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creamcorn
mad scientist


Registered: 03/13/06
Posts: 2,962
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salt drying?
#5455791 - 03/29/06 04:10 PM (17 years, 9 months ago) |
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yet another wacky idea... using table salt to speed up the drying process.
when i want to prepare some marinaded portabella, i place them in a strainer and salt liberally, allow to sit for 20-30 minutes or so. you'll see that they give up about half their water content in no time flat. give them a quick rinse to get the salt off (the rinse isnt enough to rehydrate them but takes the saltiness away) then i let them soak in a marinade, since they gave up so much water they suck the marinade right up.. mmm mm.
anyway, i think this works because the salt breaks down cell walls forcing them to give up their moisture. i'm wondering how bad that would be for the "active" ingredients, as far as if you'd lose much or if the salt might actually react with it in some way? i know fruits are often dipped in a bryne solution prior to drying to actually aid in preserving their flavor and nutritional value. like i said i use the salt-dehydrating when i intend on re-hydrating right away with marinade, ive never gone the step further to finish the drying, say in a desiccant chamber.. and how well they might fare in a cracker-dry state with broken up cell walls. (who knows, perhaps the faster drying preserves more actives, or maybe the broken cell walls make it easier to digest/absorb? can't a guy get lucky with a wacky theory for once? )
im sure the tried and true more gentler methods are superior, but for those lacking patience... might be an option. i'll probably take it into my own hands with some experimentation anyway, just wondering if anyone had any thoughts?
but it does give me another idea writing this - lets just say this works without totally adversely effecting potency and "texture" of the dried product... why not salt-dry, come up with a 'cube marinade to soak em in, and then re-dry? could make for some tasty treats... teryaki jerky cubensis anyone? :-)
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mogur
regnartS

Registered: 11/15/05
Posts: 322
Loc: Puget Sound
Last seen: 11 years, 2 months
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Re: salt drying? [Re: creamcorn]
#5455978 - 03/29/06 05:23 PM (17 years, 9 months ago) |
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Works just like a brine for curing meat. What happens first is the salt solution causes liquid inside the cells to pass through the cell membrane by osmotic pressure, dehydrating the the cell. In a few hours, however, the cells are so depleted of water, that they start uptaking water back into the cells because the remaining liquid in the cells become more salty than the watered down brine outside the cells. Along with the water uptake, any flavors in the brine are absorbed along with the water molecules, and nicely flavor the meat.
Mushrooms give up water easily, so salt-curing seems like it should work. Trouble is, we probably would be familiar with that method if there weren't some problems. But, who knows, until someone tries it and reports back, I wouldn't toss out the idea.
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creamcorn
mad scientist


Registered: 03/13/06
Posts: 2,962
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Re: salt drying? [Re: mogur]
#5456354 - 03/29/06 06:39 PM (17 years, 9 months ago) |
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well then! i guess i'm not familiar enough with a mushroom cell structure to know how similar it might be to an animal cell... but by the sounds of it if its osmotic pressure at work and not a breakdown of the cell wall, that bodes well for the active ingredients, assuming that the salt itself isn't reactive. like i said it works great on edibles for getting the mushrooms to give up water FAST, and then they soak up flavor like a sponge (and this is by salting them directly, not soaking in a brine, and in a strainer that water drains off so there wouldn't be much if any re-uptake like you mention)
i'll definitely give it a shot either way, and while i'm waiting for some extras to experiment on i'll do a little more research...
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