Step 1. We prepare dishes for salting.
For salting mushrooms, it is better to choose a wooden tub, an enameled pan or a glass jar. The selected dishes are thoroughly washed in water. Then wipe dry with a towel.Step 2. Prepare the mushrooms.
Mushrooms (boletus, boletus, mossiness mushrooms, honey mushrooms, chanterelles, nigella, valui, champignons) thoroughly clean from the ground, rinse, put in an enamel pan. Step 3. Cook the mushrooms.
Pour water into a saucepan with mushrooms, put on fire and lightly salt. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon and skimming off the foam. Russula is boiled 5 -6 minutes; milk mushrooms, volnushki, whites and grays - 8 - 10 minutes; porcini mushrooms, aspen mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, mossiness mushrooms, boletus and champignons - 10-15 minutes; mushrooms, chanterelles, valui, rubella and other mushrooms containing bitterness - 25-30 minutes. 
Then drain the water in which they were boiled, and rinse the mushrooms in cold water, throwing them into a colander to drain the water. Step 4. Mix the ingredients.
Mushrooms prepared in this way should be placed in dishes (tubs, jars, pans) and salted at the rate of 45-60 grams of salt on the 1 kg boiled mushrooms and cover with a wooden circle with oppression. Garlic, onion, horseradish, tarragon or dill can be put in mushrooms as a seasoning. 
It is better to chop the onion into small cubes beforehand. 
You can either squeeze the garlic through the garlic press, or cut it into small pieces, or even throw it whole. but this is on condition that the teeth are small. I cut the garlic into slices so that the mushrooms were better saturated with the aroma of garlic when salted, but in a couple of cans for the experiment, garlic was squeezed into a couple of cans with the help of a garlic maker. 
After all the mushrooms have been salted, they can be put in jars and corked with plastic lids. Mushrooms salted in this way can be eaten through six - eight days.
Step 5 Serve salted boiled mushrooms.
It can be served as a cold appetizer, placed in a deep plate. You can season with vegetable oil and add onion, cut into rings or slices. Enjoy your meal! You can pickle mushrooms for the winter using a dry, cold and hot method - it all depends on the type of mushrooms you have.
In our family, salted "tubular" individuals are more loved - butterflies, mushrooms, flywheels, boletus, boletus ... Therefore - with a happy combination of various circumstances: weather, time, desire and, of course, luck - we harvest them.
At the same time, you should know that mushrooms, as a perishable product, despite fatigue, must be processed on the day of assembly.
It is necessary to look at each mushroom, check for worminess. For blanks, select the strongest and youngest. Next, you will have to clean the mushrooms from forest debris (moss, needles ...) and sand, if any damaged part comes across, cut it out. For mushrooms such as butter mushrooms, remove the slimy film from the cap.
After the mushrooms have been sorted out, they will also have to be washed with cold water, changing it several times.
Then, those mushrooms that are larger can be cut into several parts, small ones are left intact.
It is important to know that in some mushrooms (such as butterflies, mossiness mushrooms and boletus mushrooms), the cut point quickly darkens - it oxidizes in air. To avoid this, after cleaning (or cutting) they should immediately be placed in slightly salted water - so they will eventually look more appetizing.
Next - mushrooms should be boiled in salted water. To do this, the water must be brought to a boil and salted, and then put the prepared mushrooms into it. Do not worry if it seems that there is not enough liquid, because when heated, the mushrooms will release juice themselves - they will cook in it for about 20 minutes. The emerging foam must be removed from time to time with a slotted spoon.
If desired, for a better taste, you can add a couple of bay leaves and black peppercorns. As soon as the brine becomes transparent, and the mushrooms themselves settle to the bottom - that's it, this is a signal that they are ready. We throw the mushrooms into a colander, draining part of the brine, and set aside for a while - let them cool.
For further salting of mushrooms, we select an enameled (glass, wooden) container: a saucepan is just right.
We spread the bottom with dill umbrellas, horseradish leaves and black currant. Add a few cloves of chopped garlic. Then we shift the cooled mushrooms there with part of the brine, mixed with salt - the brine should completely cover the mushrooms. We cover the surface with scalded gauze, cover it with a circle and (already on it) put a load (clean stone, for example).
We leave all this "construction" in the kitchen. After a few days, foam will appear, it is periodically removed. The foam has ceased to appear - we rearrange the pan to a cooler place for "adding salt".
Relatively recently, an alternative to conventional smoking, flavoring, began to appear on sale, at the present time - liquid smoke for smoking is the fastest and easiest among all smoking options. But cooking with liquid smoke quickly began to find both supporters and opponents.
