On Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at 7:15:12 AM UTC-10, Taxed and Spent wrote:
> On 9/13/2016 9:46 AM, dsi1 wrote:
> > On Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at 5:30:31 AM UTC-10, Taxed and Spent wrote:
> >> On 9/13/2016 8:27 AM, Janet B wrote:
> >>> On Tue, 13 Sep 2016 00:12:29 -0500, Sqwertz >
> >>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> On Mon, 12 Sep 2016 16:39:05 -0600, Janet B wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>> On Mon, 12 Sep 2016 14:59:55 -0700, "Paul M. Cook" >
> >>>>> wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> Done in Chinese cooking.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>> I thought velveting was done in Chinese cooking. That seems to be a
> >>>>> totally different process.
> >>>>
> >>>> I think velveting with cornstarch and egg is an Americanized Chinese
> >>>> invention. I have never seen an Asian cook live, on TV, or in a
> >>>> cookbook written by a native Asian call for velveting. But I have
> >>>> seen them call for baking soda optionally mixed with water and refer
> >>>> to that as velveting.
> >>>>
> >>>> Those lightly battered meats that you get by velevting with cornstarch
> >>>> and egg are mostly an Americanized Chinese restaurant trademark and
> >>>> you'll rarely find them at the more authentic Chinese restaurants
> >>>> except with shrimp, and less rarely with chicken - the two proteins
> >>>> that are least likely to need "velveting".
> >>>>
> >>>> -sw
> >>>
> >>> oh, o.k. thanks
> >>> Janet US
> >>>
> >>
> >> I could have sworn I leaved the baking soda trick as part of a Chinese
> >> cooking class.
> >
> > Some Chinese restaurants will still marinate the beef in baking soda which changes the texture dramatically. It comes out pale and sponge-like. I used to do that back in the 70s but these days I reject that approach. These days I marinate the meat for a few minutes in cornstarch and then fry at high temperature - in a good amount of oil.
> >
> > https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/sh...hare_link_copy
> >
>
> The problem with a restaurant using the baking soda is they might tend
> to do a big batch to last the whole day, so some of that has been being
> denatured for a long time.
The problem is with the process. Adding baking soda to meat and letting it sit for 20 minutes or so will turn it into Chinese spongy meat. You don't have to let it sit all day before it ruins the meat.