"Damsel in dis Dress" > wrote in message
news
> On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 20:54:06 -0600, BuZzY > wrote:
>
> >Hey--we enjoy stir frying veg's and beef with various Asian spices. One
> >time, an owner of a cafe told me they made their beef tender (it nearly
> >melted in your mouth) by marinading it in a solution of baking soda and
> >something--
> >
> >Is this familiar to anyone-??
>
> It's called velveting. Someone posted about the procedure a day or two
> ago. Personally, I don't care for spongy beef, but whatever floats your
> boat.
>
> Carol

Velveting has nothing to do with baking soda. It's a technique for deep
frying the meat (or whatever) in low temperature fat (275 f) after it has
been coated with corn starch and egg white. Velveting can also be done in
water instead of oil. After the velveting the meat is stir fried in the
usual way. It is typically done with more delicate foods such as chicken,
fish, and shellfish - I have never seen it suggested for beef.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.