We've all heard the expression that wine and cheese improve with age, and even grocery store cheese manufacturers will use the amount of time their cheese is aged as a selling point. The average consumer may see aging as part of a process that has already happened, but depending on the product, a little patience can be greatly rewarded.
Step 1: pick your item to be aged: This can be tricky, but a good rule of thumb is higher alcohol or bolder flavor means it will do well with a bit of time to relax. Bold red wines (such as a Cabernet Sauvignon), fortified wines (like port), high gravity beers (such as barley wines, or imperial stouts), and many oak aged spirits do well with some extra time to mature. I find that oak aged wines, beers, and spirits with a little extra aging, as you can still get the oak flavor with less of the bitter, headache inducing tannins. If your product has a "best by" date, aging is not advised. Some producers (including the brewery I once worked for) intend for their product to be consumed soon.
Step 2: Find out what you like. This is even tricky. You will need to find out what exactly you like and be patient enough to figure it out. For example, some people like bloomy rind cheeses (like Brie and Camembert) very young, and other like them very ripe. I recommend getting two (at least) of what you want. Drink or eat one helping right away and take notes, and wait and save he rest for later (still taking notes!) This should give your a loose guideline. Whether it's brie after two weeks, a certain barley wine after year, or tawny port as soon as your buy it, experimentation is key.
Step 3: Be patient... but keep in mind that the right time may come sooner. Whatever you're aging, keep in mind that it was made to be enjoyed. While your barley wine might reach its peak in another few months, I promise it will be much more enjoyable if cracked open to celebrate a new job. Aging is as much about improving a product as it is about waiting for the best moment to enjoy it.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
In response to Arisia and "Earthlings"
As some of you freaks and geeks may know, last weekend was Arisia, one of my favorite sci-fi cons. While it was an epic weekend, and I was thrilled by the fact the hotel bar had Duvel, Chimay (red), a good Gruener Vertliner, and could make a decent martini, only a few minutes of the con are relative to this blog. Once of the bar friends I met and I got onto the topic of food science and food ethics. I brought up my views on meat, which brought up some relate issues of culture and class. My bar friend made the point that without factor farms fewer people would have access to protein. I responded by saying that there are a number of ways to inexpensively get animal free complete proteins and B vitamins (citing the Latin American tradition of beans and rice), and his response was that many Americans don't know how to use plant proteins. As a gringo who didn't know about the nutritional powers of beans and rice until a high school health class (something not everyone has access to!) I can see his point and now realize that the ethical issues of factory farms are more complicated than whether or not an animal suffers.
So, this somewhat brings me toward the film . Netflix recommended it for me based on my positive rating of . The synopsis was somewhat misleading, so when I started watching and saw a definition of specieism (sp? dang!) and Holocaust footage paired with a narrator talking about the number of animals killed for food in a day, well, I was a bit surprised.
Before I continue, allow me to say how disgusted I am that some people see it fit to compare killing animals for food to making an entire group of people a political scapegoat and killing them because of it because a totalitarian dictator saw it fit. Disagree if you must, but this is my blog and these are my views.
I will give the film some credit. I agreed with some of their points (they also talked about puppy mills and animals used for entertainment), and I am glad that footage for factory farms is available so that more people have access to the truth about where food comes from. However, this film suffers the same sort of myopia to which many animal right activists fall victim. There are the cultural and economic considerations I already mentioned, but this sort of media also highlights the worst of the worst and makes it seem as if all slaughterhouses and meat farms follow the same practices. They use footage from the factory farms while ignoring that there are humane operations. True, the most available meat and animal products are the factory farms, but media like this sends the message that the only options are being a strict vegan or being an an animal killing Nazi.
I also feel the need to mention some related ethical issues as related to the human species. In some areas of the rural south, raising chickens for big companies is the best option for a career (relatives may recall the "chicken factories" near Blount County). Additionally, produce farms are not devoid of ethical problems, it doesn't take much time or research to see how poorly undocumented workers are treated in commercial farming companies, and how employers take advantage of workers who have iffy citizenship status.
