Question about food chemistry

[Alex Franke]

I was watching some show on TV the other day where they were smoking salmon. At one point they said something like, "It still has the look and consistency of raw fish, but it's fully cooked." Then I started thinking about jerky, smoked foods, ceviche, and things like that, and I realized that I don't really understand what cooking actually is..

So, what does it mean to be "fully cooked?"

[Black wallnut]

Well allow me to muddy the water more for ya. Fully cooked is not the same as fully cured. Cooking is refering to bringing the foods temperature above a certian point. Curing is the process of adding preservatives and sometimes heat but not the same as cooking. I think the two terms are muteually exclusive as something can not be both fully cooked and fully preserved. But I could be mistaken and I surely can not explain it any better.

[JeffG78]

My guess is that fully cooked means that the temperature throughout the item is high enough to kill off the bacteria. Usually that temp is around 160°F. As far as the physical transformation of the food, I'm not so sure. For some foods they say to cook until the juice runs clear, so that might have something to do with the term "fully cooked".

[dbhost]

If you really want to hurt your head, deeply consider the intricate details on the differences between dehydrated food, and freeze dried food. There IS a difference, and it makes a difference...

To answer the first question. Food that is cooked has had its temperature brought up, and held to a certain point (usually 170 degrees Fahrenheit or higher) that is sufficient to kill off whatever bacteria is in the food.

Cured is any process that will severely retard, or fully stop the growth of any harmful bacteria in the food product. This can be through the addition of chemicals the least toxic of which is salt, or through the displacement of water from the food (dehydration).

Dehydration is the process of increasing the temperature of a food product enough to get the water content airborne, but cool enough to not cook the food, and moving it out of the food through air flow. This has the undesireable side effect of changing the taste and texture of many foods. You will find many outdoor enthusiasts will dehydrate menu items as a means to reduce weight carried by a hiker / skiier, whatever...

A newer technique of removing moisture is freeze drying, where the product is flash frozen, and the majority of moisture is passed through the product in crystal form through osmosis. The flavor and texture remains more similar to the original item than with traditional dehydration. Both dehydration AND freeze drying usually require such small pieces to be effective, that both freeze dried, and dehydrated foods tend to have the texture of baby food...

Oregon Freeze Dried Foods is one of the better known producers of Freeze Dried products. They sell their products under the Mountain House name. Plenty of wealthy hikers have relied on their products for extended backpacking trips...

[leehljp]

I was watching some show on TV the other day where they were smoking salmon. At one point they said something like, "It still has the look and consistency of raw fish, but it's fully cooked." Then I started thinking about jerky, smoked foods, ceviche, and things like that, and I realized that I don't really understand what cooking actually is..

So, what does it mean to be "fully cooked?"

Your question has been something that has been on my mind for years! I personally don't like the smoke cured salmon that still looks and feels raw. Ham either. I just don't like the consistency in my mouth of raw that is not fresh.

Having said that, I don't really like sashimi (what most Americans call sushi). I eat it and don't have much of a choice at times unless I want to offend a whole group of people. Smoked salmon and the kind of smoked ham that seems raw, and knowing that it is months old - I am not drawn to it.