Cooking Stack Exchange
Cooking Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [brining]

Questions about what ingredients can be used in the brining liquid and how the brining will affect the food.

Questions about what ingredients can be used in the brining liquid and how the brining will affect the food.

Brining is similar to marination in which meat is submerged in a liquid. The liquid used in brining will have a higher concentration of salt which will hydrate the cells of the muscle tissues through the process of osmosis. The process will also denature the meat so the cells can hold in the moisture while they are being cooked. This will result in meat that is moist and tender.

138 questions
10
votes
2 answers

Are there ingredients I should avoid in a brine?

I see good answers to What brine ingredients are effective?, and I am looking to really push the envelope. I realize that there is some debate as to the effectiveness of brine to add flavor to the meat itself, so I'm going to experiment to answer…
Jolenealaska
  • 58,494
  • 31
  • 204
  • 324
6
votes
4 answers

Brined chicken - too salty

I brined chicken breasts overnight. When I grilled them they were too salty to eat. Any suggestions for the ones I brined and froze?
jenny
  • 61
  • 1
  • 1
  • 2
5
votes
2 answers

Sour tasting bamboo

What is the best way to remove or alleviate the sour, briny taste of canned bamboo shoots? I've tried soaking in cold water for several hours (changed water every hour). I've added salt one time, but found it to be too salty and still sour after…
Chi Leung
  • 193
  • 1
  • 6
5
votes
4 answers

Why does Brining help food to retain water, but adding salt will draw the moisture out?

I saw a recipe that called for brining a Turkey in order to retain the moisture, but when you cook with salt it causes the foods to get less moist - Why and how does this happen?
AttilaNYC
  • 7,566
  • 49
  • 96
  • 147
5
votes
1 answer

Factory brine vs home brine

I frequently make use of brining as a tool to help yield juicy (and well-seasoned) meat--especially on pork and poultry. I am usually pretty successful with this technique and get compliments from guests. On the other hand, I have in the past…
Ray
  • 6,154
  • 13
  • 50
  • 86
3
votes
1 answer

Does marinating hinder brining?

I learned, that "marinating" for days before cooking, doesn't actually work, since nothing can actually penetrate the meat very deep. However, with salt, it seems to be a different story. Does that mean, that marinating works, but only the salt is…
user1721135
  • 1,479
  • 3
  • 23
  • 35
3
votes
2 answers

Can you brine frozen meat?

I want to brine a frozen chicken but I'm unsure if there is any reason why brining frozen meat is bad? Can you brine frozen meat, or do you first have to defrost it before you can brine it, or does it not matter?
Neil Meyer
  • 4,888
  • 8
  • 36
  • 61
3
votes
2 answers

Does adding vegetables to your brine add any flavour?

What exactly does adding vegetables to your brine really achieve? Does it add any flavour to your end product? EDIT: Turkey brine and Frozen Mixed Vegetables.
Neil Meyer
  • 4,888
  • 8
  • 36
  • 61
2
votes
2 answers

Himalayan salt in a brine

I would like to brine a brisket for pastrami but would prefer not to use curing salt. Does himalayan salt in brine make brisket pink as if using curing/pickling salt?
Jerry
  • 21
  • 1
  • 2
2
votes
1 answer

Fermented Carrots

I fermented some carrots (anaerobic, salt brine method) & they turned out great. But the water was really cloudy & not esthetically pleasing, so I dumped it. Should I make a new brine for storing it in the fridge? Does anyone have suggestions for…
Linda Richard
  • 53
  • 6
2
votes
1 answer

Why are my olives discolouring in their brine?

Olives are in 10% saline solution for 4 weeks. They are black kalamatas. Notice they are losing the black colour and are now splochy. Why is this occurring? Thanks
Greg
  • 21
  • 1
  • 1
  • 2
2
votes
2 answers

What is the proper salt to water ratio for turkey brine?

I want to brine a turkey but have heard conflicting messages on how much salt to use. I have heard 5% salt mixture and from others I have heard 10 salt mixture. I would like a somewhat strong taste of salt. For the sake of this question we can…
Neil Meyer
  • 4,888
  • 8
  • 36
  • 61
1
vote
1 answer

How long should meat be brined for in a 10 percent solution?

I use a 10 percent salt solution for my brines. It just seems the easiest. 100 grams of salt per liter of water, but I have read that this is a bit high as most books speak of a 6 percent solution. So I would like to know how long should you brine…
Neil Meyer
  • 4,888
  • 8
  • 36
  • 61
1
vote
1 answer

convert wet brine recipe to dry brine

I've got this amazing wet-brine recipe a few years ago for a bone-in pork chop. (It came from Bucks in DC) I want to convert it to a DRY-brine recipe for home use. I can take all the aromatics and make it into a spice rub. However, it calls for 2C…
michael
  • 211
  • 1
  • 3
0
votes
0 answers

Brining salt concentration

I have seen a lot of different advice about how saturated to make a brining solution. In my case I would be more likely to brine either meat or vegetables prior to pickling. A quart of water can dissolve up to about 350 grams of salt, but most of…
Drisheen Colcannon
  • 3,518
  • 6
  • 29
  • 50