Science of Cooking March 22, 2018 Smoking, Curing and Preserving First LOX & CONFETTI cured salmon, tomato, onion, caper, salt dried egg yolk, chive, citrus crème Second KIMCHI FRIED RICE fermented Napa cabbage, gochujang, plum, pickled caramelized onion, mung bean sprout, poached egg Third DUCK THREE WAYS smoked breast, confit leg, giblet demi-glace, salt baked potato, pickled blueberry, arugula Dessert ELEPHANT EARS fried dough, cinnamon & sugar, strawberry jalapeno preserves, basil whipped cream The meal will be accompanied by three paired wines, hand-picked by Rustique owner Rob Ittner 1 Science of Cooking March 22, 2018 Curing Terminology • Curing with salt and sugar may be called salting, salt curing, sugar- curing or honey-curing. • Pieces of rock salt used for curing maybe called corns, hence the name corning. • Curing in a water solution or brine is called wet-curing or pickling, or brining. • The curing of fish is sometimes called kippering. Science • Salt or sugar inhibits or stops the growth of microorganisms by drawing water out of the food and inserting salt or sugar, through osmosis. This reduces the free water, necessary for bacterial growth. The salt or sugar also interferes with the microbe’s enzyme activity. • Other beneficial bacteria, for example, the Lactobacillus genus, can grow in slightly saline conditions and generate an acidic environment (around 4.5 pH). • Sugar in the cure is food for the Lactobacilli; generally dextrose is preferred over sucrose, because it seems to be more thoroughly consumed by the bacteria. • This process is a form of fermentation, and, in addition to reducing further the ability of the spoilage bacteria to grow, accounts for the tangy flavor of some cured products. • Most disease-causing bacteria do not grow at salt concentrations of more than 10%, some undesirable bacteria, and molds may survive at up to 20%. • Smoking adds to the surface of an item chemicals that affect the ability of bacteria to grow, inhibit oxidation (and thus rancidity), and improve flavor. • Oxidation of long-chain fatty acids degrades them and produces butyric acid, source of a rancid taste. Lactobacilli act as a preservative ➢ They create lactic acid as a by-product of their digestion, which lowers the pH (more acidic) and preserves (or pickles) the food. ➢ They can survive both in the presence and absence of oxygen ➢ Lactobacilli also make carbon dioxide, which results in the bubbly zing ,and create flavorful compounds 2 Science of Cooking March 22, 2018 baechu kimchi, the variety made from Napa cabbage and typically seasoned with the slightly smoky, coarsely ground red pepper known as gochugaru, plus garlic, ginger, and some kind of fermented or fresh seafood. It's tangy, often spicy, and, appropriately, it gets the most attention: Baechu kimchi can be found in nearly every Korean home or restaurant, and much of the 57 pounds of kimchi reportedly consumed by the average Korean per year is of this variety. Kimchi Fun Facts! • kimchi is derived from the Chinese • Salt in the brine also "opens the characters for "salted vegetables. pores" of the vegetables to absorb Roughly analogous to pickle. the seasoning • Four stages: brining, seasoning, • Kimchi ferments in airtight fermenting, and storing containers, mitigating the risk of • The fermentation environment is contamination by airborne inhospitable to harmful microorganisms microorganisms; encourages growth of • Traditionally, fermentation took place good lactobacillus bacteria in storage pots, called onggi, either • Bacteria convert the natural sugars underground or in the shade. Today into lactic acid, a preservative that is there are kimchi refrigerators that also responsible for kimchi's simulate this environment. 3 distinctive tang SeriousEats.com Science of Cooking March 22, 2018 Fermentation Choganjang is an essential dipping sauce in Korean cuisine. (Cho means “vinegar.” Ganjang means “soy sauce.”) It is served with jeon: Korean savory pancakes and pan-fried breaded beef, beef or vegetables. (e.g., haemul pajeon seafood pancake), buchujeon (garlic chive pancakes), pan-fried breaded fish, pan-fried breaded tofu, pan-fried breaded zucchini, dong-gue-rang-taeng (Korean meatballs)). It’s also used as a dipping sauce for dumplings and eo-muk-guk (fishcake soup). There are many variations of choganjang but the basis is always soy sauce and vinegar. 