Bath your flesh!
There are few things more depressing than dry chicken and colorless meat. A simple secret helps overcome this: brine. And this is how it is done.
Vitello Tonnato: Bathing in brine keeps the meat nice and pink.
Photo: Getty Images
The only thing that bothers me when preparing meat is that a lot of water comes out when frying, and chicken breasts in particular become dry on the bone. Of course, this is due to its low fat content, which is why it is so popular with football players and fitness enthusiasts. Personally, I think there are few things more boring than chicken breasts.
Now I have the solution to the problem: the solution! Brine is a preparation method also used when fermenting vegetables. The brine contains 6 percent salt, which is one liter of water with 60 grams of salt. If you put meat in it, it stays tender.
At least this worked with my chicken breast (see box). With larger poultry like a whole chicken or turkey, things quickly get complicated because you need large containers. As I've read on food blogs, there's debate here about whether salt adds to the taste or masks the taste of the poultry too much.
This is how people cheat in restaurants
The brine is also often used by Jannik Meulemann, chef at the Giardino restaurant in Kursaal Bern. “Beef stays red, veal stays pink,” says Moleman.
However, he advises against using it for poultry and stews. The latter is cooked for a long time, which is why the sauce penetrates the meat well. “Bring is often used as a preparation for smoking,” he says. He cites ham, ribs or bacon as examples, which are wet-cured in front of the smoking chamber.
When making pork brisket, he adds spices such as juniper, cloves, and bay leaves to the brine to emphasize character. Mollemann likes to use brine in his classic Vitello tonnato, and he marinates the veal for twelve hours. After frying, the meat retains its delicate pink color. Next time you order at a restaurant, make sure the meat is completely covered in tuna sauce. We now know why: to hide the color.
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