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fandomtownies2016-10-21 08:10 am
sharp_as_knives) wrote in fandomtownies2016-10-21 08:10 am
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Community Center Class: Flavors, Food Choices, and Menu Planning
"Welcome back," Hannibal said to everybody, smiling. "I hope you all enjoyed vacation. This week, we'll be working with and discussing salt. Throughout Earth at least, salt is the most widely-used ingredient in food. It is also one of the oldest. Long before refrigeration, salt curing was used to preserve foods. Salt pulls moisture from food and inhibits bacterial growth."
He passed around a bit of home-made jerky. Beef, for those who were wondering. "In addition, it affects many of the chemical reactions involved in cooking. Because it helps protein gelatinization and alters the rate of fermentation, it affects the texture of meats, breads, cheeses - most things in which it's used." Bread and sausage (pork) were passed around next.
"Also, it affects other flavors. In small amounts, it can enhance sweetness - hence the salt you may find in fruit dishes and candies - and cut bitterness - hence its being used in pickling like the olives we had in our bitter foods class." Next were more of those olives, and some salted caramels to taste.
"The key with salt is using the right amount, and the right kind. You should at all costs avoid common table salt; it has additives to help it to pour, and iodine. Neither will do your dishes any favors. It melts too fast, behaves unsavorily," pun totally intended, "and offers no benefits other than easy access. Instead, you can use kosher salt or sea salt."
He put out several tiny bowls. "Kosher salt tends to have larger crystals, and so adds its own texture to a dish. It has fewer mineral notes than sea salt. It's a good choice especially when adding salt early in the cooking process.
"Sea salt comes in many forms - coarse, flakes, and so on - and there are a number of varieties." Including the grey, pink, and black ones he set out next. "The minerals in the area they come from offer subtle differences that can enhance a dish."
He nodded toward them. "So. Taste these, then make something of your own. Preferably that makes good use of at least one of them."
He passed around a bit of home-made jerky. Beef, for those who were wondering. "In addition, it affects many of the chemical reactions involved in cooking. Because it helps protein gelatinization and alters the rate of fermentation, it affects the texture of meats, breads, cheeses - most things in which it's used." Bread and sausage (pork) were passed around next.
"Also, it affects other flavors. In small amounts, it can enhance sweetness - hence the salt you may find in fruit dishes and candies - and cut bitterness - hence its being used in pickling like the olives we had in our bitter foods class." Next were more of those olives, and some salted caramels to taste.
"The key with salt is using the right amount, and the right kind. You should at all costs avoid common table salt; it has additives to help it to pour, and iodine. Neither will do your dishes any favors. It melts too fast, behaves unsavorily," pun totally intended, "and offers no benefits other than easy access. Instead, you can use kosher salt or sea salt."
He put out several tiny bowls. "Kosher salt tends to have larger crystals, and so adds its own texture to a dish. It has fewer mineral notes than sea salt. It's a good choice especially when adding salt early in the cooking process.
"Sea salt comes in many forms - coarse, flakes, and so on - and there are a number of varieties." Including the grey, pink, and black ones he set out next. "The minerals in the area they come from offer subtle differences that can enhance a dish."
He nodded toward them. "So. Taste these, then make something of your own. Preferably that makes good use of at least one of them."
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