4 Wikipedia Science of Cooking March 22, 2018 Egg Science Proteins are made of long chains of amino acids. The proteins in an egg white are globular proteins, which means that the long protein molecule is twisted and folded and curled up into a more or less spherical shape. A variety of weak chemical bonds cross-link the long molecules and keep the protein curled up tight. When you apply heat, you agitate those egg-white proteins, and the energy transferred to them begins to break the weak bonds that kept the protein curled up. The egg proteins uncurl and parts of the polymer get into proximity with random parts of the same or other polymers, random bonds form and the strands entangle with others. This entanglement into a gelatinous mass is called coagulation and is not reversible. This is the essence of cooking an egg (and many other protein-rich foods. The water in which the proteins were dissolved may be is captured and held in the protein web or evaporated. If you leave the eggs at a high temperature too long, too many bonds form and the egg white becomes rubbery. Salting egg yolks causes much of the water in the egg to be drawn out through osmosis and some of the salt penetrates the egg. Once rinsed and dried, the result is a denser, remarkably flavorful egg yolk. The salting process can also be applied to whole eggs. 5 Science of Cooking March 22, 2018 Sugars and Caramelization Rough overview of caramelization process 1. Equilibration of anomeric and ring forms 2. Sucrose inversion to fructose and glucose 3. Condensation 4. Intramolecular bonding 5. Isomerization of aldoses to ketoses 6. Dehydration reactions 7. Fragmentation reactions 8. Unsaturated polymer formation http://www.scienceofcooking.com/caramelization.htm 6 Science of Cooking March 22, 2018 Pickling and Fermentation Pickling: preservation by impregnating with acid to discourage growth of most pathogens: • immerse in acid, usually vinegar -- cook vegetables to soft consistency --or soak briefly in brine to draw out moisture that would dilute the vinegar --then immerse in vinegar and spices --examples: sweet & sour pickles, fruit, onions, cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes, and mixtures such as piccalilli, chutney, etc. --bacteria almost totally inactive • add brine to ferment, encouraging growth of acid-producing bacteria --for sauerkraut shred cabbage and salt it to draw liquid from tissues, cover with additional water -- immerse in brine strong enough to prevent growth of undesirable bacteria but weak enough to allow growth and predominace of lactic acid producing species --examples: dill pickles, sauerkraut --salinity of 2.25% is the goal --at 65F to 70F Leuconostoc mesenteroides grows and produces lactic acid and other compounds that contribute to flavor --at acidity of ~1% L. mesenteroides declines and is replaced by Lactobacillus plantarum which takes the acidity to ~ 1.7% (ideal) to 2%. These bacteria are present in the atmosphere. --other techniques begin with vinegar to prevent growth of undesirable bacteria followed by stronger brine --errors in temperature, salt concentration can allow growth of wrong bacterial populations producing off flavors and poor textures. --Important: altering recipe quantities if vinegar, vegetables, and salt can allow undesirable bacteria to enter. • Pickles, bread, yogurt, wine, beer, and cheese, and more are made by fermentation H. McGee: On Food and Cooking 7 Science of Cooking March 22, 2018 Confit vs. Deep Fat Frying • Confit is now synonymous with long slow cooking in oil or fat but "confit" means “preserved" and preservation requires meat to be salted. After salting and cooking in the fat, confit can last for several months when properly sealed and left in a cool place. • Connective tissues such as tendons and ligaments contain large amounts of collagen making the meat very tough. Collagen begins to denature at 140°F/60°C, squeezing meat fibers, leading to release of juices, and shrinkage. At 160F collagen begins to dissolve and turn into a rich liquid, gelatin. This is a function of both temperature and time. Low temperatures require long times to liquefy collagen. • Cooking meat at low temperature (190F - 200F) keeps water a liquid, bound to proteins. Cooking in oil (hydrophobic)helps to keep water from escaping. • Confit will give meat flavor and a silky texture. • Properly confit'ed duck legs, for instance, can last several weeks in a cool room, several months in a refrigerator. Confit fruit can last for years. Finished Duck Confit shown with Carrots. After the confit process the duck is crisped skin side down in a pan. • Deep frying in hot fat, usually at temperatures between 325°F and 450°F, cooks food extremely quickly, producing a crispy outside and moist inside. • Water in the food boils and produces team so the fat appears to boil. • As the water near the surface evaporates the surface crusts over, sealing the remaining water in the interior and the bubbling ceases. • The high heat causes the Maillard reaction, browning the outside of the food ,producing a crust. • If the oil is hot and the the frying brief, oil penetration will be confined to the outer surface. 8 Science of Cooking March 22, 2018 Smoking • Smoking is a low-temperature (typically 225 F or less) cooking method. “Low and Slow.” • A ”pink ring” is formed when meet is smoked, due to the reaction between nitrous oxide (NO) in the smoke and hemoglobin in the meat. • It forms before the meat reaches 140 F, when they myoglobin turns brown • Bark wood provides more NO than inner parts of the tree, therefore a better pink ring https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/the-science-of-the-smoke-ring/ 9 Science of Cooking March 22, 2018 Salt and Potatoes Salt-boiled potato No-salt boiled Potato Baking in salt or simmering in heavily salted water dries out the exteriors of the potatoes and thins the skins.