Adventures with Transglutaminase

[whifflechef]

Meat glue is a great use in a small kitchen with no fancy equipment. The shelf life info, i've had mine for almost a year and a half open and stored in the freezer light protected, is not as accurate as ajimoto states. It still works every time I use it.

The key depending on which type you use is pressure. For the red, I can't remember the initials TM I think, just dust protien and either cryovac(food saver) or wrap tightly and place under weights overnight. For the slurry, orange label TS, I have found that it clumps easily with hot or cold water and to use just enough to enable it to liquefy with an immersion blender works very well without increasing the % of TG.

We did a totally boned out turduken with the chicken being made into sausage,glued it all together into a big roll, cryovac it and sous vide(steam table with a thremometer), sliced and finished on the grill last year, went over really well. If the item gets to hot, 130 to 140 the TG will start to break down.

We also did a 100% super crabby crab cake. Not the same success as the turduken. We could get the crab to stick and shape it any way we wanted but we could never get it to be warm and have a great mouthfeel at the same time. Tried many times with different % and both types of TG.

We did make a pasta sheet with chicken rolled out paper thin. Great cooked perfectly but if overcooked by any means texture becomes really chewy.

[BryanZ]

To make a slurry, how much water is used per gram of TG?

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I'm not entirely sure. I took about 1% by weight of the meat I was cooking and just moistened it with water until it "looked right." It worked, and I think the slurry method is easier and ensures better coverage than the dry sprinkle.

[whifflechef]

The method is dependant on which type of TG you have. For the sprinkle we pour some in a pie tin and roll the meat in it to ensure coverage. We also cover both sides that we are binding.

Same results with the slurry

[fryguy]

To make a slurry, how much water is used per gram of TG?

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I'm not entirely sure. I took about 1% by weight of the meat I was cooking and just moistened it with water until it "looked right." It worked, and I think the slurry method is easier and ensures better coverage than the dry sprinkle.

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I emailed the folks at Ajinomoto, and the correct ratio for a slurry is 4x the weight of TG in water.

[whifflechef]

They're using that ratio for huge industrial portions. When you break it down in a small restaurant the amount TG used to the amount of water is barely enough to enable proper mixing. I've been eyeballing it with just enough to mix well and have had no problems. I've also tried flavored liquids and they will work as long as their is no acid in them. Denatures bonding efficiency.

[chefjancris]

got my package recently of transglutaminase, did a quick experiment, and was thinking of what i could do with it. came up with the ever famous shrimp noodles and came out with this...

Edited July 20, 2006 by chefjancris (log)

[BryanZ]

This reminds me, I forgot to post my version of shrimp noodles I made just a little while back.

Shrimp "noodles," tomato-horseradish emulsion, nori strips

And a burger of USDA Prime ribeye, bound with TG, from way back.

Nothing new under the sun here, just a practical application.

chefjancris, I'm wondering what you used to extrude the noodles. A nice dish but they look a little thick to me. My problem is finding some way to easily extrude thin, delicate noodles.

In general I've found TG to be a good but not great product. Granted, this probably has a lot to do with my lack of skill (haven't tried to make meat spaetzle or cous cous yet). It hasn't quite changed the way I cook the way I thought it would. It's still cool, though.

[s_sevilla]

An idea to further modify and alter the texture of meats, etc.:

you could try and use some papain, a common tenderizer, to break down the protein structure of whatever you are working with, then add a protease inhibitor to stop the reaction from continuing much further before modifying the structure again with the TG, perhaps this would create a smoother final product?, maybe if you found something that would attack and break down the cellulose and other fibers in red meat one could even make a beef noodle as well.

[s_sevilla]

An idea to further modify and alter the texture of meats, etc.:

you could try and use some papain, a common tenderizer, to break down the protein structure of whatever you are working with, then add a protease inhibitor to stop the reaction from continuing much further before modifying the structure again with the TG, perhaps this would create a smoother final product?, maybe if you found something that would attack and break down the cellulose and other fibers in red meat one could even make a beef noodle as well.

[s_sevilla]

Sorry about the double post, my browser went on the fritz and I hit the submit button a few times.

anyway, for some reason that steakburger just brings back all these repressed memories of the infamous McRib sandwich.

Edited July 21, 2006 by s_sevilla (log)

[chefjancris]

This reminds me, I forgot to post my version of shrimp noodles I made just a little while back.

Shrimp "noodles," tomato-horseradish emulsion, nori strips

And a burger of USDA Prime ribeye, bound with TG, from way back.

Nothing new under the sun here, just a practical application.

chefjancris, I'm wondering what you used to extrude the noodles.  A nice dish but they look a little thick to me.  My problem is finding some way to easily extrude thin, delicate noodles.

In general I've found TG to be a good but not great product.  Granted, this probably has a lot to do with my lack of skill (haven't tried to make meat spaetzle or cous cous yet).  It hasn't quite changed the way I cook the way I thought it would.  It's still cool, though.

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i was out of choice for equipments when i made that thing and settled on that is a marinade injector, you know those plastic ones? anyways hence the name for "udon." the trick really for getting a fine texture in your noodles is basically to pass it to a fine sive. i.e. a tamis and the most impotant part is to extrude it below the water line, that will prevent it from becoming deformed. with the mixture, i just used pure shrimp, some salt and TG. no additional water

before i also tried making one with fish and scallops, WITHOUT the TG and here what it looked like:

also one made from tiger prawns also without TG. looks kinda "wormy" i didn't pass it through a tamis... well, my bad. hehe.

and as for the cous cous, here's my take with squid instead

[BryanZ]

i was out of choice for equipments when i made that thing and settled on that is a marinade injector, you know those plastic ones? anyways hence the name for "udon." the trick really for getting a fine texture in your noodles is basically to pass it to a fine sive. i.e. a tamis and the most impotant part is to extrude it below the water line, that will prevent it from becoming deformed. with the mixture, i just used pure shrimp, some salt and TG. no additional water

Great post jancris. I have some questions and comments.

By the way, I've thought of using a marinade injector, too, but I've got my own home-made shiboriki-type aparatus. Anyway, my problem is that it seems to set up really fast once the TG is mixed in and becomes almost gluey. This makes it seem like passing through the tamis would be very difficult. I've heard Wylie say the same thing, and I don't think he passes it through the tamis based on a couple of my experiences with his product. What if we added more water or liquid to the paste either before or after tamis-ing? Would this make them smoother still?

before i also tried making one with fish and scallops, WITHOUT the TG and here what it looked like:

Are you using any other kind of binder, like egg whites? Do they set up on their own? Are you still passing through the tamis?

and as for the cous cous, here's my take with squid instead

How do you do that?? I haven't had the shrimp cous cous at wd~50.

Edited July 21, 2006 by BryanZ (log)

[BryanZ]

one could even make a beef noodle as well.

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A very interesting idea, though I'm not entirely sure what the end product would be beyond the theoretical description you provide.

Beef noodles have been made before, though from what I've heard, they're not spectacular.

[Shalmanese]

based on what I remember from ICA, doesnt he pass it through a tamis before adding the tg?

[BryanZ]

Shoot, I may have been proven incorrect. I think you're right; good catch.

[chefjancris]

Shoot, I may have been proven incorrect.  I think you're right; good catch.

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what ratio are you using the TG? i think the idea here is to work fast since if your add in the TG after it had been passed through a tamis it would be very hard to fully incorporate the product. and as what he told me, i did it exactly the way he told me to.

for the other noodles, the one with shrimp i used egg whites and cornstarch and some water to get it flowing a little bit while the one with the fish i used egg whites and rice flour, the texture ain't quite as nice though, you don't get the chewiness you get from the shrimp.

and yes the one with the fish i did pass it through a tamis.

Edited July 22, 2006 by chefjancris (log)

[BryanZ]

Cous cous? Please.

[bunny]

did we ever find out how to make the cous cous.

[bunny]

cous cous

no one knows how

[taurusliuwen]

I know another TG manufacturer:Kinry company,they produce Biobond TG, it can bring the same effect but the price being much lower.If interested,you guys can contact Email:transglutaminase@live.cn

[FoodMan]

What is the Transglutaminase "shelf-life". At L'epicerie they ask for it to be stored in the freezer and used ASAP after the package is opened. So if I by a couple of pounds can I store any unused in the freezer and go through it in a matter of a year or so? Or do I only have weeks??

[Tri2Cook]

So if I by a couple of pounds can I store any unused in the freezer and go through it in a matter of a year or so? Or do I only have weeks??

I was discussing (via email) this very subject with Chad Galiano from the Chadzilla blog back in June. I knew they were using a lot more of it than I do so I asked him what they were seeing for shelf life and what tricks they were using to maximize it (if any). This was his reply...

My best answer is about 2 months if all conditions are ideal. When we open a bag, I plan ahead to have all of my plastic bags lined up and labelled. I cut the bag, weigh out 50g amounts to go into each bag, vacuum seal all of them, and go straight to the freezer. Honestly, I have never gone through an entire 1Kg without throwing some out.

I've been doing it that way since and I've found it to be a pretty accurate timeframe with both GS and RM. It sucks having to throw it away since it's not particularly cheap but, unless you have a lot of projects in mind, you just have to expect it and try not to worry over it.

[demo5]

Does anyone know if you can use meat glue to bind together chicken skins?

Thanks

[Tri2Cook]

Does anyone know if you can use meat glue to bind together chicken skins?

Thanks

Yes.

[Broken English]

I have been having a little trouble binding meat to the same level as some of the posts I've seen on here, is it simply a matter of using more TG, or less?

I've not tried it for anything more ambitious than binding together a rolled stuffed roast lamb saddle, but I found I had to tie it anyway. I just sprinkle a fine dust on, brush excess off with a brush, roll in cling film and refrigerate for 4-6 hours. It sort of binds, but not to the level I was expecting. Is there a technique I'm missing out on here?