food experiment today
Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 1:00 pm
Today it isn't fit for man or beast outside so I decided to experiment a bit.
I received my sodium citrate (SC) the other day and today was the day to play and learn.
OK so what does it do? When cheese is heated it breaks down into oil and something containing protein and water. SC prevents that breakdown resulting in cheese sauces and such that don't turn into an oily gloppy mess. Have no fear SC is found in citrus and wine and is used in many products so you won't turn into a two headed monster by eating it. If you've eaten processed cheese, and many other oily foods, you've eaten SC and probably many other emulsifying salts. SC is just one of many. If you've eaten cheese fondue the wine that's added contains SC and helps to keep the cheese sauce from breaking.
To know more about what I was doing google "sodium citrate". Here's the recipe I used, basically, for the process cheese that I made. http://www.food.com/recipe/perfectly-me ... ice-513398 Substitute swiss for the mozzarella and you have exactly what I used.
I made some procedural changes in the recipe and I'll make more next time as well as changes to the cheeses used.
I got 12 "sort of" rounds with some left over for grilled cheese tomorrow.
Yes, they look like pancakes since my cheese had no color. I formed them on a cool mat using the bottom of the ladle. Once cool they come right off of the mat; it didn't even require washing.
OK, so why make something that can be purchased so easily in the market? The cheese I favor is "Olde English", and I can no longer find it locally. So I'm going to make my own. It's incredibly easy to do and It'll be even easier next time.
If you're interested in getting your own, the best deal I found was on Amazon. It was a pound for $18. Buy a 2nd one and get free shipping. Basically the 2nd pound is just a few dollars more. That was the best deal I found on it. Use it once and it will be a keeper in your pantry. It is in mine now.
I received my sodium citrate (SC) the other day and today was the day to play and learn.
OK so what does it do? When cheese is heated it breaks down into oil and something containing protein and water. SC prevents that breakdown resulting in cheese sauces and such that don't turn into an oily gloppy mess. Have no fear SC is found in citrus and wine and is used in many products so you won't turn into a two headed monster by eating it. If you've eaten processed cheese, and many other oily foods, you've eaten SC and probably many other emulsifying salts. SC is just one of many. If you've eaten cheese fondue the wine that's added contains SC and helps to keep the cheese sauce from breaking.
To know more about what I was doing google "sodium citrate". Here's the recipe I used, basically, for the process cheese that I made. http://www.food.com/recipe/perfectly-me ... ice-513398 Substitute swiss for the mozzarella and you have exactly what I used.
I made some procedural changes in the recipe and I'll make more next time as well as changes to the cheeses used.
I got 12 "sort of" rounds with some left over for grilled cheese tomorrow.
Yes, they look like pancakes since my cheese had no color. I formed them on a cool mat using the bottom of the ladle. Once cool they come right off of the mat; it didn't even require washing.
OK, so why make something that can be purchased so easily in the market? The cheese I favor is "Olde English", and I can no longer find it locally. So I'm going to make my own. It's incredibly easy to do and It'll be even easier next time.
If you're interested in getting your own, the best deal I found was on Amazon. It was a pound for $18. Buy a 2nd one and get free shipping. Basically the 2nd pound is just a few dollars more. That was the best deal I found on it. Use it once and it will be a keeper in your pantry. It is in mine now.