In the 60s, at the Institute of Meat Processing, a group of specialists developed a composition that betrays the aroma and taste of smoked meats to food, but at one time it was not successful, although smoking with liquid smoke was not inferior to the usual version in terms of gastronomic qualities.
In 90% of cases, smoking with liquid smoke at home is used.
What is liquid smoke
Liquid smoke is found on sale - it is a flavor that is sold in the form of a liquid or as a powder mixture, a substance with which products are quickly smoked.
It is used to give a pronounced taste, color, and aroma to smoked products that are cooked on a diluted fire or on a stove.
The substance is often used as a seasoning for meat and fish products. Sometimes added to first courses. The food takes on a smoky smell, which gives the impression of cooking soup over a campfire.
Production technology in industry
Hardwood waste is delivered to the plant from sawmills.
Sawdust and wood chips are dried and sorted according to wood species, then moved in various dosages, in the future, different types of condensate will be produced from the mixtures.
After the combustion product enters the smoke generator, the resulting ash falls into a special container.
Smoke through the chimney is in the condenser tank, where it is injected to the required concentration.
In the condenser tank, separation with resins takes place; during normal smoking, the resins are not separated and end up in the product.
Double filtration comes from the condenser tank.
This completes this technology for the production of condensates.
But it is too early to draw conclusions in general, since this is just one of the ways to obtain this liquid for cooking various dishes, and there are others.
Is this method of smoking harmful?
Smoked meats in themselves are not considered a useful product, but as for this seasoning, the situation here is much more ambiguous and the smoking liquid has not been fully studied. It is only clear that it is better not to abuse the use of liquid smoke and know the measure, as with most other products.
The pluses include:
- The ability to enhance the aromatic and gustatory properties of many dishes. And this applies not only to meat and fish products, but also to first courses.
- Very low concentration of harmful impurities. It is because of this that artificial smoke is a better option than natural smoking.
- Reducing cooking time.
There are also disadvantages, which are evaluated by the percentage of carcinogens in the substance. You should take a responsible approach to the choice of the product and focus on the composition. There are cases when the concentration of carcinogens is specially increased in production. With their help, they eliminate the unpleasant smell of spoiled products. This is detrimental to human health.
In Europe, synthetic smoke is banned. There is no ban in the Russian Federation, even there are no established production standards. Therefore, now it is only by the amount of carcinogens that they determine whether a product is harmful or not.
The video provides arguments about the usefulness and dangers of liquid smoke.
Compound
Liquid smoke has a base:
- synthetic;
- natural.
Based on the type of substance. By burning wood, a liquid of natural origin is obtained. During combustion, the smoke is filtered. Then they are cleaned from harmful additives using specialized equipment and dissolved in plain water. For a natural substance, wood blanks from bird cherry, beech, alder or apple are more often used.
Chemical composition
The concentration of substances in the chemical composition is different. The main components are acids, carbonyl compounds such as aldehydes and ketones and phenols.
If the substance is released in liquid form, then the amount of water varies from 11% to 92%. Manufacturers add spices to some types of substances.
synthetic smoke
Synthetic liquid smoke is produced with the addition of chemical additives, which is harmful to the human body.
Experts define the following composition:
- water - from 11% to 92%;
- phenols - range from 0.2% to 2.9%;
- acids - from 2.9% to 9.5%;
- carbonyl compounds - from 2.6% to 4.6%.
Video on how to make smoke at home, without a chemical poison.
Liquid smoke "Kostrovok"
On sale, the substance is found in different forms. The most popular is the Kostrovok marinade. Designed for smoking meat and fish products. It is often added to sauces and marinades to give the dish a pronounced smoky flavor and a campfire feel. In composition, it is an aqueous solution of natural smoke obtained by burning wood.
This is what the liquid smoke of "Kostrovok" looks like on store shelves
After purchase, it is advisable to store in a cool place. If the liquid has not been used for a long time, sedimentation is allowed.
Application area
The direct purpose of liquid smoke is the smoking of meat and fish products. Moreover, the taste properties are noticeably improved, as well as the aroma and appearance of the product.
Use in cooking, adding liquid to grill or barbecue sauces. It is often observed in ingredients for recipes for second courses, gravies, soups and other things. In China, even vegetables are smoked.
The use of liquid smoke in cooking does not cause difficulties. Step-by-step instructions are provided on the bottle label, which must be read carefully. The bottom line is to add a couple of drops to the marinade in which meat or fish is soaked. After, the product is fried, boiled or stewed. The dish does not differ from the one that was cooked on natural smoke.
Do-it-yourself liquid smoke
Classic variant
Manufacturing:
- We make a hole in the side of the bottle at the base and seal it with tape.
- We fill the container with water.
