[Sca-cooks] Vacuum food savers

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Nov 3, 2009, at 3:20 AM, Stefan li Rous wrote:
> I've heard that these keep frozen food from getting freezer burn  
> since the machine removes most of the air from the bag before  
> sealing it. But is there some advantage to using these bags and/or  
> this machine for marinating and curing of meat over say, just a zip  
> lock bag? Or is this a matter of wanting to both marinate the meat  
> and freeze it, and the ease of simply doing that in the same bag?

It appears that the marinade or cure penetrates the food faster and  
more completely in the almost-vacuum. Basically air is pulled out of  
the food and replaced by liquid. In the case of a dry curing rub with  
a lot of salt and/or sugar in it, it pulls moisture out of the food,  
creates a brine, which then surrounds and penetrates the food.

> What is this "salt-cod fiskeboller"?

Balls ["boller"] of finely-ground salt cod, soaked to desalt (usually  
they're made out of whatever fish ["fiske"] is fresh and cheap),  
usually a starch like mashed potato, breadcrumbs or flour, cream and  
egg or egg white, and seasonings. Poached, baked or fried. The same  
mixture baked or steamed in larger masses is called fiskepudding.  
Common seafood staple and school cafeteria item in Scandinavia,  
supposedly.

Adamantius






"Most men worry about their own bellies, and other people's souls,  
when we all ought to worry about our own souls, and other people's  
bellies."
			-- Rabbi Israel Salanter