Kitchen wisdom
Tips for dry-brining meat, and why dairy-free milk curdles in coffee
QMy boyfriend asked me why I always salt my meat as soon as I get it home. I’m struggling to explain. Why does it make such a difference to the tenderness of meat after cooking?
PS, London
AYour instinct to salt your meat – or dry-brine it – as soon as you get home, not just before cooking, is spot on. Salting meat initially draws out some moisture, but as the juices mix with the salt they are absorbed back in – drawing the seasoning in, and holding in that liquid too. The result is meat that’s juicer and also better flavoured, so a win-win. This takes time, though: at least an hour for steak (any less and the meat will be too damp to brown properly) and six hours or overnight for roasting cuts.
Q
I’m dairy-free and a coffee lover. I’ve noticed that whenever I pour dairyfree milk including oat, soya and coconut milk into a freshly boiled cup of coffee it splits and curdles. This happens with both cheap and expensive coffee. Why does this happen, and is there a way to stop it?
ML, Oxford
AYuck! Curdled milk, dairy-free or otherwise, is a huge turn-off. I’ve quizzed my barista friends and it seems the issue is twofold: heat, and coffee’s natural acidity. Dairy-free milk, or should I say mylk, is easily coagulated by the combination. There are special “barista blend” mylks that are more stable, but they are higher in fat, and some people find them too creamy.
You can try reducing the acidity by opting for a coffee that has been grown at lower altitude and naturally processed rather than wet-processed or washed, and then opt for a darker roast. Grinding it coarsely helps shift the flavour from sourness too.
It’s simpler to play with the
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The Daily Telegraph, 111 Buckingham Palace Rd, London, SW1W 0DT heat, though. There are three ways to approach this. Warming the mylk before adding it to the coffee will help stop it “shocking” and curdling. Allowing the coffee to cool before adding the mylk is a good call too – provided you don’t mind your coffee lukewarm. Or try putting the mylk in the cup first, and then slowly pouring over the coffee, to temper it.
YOUR RESPONSES
On the subject of sourness, I recently answered a query about non-acidic salad dressings. Reader Priscilla Notere wrote to tell me about something an elderly French friend used to make, a simple mix of mustard, olive oil and milk. It’s an excellent combination, with the bite of mustard taking the place of the sharpness of vinegar. Take one teaspoon of mustard, Dijon or (better) a green mustard such as tarragon, and whisk hard with three tablespoons of olive oil, until you can no longer see specks of mustard. Beat in a teaspoon of milk. It’s excellent on soft leaves of round lettuce, or sliced tomatoes.
It’s a good idea
to set your worms free in the garden after about a week.