Quote from: Dai on October 02, 2006, 10:20 PM
Hi both
Cory Ander - Thank you for the feedback, i did use liquid food colouring straight out of the bottle but i had no control over the way it came out, it came out in big splodges, i will have to find a more refind method for contolling the flow. I think your pictures are ace, and will definitely try out your methods as soon as i can, At the moment i cannot eat my ctm's quick enough to move onto something new but i am beginning to glow a bit red around the gills. 
Chilli Prawn - Thank you for your feed back also, should i say unfortunately or fortunately that i am the only curry eater in my household so i have to freeze my curries down. I would prefer not to as i feel that freezing does take something away from the flavour, and you can not beat freshly cooked food.
Could you clarify the temperature, you say 80 degrees centergrade, this seems to be a low heat when the fan oven goes up to 220 degrees or have i got this wrong. Would you not put the chicken in to the oven when it has already reached the hottest it could go, this is how i interpreted the recipe i followed. Don't worry about the six month thing, they will be devoured well before that but i do understand. ;D
Bye for now.
Dai
Hi Dai. Chicken does not need to be cooked for very long if it is off the bone, 20 mins is probably the max but it depends on the temperature(s) used. I mentioned 80 degrees C as this is the lowest temp for killing off bacteria. I realise I made a mistake, the rules are you must at least attain a temp of 80 inside and out for the chicken to ensure that the bacteria is killed off; we have to use a probe. If your recipe calls for higher temperatures that is OK; I think that sometimes people overcook chicken (and Pork) to be on the safe side. However, practice and confidence will prevail I am sure.
With regard to powdered food colouring; except for the liquid vegetable colours, not are guaranteed safe, i.e. the Jury is still out. The majority are from ground minerals! The reason they are still allowed on the shelves (but I don't think you will find them in family supermarkets) is that the user is warned and therefore should take professional responsibility. The FSA (Food Standards Agency) keep a close monitor on them and they publish a lot of useful information on their site as well as on other subjects. We very rarely intentionally use artificial food colourings, except what is in pastes etc. We do occasionally make rainbow rice for special events etc; red, green, orange, yellow. Your example is excellent. We make ours as follows, and you need a steady hand.
These are only approximations, you must experiment; but whatever you do, do not make concentrated amounts and do not use too much. Place a small amount 1/8 teaspoon (less than a pinch)of powdered colouring in a cup or glass pot, and add 1 or 3 tablespoons of warm water (depends on the strength of colour you require). Stir a leave for a few minutes.
We put our rice in large rectangular catering trays to dry and cool, so the next bit is easier for us; you will have to devise your own method. I suggest you put some rice on a separate plate. Now in a confident stroke let the colour drip on to the rice in one corner of the dish. Do the same in each corner. Leave the rice for a few minutes for the colours to infuse, do not mix the rice at this stage. Then we stir the rice gently, or in your case add the rice back to the pot and stir gently.
As always here is a tip. Rice is potentially the most lethal product you use. It contains a nasty enzyme that unleashes itself if you do not cook and store the rice properly (use within 4 hours if left open, or chill and freeze). Restaurants (BIRs included ) all abide (or should do) by this as it is very easy to track back sources of Ceres (the bacteria) which can be a killer. I will post more on the tips thread.
Happy cooking
C P
Topic: My First Attempt ( 13,282 )
