Should You Salt Meat Before Cooking? Yes, If...
How many times have you heard, "Salting raw meat (or poultry or fish) will draw the juices out and make it tough?" I see this statement repeated in cookbook after cookbook as if it were a fact. Yet in older cookbooks, especially the ones based on European cooking techniques, salting meat before cooking is done routinely, without loss of juices. In fact, if you do it right, meat that is salted before cooking can be much juicier and more succulent than meat that isn't salted! So who's right? Is it the people who say don't salt, or the old-fashioned cooks who say you SHOULD salt? They BOTH are. The issue isn't the salt. The issue is WHEN you should apply salt to raw foods, especially meat, poultry, and fish.The basic rule is, if you're going to use salt, do it early.
Never apply salt to meat right before you put it in the pan or on the grill. Salting at the last minute will definitely pull juices out of the meat. It will toughen and dry out the surface of the meat, without adding any extra flavor to the inside. But if you salt your meat early - even a few days before cooking - you will be pleasantly surprised at the results! Many old-fashioned cooks, especially chefs who were trained in classical French or German methods, salt their meat well in advance of cooking. They sprinkle salt evenly and lightly over the meat as soon as it comes into their kitchen.
Then they wrap it carefully, and refrigerate until it's cooking time. This early salting will actually improve the texture, juiciness, and flavor of the meat. It has an almost miraculous tenderizing power, without MSG and without turning the meat to flabby mush. Salting is especially beneficial for cuts of meat that are firm or tough, like wild game, the chewier types of steak (such as skirt and flank steak), firm roasts, brisket, and pot roast. But you can also lightly salt tender steaks, poultry, and fish ahead of time.
An added benefit is the salt will help keep the meat fresh and lively tasting, even after several days of refrigeration. Why does this early salting work so well? Salt reacts with the proteins inside the muscle fibers in meat. Given time, it dissolves them slightly, making the meat more tender. But what's more important, salt encourages the movement of moisture inside the meat cells. When salt first hits the meat, it pulls moisture OUT.
That's why the meat will be dry if you salt right before cooking. But if you give salt time to penetrate the meat, the cells start to REABSORB the moisture. And because the proteins are now nice and soft, the cells absorb the salt flavor - plus any herbs or spices you may have added to the salt - deep inside the meat. So now you have happy meat that's evenly seasoned and tenderized all the way through!If you're skeptical about salting your meat ahead of time, don't take my word for it. Respected food authorities like Judy Rodgers, the award-winning chef who runs San Francisco's Zuni Cafe, has a whole section about the early salting of meat and other foods in her "Zuni Cafe Cookbook." She goes into all the chemistry in great detail.
But trust me, you don't need to understand cell osmosis to get the tenderizing benefits of salt. Simply try this early salting method just once, and you will be amazed at how much better your meat tastes. And you won't see your guests covering their meat with salt at the table, since the meat will be gently flavored with salt all the way through. In fact, if you're watching your salt intake, by salting lightly but early, you can often get superior flavor and even eliminate the need to add salt at the table.How much salt to use? That's a matter of taste. Start with a very modest amount.
Sprinkle on the minimum you would use if the meat were already cooked. I use about 1/4 teaspoon of salt per pound of meat, but thin cuts need less, and thick cuts like roasts might need quite a bit more. Go easy at first, and eventually you'll get the hang of it. Two more tips about salting early. First, the salt will tenderize and moisturize the meat faster at room temperature than in the fridge (don't bother salting meat if you're going to freeze it, it's pointless).
So the colder your fridge, the earlier you need to do the salting. Second, poultry doesn't need to be salted as long as beef, and fish may only need a few hours. You can also add seasonings to the salt. One of my favorite seasoned salts for steaks is very simple: one tablespoon of plain sea salt, 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of sweet Hungarian paprika. Mix these three ingredients well, then sprinkle lightly on steaks, wrap them individually in good quality plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you're ready to cook.
The sugar will help the meat sear nicely without excess heat, and the paprika adds a subtle, warm taste and a wonderful aroma..
Emi Dela writes Happy Eats, the blog dedicated to seriously happy food. A menu consultant and kitchenware tester, Emi's site will show you how to cook, eat, and be happy, without stressing your nerves or your diet. Check out her scrumptious recipes and kitchen-tested cooking tips at http://www.happyeats.com.The "e" In eBusiness Does Not Mean Exempt
I've gotten quite a few emails recently from ebusiness owners who seem to think that just because their business is conducted online or from the comfort of home that the rules and regulations that govern brick and mortar businesses do not apply to them.The ebusiness questions I get most often do not involve building websites or conducting ecommerce.They are more what I call the "Do I Really Have To" line of questions, such as:"Do I really have to get a business license?""Do I really have to get a tax ID number?""Do I really have to pay taxes on income from my website?"Yes, yes, and yes.Do I really have to get a business license? This is one requirement that many ebusiness entrepreneurs think they can skirt because they don't have a brick and mortar establishment.Sorry Charlie. Operating an ebusiness out of your office or out of your home does not get you off the hook when it comes to licensing.Depending on your location you may need a city and county license.Luckily, such licenses are...