- We close the neck with foil and make several holes in it with a needle.
- We take more foil and make a cone-shaped neck at the bottle, where we will pour wood chips.
The design is completed, now let's start manufacturing:
- We install the structure on the edge of the table, put a basin on the floor from below.
- We fall asleep on top of the structure with wood chips and set fire to it.
- As soon as it flares up, peel off the adhesive tape, after which the water will begin to drain into the basin, and the resulting void will be filled with natural smoke.
- We leave in a bottle of 200g. water and close the hole.
- Remove all foil from the neck and close the bottle.
- We shake the bottle until all the smoke dissipates, and the remaining water turns brown.
Using cigarette smoke
The first way is to use natural smoke, which we will extract from cigarettes. For the procedure you will need a frozen glass. Beforehand, the glass is placed for some time in the freezer. To obtain the substance, a cigarette is lit, and the smoke is released into a glass. During this procedure, harmful additives settle on the walls of the dishes, and the smoke itself is thick. With this consistency, it is easy to pour into another vessel or directly onto the products.
With sugar, tea and rice
The second way is implemented in a peculiar way. It will take 2 tbsp. l. sugar, green and black tea, rice. The listed ingredients are mixed together and placed in a foil folded in two layers. During cooking, the mixture is placed under a piece of meat. During heating, smoke begins to form, which allows the product to be smoked.
Video on how to cook.
You can smoke products not only with natural smoke. It is easier, more economical and healthier to do this using a special one.
Liquid smoke and its benefits
Like ordinary smoke, liquid smoke increases the shelf life of products, gives them the taste, color and aroma of smoking. However, it has one indisputable advantage - unlike natural smoke, it does not contain benzopyrene and other carcinogenic substances that can cause cancer.
The use of liquid smoke allows you to adjust the degree and intensity of smoking products, ensuring their stable quality.
Cold smoked salo
Pour 1 liter of water into a saucepan, dissolve 4 tablespoons of kitchen salt in it, and then add one handful of onion peel. The husk must be present, it will give the finished product a yellowish-golden color.
After boiling the salt solution with the husk, let it boil for 5-6 minutes, then remove from heat.
Cut one kilogram into large pieces and lay them in a spacious enameled pan so that there is a gap of about half a centimeter between the pieces.
Add 6 tablespoons of liquid smoke to the hot brine, stir and pour over the lard so that it is completely covered with the solution.
Put the pot on the fire. After bringing the brine to a boil, reduce the heat to the lowest possible and cook for half an hour. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside for 12-14 hours in a cool time.
After the specified time, remove the fat from the solution, wipe dry with napkins or dry in a draft. It remains to thoroughly rub each piece on all sides with red ground pepper and garlic gruel. Smoked lard is ready!
Smoking fish with liquid smoke
Thoroughly wash, clean and gut the fish intended for smoking.
Cut it in two along the spine or cut it from the inside along the spine so that the two halves remain connected only by the dorsal fin.
You can also make cuts from the inside of the carcass, so the fish is better saturated with brine. Small fish can not be gutted, just wash it thoroughly in running water.
Putting the fish tightly in a plastic or enamel container, fill it with a brine prepared from 1 liter of water, 3 tablespoons of salt and 2 teaspoons of sugar, and then put it under pressure in a cool place for 24 hours.
After a day, remove the fish from the brine, rinse with water and hang to dry for 2-3 hours.
Mix 5 tablespoons of liquid smoke with 1 liter of water and dip the salted fish into the prepared solution. For large fish, the residence time in the flavor is 2-3 minutes, for small fish - 1 minute, and for a fish divided in two, 20 seconds is enough.
After hanging the fish by the tail, let it dry for 24 hours. After the specified time, you can begin to take the sample.
Enjoy your meal!
Making fires and having picnics in the middle of the metropolis is not an easy task, since it is forbidden to do this in parks, and in other places it is simply impossible, asphalt and concrete are all around. Therefore, the townspeople have to be resourceful in order to make the kebabs fragrant, as if they had just been well fried on a fire, and add special smoking substances and flavors, or, more simply, liquid smoke. Consider what you can do with liquid smoke at home.
What is liquid smoke made of?
Liquid smoke is used not only to make the barbecue fragrant, but also for smoking fish and meat products. Often, when you buy cold or hot smoked mackerel in a store, you can see an inscription on the package that the product is prepared without artificial flavors and additives, or with them. And this means that the fish was smoked with or without liquid smoke, as prescribed by the recipe.
Liquid smoke allows you to achieve high consumer results. Due to its price and the great taste it imparts to foods, this natural flavoring is increasingly used on an industrial scale.
