jmolinari

cookingkid, in my last batch i mixed 0.5g of m-ek-4 with 20g water. Let it sit 12 hours, then mixed that with 150g water. Let it sit another 30 mins, and sprayed.

There are a couple of issues with your statement. 1) Bacteria is killed by a combination of time and temperature, not temperature alone. Cooking a chicken breast at 140 for 1 hour is just as safe as cooking it to 212. 2) Many bacteria, including one of the deadliest (botulism) is anaerobic, meaning instead of "choking" the microorganism to death, you're actually making it quite hospitable. I'm sure many people here don't mind answering questions, but making statements like this one, and the one categorically stating that somehow the vacuum pulled by a foodsaver machine makes cooking sous vide with it unsafe, demonstrate little understanding of the topic and little effort of research in this thread. I know for sure that the time/temperature issue has been covered MANY times by our resident expert NathanM. jason

That's an interesting statement. Do you have any data to back this up? ← Yes, check your FoodSaver manual, it'd would tell you the pressure range for your particular model. A good indicator is freezer burns: if you see them - there is no vacuum. ← What i mean is do you have data indicating that using a foodsaver instead of a chamber machine is inherently UNSAFE. On top of that, i've had steaks in the freeze for over a year, and there is no freezer burn whatsoever.

That's an interesting statement. Do you have any data to back this up?

even 4-5% salt sounds high to me. I normally use about 3.5-4%.

heh, i had to use a red brick tile and a chain to keep my lardo weighed down:)

I think i also added a touch of cure #2....

Based on the weights, your the amount of salt% in the finished product would be around 13%. This is assuming that the 3 months would equate to "equilibrium"(the salt % in the brine and the meat would be the same).( 300g salt to 2300g of total weight). The same as if you added 13% salt into a ground meat recipe.And Probably 4%more than a country ham. I don't know if fat comes to "equilibrium" like meat does..And the very thin sliceing would make a difference as well. If your product is ok at that level I will proceed , and report back. I just wasn't sure if that was to much salt...Thanks for the help, Again!You are a great resource,and your blog is very interesting as well!... Bud ← I'm not sure if fat reaches equilibrium. But my version with 30% brine WAS too salty (not inedibly so, just too salty. It was still excellent on a piece of nice plain bread). I have to try soaking the chunk that is left in cold water overnight. Glad you enjoy the blog.

qrn, i'm not really sure what you mean by "residual salt". I just go for a 30% brine solution. When you eat it, if it is too salty, soak in cold water for 24 hours for every kg of lardo. Serve sliced very thin on warm crusty bread with some black pepper.

Yesterday i made a huge amount of stock, and did a very interesting experiment. I make my stock saltless so i can use it in sauces and whatnot. So, i took some stock, added salt to taste, and tasted it. Yummy! Added salt and about the same amount of MSG to another portion, even YUMMIER! In fact much better. It tastes richer and chickenier, just better. You should do this small experiment. You'll be convinced.

The amount of dextrose will affect the ultimate tang, and pH. Different bacteria are supposed to taste different, but i haven't verified that yet. I have all 4 types now in my freezer, and i'm planning on doing a test soon. There is a minimum amount listed in Bertolli's book to be safe. He lists this as 0.5% of the raw weight of the fat and meat.

Sorry to dig this quote so far out of the archives, but this seems like a fundamental principle that isn't quite clear to me and I'm trying to sort it out. In general, I feel like I have the basic grasp of using nitrites as a preventative measure against botulism. Ruhlman also advocates using nitrites to affect flavor, so it seems that there may be times when you may want to add them even though they may not be necessary for safety (corned beef is a prime example). Using nitrates in ground meat products also makes sense, as the "time release" effect ensures safety over prolonged aging periods. But I get confused when it comes to whole muscles. Ruhlman states above that neither nitrites nor nitrates are needed, as the conditions for botulism toxin development are not present. However, in the book, the Brasaola recipe calls for cure #2 (nitrites and nitrates), which seems to be unnecessary, unless it is being added for flavor only. If this is the case though, why wouldn't you just use cure #1? In contrast, the guanciale cure in the (updated) book calls for ordinary kosher salt only, although the directions state that cure #1 can be added for flavor if desired. Both of these are aged for the same amount of time, 3 weeks. Upthread, jmolinari also mentioned using cure #2 in his bresaola. But his method involves stuffing the bresaola into a casing. Perhaps in this case, the use of cure #2 is necessary for safety as the surface is not in direct contact with the outside air (oxygen) during its long aging time. Anyone have any thoughts to help clarify appropriate use of these curing agents beyond what's already been said? Thanks! ← I guess if one were to agree that cure #2 isn't strictly necessary for whole muscles, then one could argue that it is used for flavor and color preservation. Casings are air permeable, so it wouldn't make a difference as far as oxygen contact.

Fisher is well known in the lab equipment area.

thanks, i'll try it.

Thanks for the recipe. If i just want to soak them in soy/sugar, do you know the approximate ratio?

I've had these TINY (1/4-1/2") dried anchovies in a number of japanese bento dishes, as well as some korean ones. I've purchased them, and eaten them, but whenever i have them at home they don't taste the same. The ones i've had always seem to have a very light coating of something, maybe very slightly sweet and salty, but they're still chewy. Anyone know how to prepare them this way? thanks jason

Blais is at Elevation in Kennesaw

Allan, i've noticed this on mine as well...not sure what causes it. Its just a very light coating..not thick at all, just like a white dusting

I tried the exact same setup, except that instead of a PID i used an on/off temperature controller. It worked quite well. If i remember, it had the least overshoot if i set the hotplate to minimum. Remember you'll have to retune the PID if you change the volume of water, the pot or the hotplate setting, so try to keep everything the same every time.

You can tell when phosphates have been added to ham too, as it has a rubbery texture. My dad used to joke that the ham would bounce like a super ball if you dropped it!

I had my parents bring me the "essenza di senape" from Italy a few years ago as i was going to make mostarda. It has to be bought in pharmacies as a number of people have said, but i do not believe it is an oil, in fact, mine evaporated. Basically i thikn you need to have someone get it for you from Italy.

salt solution works, but very slowly.

A fan would just recirculate the humid air, but the movement might also prevent mold from forming on the food. As far as brushing it off and eating, it looks nice and white, and fairly benign. But that's just my opinion.

I'll keep the board up to date on my experiments. I think i'll sous vide at 145 for about 3-5 hours. I'll use a boneless 1/2 turkey breast as a start. I'm going to have to freeze the syrup and honey so i don't suck it out of the bag.

I think i'll sous vide it with honey and maple syrup..we'll see what comes out!