tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post6099821371669333818..comments2024-03-27T20:45:01.098-04:00Comments on Beyond Salmon: Trying out some new salt ideasHelenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271344371852988017noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-18818090310055324232012-03-09T17:10:31.677-05:002012-03-09T17:10:31.677-05:00Anonymous,
So much good info! Thank you. Had n...Anonymous, <br /><br />So much good info! Thank you. Had no idea salinity meters are so affordable. Myhrvold's idea of a long soak in a weak salt solution is intriguing. I wonder what are some side effects of that. Does the poultry skin brown as nicely? Does the protein lose any flavor? Is it safe to keep a whole chicken in the solution for weeks? Also, not sure how practical all this is. My problem is not that I can't season perfectly, but that I can't season perfectly AND conveniently :) Though it seems to be way less of a problem at home than in restaurants. I find restaurant seasoning all over the place. I wish I could order some percentage of salt the way I order doneness. For example, I'd like that steak medium-rare with 0.8% salt by weight. <br /><br />Cheers,<br />-HelenHelenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12271344371852988017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-55626196854666434902012-03-08T15:29:10.470-05:002012-03-08T15:29:10.470-05:00There is a way to get a known concentration of sal...There is a way to get a known concentration of salt, at least in small pieces of meat or fish. This idea is from Modernist Cooking. Take your item and water, weigh them together, then put enough salt in the brine to bring to concentration in the total weight to your desired goal (say 0.5%). After enough time has passed the solution is at equilibrium so the salt concentration in the item must be at the desired value. The beauty of this approach is you can't over-brine, the way you can with a 6% brine solution; no matter how long the item is left in the brine the concentration inside it cannot exceed your desired value, no lab test required. The problem can happen on the other side, under-brining, if the piece is not left in long enough. For smaller items he suggests a day or two is long enough, but for large items like an entire bird he says it might actually be weeks for the diffusion to finish. <br /><br />As far as lab testing, you can approximate it at home with a salinity meter such as those used for aquariums (around $100 or so). If you know the weights of the item and water, you can dump in a weight of salt and then calculate what the water salinity must be when the desired weight of salt has entered the meat.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-92139349008814791752012-03-08T14:29:24.650-05:002012-03-08T14:29:24.650-05:00Hi Teri,
I haven't read Kurlansky's book ...Hi Teri,<br /><br />I haven't read Kurlansky's book yet. Everyone always mentions it when the salt conversion comes up. From the description and reviews of it on amazon, it sounds like it's mostly the history of salt. What I want is the some studies on the taste perception of salt. I guess that falls into the realm of psychology and physiology. Does he cover any of that in the book? If so, I'll try to get it.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />-HelenHelenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12271344371852988017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-43431933332783591792012-03-08T14:05:28.759-05:002012-03-08T14:05:28.759-05:00Interesting. I have several types of salt that I ...Interesting. I have several types of salt that I am going to do taste tests on. If nothing else... I'll have fun! Have you read "Salt: A World History" by Mark Kurlansky? Fascinating, as is his book "Cod".Terihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03032627674570787885noreply@blogger.com