Food supplement called liquid smoke obtained in the process of burning wood, after which the resulting product is subjected to filtration. Thorough cleansing is essential to prevent hazardous substances from entering the food. carcinogens.
Recently, carbonyl chemicals and dyes have been increasingly used in the preparation of this seasoning. They do this to prevent the same harmful carcinogens and resins that form during natural combustion into the human body.
They are produced in the form of a dry powder, an aqueous solution (sprays and aerosols), based on alcohol or oil.
Ingredients in liquid smoke:
- water from 15 - 90%;
- phenols from 0.2 to 3%;
- acids from 3 to 10%;
- carbonyl compounds from 2.5 to 5%.
Harm of liquid smoke
Disputes about the benefits and harms of using liquid smoke to improve the taste of food have been going on between nutritionists and doctors for a long time. The scales are tilted towards opponents of this method of preparing delicacies, since the studies that have been carried out have revealed that the substances that make up it can cause acute allergic reactions.
Now, this issue has reached the borders of Europe. The Food Safety Agency has taken over this production and conducts regular studies on the dangers of liquid smoke for living organisms.
With all this, many experts are inclined to the version that liquid smoke is less harmful than a long stay of products in the smokehouse.
Since there is not enough information about the dangers or benefits of this flavor, should be used with caution.
How to distinguish a product prepared using liquid smoke
Doctors recommend reducing the amount of foods in your diet that have been prepared using liquid smoke. But it is often difficult to distinguish such fish and meat delicacies from those prepared according to traditional recipes. Here's what you need to pay attention to:
- Uneven color of meat or fish.
- Very bright color, orange or golden.
- Unnatural gloss of the product.
Most often, small fish are treated with liquid smoke: capelin, mackerel; chicken and mince.
How to replace liquid smoke at home?
If you still decide to cook your favorite dishes, but do not have the strength and time to smoke the product for real, there are many recipes, which will help replace liquid smoke, but the result will be no worse than with its use.
- Curry. For cooking, you will need a pack of mayonnaise, curry seasoning, soy sauce and garlic. All this is mixed, whipped until a mass similar to sour cream with 15% fat content is obtained. The result will be a spicy - sour marinade, similar in taste to liquid smoke. Meat or fish must be kept in this marinade for 3 hours, after which the product will become soft and juicy in taste.
- Tea and rice . Prepare rice, sugar, green and black tea in equal amounts. All this is mixed and wrapped in foil. From above, on this bundle, holes are pierced. When you fry meat or fish, place this structure down. Under the influence of temperature, the cooked mass will begin to ooze and evaporate fragrant odors, which will soak into your dish.
- Liquid smoke from a regular cigarette. What do you need? A pack of cigarettes, a glass and a refrigerator at hand. A clean glass is placed in the freezer to cool. Then any smoker exhales cigarette smoke into a cooled glass. Harmful compounds settle on the walls of a chilled glass, and the remaining clean smoke hides in any sealed container. This way of producing liquid smoke is the closest to the composition that you can buy in a store, but it will also contain harmful resins, although in smaller quantities.
And yet it is better to spend time and energy on getting a high-quality and safe product. And if you bought it in a store, then it is better to take it from trusted manufacturers.
How to use store bought liquid smoke?
What can be done with liquid smoke in its classic version? Easy to use, any adult can handle it. To get started, it will not be superfluous to read the instructions on the bottle of seasoning.
To make one whole smoked chicken you will need:
- Salt;
- Liquid smoke;
- Mayonnaise;
- Garlic.
Let's get straight to cooking:
- The chicken carcass must be washed with warm water and the remains of feathers, which sometimes remain after processing, must be removed.
- Having mixed everything that you have prepared: salt, liquid smoke, mayonnaise and garlic, which must be passed through a garlic press, rub the chicken well with the resulting sauce.
- Keep the carcass in this solution for about 3 hours, no more, otherwise the meat will become very soft and acquire a strong flavor of seasonings.
To smoke fish at home, with the help of liquid smoke, you will need to take either a whole carcass without a head, or its individual pieces without bones. For one kilogram of fish you will need 40 - 50 gr. liquid smoke:
- Mix salt, pepper, liquid smoke and soak the fish in this brine.
- Put her under pressure. In this form, it should be smoked for about 3-4 days, it will depend on the size of the carcass.
- When the fish is salted, it must be removed from the brine and dried, it is best to do this by hanging it for 11 - 12 hours.
In this article, we took a closer look at what you can do with liquid smoke to make delicious smoked chicken, fish, or other delicacy.
Video recipe: cooking from liquid smoke
In this article, chef Kirill Pozdnyakov will tell and show what you can cook from liquid smoke at home, how to make delicious smoked mackerel without any extra effort:
