Text 23259, 148 rader
Skriven 2007-11-22 12:47:53 av Glen Jamieson
     Kommentar till en text av Jim Weller
Ärende: CORKS   71122
=====================
 -=> Quoting Jim Weller to Glen Jamieson <=-

 GJ> 2    Wine corks
 GJ> addition of the wine corks, which he insists make the tripe smoother
 GJ> and silkier.
 JW> I have also read that wine corks can tenderize octopus but not seen
 JW> an explanation on how it works. I haven't tried it myself.
 JW> Cork also seems to be used for really tough stewing cuts of beef by
 JW> a few people.
 
 GJ> I have no idea how a cork floating on top of the water can have any
 GJ> effect at all on the meat down below.

 JW> The reviews are mixed. Some swear by it; others say nay.

 JW> The alleged benefits might be from tannins or "enzymes" or
 JW> "chemicals" depending on who you listen to.

 JW> I think it all boils down to side by side testing or listening to
 JW> someone with some expertise and credibility who has already done the
 JW> testing. Say, Harold McGee....

 JW> -x-

 JW> Harold McGee
 JW> ChefTalk Guest Join Date: Dec 2005
 JW> Posts: 66
 JW> I haven't been able to track down the origins of the cork as a
 JW> supposed tenderizing agent, but I have done the experiment several
 JW> times. The cork rides at the top of the pot, with maybe a couple of
 JW> square millimeters in contact with the liquid, and in my experience
 JW> makes no difference whatsoever- even when I covered the liquid
 JW> surface with corks.

 JW> Harold

Thanks, Jim, for that bit of information.  It sounds like Mr McGee is a
sort of Food Myth Buster, with his use of a mass of corks (presumably
all secondhand in case something absorbed from the wine was responsible
for the alleged tenderising quality).

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: Choosing Beef
 Categories: Beef, Info
      Yield: 1 Text file
 
 
  First, look at the cut of the beef.  Meat from the part of the animal
  that works the least, i.e. the tenderloin, short loin, top portions
  of the rump, is gonna be more tender than meat from the parts of the
  animal that work a lot, such as the chuck (front shoulder), brisket,
  bottom rump, etc. If you're planning on cooking the meat using a dry
  heat method (broiling or roasting), go for cuts from the tender
  section of the cow. For moist heat methods (braising and stewing),
  meat from the less tender sections is fine, and may be preferable
  because of the additional flavor found in these cuts.
  
  Next look at color.  The nice, red meat you associate with a good
  piece of cow is NOT gonna be particularly good eating.  Ideally, the
  meat should be a darker, less appetizing color, which means that the
  enzymes in the meat have been working a bit, and some aging has taken
  place.
  
  Now, look at the cut of meat itself.  If it looks nice and lean, with
  no fat marbling in the meat itself, forget it.  If you broil meat
  like that, it's gonna be tough as the proverbial boot.  Instead,
  choose the piece that everyone else is rejecting 'cause it has some
  streaks of fat in the middle of the meat, maybe a little more outside
  fat coating than is politically correct.
  
  Also look at the texture of the meat.  All muscle contains two kinds
  of connective fibers, called collagen and elastin.  These fibers
  bundle the individual strands of muscle together, and allow the
  muscle bundles to function.  When exposed to heat, they contract,
  toughen, and make the end product tough.  In dry heat cooking, look
  for a piece of meat with a velvety surface, indicating that these
  bundles are not overly developed.
  
  In moist heat cooking, collagen softens and dissolves, and becomes
  gelatin. Elastin, unfortunately, doesn't do much of anything except
  transform itself into gristle.
  
  Finally, if in any doubt whatsoever as to the overall tenderness of
  the meat, you can resort to treating meat to be broiled with a
  commercial meat tenderizer containing papain.  If you follow the
  directions exactly (more/longer exposure to this enzyme is NOT
  better, and will result in a flabby, disgusting mouthfeel), you can
  get a pretty decent steak out of some fairly unpromising hunks of
  meat.
  
  Another hint, which your nephew Wes learned the hard way the other
  night, is to avoid steaks with strange, butcher-generated names like
  the plague. He dragged home a couple of little beauties with the
  colorful name of "Ranch Steaks" the other night. (I tried to tell him
  not to buy 'em cause they were gonna be tough, but he didn't seem to
  hear me :-)  He tossed his on the grill, chewed, cussed and chewed
  his way through as much of it as he could manage before consigning
  the remainder to the cat.  I treated mine with papain, cooked it very
  rare, and got something that was marginally edible.
  
  Moral to the story:  If the butcher doesn't think it will sell under
  its REAL name (in this case Sirloin Tip, which is a polite way of
  saying Heel of Round), he's gonna give it a fancy handle and mark the
  price up 50 cents a pound, just to see who's gullible enough to buy
  it.
  
  Have to agree with Jeff, though.  The quality of beef has gone WAY
  down recently.  Guess its the move toward leaner, lighter beef that's
  the culprit.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- there's
  NO WAY lean, unmarbled beef is going to even begin to approach the
  succulence and tenderness of the old-fashioned, un-heart healthy
  stuff we grew up on. Personally, I'd rather feast on the real thing a
  couple of times a year than gnaw my way through my regular portion of
  the tasteless, tough junk we're being subjected to these days.
  
  I realize that in a changing world, the production of old-fashioned,
  grain fed beef is ecologically unsound.  In a world with limited
  resources, we just can't devote that much time/grain to feeding a cow
  for my pleasure. But there must be some sort of compromise.
  Personally, I'd rather have a little bit of something REALLY good
  occasionally, than a lot of something mediocre on a regular basis.
  
  I yield the soapbox to the Gentleman from Maryland (or whoever else
  wants to climb on).
  
  Kathy in Bryan, TX
 
MMMMM
 



 JW> Cheers

 JW> YK Jim


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