Well, I suppose what all this ranting comes down to is the reductionist attitude that plagues food ethics, and certainly all ethics. For a self-described animal rights person like me who is not opposed to eating animals, often there is no niche to fill. We're often inclined to say that morality is not black and white, but within the animal rights sphere, that is rarely the case.
In a perfect world, there would be no factory farms and no animal testing. In a perfect world, there would also be no poverty, no disease, no pain, and everything John Lennon described in "Imagine." We don't live in that world, so until we do, I ask you all to consider all sides of the food ethics issues I discuss in this blog, and feel free to challenge my points. It seems like something we were supposed to learn as little children, but it's always worth being remind that there is always another side, and it is rarely worth dismissing without consideration.
So, this somewhat brings me toward the film . Netflix recommended it for me based on my positive rating of . The synopsis was somewhat misleading, so when I started watching and saw a definition of specieism (sp? dang!) and Holocaust footage paired with a narrator talking about the number of animals killed for food in a day, well, I was a bit surprised.
Before I continue, allow me to say how disgusted I am that some people see it fit to compare killing animals for food to making an entire group of people a political scapegoat and killing them because of it because a totalitarian dictator saw it fit. Disagree if you must, but this is my blog and these are my views.
I will give the film some credit. I agreed with some of their points (they also talked about puppy mills and animals used for entertainment), and I am glad that footage for factory farms is available so that more people have access to the truth about where food comes from. However, this film suffers the same sort of myopia to which many animal right activists fall victim. There are the cultural and economic considerations I already mentioned, but this sort of media also highlights the worst of the worst and makes it seem as if all slaughterhouses and meat farms follow the same practices. They use footage from the factory farms while ignoring that there are humane operations. True, the most available meat and animal products are the factory farms, but media like this sends the message that the only options are being a strict vegan or being an an animal killing Nazi.
I also feel the need to mention some related ethical issues as related to the human species. In some areas of the rural south, raising chickens for big companies is the best option for a career (relatives may recall the "chicken factories" near Blount County). Additionally, produce farms are not devoid of ethical problems, it doesn't take much time or research to see how poorly undocumented workers are treated in commercial farming companies, and how employers take advantage of workers who have iffy citizenship status.
Well, I suppose what all this ranting comes down to is the reductionist attitude that plagues food ethics, and certainly all ethics. For a self-described animal rights person like me who is not opposed to eating animals, often there is no niche to fill. We're often inclined to say that morality is not black and white, but within the animal rights sphere, that is rarely the case.
In a perfect world, there would be no factory farms and no animal testing. In a perfect world, there would also be no poverty, no disease, no pain, and everything John Lennon described in "Imagine." We don't live in that world, so until we do, I ask you all to consider all sides of the food ethics issues I discuss in this blog, and feel free to challenge my points. It seems like something we were supposed to learn as little children, but it's always worth being remind that there is always another side, and it is rarely worth dismissing without consideration.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
To Kill a Yardbird
Warning: The following post contains information that may not be for the faint of heart. No images, and I think it's work safe, but the squeamish have been warned.
Tomorrow many of you will be eating turkey. Most of you will probably buy him at the grocery store (fun fact: most of these birds have all white feathers and breasts so big they can hardly walk), some will get one of the smaller and often more flavor and humanely treated heritage turkeys, and (raise of hands?) just maybe some of you will cook up a bird who lived on a farm and was slaughtered by someone you know.
That last one is what this point is about. This happened a year ago, so I'm digging back into the depths of my memory. Last fall I was the teaching assistant for a class on food biochem. Unlike most food sci classes, where you spend half a semester on water, we did things that related to actual food, and our labs resulted in things we could eat. As a whole, the class decided that we wanted to cook a turkey for a Thanksgiving class. Our logical place to start was one of the turkeys walking around my school's farm center.
I'm going to say this, and I offer no apology if it sounds harsh. If you are going to eat meat, you must be able to watch an animal be killed and be at peace with it. I respect whatever choices people make about what to eat, and any reason they give is good enough for me. Just understand that what you eat (even if it's a plant) was once a living being and should be respected as such.