The "e" In eBusiness Does Not Mean Exempt
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Researchers Discover Increased Skin Cancer Risk for Minorities
Miami, FL (ContentDesk) July 3, 2006 -- Researchers at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine have recently published a study that links blacks and Hispanics to a higher risk for developing melanoma.
The University of Miamis study, which appears in the June issue of Archives of Dermatology, finds that Hispanics are twice as likely as whites to have a late stage melanoma diagnosis, while blacks were three times as likely as whites to be diagnosed with advanced melanoma.Lack of awareness in black and Hispanic communities about this deadly form of skin cancer continues to put these minorities at risk, according to the study.University researchers believe skin cancer awareness is geared more towards white populations, misleading blacks and Hispanics to believe that they arent at risk.Melanoma is responsible for 80% of skin cancer deaths each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
The most effective way to prevent late diagnosis is to promote...
Skirt > Researchers Discover Increased Skin Cancer Risk for Minorities
Toile bedding
Toile is a centuries old fabric that has once again become quite popular for use in gorgeous, lushly detailed bedding. (pronounced twaal)
Delicate drawings, very Old World in nature, often define the fabric.
Some conflicting opinions exist about the origin of toile. Some say it was originally created in Ireland in the 1700s. Other sources believe it originated in Toile de Jouy France.
Because of a new technique of engraved plate printing, the look became wildly popular.
Today, it most often describes a fine line printed fabric design that looks very much like a pen and ink work. The most elegant toile fabrics are still printed using engraved plates or rollers.
The majority of bedding created from toile today is based on country themes.
For example, Waverly's toile comforter of 100% cotton depicts a scene that appears Colonial or Old World in nature, with men, a woman riding a donkey...
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Lord Tricking Review
Virginia was wrongfully convicted of the murder of her stepfather and sentenced to hang.
On the night before her execution, she was taken from the prison and made to understand that in exchange for her life, her free will would be forfeited.
She became Patricia Bachman, and was taught to defend herself, to kill with pistol, and to wear necklines just this side of indecency.
Her days were filled with classes on deportment and left handed penmanship.
Her new wardrobe was custom-made, each dress consisting of a bodice and a skirt, two pieces that appeared to be one, so that she could move with agility.???? Randolph Jamond, Viscount Howell, is the man who steals her away from the prison, and impresses upon her that she must obey him or face death by hanging as ordered.
He orders her to strip in the carriage but never looks.
She realizes that he cannot bear the stench of her prison garb.
He, along with a couple he employs, begins...
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J’ai Deux Amours…A Journey With Josephine Baker, Written and Performed by Kimberly “Q” Returns for Limited Run on Feb. 16 to Feb. 19, 2006
New York, NY (ContentDesk) January 22, 2006 -- Josephine Baker is believed to be the only black woman who blended Black and French culture into one. She displayed elaborate costumes, learned to speak French and was considered "taboo" because of her forbidden performances that caused many a man and woman to desire to touch, know and embrace her very being. Jai Deux Amours&A Journey with Josephine Baker, written & performed by 3-time AUDELCO award winning actress Kimberly "Q", is a one-woman show that will take you on a journey, from Josephines days of chittlin circuit poverty performances, to her exhilarating and energetic success as the woman who would "danse the sauvage" naked with just a banana skirt in Paris! Jai Deux Amours&transcends you into the life of Madame Baker in a show filled with music, dance, hardships and triumphs! Kimberly "Q"s rendition of Josephines historic journeys will delight many who think they know about
Josephine and educate and inform those who...
Skirt > J’ai Deux Amours…A Journey With Josephine Baker, Written and Performed by Kimberly “Q” Returns for Limited Run on Feb. 16 to Feb. 19, 2006
Researchers Discover Increased Skin Cancer Risk for Minorities
Miami, FL (ContentDesk) July 3, 2006 -- Researchers at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine have recently published a study that links blacks and Hispanics to a higher risk for developing melanoma.
The University of Miamis study, which appears in the June issue of Archives of Dermatology, finds that Hispanics are twice as likely as whites to have a late stage melanoma diagnosis, while blacks were three times as likely as whites to be diagnosed with advanced melanoma.Lack of awareness in black and Hispanic communities about this deadly form of skin cancer continues to put these minorities at risk, according to the study.University researchers believe skin cancer awareness is geared more towards white populations, misleading blacks and Hispanics to believe that they arent at risk.Melanoma is responsible for 80% of skin cancer deaths each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
The most effective way to prevent late diagnosis is to promote...
Skirt > Researchers Discover Increased Skin Cancer Risk for Minorities