curing

Mixing up nitrites and nitrates

Mixing up sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate

A few weeks ago, I made some pancetta – cured bacon that was then rolled, tied and dried for three weeks to mature it. Some time later, this comment was posted: I really think you should research what prauge (sic) powder#1 and prauge (sic) powder#2 are used for before you end up making alot of [...]

Food politics

How to make pancetta

Pancetta – how to cure your own Italian bacon

I’ve skirted around the edges of this recipe for a while now. It’s not really a recipe, as such…it’s more of a chemistry experiment that involves taking something a bit bland and mediocre, adding some other stuff to it and miraculously transforming it into something that’s way better than the sum of its parts. It’s [...]

Food & drink

Could the Nordic Diet stop obesity?

Could the Nordic Diet stop obesity? post image

There should be little doubt that Britain has a problem with its’ weight. Current estimates rate the level of obesity at around a quarter of the population. That’s a lot of big people. The traditional British diet, heavy in saturated fats and carbohydrates, added to an ever more sedentary lifestyle would seem to be the [...]

Books, Food politics

Home-made bacon

How to cure bacon at home

Bacon is very easy to make. In its simplest form, it’s just the application of salt to pork, with some waiting around involved. My bacon isn’t much more complicated than this, and is based on the method from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s encyclopedic River Cottage Cookbook . Find a piece of pork belly, as big as you [...]

Food & drink