What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[netgypsy]

This is what happens when you brine meat - more complicated than just osmosis

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/70/Brining
" Hmmm... wait a minute. If that's true then water will be drawn from the low salt concentration meat to the high salt concentration salt water. At the same time, if the salt can enter the meat (which it can), then salt will be moving from salt water to meat. Won't that result in a salty, dry piece of poultry or pork?

Obviously, there's more going on than simple osmosis. It is true that salt enters the meat (it tastes more salty after brining). But why is it also more juicy? Well, when water flows out of the meat, salt flows in and begins to break down some of the proteins in the cells. In the broken down state, the molecules become more concentrated and the solute levels rise within the meat. This causes additional water to flow into the meat.

But doesn't that mean we've got the same amount of water as before brining? Nope. The cell membranes are semipermeable. They allow salt and water to flow in both directions freely, but larger molecules (like the denatured proteins and other solutes in the meat released by the salt) cannot flow out from within the cells. When the solutes of a solution on one side of a semipermeable membrane cannot pass to the other side, osmosis causes more and more solvent to move through the semipermeable membrane. This continues until the extra pressure from holding more solvent equals the rate at which solvent is "drawn" through the semipermeable membrane. (This rate is called osmotic pressure. How Stuff Works has a short article describing osmotic pressure with a diagram that may be helpful to visualize the water flow.)

What has happened is that through brining, we've caused a state change in the cells so that they will draw and hold more water than before."

I wonder if something similar happens in eggplant so it no longer takes in so much oil? If the actual vascular tissue is changed by the salt?

 

[netgypsy]

Obviously we read the same article as we both quoted it. Pretty funny! hahaha

My quote is longer than yours though nananana

Forgot to mention we have a number of Brazilians in the family and they don't brine, they coat the meat in salt and grill it in that condition. When it reaches a certain point in the cooking process they smack it on something to knock the salt off, then finish the cooking. It's really good like that.

"Originally the standard formula for Brazilian style barbecue was to coat meats in coarse salt. The meat would then sit for about 30 minutes to absorb the salt and then was placed over the fire. Later a salt-water baste was used to keep meats moist during the cooking. Beef was typically never seasoned."
http://bbq.about.com/od/regionalandethniccooking/a/aa061299.htm

Our family still uses the coarse salt method but then they were cattle farmers until recently also.How to Brine Eggplant
Help Eggplant Keep Its Shape When Cooked

By Molly Watson, About.com Guide
See More About:

eggplant
summer vegetables
fall vegetables
brining
cooking tips

"How to Brine Eggplant"

Brining Eggplant
Photo © Molly Watson
Many recipes call for salting and rinsing eggplant before use to draw out its bitterness. Brining can be used in place of salting and has the added advantage of helping eggplant keep its shape when cooked. For this reason it's particularly useful for grilling eggplant. You can brine eggplant for use in any recipe:

Fill a large bowl with 1 Tbsp. salt and about 1/2 cup hot water. Stir until salt dissolves.
Fill bowl with about 2 quarts cold water. The water should taste salty.
Cut eggplant into desired shape and submerge the pieces in the salted water. Use an upside-down plate or pot lid to weigh down the eggplant so it is fully submerged in the water.
Let eggplant sit in the brine for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Drain eggplant and pat it dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Proceed with recipe.

http://localfoods.about.com/od/eggplant/qt/brineeggplant.htm

I noticed the recipes for brining eggplant tell you to add the salt to warm water, then add additional cold water. If I recall correctly, the amount of salt that dissolves in a certain volume of water is independent of temperature. So why the warm water?

 

[Evo]

I think we read the same article as we obviously quoted it. Pretty funny! hahaha

My quote is longer than yours though nananana

But you forgot to use quote tags!

That's too funny if we happened to hit the same website out of all that explain brining, I just happen to like cookingforengineers. Perhaps we are related... Someone got angry at me once for having too many experts among my friends and family, like I was a bad person because of it.

 

[netgypsy]

Are you sure you didn't use your MOD magic wand to take out my first quotation mark?

