What do you add to boiled meat? Does adding ice really help? Dr. Jessada gave a clear conclusion.
Boiling meat until tender, what to put in many places ? Why do you put ice in the pot of boiling meat? Does ice really help? Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jessada Denduangboripant, a lecturer in the Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University and a science communicator, posted a message on Facebook, explaining this matter clearly as follows:
“Why do some chefs put ice in the pot of boiling meat?”
There is a question from a reporter about a Facebook page that recommends kitchen tricks, posting a method to boil meat to make it tender quickly by adding ice when it is boiling. Before boiling it again… Is it possible or not!?
The “Just Channel” page posted pictures and clips of the technique, with the following explanation: “Ice makes tough meat, pork, and chicken tender quickly. Because when we boil meat at high temperatures for a long time, the protein structure changes. The moisture in the meat is squeezed out, making the meat tough. When ice is added, the temperature drops sharply, causing the muscles to contract rapidly. As a result, the tissue, tendons, and ligaments are destroyed, separated from the muscles, and the bones fall off.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jessada commented that personally. I don’t cook much and I’ve never boiled beef with or without ice, so I’m not sure if it will actually work.
When I searched for information on the internet, I concluded that it can actually be done. There are recommendations on many pages, as shown in the information below.
1. Advice from the “MK Pork Market” website says the same thing:
“Ice helps stew meat to be tender faster.” The steps are: Bring the meat that we want to be tender and mushy, boil it until the water is boiling. Then add ice to reduce the temperature quickly. Continue boiling until it is boiling and reaches the desired tenderness. This will greatly reduce the boiling time.
Because when we boil meat in high-temperature water for a long time. The moisture between the proteins is squeezed out, making the boiled meat dry. Adding ice causes the temperature to drop suddenly. Causing the muscles to shrink rapidly, making it easy for the bones to fall off the meat.”
2. From the Wongnai page. There is a recommended method for stewing meat to make the meat tender and fall off the bone, and to reduce the stewing time by adding ice (with a clip)
There was an experiment to prove it by stewing 3 pieces of pork ribs. The first piece was boiled in plain water / the second piece had “candy” added after the water boiled / and the third piece had “ice” added after the water boiled as well.. and after the water boiled again, it was stewed for another 1 hour before being coated with sauce and baked.
It was found that the first piece (boiled in plain water) was not too difficult to pull out the meat, with almost no meat attached to the bone. It was soft and tender, not mushy, and the meat was not too dry. / The second piece (boiled with candy). The meat was quite difficult to pull out, with quite a lot of meat attached to the bone. The texture was no different from the first piece, but the meat was not as tender and did not have the smell of candy. The last piece (boiled with ice), the meat was very easy to pull out, with no meat attached to the bone at all. The texture was the softest. But not so tender that it melted.
Wongnai explained that adding ice after the water boils helps the meat become the most tender. Because when meat is boiled in hot water or at high temperatures for a long time. The ทางเข้า ufabet protein structure changes, causing the moisture between the proteins to be squeezed out. Resulting in the meat being dry and tough.
In addition, connective tissue (fascia or tendons) is also destroyed. Causing the muscles to fray and separate into pieces.
Adding ice causes the temperature to drop suddenly, causing the muscles to contract rapidly, causing the connective tissue to separate from the muscles. Making it easier for the bones to separate from the flesh.
3. In addition, it was found that in foreign countries, some chefs use the method of adding ice while cooking meat in a pot or pan (like stir-frying or stir-frying meat in a pot, Western style). So it should be additional information.
The reason why some chefs (foreigners) put ice in the pot or pan. Where they are stir-frying meat is because the ice helps slow down the rate at which the meat is heated in the pot. This controls the temperature of the water in the pot from getting too high. Allowing the meat to cook slowly and not burn.
Or, to put it vice versa, if you don’t put ice in. The meat will receive direct heat from the surface of the pot. Causing the outside to cook too quickly while the inside is not cooked properly.
Another reason for adding ice is the problem of tough meat during cooking. So, adding ice to the pot occasionally during cooking will reduce the heat and help keep the meat tender.
Therefore, the main reason why chefs (foreigners) put ice in the pot is to reduce the temperature of the meat, which is better than putting water in instead. Because ice has a high latent heat value (the temperature required to change state from solid to liquid), it can control the temperature from getting too hot for a long time.