dougal
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Posts posted by dougal
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Gordons changed its strength a few years ago in response to a duty increase
Gordon's has been 80 proof in the US for as long as I can remember, and continues to be 80 proof here. Is it lower than 80 proof in the UK now, or you mean that they reduced the proof in the UK down to 80 proof from something higher? I know that historically Gordon's had a fairly high proof, but I thought it was reduced in strength considerably more than "a few years ago."
It is interesting to see how certain gin brands vay in proof by location, presumably due to various tax laws. ...
In the UK, nowadays, Gordons is 37.5% abv (US 75% proof). I believe that is also the case for their normal product throughout Europe.
It used to be 40% abv, (80 US proof), but no more, as Jackal10 said, and I explained.
It is however still sold in green glass bottles when UK tax-paid.
Strangely enough, all the Gordons bottles here are clear glass, and I do actually have a couple of 1 litre bottles of Gordon's that are labelled as 47.5% abv ( = 95 US proof). All the labels have the same design as the equivalent 37.5% product, except for that critical number!
Its important to keep your eyes open and read the small print! Especially when shopping in international airport duty-free shops. The products offered there may well be rather different to the product sold outside the airport (at both ends of your journey!)
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I made a gimlet the other day and it had, to me, an unpleasantly strong alcohol burn. I looked on the bottle -- I had used Bombay Sapphire -- and it said it was 94 proof. Then I looked at a bottle of Gordon's gin, which is what I'd used the time before, and it was 80 proof. It seems there's a significant variation in alcohol content among brands.
What's the deal with all this variation? ...
One data point for you is that, here in the UK, tax considerations have resulted in 37.5% alcohol by volume becoming much more common than the traditional 40%.
This tax is high - perhaps 3/4 of the retail cost of a bottle of spirits.
And the tax on spirits is (largely) based on the amount of pure alcohol in the bottle. (There's a price-based sales tax ("VAT") in there as well.)
So there's been a powerful economic argument for quietly making spirits weaker ...
Plymouth Original is still at 41.8% abv, with some 'duty-free shops' getting 47%.
But Plymouth Navy Strength is 57% abv ... rather different to the typical 37.5%!
And BTW, your US 'proof' measurements convert differently into % alcohol by volume (abv) as compared to the (no longer used) UK proof numbers.
The % abv value is required to be pretty overt on the bottle label, not that everyone notices it, though.
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Excellent news from the Recovery Room!
However, I remain utterly convinced that these dagger-style knives like the Oxo
http://www.oxo.com/OA_HTML/xxoxo_ibeCCtpOX....jsp?item=47722
are an accident waiting to happen - particularly for beginners.
I have one something like that in the drawer, and choose not to use it.
While I can't offer a source for the French knife I prefer, it is very similar in style to an offering from Victorinox.
http://www.allianceonline.co.uk/restaurant...d-lvok0010.html
Forschner do seem to offer it in the US, --but-- they also offer the dagger style (which seems to be associated with various New England placenames).
The really short blade, combined with the finger-guard, greatly limits the distance a skidding blade can go, and the damage it could do.
Being SAFER, I think that makes the guarded style particularly valuable to the novice oyster-shucker.
For those within reach of a branch of Waitrose, they were offering such a style of knife (on the fish counter) for just £4.95 ... (maybe worth asking if its not on view). Cheaply made with a metal handle, but absolutely all you need to start with. (Apart from some dishcloths and the oysters!) And their oysters (especially when reduced below 55p) are very nice indeed.
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It turns out that they DO have a US Distributor (indeed based in Winchester, MA ), Seeds FROM Italy (whereas the UK operation is Seeds OF Italy) operating a different website : http://www.growitalian.com/ albeit with a bit of confusion over whether its now 2007, 8 or 9 ...
Whatever, the Franchi seeds are excellent.
Welcome to Seeds from Italy. We are the U.S. mail order distributor for Franchi Sementi spa of Bergamo, Italy, Italian seedsmen since 1783. Our Italian Vegetable seeds are traditional Italian varieties, chosen by discriminating Italian cooks over the years. All come with our no nonsense unconditional guarantee-if you are not satisfied for any reason, will will give you a complete refund.So - no need to worry about US Import admin !
ADDED - there are other operations in other territories (this from the UK 'Contact Us' page)
In the EC - www.seedsofitaly.com
In the USA - www.growitalian.com
In Australia - www.theitaliangardener.com.au
In Belgium - www.kitchengarden.be
In New Zealand - www.italianseedspronto.co.nz
In France - www.semenceitalie.com
InScandinavia - www.gourmetgarage.dk
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Regarding the humidity, it does seem to be beneficial to avoid allowing it to go excessively high.
However, that applies to conditions very near indeed to the sausage casing -- not just to wherever the chamber sensor happens to be!
Therefore some air movement (just a little) has to be beneficial, to even out the humidity throughout the chamber.
Randomness and change of airflow direction would be needed to prevent establishment of regular flow patterns, which could consolidate humidity differences rather than removing them!
The Marianski's prescribe different airflow speeds at different stages of the sausage cure, but I think that may be more to do with the rate at which the sausages are shedding moisture, rather than direct consideration of the microflora.
If one was being really serious about surface moulds, I suppose one could begin by irradiating the outside of the sausage(s) with UV light, to knock back the inevitable collection of environmental moulds, and only after that, inoculate the surface with a desirable mould culture.
UV would have the advantage of not leaving an anti-fungal residue to impede the desired culture establishing itself.
Regarding the action of 'good' moulds to combat 'bad' ones, one very relevant paper would seem to be
Molds as Protective Cultures for Raw Dry Sausages (published 1994 and 1995)
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iafp...000010/art00017
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iafp...000007/art00019
So, could Camembert rind not merely be good, but could it actually be the ideal inoculum for a 'good' sausage casing culture ?Abstract:Mold strains T11 and T19 belonging to Penicillium camemberti and N1 of Penicillium nalgiovensis were used as protective cultures for production of raw dry sausages. Their use completely eliminated the growth of undesirable molds, originating from the natural house mycoflora, which often produce mycotoxins and lead to several other defects. Potassium sorbate (KS), an antifungal agent, was also tested for protecting sausages against the growth of molds but its effect was short lived. The use of T11, T19 and N1 mold strains also improved the organoleptic qualities of the sausages.
Has anyone got access to the experimental detail in this paper? (For example, did they use the Camemberti and Nagiovensis alone or only together?)
Regarding washing off bad moulds. I can see some advantage in using an acidified wash to discourage some of those 'bad' moulds returning. But some bad ones are fairly acid-tolerant, so its not a magic bullet.
I have no idea what the fungal effect of rubbing down with olive oil might be. It may just add a flavour to conceal any trace of 'mouldiness'!
I recall reading that some moulds can send 'long' filaments 'deep' into their food substrates.
I'm not at all sure how true that might be.
It could easily be the case that any such filaments are merely 'long' in comparison to the microscopic mould fungi, rather than meaning 'longer than half an inch'.
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The money quote from the abstract of the Iacumin article:From these data it appears that the presence of OTA on the surface of sausage (on the casings) is not indicative of any health risk for human consumption of sausage, since OTA was not identified inside the dry meat.
The Conclusions section puts it just slightly differently ...
Those moulds NEED to be washed off (at least) before eating. They ARE a problem, but the inside of the sausage is fine.
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Thanks Chris - a nice little library research project for the dog-days of August!
...A few choice quotes from that article (Alvarez-Barrea, et al., "Some Factors Influencing Aflatoxin Production in Fermented Sausages." Journal of Food Science 47(6), pp. 1773 - 1775):
...After 6 wk storage at 10°C, no aflatoxins could be detected in any of the samples except for the inoculated-unsmoked sausages held at high relative humidity (89%).This accords with my previous general understanding that 'bad' moulds were favoured by excessive humidity.
... my understanding has been that the hairy moulds are at home in rather higher humidity than is good for the sausage. And hence that they are an indicator that a little more air circulation and a little less humidity could be employed. ... -
http://bib.irb.hr/datoteka/365503.Moulds_a...ry_sausages.pdf
Interesting (pdf) paper.
Northern Italian sausages. 100 artisanal and 60 industrial.
757 different strains of mould identified.
Ochratoxin A ("OTA") was identified in 45% of the samples. (This seems to be the ONLY toxin they were looking for. in this study)
But it was found only on the casing. Not in the filling!
And removed (to undetectability) by simple washing.
Nevertheless (in the conclusions section) "the presence of OTA on the surface of sausage constitutes a health risk when moulds are not removed from the casings."
So start by washing the mould off. (And its maybe better not to eat the skins!)
Anyone with the appropriate subscription access could probably learn much more by going through some of the other papers cited as references ... The Leistner and Comi papers in particular sound relevant.
Hopefully someone here could do a review for the rest of us?
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... what (if anything) do we need to do to reduce the risk of mycotoxin-producing molds to acceptable levels? Has anyone with a mold growth problem considered having the end product tested for toxins?
"Some Factors Influencing Aflatoxin Production in Fermented Sausages"
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal...ETRY=1&SRETRY=0
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By mentioning 'producer-introduced' I was referring to the practice of spraying (or dipping) the sausages with a solution (or rather suspension) of your chosen mould. (Or otherwise transferring it!)
Maybe easiest to refer back to our discussion of (was it really?) a couple of years ago ...
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1210816 (and subsequent postings)
While searching for that, I chanced to find that Bactoferm M-EK-4 (one USA commercial chalky mould) is seemingly now called "Mold 600" and that the Butcher-Packer site requires some sort of download before permitting any access ...
Regarding any relationships between Italian-American meat processors and public authority officials, I really wouldn't know, since I have not watched The Sopranos.
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Aaah, yes, but ...... Look for some place that specializes in seeds that will really grow in the area of the recipient. ...
http://www.seedsofitaly.com/Italy is only partly a Mediterranean country - 3/5ths of it is Alpine too, with the Alps and Dolomites in the North and the Apennines running down the spine. The beautiful city of Torino hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics of course and it reached -30c in Friuli last year!! As a result, some of our varieties are much hardier and love our mild British climate, and some will grow unprotected outside all winter. But just treat our tomatoes (or any of the varieties) the same way you'd treat a similar domestic variety and they will prosper.Should have said earlier - do check the herb and lettuce listings!
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... How can you tell if you've got any bad mold?
Chris, the point is that one can't. Not without a microscope, a lab, etc.
Precise mushroom ID can be hard enough.
I think that moulds generally are pretty well impossible by the naked eye.
Without knowing its safe, the sensible thing is to condemn it.
Because the dangers are real...
There are some interesting illustrations to be found here:
http://www.mycolog.com/chapter20.htm
http://www.mycolog.com/chapter21.htm
Of particular interest are the illustration of the cheese (on the first linked page) with "various species of Penicillium" and (on the second page) the comments above and below the photo of fluorescence (which indicate the risks from A. flavus, and that Penicilliums are not universally benign).
And there's this FAQ
http://www.mycolog.com/molds.htmWhy is mouldy food dangerous?You should not eat mouldy food because it may contain poisonous substances that are produced by the moulds.
Many species of such common moulds as Penicillium and Aspergillus, Alternaria, Fusarium and Cladosporium (blue, green, yellow, pink, red or black moulds) which often grow on bread, cheese, fruit and vegetables, produce these poisons, which are called mycotoxins.
We already know of over 200 kinds of mycotoxin, produced by about 150 different fungi, and more are being discovered every year. Some are toxic at very low doses, and many are heat stable, so you can't get rid of them by cooking the food.
Aflatoxin, produced by a few species of Aspergillus, is the most carcinogenic (cancer-causing) substance known. Ochratoxin, produced by other species of Aspergillus, can cause fatal kidney disease. Don't take a chance -- don't eat mouldy food.
And Mycolog would appear to be an authoritative source ...
http://www.mycolog.com/bryce.html
http://books.google.co.uk/books?as_auth=Br...tional&resnum=4
About the only thing you can say is that if the mould on the sausage is white and matted ('chalky'), that should be OK.
Otherwise - unless you are certain that it comes from good stuff that you the producer introduced - then its a total "don't know" and an unknown chance of significant harm.
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UK Certo contains only water, pectin from apples, a touch of sodium citrate to balance the acidity and a sniff of SO2 as a preservative (like in bottled wine).
Hence it needs to be stored cool, refrigerated after opening, and used within 7 days.
http://www.certo.co.uk/FAQ.htm
The concerned friend might be interested to read this (quite short) piece about the quantities of benzene from sodium benzoate.
http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/about/153
I think there are better (or rather worse) things to worry about.The UK Food Standards Agency has stated that people would need to drink more than 20 litres of a drink containing benzene as an impurity to get the same level of exposure as from the environment. -
I'm not any sort of microbiologist, but my presumption has been that avoiding "hairy moulds" should keep you away from unhealthy organisms. For example, there are some of the Aspergillus group that are definitely not at all good for you - notably A. flavus and A. versicolor.
My mycology has been principally the recognition of good edible wild mushrooms rather than id-ing moulds!
Most people shy away from eating visibly mouldy food (with the possible exceptions of cheese and cured sausage), hence much of the health info relates to the effects of inhaling high concentrations of mould spores.
However, as general advice goes, Nanny saying "Don't eat that, its mouldy", was pretty reasonable.
Its just that there are some specific exceptions ...
While the chalky mould is reputedly nothing but good (even discouraging harmful moulds), there are many others that could 'spoil' the food, overlapping into those that are actually harmful.
Even if there are others that can look fierce and yet be benign.
My supposition would be that the "Pork Store" has developed, over the years, a useful collection of fungal 'helpers' which to a large extent police their own ecosystem. Just one of the benefits of having a tradition!
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I think you folk ought to know about
They are good. Very good indeed.
And, authentically, they close for much of August!
They seem to ship overseas. Seeds are lightweight (for airmail).
And their quantities are pretty generous.
Well worth a look.
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I've taken it that there are many many potential moulds.
And that while nothing that is chalky and white is likely to be detrimental, there were at least some things that were green and hairy that were unwholesome.
Hence by avoiding the hairy green stuff you avoid the potential risk - even if this is at the cost of excessive caution.
Again my understanding has been that the hairy moulds are at home in rather higher humidity than is good for the sausage. And hence that they are an indicator that a little more air circulation and a little less humidity could be employed.
What sort of temperature and humidity was that shop running at? (August, Bronx ... aircon!)
Not too sure about wiping the sausage down with oil ... but vinegar (ie acidity) seems to be commonly employed.
ADDED The chalky mould is supposed to be favoured in acid conditions, hence it being a helpful indicator of the acidity (and hence c. botulinum freedom) of the sausage. (Or the frquency of its vingar rub!)
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Regarding the improvement of temperature control, circulation is important.
Obviously, its important to the uniformity of temperature in the bath.
But beyond that, circulation can facilitate control.
Consider a setup where the water is pumped past a heater, then, a little way along the tube, past the temperature sensor. The controller just has to keep the sensor temperature within a fairly narrow range - and because of the short delay between adjusting the heater and seeing the result at the sensor, the control problem is pretty damn simple.
Sure, the bath temperature (and hence the inlet temperature) will vary as food is added to the bath, but it still stays simple - adjust the heating to keep the circulator exit temperature damn close to the target, and the bath will steadily come back to temperature.
I'm not even convinced that some of the commercial circulators actually have a PID controller.
An accurate temperature measurement (in the outflow), and adequately fine control of the heater power, could potentially obviate the need for the complexity of a PID. And it might explain the reticence of vendors to publicly describe the actual controller!
Its massively harder for a (PID) controller to deal with the significant (and potentially variable) time delays in a system that relies exclusively on natural convection.
Interestingly Fresh Meals Solutions sells a cheap accessory to mount the sensor quite close to the heater -- it seems to be a steamer plate! That should certainly help.
http://freshmealssolutions.com/index.php?p...emart&Itemid=31
Putting pump, heater and sensor in a fairly close-coupled arrangement has to be the way to improve control -- and specifically to reduce overshoot (leading to 'overcooking').
The question remains as to how that can be best achieved, for amateur/domestic use, effectively, easily and economically.
Using an aquarium bubbler is one simple possibility. Especially if the bubbler stone was used in conjunction with the steamer plate sensor locator, and the bubbler was located just above the sensor, to encourage circulation over the sensor.
But what of pumps?
Does anyone know of anything readily available, that is smaller and cheaper (and less potent) than a central heating circulation pump, but which is nevertheless designed to be reasonably durable at temperatures above 50C/125F?
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I have bought this (Combo 4):
http://freshmealssolutions.com/index.php?p...emart&Itemid=26
works great, a friend of mine that is a chef has bought one for his home as well, results are as good as in his restaurant. ...
It looks very nice and I would love to have it, however, by the time I got it up to Canada, with shipping and taxes and exchange, ...
Ummmm.
Fresh Meal Solutions are based in Ontario, Canada, aren't they?
http://freshmealssolutions.com/index.php?o..._id=1&Itemid=34
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The word you need as a search term is "Pullman".
A Pullman tin (with its lid) will give you the flat top (for square sandwiches) and a thin crust.
Use an "enriched dough" (another good search term) for a soft crumb.
If you are enriching with milk, 'scald' (and cool) it first.
You can soften crusts by covering the loaf/rolls with a wet/damp cloth when they come out of the oven. You should get a thinner crust by baking hotter and shorter than by cooler and longer.
Use steam only for the very start of the bake.
Make sure your dough doesn't skin before baking.
Consider using a wash on the dough before baking.
Enough to be going on with?
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...
Basic needs are
a) A kitchen that can be cleaned (hard surfaces, pull out furniture that can be cleaned behind). Most domestic kitchens with built in units fail.
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Hmmmm.
Certainly, the authorities generally do NOT approve of unpainted wooden surfaces. (ADDED: They particularly disapprove of wooden knife blocks ... )
However, the requirement for entirely moveable furniture (for a home baking, rather than butchery, business) might be a matter of local interpretation of the regulations.
Best to check with the Environmental Health Dept of the local authority covering your (potential) premises for a (hopefully) definitive statement on that one.
For example this (relating to B&B establishments, and their "food premises"):
Original at http://www.allerdale.gov.uk/environment-an...tablishmen.aspxInspection topicsThe main food hygiene requirements and topics that the inspecting officer may wish to discuss and will be assessing during a routine food hygiene inspection are:
The kitchen
* All surfaces must be capable of being effectively cleaned.
Domestic kitchen units that are in a good condition are normally of an acceptable standard.
* Carpeting is not recommended for kitchen floors, but where it is used, it must be kept clean and in a good condition. It is strongly recommended that the next time the floor covering is due for replacement an easy to clean (washable) floor surface should be provided.
* It is recommended that food equipment and utensils should not be stored underneath the sink unit due to the potential risk of contamination from waste water.
* Ideally washing machines or tumble dryers should not be located in the kitchen area. If an alternative location cannot be found, then these activities must be carried out at a separate time to any food preparation and the work surface thoroughly cleaned before recommencing food preparation. Dirty laundry must not be stored in the kitchen area.
...
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There is actually plenty of info online!
For example:
http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/environmentalservic...egistration.asp
There is however a theoretical exemption for "food premises" used less than (IIRC) 5 days in any 5 weeks. But that includes storage ...
A private car used for transporting food doesn't count as "food premises" - but a van does!
Generally, registration is required, inspection (frequency) depends on what you are doing.
The Environmental Health people at the local authority should be able to give you full details of their requirements - which will also depend on what you are doing.
However, there's a bunch of other bureaucracy to be aware of. Labelling requirements are policed by Trading Standards.
The Food Standards Agency has published a booklet to assist those starting a food business
http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/startingup0208.pdf which though intended for larger operations should give you a good idea of the regulatory background.
One longer-term consideration is that any part of your home used wholly and exclusively for business doesn't qualify for relief from Capital Gains Tax ... (so be sure to mix some personal stuff into any 'workroom'!)
And when you are looking for a property, do get your lawyer to make sure that there aren't any covenants or other bars to your operating even a 'home' business from there.
Hope that helps and gives you some useful words to put into your chosen search engine (Try Google.co.uk).
Good luck!
PS Beware of 'Business Rates' (annual local business property tax), but don't forget rubbish disposal! Business/domestic are supposed to be distinct, and when it comes to transporting "Trade Waste" ...
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This morning I did not know what Activa is. Now I want to buy some. ...
Since its just a (the?) brand name of Transglutaminase, someone better put the T-word somewhere in the thread so it shows up in searches or gets merged with another Transglutaminase thread
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This link might be of interest to some ...
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The instruction book spoke about "alimentary alcohol" - it means food-safe spirit (cheapest vodka or other spirit).
And it says that you must leave the machine to stabilise for 24 hours before use after it has been "moved'. The Italian pages seemed to say to give it 24 hours after it has been transported or inverted.
I've had no problems using it immediately after moving it gently (and keeping it level) from shelf to worktop.
Like I said, odd translations in the instructions!
Andieseji's Lello seems to be a Simac in the UK. But Pleasant Hill certainly do NOT offer free shipping to the UK - and don't generally sell 240v 50 Hertz/Cycles equipment.
Fridge freezer brands
in United Kingdom & Ireland: Cooking & Baking
Posted
Rather than being concerned with brands, I'd suggest that you look at the energy efficiency labels.
The manufacturers that are more interested in cost saving will tend to be those that make the worse-rated equipment!
The testing is standardised - but the rating is related to the unit's volume capacity. So a big one with an A rating might use more energy than a smaller one with a worse (B, C...) rating.
Above A there is A+ and A++ (which uses 45% less energy than an A).
Having better energy efficiency means that the working parts have less work to do, and so should last (even) longer.
Having separate compressors (and controls) for fridge and freezer helps both energy saving AND performance (holding within the expected temperature range).
Beyond that, its down to capacities, features (very much personal value judgement), style and inevitably, price.
Its machinery. Narrow your choices right down by specifying what it must do. Then select one from the shortlist that looks the way you think it ought to - whether that is chunky/tough or elegant/delicate. I doubt it will surprise you!