In my family having expert friends is a very good thing. Many meals at restaurants are punctuated by frantic iphone searches to see who is right. (What instrument was used for the duck in Peter and the Wolf?? In three minutes we are treated to a performance of the Moscow symphony playing Peter and the Wolf on son's Iphone) You would get a 5 star rating for sure because we LOVE people who love to find the answers and document them. I'm sure we're related at least by way of the female mitochondria from a single woman from somewhere in Africa? hahaha

 

[Evo]

I noticed the recipes for brining eggplant tell you to add the salt to warm water, then add additional cold water. If I recall correctly, the amount of salt that dissolves in a certain volume of water is independent of temperature. So why the warm water?

Because they don't know what they're talking about. The reason you salt eggplant is to remove moisture when frying or grilling because you don't want to fry or grill something full of water. This is just plain common sense.

Next time you cook eggplant, salt a slice and look at it after a few minutes, you will be amazed at the amount of water coming out of it.

The part about adding water to "keep it's shape" is pure BS. A soggy piece of eggplant is more likely to become mush. And what part of water and hot oil don't mix do they not get?

 

[netgypsy]

But as I said, I've done the salt water and it worked fine. I want to do both though and compare the two. I never trust common sense. Particularly my own.

This is very interesting and makes sense and goes along with brining changing the internal structure of meat and may well do the same to eggplant

http://www.seasonalchef.com/tips3.htm

" Eggplants absorb oil because a high proportion of the volume of the vegetable consists of intercellular air pockets, he explains. "The point is reached, however, when the heat of the pan and oil begins to collapse the structure, and then, like a squeezed sponge, it gives up much of the oil," McGee insists."

I've also noticed this. If you continue to cook unsalted eggplant it will collapse and give up most of the oil it absorbed.

 

[Dadface]

Here's one of my favourite recipes:

.aubergine(eggplant)
.courgette(zucchini)
.bell pepper(capsicum)
.red onion
.tomatoes
.mushrooms
.anything else that takes your fancy

Cut vegetables into large chunks and mix them up on a baking tray.If small tomatoes and mushrooms are used leave them whole.Sprinkle on some olive oil and a bit of seasoning and bake until lip smackingly scrumptious.Simple.

Goes well with fish such as salmon and with cous cous.

 

[Monique]

Since we are talking about frying, did anyone ever attempt eggplant tempura? And what is the optimal temperature for frying?

I don't have a dedicated fryer, so I just use oil in a pan, and it's very hard to get the temperature right. I'm thinking about buying a fryer with temperature regulation.

 

[Evo]

Since we are talking about frying, did anyone ever attempt eggplant tempura? And what is the optimal temperature for frying?

Eggplant tempura sounds yummy.

I don't have a dedicated fryer, so I just use oil in a pan, and it's very hard to get the temperature right. I'm thinking about buying a fryer with temperature regulation.

A small dedicated fryer is nice. I use to have one of those fry babies, A small pot with a thermostat controlled fryer that came with a lid for storing and had a handle to move it. It disappeared in a move.

 

[turbo]

I had a great breakfast this morning. Rib-Eye hash made from leftover steak from our Valentine's supper, plus an over-easy egg. When I was a kid, we'd make hash out of anything - no leftover meat was ever wasted. Fry up some diced potatoes and onions in butter, and then they are browned, stir in the finely-chopped meat, heat, and serve with fried eggs or scrambled eggs and (usually) toast. Sometimes the simple stuff is the best.

 

[netgypsy]

The hash sounds yummy. Most tempura seems to be more than 50% batter. I guess you can make a thinner batter to reduce the amount of coating.

I have a frydaddy that is thermostatically controlled and does a pretty good job but I have no car that runs on biodiesel so I feel guilty wasting all that oil even though I filter and reuse it as long as I can. I know the reheating makes it unhealthy.

Got some cuban pork today with black beans and the collard green/white bean soup and fried plantain. Very good. I'm trying to decide what to do with the leftover pork which has really good flavor.

 

[Monique]

Well, I made a simple pakora today of 1 beaten egg, 1 cup ice-cold water, 1 cup flower, 1 clove garlic and broccoli, mushrooms and paneer. It wasn't bad, next time I'd add some spices and try some other vegetables.

My boyfriend who doesn't like broccoli unless it's a soup ate the tempura version, but I thought it was a bit bitter to my taste.

 

[turbo]

Got some cuban pork today with black beans and the collard green/white bean soup and fried plantain. Very good. I'm trying to decide what to do with the leftover pork which has really good flavor.

Hash!

 

[WhoWee]

The hash sounds yummy. Most tempura seems to be more than 50% batter. I guess you can make a thinner batter to reduce the amount of coating.

I have a frydaddy that is thermostatically controlled and does a pretty good job but I have no car that runs on biodiesel so I feel guilty wasting all that oil even though I filter and reuse it as long as I can. I know the reheating makes it unhealthy.

Got some cuban pork today with black beans and the collard green/white bean soup and fried plantain. Very good. I'm trying to decide what to do with the leftover pork which has really good flavor.

I'll PM my address...

 

[Moonbear]

Chicken and andouille gumbo being made for mardis gras. Though, more likely it'll be enjoyed tomorrow since it takes so long to cook. It's the first time I saw andouille sausage in the local supermarket. In the past, I've had to make my own, which means about once every three years I get around to that level of procrastination on something else to go all out cooking.

Edit: phooey, I should have known it was too good to be true. The andouille sausage doesn't taste like andouille at all. It's more like kielbasa with hot pepper added. The gumbo is okay otherwise, but back to making my own sausage.

 

[netgypsy]

I'm getting ready to make chicken gumbo myself with leftover lemon pepper barbecue chicken on sale at the grocery store. I don't have any sausage so I'll probably use bacon.

Sorry your sausage wasn't the real deal.

 

[Borek]

Sometimes the simple stuff is the best.

Not sometimes - always.

 

[Borek]

Anybody knows how to tell if the apple pear (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrus_pyrifolia) is ripe? Wikipedia says they have tendency to bruise, but the one we bought today (it was cheap like dirt so we decided to try) can be used instead of a hammer, so I guess we should wait.

Would you believe it - it still waits. But it is definitely ripening, it is not that hard as it was.

 

[Evo]

Finally got my olive oil, so I am making ratatoiulle. Real traditional ratatouille, not the Julia Child version.

 

[lisab]

Would you believe it - it still waits. But it is definitely ripening, it is not that hard as it was.

Maybe you should try ethylene gas?

 

[Moonbear]

Would you believe it - it still waits. But it is definitely ripening, it is not that hard as it was.

I hope it ripens before it rots. That annoys me when produce is shipped too green and never ripens before it rots. Along the lines of lisab's suggestion, have you tried placing it in a paper bag? Not plastic, but paper. It still allows some air flow so it doesn't mold/rot, but also supposedly helps concentrate ethylene gas to hasten ripening.

 

[Borek]

I hope it ripens before it rots. That annoys me when produce is shipped too green and never ripens before it rots. Along the lines of lisab's suggestion, have you tried placing it in a paper bag? Not plastic, but paper. It still allows some air flow so it doesn't mold/rot, but also supposedly helps concentrate ethylene gas to hasten ripening.

Good idea, I didn't think about it (thanks Lisa!). I plan to eat it this weekend no matter what, but I will try this paper bag idea.

That is, if I will find a paper bag. We are all plastic here. I think it will be easier to roll it up in a newspaper.

 

[turbo]

If you put unripe fruit in proximity to tomatoes, the ethylene given off by the tomatoes will hasten ripening. That's a good thing to know, BTW, so you can avoid putting expensive fresh fruit near tomatoes when you don't want the accelerated ripening.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Crackpot stew.

Note: Use organic ingredients only for the well documented health benefits.

