| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 3834.1 | | KERNEL::SMITHERSJ | Living on the culinary edge.... | Fri Aug 13 1993 07:33 | 4 |
| Is it starch? I get that as well - perhaps its the stuff they add
to the water. Scary thought..
|
| 3834.2 | | ENABLE::glantz | Mike @TAY 227-4299 TP Eng Littleton | Fri Aug 13 1993 09:25 | 11 |
| I don't know for sure, but would guess that with vegetables, it's
starch and some cellulose, and maybe some unsoluble salts which form
when stuff in the potatoes mixes with dissolved minerals in your water.
It may look ugly, but it's totally harmless.
When you boil meats, the scum is basically protein (from blood, tissue,
etc). Also harmless.
In any case, the main reasons for skimming it off, if it's even
necessary, are (1) to make it look nice, and (2) sometimes contains
bitter tasting stuff, which could subtly affect the flavor of some dishes.
|
| 3834.3 | | GEMGRP::PW::Winalski | Careful with that AXP, Eugene! | Fri Aug 13 1993 21:36 | 19 |
| I wonder if anybody's ever done a detailed chemical analysis to find out what
exactly is in soup scum?
Scum from boiling potatoes is mostly starch, partly denatured (read: cooked)
and oxidized (exposed to air), along with other complex polysaccharides
(pectins and whatnot), hydrated so that it forms a thin slimy layer.
Soup scum would mainly be low-density lipoproteins and cell coat
polysaccharides, similarly oxidized, denatured, and polymerized to form a
sticky layer.
In either case, it forms because of the exposure to air of these substances
when they float up from the liquid being boiled. You can't really stop it from
forming unless you completely seal off the surface of the liquid from the air.
You can reduce the amount of it by putting a cover over the pot. That helps
keep the surface moist so that the drying effect of the air doesn't denature
things as rapidly.
--PSW
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| 3834.4 | when you don't want it | TNPUBS::STEINHART | Back in the high life again | Mon Aug 16 1993 10:13 | 5 |
| If you want very clear chicken soup, skim off as much as possible. If
you are really ambitious, strain it through cheesecloth in a colander
when it is done cooking.
Laura
|
| 3834.5 | | ENABLE::glantz | Mike @TAY 227-4299 TP Eng Littleton | Mon Aug 16 1993 13:17 | 2 |
| You can also use put eggshells in to clarify broth, after skimming and
straining. Makes it perfectly clear.
|
| 3834.6 | mom's way. | JEREMY::RIVKA | Rivka Calderon,Jerusalem,Israel | Tue Aug 17 1993 04:06 | 6 |
| re .4
another method for getting clear checken soup - when the soup is
cold enough put it in the fridge. for 12 hours.You will get a thick
surface-just use a spoon to peel it off.(we like the taste of "whole"
chicken soup without the skin-fat taste.)
r/
|
| 3834.7 | | ENABLE::glantz | Mike @TAY 227-4299 TP Eng Littleton | Tue Aug 17 1993 09:30 | 4 |
| Yes, that's one of the best ways to remove the fat and scum. But it
still leaves small particles at the bottom. That's what straining
and/or egg shells remove, leaving a totally clear broth (which,
honestly, I rarely have a need for).
|
| 3834.8 | egg shells? | BAHTAT::WALKER_D | David Walker | Mon Aug 23 1993 09:06 | 2 |
| do you crush the egg shells to a powder before adding them ?
|
| 3834.9 | | ENABLE::glantz | Mike @TAY 227-4299 TP Eng Littleton | Mon Aug 23 1993 09:40 | 2 |
| No, they don't have to be broken up at all. Makes it a lot easier to
strain them out, too.
|