I really like this salt cellar! The lid is nicely crafted so that you simply rotate it to the side (it glides smoothly), take a pinch of salt, and rotate it back. I wanted something covered because I keep it near my stove and I didn't want food spattering into my salt. I do use my (clean) fingers to take the amount of salt I want to season my dish with, but you could keep a small spoon nearby if you wanted to measure or avoid the fingers. I don't think you could fit a normal spoon inside the cellar for storage.