KitchenSavvy

Basting

What does it mean to baste something?  How and when do you do it?

-- Nora

Basting is used in roasting meat and poultry.  To baste something, you take some of the juices that have collected in the bottom of the pan and use them to moisten the top surface.  The juices may be spooned over the meat or brushed on.  A basting bulb can also be used.  It is a hollow tube which narrows to a small opening on one end and has a soft bulb on the other end.  To use it, the bulb is squeezed to press out some air, and then the open end is placed into the juices in the pan.  When the bulb is released, the vacuum which is created draws the liquid into the tube.  The liquid can then be drizzled over the meat by gently squeezing the bulb again.

Basting is done every 20 minutes or so, depending on temperature and the meat being cooked.  Always follow the instructions in the recipe.

Basting has two major effects.  Because the juice is loaded with protein and natural sugars from the meat, when it reaches the roasting temperature, it undergoes a Maillard reaction (see Browning Meat for Slow Cooker).  This adds both flavor and color to the outside of the meat.

Also, as the water in the juices evaporates, it cools the surface of the meat slightly while at the same time moistening it.  Both of these effects help to keep the meat from drying out.

Roasts with a layer of fat, cooked fat side up, don't need to be basted.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Browning Meat for Slow Cooker

Please help settle a family debate.  Is it necessary to brown meat that is being cooked in a slow cooker?

-- Sandra, Bobbi and Bruce

With the exception of ground meats, it is not absolutely necessary to brown the meat before cooking it in a slow cooker or Crock Pot, although it is recommended as part of the flavor development of the dish.  When meat is browned, the sugars and proteins on the surface undergo a change called the Maillard reaction, after the French physician Louis Camille Maillard (pronounced "My yard") who discovered the reaction.  This reaction creates the rich nutty flavor associated with gravies, roasted meats, baked beans, and other foods.

If you don't brown the meat, particularly in beef dishes, then the final dish ends up tasting rather thin and without depth.  In slow cooker recipes using  chicken and pork, where the flavors are not usually so complex, browning is not as common.  Still, the dishes may benefit from browning the meat.

Because ground meats are more prone to growth of e-coli and other bacteria, I would recommend always browning them.

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service recommends these practices for using slow cookers:

• Begin with a clean cooker, clean utensils and a clean work area.
• Wash hands before and during food preparation.
• Keep perishable foods refrigerated until preparation time.
• If you cut up meat and vegetables in advance, store them separately in the refrigerator.
• Always defrost meat or poultry before putting it into a slow cooker.
• Choose to make foods with a high moisture content such as chili, soup, stew or spaghetti sauce.
• Cut food into chunks or small pieces to ensure thorough cooking. Do not use the slow cooker for large pieces like a roast or whole chicken because the food will cook so slowly it could remain in the bacterial "Danger Zone," between 40 °F and 140 °F (4 °C to 60 °C), too long.
• Fill cooker no less than half full and no more than two-thirds full.
• Vegetables cook slower than meat and poultry in a slow cooker so if using them, put vegetables in first, at the bottom and around sides of the utensil. Then add meat and cover the food with liquid such as broth, water or barbecue sauce.
• Keep the lid in place, removing only to stir the food or check for doneness.
• If possible, turn the cooker on the highest setting for the first hour of cooking time and then use setting called for in your recipe. However, it's safe to cook foods on low the entire time -- if you're leaving for work, for example, and preparation time is limited.
• Once it is done, food will stay safe as long as the cooker is operating.
• If you are not at home during the entire slow-cooking process and the power goes out, throw away the food even if it looks done. If you are at home, finish cooking the ingredients immediately by some other means: on a gas stove, on the outdoor grill or at a house where the power is on. If the food was completely cooked before the power went out, and you were home at the time so you know when it happened, the food should remain safe up to two hours in the cooker with the power off.