Now, back to the turkey. That morning he was walking around doing bird things, and around noon when the class started we waited out by a shed near the barn where they milked the cows. We mostly just watched as some students who worked on the farm did the hard work. One of the had experience working in a slaughterhouse. Anyway, they held the bird by one legs, and he was perfectly calm. Kind of like how grabbing a cat by the scruff is a kitty off switch, I guess holding a bird upside down by the leg is a poultry off switch.
When they were ready, they put him in a grain bag with a corner cut off and slit his throat. He flapped around, ripped the bag open, and then just stopped. He threw around a lot of blood, but I feel like I've seen more from witnessing medical emergencies.
The only part I actually participated in was de-feathering the bird, and I can also say that was the only part that made me feel at all disturbed. The bird was still warm, and he smelled very...birdy. Luckily, with a small swarm of college students, we made quick work of that step.
After he was feathered, he had to be dressed out. One of the student who worked in a slaughterhouse took care of this step. She was able to make an incision in the lower abdomen, work her way up inside the body cavity, cut it at the esophagus, and take out everything in one go. Aside from prep and cooking, that was about it.
Now, how do I feel about seeing a turkey dispatched? I still don't know exactly. It was odd, and that's about the most I can say. One minute, the bird was flapping around, the next he was dead. What I do know is I'm alright with what I saw. I'm alright with the fact that a turkey gave his life to feed me. No matter what your eat tomorrow, I ask that you also take a moment to thank any lives--animal, plant and microbe--that feed you.
Tomorrow many of you will be eating turkey. Most of you will probably buy him at the grocery store (fun fact: most of these birds have all white feathers and breasts so big they can hardly walk), some will get one of the smaller and often more flavor and humanely treated heritage turkeys, and (raise of hands?) just maybe some of you will cook up a bird who lived on a farm and was slaughtered by someone you know.
That last one is what this point is about. This happened a year ago, so I'm digging back into the depths of my memory. Last fall I was the teaching assistant for a class on food biochem. Unlike most food sci classes, where you spend half a semester on water, we did things that related to actual food, and our labs resulted in things we could eat. As a whole, the class decided that we wanted to cook a turkey for a Thanksgiving class. Our logical place to start was one of the turkeys walking around my school's farm center.
I'm going to say this, and I offer no apology if it sounds harsh. If you are going to eat meat, you must be able to watch an animal be killed and be at peace with it. I respect whatever choices people make about what to eat, and any reason they give is good enough for me. Just understand that what you eat (even if it's a plant) was once a living being and should be respected as such.
Now, back to the turkey. That morning he was walking around doing bird things, and around noon when the class started we waited out by a shed near the barn where they milked the cows. We mostly just watched as some students who worked on the farm did the hard work. One of the had experience working in a slaughterhouse. Anyway, they held the bird by one legs, and he was perfectly calm. Kind of like how grabbing a cat by the scruff is a kitty off switch, I guess holding a bird upside down by the leg is a poultry off switch.
When they were ready, they put him in a grain bag with a corner cut off and slit his throat. He flapped around, ripped the bag open, and then just stopped. He threw around a lot of blood, but I feel like I've seen more from witnessing medical emergencies.
The only part I actually participated in was de-feathering the bird, and I can also say that was the only part that made me feel at all disturbed. The bird was still warm, and he smelled very...birdy. Luckily, with a small swarm of college students, we made quick work of that step.
After he was feathered, he had to be dressed out. One of the student who worked in a slaughterhouse took care of this step. She was able to make an incision in the lower abdomen, work her way up inside the body cavity, cut it at the esophagus, and take out everything in one go. Aside from prep and cooking, that was about it.
Now, how do I feel about seeing a turkey dispatched? I still don't know exactly. It was odd, and that's about the most I can say. One minute, the bird was flapping around, the next he was dead. What I do know is I'm alright with what I saw. I'm alright with the fact that a turkey gave his life to feed me. No matter what your eat tomorrow, I ask that you also take a moment to thank any lives--animal, plant and microbe--that feed you.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Deflowering the blog: Why this?
Why? Why not? I could say something cliche about being a foodie and trying to spread some message about cupcake based social justice, but that isn't true. I like writing. I especially like writing thing other people like to read. Everyone loves food, and I love talking about food. It seems like a good choice. Really, though, think some things that every person on this green earth has in common. We all breathe, eliminate, and EAT!
