Roast Meat - Times and Temperatures
Despite plenty of evidence to the contrary, I still see recipes that insist you should cook meat at high temperature for the first twenty minutes or so to seal it and then lower the level for the rest of the cooking time.
This has become the fashionable way and I m not sure why. Maybe it has something to do with a lack of time in an age when both partners tend to work for a living.
What I am certain about is that this is not the best way to treat a prime roast. Nor does it seal it. Let s put this myth to bed once and for all.
Cooking meat at high temperature, whether in the oven, on the barbecue or in a pan does not seal it!
It burns it. That s why it goes brown. And it introduces extra flavor, because the outside of the meat generally has a covering of fat. Fat is what gives meat it s unique flavor.
However adding this crust to the outside of the meat will also speed up the cooking of the rest of the joint, and reduce the amount that remains rare.
It will not produce the even finish you see in hotel and restaurant carveries.
To achieve that you need slow, low temperature cooking plus regular basting.
Basting is simply taking the juices from the bottom of the pan and pouring them back over the cooking meat from time to time. By doing this, and cooking at the right temperature, you will produce far more succulent results. Browning will still take place, but gently, as part of a process.
Let s look at the basic method.
Do you use a roasting tin? Well don't.
It s not a good idea to cook meat inside a roasting tin, because the bottom of it tends to be sitting in liquid, much of which is water.
A much better way is to place the joint directly on the rungs of the oven with the roasting tin underneath it. In this way, you can pack vegetables in the roasting tin and they will cook nicely in the juices from the meat.
If you don t like that idea, because it means you have to clean the rungs after use, put the meat on top of a rack in or on the roasting tin instead. You don t need to buy a special tin for this, simply use a cake rack or something similar. I have even used two or three kebab skewers and rested the joint on those.
However the advantage of cooking directly on the rungs is that the air circulates freely round the joint, ensuring even cooking, and you can remove the roasting tin to make your gravy while leaving the meat where it is. Of course, if you do that, you will want to put some kind of drip tray under the joint, but any ovenproof dish will do for that.
Temperatures and cooking times
Using my method (actually it s Graham Kerr s method which I ve adopted but what the heck) you don t need to learn a lot of complicated temperature/time formulas. Cook your red meat at 350 F,180 c,gas mark 4.
Cook poultry at 325 F,160 c,gas mark 3.
Calculate your cooking time as 30 minutes for every 500 grams (roughly 1lb) of meat. This will produce thoroughly cooked poultry, beef that is well cooked on the outside and rare inside, pink lamb and pork (yes you can safely eat underdone pork providing the internal temperature reaches 145 F. The danger bug is trichinae, which dies at temperatures greater than 135 F).
Remember to add an extra 30 minutes if you are using stuffing.
If you want to change anything alter your cooking times accordingly but beware. There is a very thin line between meat that is well done and boot leather. If rare meat is more than you can handle, it s a much better idea to use my cooking times but then turn the oven off and leave the meat in it for a further 30 minutes or so.
Which brings me to one more point; it s very important to let the meat stand for at least 20 minutes before carving.
Why? Because when you heat protein (which is what meat is) it shrinks and toughens. Allowing it to relax and cool a little restores some of its elasticity.
However it will continue to cook for a while after leaving the oven and the internal temperature will increase by as much as a further 10 degrees. Which is why you need a good 20 minutes resting time.
Just keep it in a warm place with a sheet of cooking foil over the top while you prepare the greens and gravy. ***
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by Michael Sheridan
About the author: During the 1990s Michael Sheridan was head chef of the Pierre Victoire restaurant in London's West End, specializing in French cuisine. An Australian, he is a published author on cooking matters, and runs a free membership club for busy home cooks at http://thecoolcook.com
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How Coffee is Decaffeinated
First, let's start with a really quick history. Coffee was first decaffeinated by Ludwig Roselius, a German coffee merchant, in 1905 after he received a coffee shipment that had gotten soaked during a storm at sea. He experimented with the brine-soaked coffee, and found out that benzene could be used as solvent to bond with the caffeine. Since caffeine is water-soluble at temperatures above 175 , he could boil the solution to separate the caffeine from the coffee. With his process, the coffee was decaffeinated, but it had lost much of its flavor.
For the record, Ludwig improved on his process and went on to sell his discovery under the Sanka brand name. Benzene is no longer used, as it is not considered safe for human consumption.
Today there are 3 commonly used methods available for removing caffeine from coffee, with dozens of variations of those methods. Two common variations are Direct and Indirect Method.
European or Traditional Process - Direct Method: The direct process involves softening the beans by steam first, then washing them for about 10 hours with either a methylene chloride or ethyl acetate solution to absorb the caffeine from the bean. The solution is discarded, the beans are re-steamed to remove any remaining solvent (methylene chloride boils away at 114 ; ethyl acetate at 104 ), then the beans are dried to their original moisture content.
European or Traditional Process - Indirect Method: Instead of being steamed, the coffee beans are soaked in very hot water, which extracts the caffeine along with many of the oils. This solution is then treated with either methylene chloride or ethyl acetate, which bonds with the caffeine. Then the solution is heated to the temperature at which the caffeine and either methylene chloride or ethyl acetate compounds evaporate. The oils are then reintroduced to the beans, and the beans are then dried.
