Mastering the Craft of Making Sausage (49 page)

SAVORY:
This herb has a peppery taste, and it is used with sausages and fowl. Summer savory is milder than winter savory, and it is the more popular of the two.

SEASONED SALT:
A blend of salt and usually one other seasoning is known as seasoned salt. Examples are celery salt, garlic salt, lemon salt, and onion salt.

SEASONING SALT:
This blend of salt, spices, herbs, and sometimes MSG, will improve the flavor of almost anything that is smoked. Excellent quality commercially produced blends are available, but it is a simple task to make seasoning salt.

THYME:
(The pronunciation is
time
.) Thyme is an herb that has very small leaves, and the leaves have the aroma of mint. It is widely used with fish and fowl, and it is occasionally used with pork, veal, and mutton. It is a pungent, but pleasant, herb, and it is often used in sausage making.

TURMERIC:
Turmeric originated in India, and is it probably best known as a curry powder ingredient. This golden powder is bitter and has a harsh aroma. Because of this, it is used as a food-coloring agent more often than as a seasoning. A small amount will impart a golden color to curry powder, and the gold color will make pale chicken broth appear to be rich and flavorful. It is almost never used in sausage formulations, but the recipe for
Curry Flavored Sausage
in this book calls for a small amount.

WHITE PEPPER:
See
Pepper
.

Appendix 2

Fahrenheit < > Celsius Conversion Table

Appendix 3

NOTE: When measuring salt by volume, the measurements will be accurate and consistent if fine-grain salt is used. An example of fine-grain salt is common table salt. Kosher salt, on the other hand, is a flaked salt rather than a fine-grain crystal salt. Because flaked salt is not as compact as fine-grain salt, one cup of kosher salt will weigh less than one cup of common salt.

Approximate Equivalents (Volume to Weight Ounces of Salt)

Approximate Volume Equivalents (Volume to Grams of Salt)

Appendix 4

Weight and Volume Conversion Tables

Metric equivalents for U. S. weight and volume measurements are indicated throughout the body of this book. The measurements are not always precisely converted, but the conversion accuracy is sufficient, I believe, to produce essentially the same product. Precise conversion would result in very awkward measurements, and it might require brain-numbing calculations. Such precision is not needed.

The imperial (UK) units of measurement are not mentioned in the body of this book for two reasons. The first reason is that metric units are replacing the imperial units rapidly. The second reason is that great confusion could result because the words used for the imperial units of measurement are often the same words used for the U. S. units, even though the actual quantity may be different. You may assume the
weight
measurements in the British system to be the same as those in the U. S. system: An imperial pound is the same as a U. S. pound. If it is a
volume
measurement, you should assume that it is different from the U. S. system: An imperial gallon, for example is not the same as a U. S. gallon. The last table in this appendix will help with conversions of the imperial system to the metric system. Conversion to the metric system will allow conversion to the U. S. system, should that be necessary.

If you need additional help to covert one measurement to another system, try the Internet website
www.onlineconversion.com
.

Weight Conversion Table

Volume and Fluid Conversions: U. S. < > Metric

This table does not represent precise conversions: 1 cup actually equals 236 ml, and 1 gallon equals 3785.4 ml, for example. However, such precision is meaningless for sausage making. The table presented below is quite easy to commit to memory, easy to calculate, and its accuracy is sufficient.

British Volume Measuring System—Metric Conversion Table

If you compare the metric conversions for the British system of volume measurement to that of the American system, you will note that there are significant differences—in spite of the fact that the same words are used. For example, 1 US quart is about 944 ml, but 1 UK quart is 1,136 ml. Another interesting feature is that 4 UK teaspoons are equal to 1 UK tablespoon, whereas 3 US teaspoons are equal to 1 US tablespoon.

For food processing, the conversions indicated below are unnecessarily precise; they should be rounded off to a unit that is convenient to measure. One tablespoon, for example should be rounded off from 14.2 ml to 15 ml.

Appendix 5

Equipment and Supply Resources

You should be able to obtain most of your equipment and supplies locally at places such as supermarkets, hardware stores, and home centers. For items that are difficult to find, consult the Yellow Pages under the headings of Butcher’s Supplies, Culinary Equipment and Supplies, Restaurant Equipment and Supplies, Sausage-Making Supplies, etc. In some large cities, the local industrial suppliers are not listed in the common telephone directory, and you will have to consult a commercial or an industrial telephone directory. For example, companies that sell restaurant equipment do not normally sell to the public, so they might be listed in a special telephone directory. If your telephone company publishes such a directory, a nearby library may have a copy of it. Another option would be to request a copy from the telephone company.

Some equipment and supplies are most easily obtained by mail order, or by searching the Internet. If you are connected to the Internet, or if you have a friend who is, you will be able to find many suppliers who are eager for your business. The larger, well-established firms will send a free catalogue. A few suppliers are listed below, but you will find many more on the Internet.

THE SAUSAGE MAKER, INC.

The Sausage Maker, Inc. is one of the largest and one of the best-stocked suppliers of everything required for sausage making and smoking. They have a very comprehensive catalogue that they will send to you free of charge.

STUFFERS SUPPLY (CANADA)

Stuffers Supply Company is located in Canada. They offer a complete line of sausage-making equipment and supplies, and they provide friendly and personalized service. If you have any questions about sausage making, they will do their best to get an answer for you. In general, Stuffers does not ship to the United States because of the special paperwork involved, but they may be willing to ship to other countries.