from the weight of the water, the usual way recipes give it. The salt then adds to the total, so 50 g in 1000 g of water makes a 1050 g brine that is 4.76% salt by weight of the solution.
What percentages do people use?
There is no single right number; it depends on the food, the time and how salty you like it. The defaults here are only a starting point. For equilibrium brines the percentage is roughly the salt level the food will end up with, so choose it as you would season a finished dish, usually between 1% and 2%.
Do I weigh the salt or measure it by volume?
Weigh it. A tablespoon of fine table salt weighs about twice as much as a tablespoon of some flaky kosher salts, so a recipe in spoons can be badly off if the salt is a different brand.
Does this cover curing with nitrite?
No. Curing salts for bacon, ham or sausage contain nitrite and must follow a tested recipe; this tool only calculates plain salt.