Text 34370, 144 rader
Skriven 2013-03-04 04:59:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av JIM WELLER
Ärende: bison grass vodka 199
=============================
 JW> I have heard of it but not had the opportunity to taste it. As it's
 JW> rare and expensive I doubt I would use it in a mixed cocktail if I
 JW> ever secured a bottle. It is not marketed in the NWT or Alberta and
 JW> is actually illegal in the USA (due to the coumarin content).

Luckily I have had other chances. For a while it was my
favorite kind of vodka. Considering that cassia (the most
common source of cinnamon flavoring) and the clover that
grows in every lawn at least in temperate climes both
contain more coumarin than this vodka, I can't figure this
one out. The Wall Street Journal article on the stuff
claims that strawberries and cherries also contain it; it
also notes that a sanitized version of the vodka has been
developed for the US market.

 JW> I've recently learned that European bison grass is in fact the same
 JW> plant known here as sweet grass. I can get that from several prairie
 JW> reserves in southern Alberta. Now with a little effort I can make my
 JW> own if I want to badly enough.

There are several sweetgrasses, though; I can tell you
that the basket-weaving sweetgrass that you see out east
has a smell that does not remind one of the zubrowka.
If you wanted to flavor your vodka, it might be important
to get the right one.

 ML> You're thinking of palatability
 JW> Sigh. You're correct. Edible is merely non-toxic; ergo zucchini and
 JW> rutabagas are in fact edible.

Problem arose when people made exaggerated claims about
inedibility. I myself am guilty of this kind of mildish
hyperbole regarding zucchini and rutabagas.

Here's a SFChron article that misuses the term -

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

      Title: A Glossary of Sugars and Their Uses
 Categories: Tips, Candy, Baking, Chron
      Yield: 1 Servings

           Castor sugar
           Confectioner's sugar
           Invert sugar
           Demerara sugar
           Muscovado
           Fructose
           Glucose

  SF Chronicle, Wednesday, March 31, 1999

  Sugar, or sucrose, occurs naturally in all fruits and vegetables as a
  result of photosynthesis, the process that converts the sun's energy
  into food reserves. Sucrose is found in the greatest quantities in
  the stalks of sugar cane and the roots of sugar beets, the two major
  sources of commercial sugar. There are many variations of sugar and
  different levels of refinement, so you should choose the type of
  sugar that meets your needs.

  ~- Granulated white (table) sugar. Both cane and beet white sugars are
  highly purified with no residual extra flavors and no nutrients, fat
  or fiber. Both are refined to 99.95 percent sucrose. The remaining
  .05 percent is made up of various trace minerals and proteins.

  Both are good all-purpose sugars, although many bakers and
  confectioners prefer cane. Even though modern refining techniques
  have eliminated impurities once found in beet sugar, it may not
  produce the expected results in sugar syrups, caramel and some baked
  goods.

  ~- Castor sugar. A British version of ``extra superfine'' sugar.
  Because it dissolves easily, castor sugar is good for sweetening cold
  liquids and making meringues. [M's note: often spelled "caster."

  ~- Powdered (or confectioner's) sugar. Granulated sugar that has been
  pulverized then mixed with cornstarch to prevent clumping. Powdered
  sugar is generally used for decorative purposes or in candy and
  icings.

  ~- Invert sugar. A liquid carbohydrate sweetener thats the product of
  sugar refining. Many manufacturers add it to brown sugar and other
  products like baked goods and sorbets to retain moisture, prevent
  crystallization and promote shelf life. It also are used to control
  graining in candy making. It's often found on the ingredient list of
  beet brown sugars.

  ~-  Brown sugar. Brown cane sugar is a step in the process of refining
  white sugar. Brown cane sugars made by the crystallization process,
  like C & H, retain the natural cane molasses throughout the sugar
  crystals.

  Brown beet sugars (and some brands of cane sugar) are made by the
  process called painting. The molasses is removed (beet molasses is
  unfit for human consumption) and then cane molasses is ``painted''
  back onto the sugar crystals. The molasses in painted brown sugars
  does not permeate the sugar crystals uniformly and can give uneven
  results in baking and poor results in caramelizing.

  Dark brown sugar has more molasses than light or golden brown sugar
  and a more pronounced molasses flavor.

  Brown sugar can be substituted for white granulated sugar in the same
  amounts, but will change the texture and moisture content and add
  molasses flavor to the final product.

  ~- Molasses. A by-product of the refining process. Sugar cane
  processing requires three boilings to extract the juice, producing
  molasses. Both light and dark molasses are used for making cakes,
  cookies and ginger bread.

  ~- Raw sugar. True raw sugar is inedible. What is sold as ``sugar in
  the raw'' in the U.S. is actually turbinado sugar.

  ~- Turbinado. Almost completely refined cane sugar, just shy of the
  last re-dissolving process. The crystals are large and crunchy.

  ~- Demerara. A partially refined sugar from Guyana. Both turbinado and
  Demerara are generally sprinkled on baked goods for texture.

  ~- Muscovado. Minimally refined brown cane sugar with a sticky
  candylike texture and bittersweet taste. Dark and intense, muscovado
  is used in gingerbread, chutney and barbecue sauces.

  ~- Fructose. Fructose is fruit sugar, a component of sucrose or
  refined sugar. Commercial fructose comes from corn. It can be as much
  as twice as sweet as sucrose. Fructose is sold in granulated form but
  acts very differently than granulated sugar and is not recommended
  for baking or caramelizing -- it will simply melt. Fructose is a
  component of high fructose corn syrup which is used for sweetening
  soft drinks.

  ~- Glucose. Derived from cornstarch and sold in syrup form, it is 80
  percent as sweet as sucrose. Glucose is used commercially to increase
  the sugar content of beer and wine and to make syrup and jam. It also
  increases the shelf life of baked goods.

  MM format by Manny Rothstein, 4/5/99.

MMMMM

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