Food may be universal, but it is also individual. A person's food preference can probably tell you the most about a person without spending years getting to know them. What we eat is a reflection of who we are. One's diet is shaped by culture, region, past experiences, in some cases health concerns, socioeconomic status, and even personality. The experience of eating can be personal and private or something generously shared with family, friends, and strangers.
Pardon me for so suddenly changing the topic, but there's one other topic I feel I need to put in my opening post: ethics. I'll try not to sound preachy; it's not my intent to use this blog as a soapbox. This is how I feel, and it is likely to inform some of the opinions I'll share here.
1. Life is Divine: I don't believe in the Abrahamic tradition of a creator god, but I do believe in divinity of all living things, and this divinity is what all life has in common. The food you eat is a sacred gift of life, one life being sacrificed to support another. I figured out my feelings on divinity through studies of Hinduism and Buddhism, so it may seem odd that I hold alcohol (any fermented products, to be honest) in equally high regard. The microbes that turn grapes into wine, milk into cheese, and flour into bread are also divine. Spiritually, we are one, and when we eat we physically become one with the organisms we take into our bodies.
2. Life deserves respect: The next logical point, of course. I am personally not opposed to killing and eating animals, or collecting their milk and eggs. What I am opposed to is treating them poorly while they're alive. The same goes for produce: I feel as strongly about ethical choices and transparency of practices with my plant based foods. I'm far from perfect, but it's something I try to always think about when making choices about what to eat. Sometimes, however, I just want chicken fingers and I don't give a damn about anything else. It happens.
3. Know where your food comes from, and be at peace with your choices: It's none of my business how people feel about my above points, but this is the only one I urge others to take to heart. Be an informed consumer, try to learn about where your food comes from, and (if you can) make an effort to only consume what you are comfortable with. At the very least, take the time to think about what's important to you in terms of food and ethics.
So, unless the protesters come back to H&F, this will probably be the heaviest post I'll make for a while. In the future, most of this will be rambling about things that are awesome to eat and drink.
Food may be universal, but it is also individual. A person's food preference can probably tell you the most about a person without spending years getting to know them. What we eat is a reflection of who we are. One's diet is shaped by culture, region, past experiences, in some cases health concerns, socioeconomic status, and even personality. The experience of eating can be personal and private or something generously shared with family, friends, and strangers.
Pardon me for so suddenly changing the topic, but there's one other topic I feel I need to put in my opening post: ethics. I'll try not to sound preachy; it's not my intent to use this blog as a soapbox. This is how I feel, and it is likely to inform some of the opinions I'll share here.
1. Life is Divine: I don't believe in the Abrahamic tradition of a creator god, but I do believe in divinity of all living things, and this divinity is what all life has in common. The food you eat is a sacred gift of life, one life being sacrificed to support another. I figured out my feelings on divinity through studies of Hinduism and Buddhism, so it may seem odd that I hold alcohol (any fermented products, to be honest) in equally high regard. The microbes that turn grapes into wine, milk into cheese, and flour into bread are also divine. Spiritually, we are one, and when we eat we physically become one with the organisms we take into our bodies.
2. Life deserves respect: The next logical point, of course. I am personally not opposed to killing and eating animals, or collecting their milk and eggs. What I am opposed to is treating them poorly while they're alive. The same goes for produce: I feel as strongly about ethical choices and transparency of practices with my plant based foods. I'm far from perfect, but it's something I try to always think about when making choices about what to eat. Sometimes, however, I just want chicken fingers and I don't give a damn about anything else. It happens.
3. Know where your food comes from, and be at peace with your choices: It's none of my business how people feel about my above points, but this is the only one I urge others to take to heart. Be an informed consumer, try to learn about where your food comes from, and (if you can) make an effort to only consume what you are comfortable with. At the very least, take the time to think about what's important to you in terms of food and ethics.
So, unless the protesters come back to H&F, this will probably be the heaviest post I'll make for a while. In the future, most of this will be rambling about things that are awesome to eat and drink.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)