Where to buy: curing salt

wunderbier · Post by **wunderbier** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 3:07 pm

Does anyone know where I can purchase curing salt or saltpeter? Following the recent corned beef discussion, I'd like to get my hands on some. If no one knows I'll probably check with the butcher at Kauppahalli next.

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lionel · Post by **lionel** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 10:15 pm

Not sure what you mean by "curing" salt but in most shops you can get coarse sea salt in boxes maybe 500g for a few euros with the regular boxes or bags of table salt, or if necessary for larger 25kg bags any farm store like agrimarket or K-maatalous

wunderbier · Post by **wunderbier** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 10:19 pm

Curing salt contains sodium nitrite. Ordinary table salt is sodium chloride, which won't accomplish what I want to do. Thanks though.

lionel · Post by **lionel** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 12:07 am

Well if its the actual "chemical" Natriumnitraatti/Sodium nitrite/E250 you need maybe a chemist to help strange as it sounds. We have had to use them to get various chemicals for tanning skins but have always tried to avoid the need for sodium nitrites in curing/drying meat so no actual experience where to get it.

jmakinen · Post by **jmakinen** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 10:04 am

OK - folks - control yourselves - here comes 'Nanny' again

The reason I've tried to make sausages - and now corned beef - here is that IMO good ready stuff is not commercially available. The other reason is that I know nitrites (NO2) and nitrates (NO3) are carcinogens - even in small amounts.

So I eat bacon, ham, hot dogs, salami, etc. but try moderation - and do cringe a bit - and also try to have a dose of Vitamin C from orange juice, etc. at same time (a purported antidote).

So if you can organize your meat curing in such a way as to minimize the need for heavy preserving (preserving needed in any case for avoidance of botulism), try to. The piece of corned beef I'm making will be eaten right away - and that left (if) frozen.

Avoidance of the NO's may affect flavor somewhat - it just pays to try with and without and see how important the difference is to you.

---------

Yes - I'm a 'NO-2,3' consumer - but try to pay attention - and when I can avoid - or minimize - I do.

The EU 'masquerade names' for these are E250,E251.

Mook · Post by **Mook** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:22 pm

wunderbier wrote:Curing salt contains sodium nitrite. Ordinary table salt is sodium chloride, which won't accomplish what I want to do. Thanks though.

Are you sure?

Presumably the Sodium Nitrate/rate is a relatively new innovation - they probably didn't use it 200 years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curing_%28 ... rvation%29

Google Timeline: http://www.google.fi/search?q=history+o ... CFsQ5wIwCg

jmakinen · Post by **jmakinen** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:44 pm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curing_salt

Mook · Post by **Mook** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:54 pm

Mmmm, saw that too. Still, doesn't seem terribly traditional.

wunderbier · Post by **wunderbier** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 3:50 pm

Mook wrote:
wunderbier wrote:Curing salt contains sodium nitrite. Ordinary table salt is sodium chloride, which won't accomplish what I want to do. Thanks though.
Are you sure?

Presumably the Sodium Nitrate/rate is a relatively new innovation - they probably didn't use it 200 years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curing_%28 ... rvation%29

Google Timeline: http://www.google.fi/search?q=history+o ... CFsQ5wIwCg

Yeah I'm sure. Curing salt aka pink salt aka Prague powder #1/#2 contains NO2 or NO3. Tradition has very little to do with it for me and I'm not sure where you got the impression that it did. Anyway, nitrates and nitrites are what make bacon taste like bacon and not ham. I've had corned beef (American not UK) cured with solely sodium chloride and it's good, but not what I'm going for.

wunderbier · Post by **wunderbier** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 3:55 pm

jmakinen wrote:OK - folks - control yourselves - here comes 'Nanny' again

The reason I've tried to make sausages - and now corned beef - here is that IMO good ready stuff is not commercially available. The other reason is that I know nitrites (NO2) and nitrates (NO3) are carcinogens - even in small amounts.

So I eat bacon, ham, hot dogs, salami, etc. but try moderation - and do cringe a bit - and also try to have a dose of Vitamin C from orange juice, etc. at same time (a purported antidote).

So if you can organize your meat curing in such a way as to minimize the need for heavy preserving (preserving needed in any case for avoidance of botulism), try to. The piece of corned beef I'm making will be eaten right away - and that left (if) frozen.

Avoidance of the NO's may affect flavor somewhat - it just pays to try with and without and see how important the difference is to you.

---------

Yes - I'm a 'NO-2,3' consumer - but try to pay attention - and when I can avoid - or minimize - I do.

The EU 'masquerade names' for these are E250,E251.

Yeah, I know, I know. But, I eat so little of those sorts of preserved meats and, honestly, I'd rather be the one adding it to my food than anyone else.

Mook · Post by **Mook** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 3:56 pm

In my experience, the people that actually make their own food are also the people that actively try to avoid artificial ingredients. (Unless, of course, they have a Heston Blumental cookbook)

wunderbier · Post by **wunderbier** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 3:59 pm

And before I forget, apparently saltpeter / potassium nitrate has been in use since the middle ages. According to the Wiki anyway. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_nitrate#Uses

wunderbier · Post by **wunderbier** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:06 pm

Mook wrote:In my experience, the people that actually make their own food are also the people that actively try to avoid artificial ingredients. (Unless, of course, they have a Heston Blumental cookbook)

Most of the time I avoid them, but hey, no one's perfect. I don't own anything by Blumenthal but yeah, it would be pretty cool to have some sodium alginate and calcium lactate on hand for the purpose of spherification.

Mook · Post by **Mook** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:24 pm

Or how about this

wunderbier · Post by **wunderbier** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:30 pm

Oh, that could absolutely be of use.

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