I would add that if you are cutting up meat and vegetables ahead of time, cut all of the vegetables first and package them up to refrigerate before starting to cut up the meat, to avoid cross contamination.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Complete vs Complementary Protein

Q: Would you please tell me what the difference is between complete and complementary proteins.

-- Angie

Proteins are the basic building blocks for all living cells.  They are made up from chains of smaller compounds called amino  acids.  There are 20 amino acids that are important to human health.  Of these, your body is able to manufacture most itself from carbohydrates, fats and other amino acids.  That leaves nine amino acids that you need to get from your diet, called the Essential Amino Acids.

Meats and eggs contain all nine of the essential amino acids, and in about the right combinations for use in the human body, and so are called Complete Proteins.  Other protein sources, such as beans, grains and nuts, do not contain all nine essential amino acids, or contain them in quantities that are not in the same proportions as needed, so they are called Incomplete Proteins.

Using Marinade to Cook Meat

Q: I have been marinading some Tri-tip*, and am now ready to cook it.  Is it safe to cook it in the marinade?

-- Brieanna

Marinade can be used to stew, braise or baste meat provided that it is boiled to kill any bacteria that may have transferred from the meat.  To make a classic French Boeuf en Daube, cubes of beef are marinaded in red wine, herbs and onions, browned and then stewed in the wine from the marinade.  In lots of barbecue recipes, the marinade is boiled and then used to baste the meat during cooking.

Here are a few pointers:

• Always heat the marinade to a boil, either while stewing or braising the meat or in a saucepan prior to using to baste.
• Protein from the meat may dissolve into the marinade and  turn the final sauce cloudy as it cooks.  This does not affect the flavor, however.
• Dairy-based marinades may curdle.  In general, they should be used to make a quick pan sauce after the meat is fully cooked and should never be brought to a hard boil.
• Marinades with sugar or other sweet ingredients are more likely to burn, giving a bitter taste to the dish.  If used for a baste, they should only be applied in the last few minutes of cooking.
• Strongly flavored marinades may overpower the taste of the finished dish, especially if they are reduced during cooking.

(* For those who may not be familiar with the cut, Tri-tip is a small roast, usually 1½ to 2 pounds taken from the bottom of the sirloin primal.  There are only two Tri-tips per animal.   Tri-tip is also known as the "bottom sirloin tip" or the "triangle roast", due to its triangular shape.)

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Chicken "Goop", Part II

In a comment on the earlier article Cooked Chicken "Goop", Alice wrote:

I marinaded some chicken breasts the other day in a yogurt marinade (that I've made before with no ill results). My ingredients were all fresh (mostly yogurt, shallots, garlic, that kind of thing) and it looked whitish when I was done, as one would expect. I took the chicken out of the marinade and baked it, although obviously some marinade was left on the chicken.

But when the chicken was finished, it looked like it was covered in moss. The bits of marinade that were left turned sort of blue/green.

Do you think this was a result of this chicken goop reacting to the marinade? Or did my chicken somehow take a very wrong turn?

(I admit I scraped off the mossy parts and ate some. It tasted fine and I didn't feel poisoned, although I haven't been brave enough to touch the leftovers.)

There are a couple of possibilities for what happened.  Without actually seeing the final dish, it is hard to say for sure.  The "mossy" appearance is hard to understand, but as for the color, garlic is said to turn blue-green under the right circumstances.

Some sources suggest that sulfur in the garlic may react with trace amounts of copper found in the other ingredients, or in the utensils used, to form copper sulphate which has a turquoise blue color.  Only a very small amount of copper is needed to cause this to happen.  Generally, these sources agree that the amount of copper involved is so slight that it will not cause harm, although I wouldn't recommend taking the chance.  See  foodsafetysite.com or What's Cooking America for more information.

Cooked Chicken "Goop"

Q: Sometimes when I cook chicken, there is a white residue, kind of like cooked egg whites, that comes out. What is it and how can I avoid it happening?

This happens frequently with grilled chicken breasts or kabobs.  What you are seeing is protein from the meat, dissolved in water either from the meat or added during processing, which has leaked out and then cooked to form a gel.

