Liquid smoke is a technological tool, it is often called a flavor enhancer, which is used in the food industry. It has the properties of flavoring, preservative, replaces the smoking process of products such as poultry, fish, lard, cheese, and gives the flavor of the fire to cooked dishes.
How to produce
Obtained by dissolving in water some decay products of deciduous wood (for example, birch, alder), then there is a purification from various impurities, carcinogens and resins, the addition of flavoring, solvent and food additives. It is insisted in barrels, and after full readiness is mixed with special water and bottled.
Release form
Classic liquid smoke is available for sale in liquid form or in the form of a dry concentrate, respectively.
The use of liquid smoke
We buy smoked mackerel in the store, but few people know that you can make fresh fish smoked at home. To do this, we need patience and liquid smoke! How to use this product? Usually a little book with various recipes is attached to the bottle. This product is used to prepare:
- cold appetizers (meat and fish);
- soups, roast, gravy;
- smoked delicacies;
- marinades, preserves (meat and fish);
- sauces.
Method for making mackerel
The use of liquid smoke in smoking allows you to extend the shelf life of products, reduce the amount of salt and give dishes a refined taste! We will focus on cooking mackerel in liquid smoke. This recipe is suitable for those housewives who do not have a smokehouse at home. The main components:
- fresh mackerel (2 fish);
- granulated sugar (2 tablespoons);
- water (1 liter);
- onion peel (2 handfuls);
- liquid smoke (150 ml);
- salt (5 tablespoons).
First you need to carefully gut the mackerel, remove the insides, rinse and cut off the tail and head. Rinse the onion peel . Pour one liter of water into the pan, add husk, add salt, granulated sugar, bring to a boil. Boil the solution for about 15 minutes. Then the mixture should cool. We filter it, add liquid smoke there and pour into a two-liter jar. In the resulting solution we put gutted fish. We clean in the refrigerator for 24 hours. You can turn the mackerel in 12 hours. After time, remove the mackerel from the brine, rinse with water and wipe with a kitchen towel. For beauty, you can lubricate it with vegetable oil. Slice and garnish portioned with herbs and vegetables. Mackerel in liquid smoke is ready! Enjoy your meal!
Liquid smoke is harmful or beneficial
Now on the shelves of shops and hypermarkets it is extremely difficult to find products prepared by natural smoking. Nutritionists do not recommend eating this food. Products that are prepared using liquid smoke can initiate disturbances in the functioning of the digestive tract, liver, stomach and other organs. So it’s up to you to decide whether smoked foods are good or bad, but you shouldn’t abuse them all the same!