brining chicken

[PaulP]

The membrane in this case is that of the chicken cells themselves.

I might give it a go, however despite my misgivings.

It does remind me a bit of the myth about putting a piece of potato into a liquid dish that tastes too salty. There is no way the spud can absorb the excess salt.
The spud actually shrinks as the water in it is drawn out.

Paul

[George]

I might give it a go, however despite my misgivings.
It does remind me a bit of the myth about putting a piece of potato into a liquid dish that tastes too salty.

This is no myth. Heston B prides himself on his scientific approach. In his book, I think he explains the science behind brining.

Of course, whether you prefer the taste and texture is down to personal preference. I can't decide, especially as brining costs cash for salt, and is quite a lot of effort. I've got no idea whether brined chicken would go well with a BIR curry.

[Peripatetic Phil]

from a physics perspective there does need to be such a membrane for the osmosis to take place as you describe.

I doubt that very much. Do try it, rather than hypothesize. Just drop a chicken into a bucket full of water with lots (ascertain quantity) of salt added - no membrane required!

No hypothesising, George, just pure science. Osmosis can take place only when two solutions of differing concentrations are separated by a semi-permeable membrane; the solvent (water in this case) will then pass through the membrane from the less concentrated side to the more concentrated side, tending thereby to equalise the osmotic pressure acting on each side of the membrane.   But the membrane doesn't have to be a third party; it may well be that the skin of the bird acts as the membrane, or the flesh itself (which isn't, of course, homogeneous but rather highly differentiated).

And it may even be that osmosis isn't involved in the process under discussion at all; but if it is, there has  to be a semi-permeable membrane involved, otherwise it is not osmosis !

** Phil.

[George]

No hypothesising, George, just pure science.

As far as brining is concerned, I'm simply not interested in the science. It either works or it doesn't. I'm telling you it works to change the character of the chicken markedly. Whether you prefer it like that, or not, is a different matter, of course.

[PaulP]

This link may be useful:

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/70/Brining

It does kind of dispel the pure osmosis theory.
I may give it a go but I wouldn't like it if the chicken became too salty.

Science and cooking do go together to a degree, IMO.

Cheers,

Paul

[George]

I wouldn't like it if the chicken became too salty.

That's not my finding. It doesn't taste salty, perhaps because it's given a good rinse. It just alters the texture.

[Peripatetic Phil]

That's not my finding. It doesn't taste salty, perhaps because it's given a good rinse. It just alters the texture.

Well, one man's "salty" is another man's "tasteless".  I don't regard my coffee as sweet, with two heaped coffee spoons of sugar crystals, but for anyone who normally drinks coffee without sugar, it would probably taste disgusting.  I personally find a great deal of modern food sadly lacking in salt (for which I blame John Major), and to compensate I probably add a great deal more than the manufacturers have taken out in the first place.

** Phil.

[George]

Well, one man's "salty" is another man's "tasteless". 

You are right but it's easier to try for yourself than to continue hypothesizing.

It may increase the level of salt up to 'well seasoned' but the two chickens and one turkey I cooked after brining did not strike me as having too much salt, the way they tasted.