Horseradish Info Pt 1/2

Title:
Horseradish Info Pt 1/2

Yield:
1 Servings

Categories:
Information




Ingredients:





          Info only






 Preparing a Horseradish Root


 


 by Judy McCann


 


 Grind or grate fresh horseradish in a well-ventilated room. The fumes are


 potent -- a whiff may be stronger than you expect! Using a blender for


 grinding makes home preparation more practical and less tearful than


 hand-grating. In either case, if you are cutting fresh horseradish, you may


 want to wear gloves.


 


 What makes Horseradish Hot?


 


 The sharp and piquant flavor and the penetrating smell of horseradish


 become apparent when the root is grated or ground. This is because the root


 contains highly volatile oils which are released by enzyme activity when


 the root cells are crushed. In processed horseradish, vinegar stops this


 reaction and stabilizes the flavor. So the degree of heat is determined by


 when the vinegar is added to the fresh horseradish. For milder horseradish,


 the vinegar is added immediately. If exposed to air or stored improperly,


 horseradish loses its pungency rapidly after grinding. Fresh horseradish


 also loses flavor as it cooks, so it is best added towards the end of a


 dish when cooking.


 


 Keep it cold to keep it hot!


 


 To keep prepared horseradish (commercial or homemade) at its flavorful


 best, store it in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator or in the


 freezer. It will keep its good quality for about four to six weeks in the


 refrigerator and for six months or longer in the freezer. Buy or prepare


 only the amount of horseradish that can be used in a reasonable time.


 


 You can store fresh roots for several months. Just wash them, place in


 polyethylene bags, and store at 32 to 38 degrees F.


 


 Selecting horseradish products


 


 If you like horseradish as hot as it can be, use fresh horseradish roots.
A


 good quality root is clean, firm, and free from cuts and blemishes. The


 freshly peeled or sliced root and the prepared product are creamy white.


 Generally, the whiter the root, the fresher it is. When available, fresh


 roots will be found in the produce section.


 


 High quality commercial or home processed horseradish has a creamy white


 color, a pungent, penetrating aroma, and a hot, biting taste. As processed


 horseradish ages, it darkens and loses it pungency and in time off-flavors


 may develop.


 


 Grinding Fresh Horseradish


 


 To grate your own horseradish by hand, hold cleaned and trimmed horseradish


 root firmly. Using a sharp vegetable peeler, carefully remove the outer


 layer. Rub peeled horseradish root against a fine grating surface using


 downward, criss cross motion.


 


 A quicker, more efficient method uses a blender. Wash and peel the root as


 you would a potato and dice it into small cubes. Place the cubes in the


 blender jar. Process not more that half a container load at a time. Add a


 small amount of cold water and crushed ice. Start with enough cold water to


 completely cover the blades of the blender. Add several crushed ice cubes.


 Put the cover on the blender before turning the blender on. If necessary,


 add more water or crushed ice to complete the grinding. When the mixture


 reaches the desired consistency, add white vinegar. Use 2 to 3 tablespoons


 of white vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt for each cup of grated


 horseradish.


 


 The time at which you add the vinegar is important. Vinegar stops the


 enzymatic action in the ground product and stabilizes the degree of


 hotness. If you prefer horseradish that is not too hot, add the vinegar


 immediately. If you like it as hot as can be, wait three minutes before


 adding the vinegar.


 


 continued in part 2