About 80% of decaf coffees are processed by the Traditional, or European Process, and many serious coffee drinkers believe this method makes for the best-tasting coffee. Others worry about the chemicals involved. Methylene chloride is considered a superior solvent since it can evaporate at a lower temperature and leaves virtually no trace in the beans, but it is an environmental hazard to workers at decaffeination plants, and it is known to harm the ozone layer. Ethyl acetate can be extracted from various fruits and vegetables and so it is considered a "naturally-found" chemical, but most ethyl acetate used for decaffeinating is synthethically produced.
The Water or Swiss Water Process: Also known as the water process, this process uses no chemicals, but rather hot water, steam and osmosis to remove the caffeine from the coffee in two steps. In the first step, which is similar to the Traditional, Indirect Method, the beans are soaked in a hot water solution to remove the caffeine and the flavor oils. The beans used in this step are then discarded. The solution is run through activated charcoal filters to remove the caffeine, but leave the flavor oils. A new batch of beans is then soaked in the solution. According to the laws of osmosis, the caffeine leaves the beans to go to the uncaffeinated solution, but the flavor in both the solution and the beans is equal, so no flavor leaves the beans.
The beans are then dried and shipped to the roasters. The disadvantage is that the water processing removes more than just the caffeine. Some of the oils from the coffee bean are removed as well, making it less flavorful.
The Hypercritical Carbon Dioxide Method: In this method, which is not as popular as the other methods, the beans are soaked in a solution of liquid carbon dioxide to remove the caffeine. The get to a liquid state, the carbon dioxide must be highly pressurized (73 to 300 atmospheres), which makes the logistic cost of this method a bit higher than the other methods. After the caffeine is absorbed by the carbon dioxide, either the pressure is reduced and carbon dioxide is allowed to evaporate, or the solution is run through a carbon filter to remove the caffeine. Although more expensive, the advantage of the Carbon Dioxide Method is that since carbon dioxide is not a harmful gas, the method is not harmful to health or the environment.
Other Methods: Since there's no consensus best-way to remove caffeine from coffee beans, there are still new methods being developed. One new method is the Triglyceride Process. In this method, green coffee beans are soaked in a solution or hot water and coffee to draw the caffeine to the surface of the beans. Then, the beans are transferred to another container and immersed in coffee flavor oils that were obtained from spent coffee grounds. The flavor oils contain triglycerides are a naturally-occurring combination of fatty acids and glycerol, and , after several hours at high temperatures, they are able to remove the caffeine from the beans while not affecting the flavor. Another new method, and possibly the future of decaffeinated coffee, is the cultivation of Naturally Caffeine-Free Coffee from trees that have recently discovered in that produce coffee with no caffeine. Depending on the variety of coffee, the caffeine content already varies significantly, from about 75 mg to 250 mg per 6 oz. cup. Arabica coffee varieties normally contain about half the caffeine of robusta varieties, and dark roast coffee usually has less caffeine than lighter roasts since the roasting process reduces caffeine content of the bean. An arabica bean containing a tenth as much caffeine as a normal bean has been found, so the possibility of developing or finding a bean with no caffeine is probably a matter of time. ***
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by Paul Ballenger
About the author: Paul Is a free lance writer and has been drinking coffee since 7 this morning. For coffee, a coffee maker, espresso machine and/or coffee grinder, please check out his web site.
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Sizzling Rice Soup
Have you ever been out to eat at a chinease restaurant when someone at the next table orders sizzling rice soup. When the soup comes out there is a big demonstration of the pouring of the soup and toss in the rice cakes. You then here that familiar sizzle and everyone begins to eat. Now you can create this magic at home with your own homemade sizzling rice soup.
Sizzling Rice Soup
3 Cups Chicken Broth
4 Dried Shitake Mushrooms, soaked and sliced thin (1/2 cup or 1 large Portobello can be used instead of dried mushrooms)
Cup Chicken Breast, cooked and thinly sliced
Cup Small Petite Shrimp
1 Green Onion, julianned into 1 inch strips
Cup Frozen Peas, thawed
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 Tbs Sugar
3 Tbs Cornstarch, mixed with Cup of water to make a paste
2 Tbs Rice Vinegar
2 1/2 Cups Sizzling Rice,* (rice crusts) these can be found in a Chinese food market.
Salt to taste
Bring the chicken broth and mushrooms to a boil, add the chicken, shrimp, green onion, and peas then return to a gentle boil.
Add the soy sauce and sugar. Mix in the cornstarch paste and stir gently until slightly thickened. Stir in rice vinegar.
Serve the individual bowls of boiling soup (it must be boiling for the rice to sizzle). Toss in the rice crusts at the table.
*This soup can be served without the rice. It will not have the same flair but it will still be delicious. Chinese ***
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by Shauna Hanus
About the author: Shauna Hanus is a gourmet cook who has launched the Recipe of the Month Club. The Recipe of the Month Club is the perfect gift for all the people on your list who love to cook. With the Recipe of the Month Club you can give 3, 6 or 12 months of new and exciting gourmet recipes as a gift for Christmas, Hanukah or birthdays to all the cook-aholics in your life. Find out more at http://www.cookbookaddict.com
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