Text 6416, 105 rader
Skriven 2006-10-11 22:56:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av JOAN MACDIARMID
Ärende: Vinegar
===============
 -=> Quoting Joan Macdiarmid to Mark Lewis <=-

 > My parents were chemists and my mom had been known to
 > make pickling vinegar from reagent grade glacial acetic acid
 
 ML> 98% pure water free acetic acid
 
That would be technical grade for industrial applications. Reagent grade
is 99.8%+ pure.

 JM> I think that only means it's easily flammable
 JM> in air if ignited. It doesn't go off spontaneously.

True.

 JM> Freezing isn't a problem, after all. You warm it
 JM> up, it melts into the same liquid it was before
 JM> it crystallized.

And unlike water it doesn't expand drastically and break the container.

 ML> diluting that to usable levels would require a protective gearing up,
 ML> gloves, respirator, mask, and a measuring utensil that wouldn't get

 JM> Again, nah! Even at 98% purity, acetic acid is
 JM> intrinsically a "weak acid"

But the fumes are irritating. We always opened the bottle and diluted it
under a fume hood with the fan on. That was it though: no gloves or
masks or special equipment.

 JM> Sulfuric or nitric acids... leave a fearful burn

Much worse, especially sulphuric.

 JM> Acetic is relatively bland stuff.

The one I was always extra cautious about was HF. That and making glass
cleaning solution with sulphuric acid and aqueous Potassium Dichromate.
Nasty stuff on the skin if it boils over and spits.

 JM> Seriously, I think cooks should stick to natural
 JM> vinegar!

Agreed. I never meant to appear to endorse the practise.

 JM> The glacial is mostly made from petroleum sources[...] who knows
 JM> what stray byproduct molecules are in that 2%?

Since it's been 30 years since I've read a label I checked an industry
sales site: grade ACS reagent, 99.8% pure
total impurities:
0.0002% acetaldehyde
0.0005% non-volatile matter (mostly metallic acetates)
0.002% KMnO4 red. matter (as HCOOH)
0.01% acetic anhydride

We're so way far off topic; we need a recipe....

MMMMM-----Meal-Master - formatted by MMCONV  2.10

     Title: BFT Celery And Stilton Soup
Categories: British, Soups
  Servings: 4

     25 g  Butter (1 oz)
      1    Onion, chopped
      5    Sticks Celery, roughly
           chopped
    300 ml Milk ( 1/2 pint)
    300 ml Vegetable stock ( 1/2 pint)
      1 TB Cornflour
     75 g  Stilton cheese, crumbled (3
           oz)
     50 ml Single cream (2 fl oz)

This is a perfect winter combination, fresh celery together with the
King of cheeses - Stilton.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and celery, saute
until soft. Add most of the milk and all of the stock, simmer for 20
minutes.

Once cooked, liquidise the soup until smooth. Return to the saucepan and
bring back to the boil. Blend the cornflour with the remaining milk,
stir into the soup, simmer for 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat, stir in the Stilton. Pour into soup bowls and garnish
with a swirl of cream.
                                                         
  From: The British Food Trust
 
MMMMM-------------------------------------------------

Cheers

Jim, in Yellowknife




... Acid consumes 47 times it's weight in excess reality
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