Trying to puree meat

[Susanwusan]

Hi.  Whenever I try to puree chicken, it isn't smooth, there's a graininess to it.  Is there a trick to making it smooth without adding a starch?

[Dave the Cook]

You can't really get rid of the graininess, but you can hide it. I'd try something in the fat category. My first choice would be heavy cream.

[Maison Rustique]

I've never tried to grind it, but what if you pureed it while raw, then gently cooked and re-ground? Seems like it might take some of the graininess out.

[Paul Bacino]

Try running it through/over a tamis sieve,  with like a cake scraper.   Its a fine mesh screen

[heidih]

My question is what are you trying to make/acheivein terms of a dish?

[Susanwusan]

  On 11/16/2023 at 1:51 AM, Dave the Cook said:

You can't really get rid of the graininess, but you can hide it. I'd try something in the fat category. My first choice would be heavy cream.

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Or chicken skin?

 

[Susanwusan]

  On 11/16/2023 at 1:46 PM, Maison Rustique said:

I've never tried to grind it, but what if you pureed it while raw, then gently cooked and re-ground? Seems like it might take some of the graininess out.

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Possibly, like in a Thermomix, it can cook and blend at the same time?

[Susanwusan]

  On 11/16/2023 at 3:17 PM, Paul Bacino said:

Try running it through/over a tamis sieve,  with like a cake scraper.   Its a fine mesh screen

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I think this would still result in teeny particles causing the graininess.

[Susanwusan]

  On 11/16/2023 at 5:22 PM, heidih said:

My question is what are you trying to make/acheivein terms of a dish?

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Literally a puree, a smooth moist paste, nothing special otherwise.

[Duvel]

What do you intend to do with said puree ? I assume you don’t consume it raw, so when do you encounter the „graininess“ ? It is a visual thing or a mouth-feel thing and if the latter, what is the final product in which you feel the graininess ?

[Duvel]

  On 11/17/2023 at 5:59 AM, Susanwusan said:

Literally a puree, a smooth moist paste, nothing special otherwise.

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Chicken shake ?!

[Kerry Beal]

Sounds like you need a Pacojet. 

 

Chicken farce

[Duvel]

Or use chicken liver instead of chicken breast - healthier, too (mmmmh, vitamin B12 😉)

[gilbertlevine]

Sous vide the chix breast @ 145 degrees F then purée 

[Susanwusan]

  On 11/17/2023 at 10:50 AM, Kerry Beal said:

Sounds like you need a Pacojet. 

 

Chicken farce

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That looks brill.  How much would something like that cost?  A quick look doesn't show prices.

[Susanwusan]

  On 11/17/2023 at 2:21 PM, gilbertlevine said:

Sous vide the chix breast @ 145 degrees F then purée 

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That bit of equipment was on the cards a while ago.  It might be time to bring it up again.

[Susanwusan]

  On 11/17/2023 at 6:39 AM, Duvel said:

What do you intend to do with said puree ? I assume you don’t consume it raw, so when do you encounter the „graininess“ ? It is a visual thing or a mouth-feel thing and if the latter, what is the final product in which you feel the graininess ?

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It's to do with mouth-feel really, but also it would look nicer as it normally has a split sort of look. 

[TdeV]

Two pieces of equipment recommended in one thread. Amazing. eGulleters are such enablers!

[gilbertlevine]

  On 11/18/2023 at 12:58 PM, Susanwusan said:

That looks brill.  How much would something like that cost?  A quick look doesn't show prices.

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  On 11/17/2023 at 10:50 AM, Kerry Beal said:

Sounds like you need a Pacojet. 

 

Chicken farce

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Do you think that it could be done with the ninja creami ?

[Kerry Beal]

  On 11/18/2023 at 1:36 PM, gilbertlevine said:

 

Do you think that it could be done with the ninja creami ?

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Quite likely - if you look on the creami thread, I think I might have shown making pate in it - that or somebody else did

[blue_dolphin]

  On 11/18/2023 at 1:36 PM, gilbertlevine said:

 

Do you think that it could be done with the ninja creami ?

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  On 11/18/2023 at 1:55 PM, Kerry Beal said:

Quite likely - if you look on the creami thread, I think I might have shown making pate in it - that or somebody else did

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I think it could be done. I made a chicken liver pate in the Creami following a PacoJet recipe. The liver went in the blender before freezing with chunks of butter. Then it took a couple of spins, first from frozen to pulverize everything. The second spin was at 60°F to emulsify it. 

 

Edited to add that obviously meat is doing to have tougher connective tissue than liver but I still think it's worth a try.  I'd definitely try it if I wanted to make a scallop or shellfish mousse and chicken might need one more spin.  Here's a PacoJet recipe for a chicken mousse. 

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2023 by blue_dolphin (log)

[Duvel]

  On 11/18/2023 at 1:03 PM, Susanwusan said:

It's to do with mouth-feel really, but also it would look nicer as it normally has a split sort of look. 

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Please consider posting a picture of your dish - I imagine steamed broccoli with chicken purée dressing …

[Kerry Beal]

  On 11/18/2023 at 12:58 PM, Susanwusan said:

That looks brill.  How much would something like that cost?  A quick look doesn't show prices.

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About eight grand I think that’s Canadian, of course.

Edited November 18, 2023 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Dave the Cook]

  On 11/18/2023 at 12:58 PM, Susanwusan said:

That looks brill.  How much would something like that cost?  A quick look doesn't show prices.

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IIRC, the original is US$4500 - 5000. V2 was about eight grand. It seems like I recently heard about a new version, PacoJet 4, which cost slightly less, like US$7000 - 7500?

[blue_dolphin]

  On 11/18/2023 at 8:36 PM, Dave the Cook said:

 

IIRC, the original is US$4500 - 5000. V2 was about eight grand. It seems like I recently heard about a new version, PacoJet 4, which cost slightly less, like US$7000 - 7500?

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Yeah, Modernist Pantry has a price of US$7299.00 for the PacoJet 4 but darn, it’s out of stock!