Pt 1: ua-cam.com/video/5qmPaNt_Esc/v-deo.htmlsi=2IQBNn0x-SSzlBaM
On today’s episode, we’re gonna be finishing off and bottling our cider from a few weeks ago, and if you stick around a bit we’re also gonna be rendering some beef tallow for a delicious batch of French fries.
Cider materials:
-dry base cider(specific gravity of around .993-.996)
-sugar source(unfermented apple juice or pulverized sugar)
-hydrometer(essential for accurate testing of specific gravity/brix for alcohol percentage and secondary fermentation)
-graduated cylinder(for using the hydrometer)
-vinyl tubing
-auto siphon(optional)
-bottling head(optional)
-sparkling wine specific bottles (you can also use beer bottles/caps)
-29mm crown caps
-bottle capper with a 29mm bell housing
-bottle washer(optional)
sterilization of vessels:
step 1: decontamination
1. rinse vessels with hot water
2. add in a heavy duty dish washing detergent, and rinse with hot water until no soap bubbles remain
3. repeat as necessary until no visible particulates remain
4. leave vessels filled with hot water until all are decontaminated
step 2: sanitization with a chemical sanitizer
1. pour out hot water, and flick away from yourself to remove droplets
2. turn the bottle over a bottle washer filled with your food safe sanitizer of choice(I used 60% abv grain spirits from Everclear)
3. let it drip dry either in a bottle tree, or just flick as normal
4. seal the top with plastic wrap or another clean impermeable membrane
Cider preparation ( my personal preference is to use specific gravity, but the industry standard is Brix)
1. if you already tested the specific gravity of the base cider before fermentation, then you can test the dry specific gravity to calculate the %ABV using the following formula where SG means specific gravity and 131.25 is a constant:
ABV ≈ 131.25 × (Starting SG−Final SG)
2. siphon the base cider into a sterilized container to separate out the sediment
3. in a smaller sterile container, guess and check the specific gravity of 1 liter of base wine with additions of a sugar source(I used unfermented apple juice that was allowed to sit for 1 day in the fridge to remove sediment)
4. add sugar source until the hydrometer reads between 1.000-1.003 I stopped at 1.002, anything higher, and my unfined unfiltered cider will be far too foamy.
5. use the color and muscle memory from this 1 liter batch as reference to prepare the large batch, being careful to constantly guess and check so that you don't go overboard.
6. once an appropriate SG is reached, dissolve a neutral brewer's yeast in base wine, and mix into the batch.
7. siphon the finished cider into sterilized bottles to the top, the displaced air left by the bottling head should be enough headspace(remove droplets of alcohol if grain spirits were used)
8. cap with a 29mm euro style crown cap, and capper
9. allow to undergo secondary fermentation in a cool dark place for at least 2 weeks before opening.
10. place the bottles in a fridge for at least 3 hours before opening(this is to reduce the chances of making a mess)
Tallow:
-beef fat
-water
1. cut beef fat into cubes and add enough water to fill just below the top of the fat.
2. heat on high until boiling, then drop heat to medium
3. when the water is mostly gone, drop heat to medium low, and stir frequently to prevent burning
4. when fat nuggets are fully rendered and crisp, drain the fat, and allow to cool
fries:
-starchy potatoes(russets)
-salt
-fat/oil
1. cut potatoes into strips, and soak/rinse in cold water for 5-10 minutes
2. heat oil on medium heat(when oiil causes a wooden spoon/chopstick to bubble)
3. fry until potatoes are 80% cooked, drain excess oil, and freeze
4. when frozen, store in a heavy duty freezer bag or fry immediately
5. fry on medium high(about 375F) until golden brown and crispy
Apple wine cocktail(gespritzter):
1/2-1/3 sparkling water
1/2-2/3 wine
dash of juice for sweetness
resources:
pasteurized cider:
seedtopantryschool.com/should-you-pasteurize-hard-cider/
how to backsweeten:
www.homebrewersassociation.org/beyond-beer/how-to-backsweeten-mead-and-cider/
french fry science:
www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/french-fries
the belgians:
www.bbc.com/travel/article/20180730-can-belgium-claim-ownership-of-the-french-fry
the spanish:
aleteia.org/2017/10/02/did-saint-teresa-invent-french-fries
timestamps:
00:00 - intro
01:00 - cider prep
03:23 - Gespritzter
04:00 - tallow
06:56 - fry history
07:20 - fry prep
09:25 - snacktime
10:05 - momlore