1.38 lbs cubed Unicorn (you can substitute beef if your butcher does not carry unicorn)
1 can elixer of life (or chicken broth when not in season)
1 can sweet corn, drain the sugar water (you can cut the kernels from a fresh ear of corn if you can't get good canned corn)
5 mushrooms. Gather these from local woods. Take no heed of which kind, all mushrooms are alike.
1 bell pepper.
3 carrots.
A large potato or two. A potatoe or two if you are a Republican.
1 cup of white wine. (Red wine if you are pedantic)
Add some fairy dust, or to curry favor, favor curry.

Sear the unicorn. Cut the vegetables. Put everything into the crackpot and leave on high heat all day.

 

[Evo]

Crackpot stew.

Note: Use organic ingredients only for the well documented health benefits.

1.38 lbs cubed Unicorn (you can substitute beef if your butcher does not carry unicorn)
1 can elixer of life (or chicken broth when not in season)
1 can sweet corn, drain the sugar water (you can cut the kernels from a fresh ear of corn if you can't get good canned corn)
5 mushrooms. Gather these from local woods. Take no heed of which kind, all mushrooms are alike.
1 bell pepper.
3 carrots.
A large potato or two. A potatoe or two if you are a Republican.
1 cup of white wine. (Red wine if you are pedantic)
Add some fairy dust, or to curry favor, favor curry.

Sear the unicorn. Cut the vegetables. Put everything into the crackpot and leave on high heat all day.

Sounds yummy! Except, I would keep it simmering all day. Unicorns are delicate.

 

[Moonbear]

Crackpot stew.

Note: Use organic ingredients only for the well documented health benefits.

1.38 lbs cubed Unicorn (you can substitute beef if your butcher does not carry unicorn)
1 can elixer of life (or chicken broth when not in season)
1 can sweet corn, drain the sugar water (you can cut the kernels from a fresh ear of corn if you can't get good canned corn)
5 mushrooms. Gather these from local woods. Take no heed of which kind, all mushrooms are alike.
1 bell pepper.
3 carrots.
A large potato or two. A potatoe or two if you are a Republican.
1 cup of white wine. (Red wine if you are pedantic)
Add some fairy dust, or to curry favor, favor curry.

Sear the unicorn. Cut the vegetables. Put everything into the crackpot and leave on high heat all day.

Is canned unicorn okay? I have a hard time getting it fresh this time of year. And, do I need to go to the woods to get the mushrooms, or is it okay to use the ones growing in that damp corner in the basement?

 

[micromass]

I just made couscous with winter vegetables. It was good, but I made far too much. I'll have enough to eat for 3 days!

 

[turbo]

I can't stand canned unicorn. The quality control is atrocious. I have to go shoot my own, for a good meal.

It's getting harder and harder to find them. Plus the female virgins are getting younger all the time, it seems.

 

[rollcast]

Crackpot stew.

Note: Use organic ingredients only for the well documented health benefits.

1.38 lbs cubed Unicorn (you can substitute beef if your butcher does not carry unicorn)
1 can elixer of life (or chicken broth when not in season)
1 can sweet corn, drain the sugar water (you can cut the kernels from a fresh ear of corn if you can't get good canned corn)
5 mushrooms. Gather these from local woods. Take no heed of which kind, all mushrooms are alike.
1 bell pepper.
3 carrots.
A large potato or two. A potatoe or two if you are a Republican.
1 cup of white wine. (Red wine if you are pedantic)
Add some fairy dust, or to curry favor, favor curry.

Sear the unicorn. Cut the vegetables. Put everything into the crackpot and leave on high heat all day.

Just because some poor sod suggested a method for creating free energy or he thinks that science is wrong, doesn't mean you have to shove some soup into some orifice of his body and then leave to bake while you go to work.

 

[lisab]

I bought a nice Italian sausage, mushrooms, and asparagus tonight for dinner. It *looked* delicious, but my first bite of asparagus was full of grit! Yes, I washed it before cooking it -- apparently not nearly enough, though. The grit got into the mushrooms, too. .

Only the sausage was edible.

Grrrrr !