Subject: Potato discoloration....
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: linpbj at aol.com (LinPBJ)
Date: 08 Oct 2000 03:53:58 GMT
--------
When my "old world" German mother makes potato pancakes, she uses a certain sulfur (coated?) material from Germany to prevent the potatoes from discoloring. This "material" looks like a cardboard strip and only a small piece is used. It is lit with a match and then placed into a covered pot containing the raw, peeled potatoes. After this "treatment", the potatoes will not discolor when grated.
Has anyone heard of this or happen to know what this "material" is called in English? If so, is it available in the states and where? I have never seen a potato pancake recipe that calls for this discoloration prevention "step". I know taste is not affected either way, but out of curiosity, I'd like to find out more about this.
Thanks for any information.
Lin
From: Freeston (anfre at ihug.co.nz)
Date: Sun, 08 Oct 2000 20:30:15 +1300
--------
Hello Lin, I know what you are talking about, my father used this 'sulphuring' sometimes in his commercial kitchen (in Bavaria). Sorry I can't help you with the name or source of it, I wasn't actually aware that it is available to 'the public'.
If you grate your potatoes directly into cold water and work fast, you should be able to avoid discolouring.
Regards Stefanie
From: Thierry at 1st-uspride.net
Date: Sun, 8 Oct 2000 00:43:27 -0700
--------
> When my "old world" German mother makes potato pancakes, she uses a certain
> sulfur (coated?) material from Germany to prevent the potatoes from
> discoloring.
I don't have a clue. However, if you make sure that only stainless steel implements contact the potato and immediately immerse the potatoes in cold water, they should not discolor. You might also consider using acidulated water; e.g., a teaspoon or two or lemon juice or vinegar added to the water.
BTW, I did a search on "sulphur strips" and found that they are often used as sterilizers & cleaners in winemaking and cider production to clean the barrels. These may be similar to what you have seen, as they are ignited and allowed to burn in the closed barrels.
Try this search...
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22sulphur+strips%22
From: ecurio at webtv.net (Eilena Luzzi)
Date: Sun, 8 Oct 2000 22:25:41 -0400 (EDT)
--------
God , potato pancakes with gobs of sour cream......the sound of that brings back good childhood memories..... anyway, I digress.........
Peel the potatoes and immediately immerse them in cold water......... finely grate on sharp grater (a little bit of knucle blood for flavor, just kidding), separate water and then add your favorite ingredients mine are egg, grated onion. salt, pepper. and flour, fry crispy brown, drain and top with oodles of sour cream...... my mother insisted that butter was the best topping but that's another story.