- Brining
In
cooking , brining is a process similar tomarination in whichmeat is soaked in a salt solution (thebrine ) before cooking.Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of
osmosis , and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked, via the process of denaturation. The brine surrounding the cells has a higher concentration of salt than the fluid within the cells, but the cell fluid has a higher concentration of othersolutes . This leads saltion s to enter the cell viadiffusion . The increased salinity of the cell fluid causes the cell to absorb water from the brine via osmosis. The salt introduced into the cell also denatures itsprotein s. The proteins coagulate, forming a matrix which traps water molecules and holds them during cooking. This prevents the meat from drying out, or dehydrating.In many foods the additional salt is also desirable as a
preservative . Note thatkosher meats are salted during the process of koshering so they should not be brined.Some
cheese s are periodically washed in brine during their ripening. Not only does the brine carry flavors into the cheese (it might be seasoned withspices orwine ), but the salty environment may nurture the growth of the "Brevibacterium linens "bacteria , which can impart a very pronounced odor (Limburger ) and interesting flavor. The same bacteria can also have some impact on cheeses that are simply ripened in humid conditions, like Camembert. Large populations of these "smear bacteria" show up as a sticky orange-red layer on some brine-washed cheeses.ee also
Pickling External links
* [http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article.php?id=70&title=Brining Brining] on Cooking For Engineers - a discussion on what happens to meat as it brines (with reader comments)
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