Yogesh Singh

  Brines, Cures & Marinades   Brines, Cures & Marinades A marinade is a seasoned liquid with various aromatics in which meat, poultry, game and even vegetables are steeped.   Marinades are made up of the following components:   1. Oil – could be olive, peanut, salad or plain refined oil. Flavored oils such as garlic oil, chilli oil and herb flavored oil can also be used. The oil in the marinade helps to prevent moisture loss.   2. Acid – A whole range of acid products can be added into the marinade. Citrus fruits, vinegars (plain and flavored), lemon juice, yogurt, red and white wine are generally used.   3. Aromatics – such as herbs, spices, proprietary sauces.   4. Seasoning – primarily salt, sea salt, black salt, garlic salt, rock salt and grain salt.   The function of a marinade is ·          To add flavour and taste to the food. ·          To act as a tenderizer and break down the connective tissue (this is done by the acid in the marinade. ·    

                                                          MEAT & POULTRY Excerpts from Book:  "Principles of Food Production Operations". Introduction Meat is the muscle tissue or simply a flesh of animal domesticated by human beings like cattle, hog, sheep etc. or flesh of wild animal hunted such as deer.It is a general term widely used for the flesh consumed by human beings; be it of animal, poultry or game birds etc. It not only includes the muscle tissue but it even covers the internal organ meats such as liver, kidney, tongue, intestine, brains etc. The term meat is closely associated with the term mate , meaning friend with whom you share the food. In earlier context, the term meat means in general, the solid food and not the beverages.   During the periods of antiquity, our ancestors relied heavily and survived on plants foods about twenty lakhs years ago. But the decreasing vegetation during that time, forced then to scavenge the animal carcasses and obtai

         Ham, Bacon & Gammon Ham Ham is the cured hind leg of a pig, smoked or salted and smoked to preserve it. Ham that are dry salted has the best flavour and are the most tender but other hams are plunged straight into brine, or cured in a way that combines both methods. Curing time can as long as 2 months. Salt used for curing is usually mixed with sugar an assortment of spices, particularly pepper and with nutritive preservatives that add Pink colour and protect meat from botulism toxins. The feed given to the Pig affects the taste of ham, the peanuts of virgin, and the peaches of Georgia; all contribute to flavour & texture. After salting the ham may be smoked over fragrant woods such as apple, beech and hickory, then it is left to age for 3 months to 2 years. The atmosphere must be cool and dry, many famous ham’s are cured in mountain regions. A cured ham (often called a Country or home cured ham) may weigh as much as 20 lb but small or medium hams up to 15 lb are les