After evisceration, chicken can retain up to as much as 8% of its total weight in water used during cleaning and handling.  Some of this water leaks out during cooking, carrying protein with it.  Some of the protein is found between the cells of the meat.  When chicken is frozen, cellular damage may cause more water and more protein to leak out.  As described in the "Custards and Sauces" posting, between 120°F (50°C) and 180°F (82°C) proteins in solution begin to unravel and bond with each other, trapping the liquid in which they are floating.  This is called coagulation.

Marinading and Tenderizing Meat

Q: We got an entire deer given to us, so my husband took the meat off the bones and I cut it up into tiny bite-size pieces and froze it to use in stews, etc.  However (I think because of the low fat content) I find it's always somewhat tough.  What marinade or cooking method should I use to tenderize this meat?

You are right, the lack of fat is a contributor to the toughness of the meat and a marinade may help.  Typically, a marinade used to tenderize meat contains some acid, in the form of wine, vinegar, buttermilk or other ingredient, which helps to weaken muscle tissue somewhat.  Because a marinade is slow to penetrate the meat, it may leave the outer portion over flavored. The choice of acid in the marinade should match the nature of the meat and the cooking method.  A full-bodied red wine might suit stewed venison well, whereas a marinade using buttermilk would better suit chicken.

Other ingredients that might go in a marinade add flavor.  They might include onions or shallots, garlic, herbs, Worcestershire sauce and so on.  Some marinades also contain oil.

Breading Cutlets

Q: I have beef, or sometimes venison, that has been run through a tenderizer. I want to bread them and fry or bake them like a veal cutlet. My problem is that I dip the meat pieces in egg and then lay them on a plate that has a mixture of flour/seasonings/fine breadcrumbs. I then put usually olive oil in a pan, heat it up to medium temperature and put the cutlets in.  Most of the time the breading stays on the pan and not on my cutlets.  Any ideas for the perfect cutlet?

-- Shelley B

The problem is that as the cutlet heats up, moisture on or near the surface of the meat turns to steam and lifts the egg coating away. To avoid this, do two things. First, pat any juices off the surface of the meat using a paper towel or clean cloth. The intent is to remove wetness, not to completely dry the meat off.  You need some moisture for the second step.

Custards and Sauces

Have you ever had a custard turn into wet scrambled eggs, or a cheese sauce separate into a greasy, grainy mess?  In both cases, the problem is protein that has been overcooked.  Understanding the behavior of proteins during cooking is one of the most fundamental skills for success in the kitchen.

What are proteins? They are long molecular chains, made up of chemical groups called amino acids, containing atoms of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen.  Generally, they are corkscrew shaped and may bend over onto themselves to form loops.  Imagine something like a bunch of long coils with little magnets along their sides.  Initially, the coils (proteins) are individual units, gently folded over onto themselves so that the magnets (chemical bonds) hold them in ‘U’ or ‘S’ or other shapes.

Grilling Steak

Q: How can I tell if the steak that I am grilling is cooked the way I like?

The best way to tell if a steak is cooked properly is with a quick-read thermometer. Following the manufacturer’s directions, insert the tip of the thermometer into the centre of the steak, at least an inch (2.5cm)  away from any bone. The temperatures you want are 145°F (63°C) for medium-rare, 160°F (70°C) for medium and 170°F (77°C) for well-done. The USDA recommends that steaks be cooked to at least medium-rare for food safety.

For a less scientific method, cook the steak by time or by feel. A one-inch steak placed over a very hot grill will take roughly three minutes per side to reach medium-rare, and will feel quite soft if you press in the center with your finger, being careful of the heat. It will take about four minutes per side for medium and feel springy to the touch. To avoid burning the outside while cooking a steak to well-done, cook each side for about three minutes, lower the heat and cook about eight minutes longer, turning once. A well-done steak will feel quite firm. Practice until your results are consistently good.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward