Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing, Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn
Charcuterie is one of the oldest methods of cooking – traditional methods of preserving and transforming meats.
The book provides recipes for salt cured food; for smoked food; for making all sorts of sausages (fresh, emulsified, smoked); techniques and recipes for dry-cured sausages; making pates and terrines; and using fat, the confit technique – the perfect cooking environment.
Overall, a comprehensive guide to the processes involved, and that are easily understood; wholly practical with a wide range of cultural recipes. Derailed, key steps, of basic techniques are given – so that you can make up your own recipes – and then specific recipes. Also, the book recognizes the importance of pork and its diversity of flavours and textures from head to tail.
In the science part, it explains, possibly, the reason that I’m able to eat ‘cured’ pork, yet show some sensitivity to other cuts of pork – the reason for marinating (either brine or vinegar) in that ‘brined meat’ has been shown to harbour fewer populations of harmful bacteria than ‘unbrined meat’. It dehydrates those living things, either killing them or preventing them from multiplying (using salt, and killing them with vinegar). Possibly, it’s these ‘harmful bacteria’ that my body objects to.
A useful book to have in the kitchen.
Charcuterie is one of the oldest methods of cooking – traditional methods of preserving and transforming meats.
The book provides recipes for salt cured food; for smoked food; for making all sorts of sausages (fresh, emulsified, smoked); techniques and recipes for dry-cured sausages; making pates and terrines; and using fat, the confit technique – the perfect cooking environment.
Overall, a comprehensive guide to the processes involved, and that are easily understood; wholly practical with a wide range of cultural recipes. Derailed, key steps, of basic techniques are given – so that you can make up your own recipes – and then specific recipes. Also, the book recognizes the importance of pork and its diversity of flavours and textures from head to tail.
In the science part, it explains, possibly, the reason that I’m able to eat ‘cured’ pork, yet show some sensitivity to other cuts of pork – the reason for marinating (either brine or vinegar) in that ‘brined meat’ has been shown to harbour fewer populations of harmful bacteria than ‘unbrined meat’. It dehydrates those living things, either killing them or preventing them from multiplying (using salt, and killing them with vinegar). Possibly, it’s these ‘harmful bacteria’ that my body objects to.
A useful book to have in the kitchen.
