Sodium Phosphate

Some use it for baking purposes as equivalent for soda.

Sodium phosphate is a generic name, and there are quite a lot of different types. At least one formulation is widely used in the food processing industry, so it does have a culinary use, although being cynical about this one of its effects to to help water retention - i.e. put up the weight and therefore the price.

Other formulations have medicinal uses, so be careful to get the right one if you want to use it.

If you can't find a source of good meat, then there's nothing wrong with using some vinegar as a tenderiser, or a good old fashioned meat mallet. At one of the Spanish restaurants we go to, we know by the noise when someone's ordered ternera - it's Harry in the kitchen trying to beat it into submission and make it edible.

Thanks. I wasn't intending to use it as a tenderiser, but more of a preservative, which would allow me to keep the food in the refrigerator longer, as I do not want to freeze it. I have now found the Phosphate which is actually quite expensive at between €12 - €14 for 250g. It's similar in appearance to regular salt or MSG. 

The method used is to make a mixture of 1 teaspoon of iodised salt and 1 teaspoon of phosphate dissolved in 'ice cold' water. This is called a curing mix. You soak your meat in the mix and chill for 20 minutes. You then use the meat as you would do normally, however it will now keep much longer without the need for freezing. This is why it's used in commercial food production.

That's interesting, but I doubt I'd personally bother. I tend to buy good meat in bulk and freeze it in portion sizes.

I've got a vac pack sealer, and on the odd occasion when I don't buy matured meat, I vac pack it and put it in the fridge for two or three weeks. By then it's matured and tenderised sufficiently that that it's ready for cooking without having to resort to chemicals. The last time I did this was with some horse meat - some was eaten immediately and was OK, but the remainder was much better after a couple of weeks vac packed and fridged.

If I remember correctly this is the stuff that used to be used to keep the meat in pork pies etc and similar products a pretty pink colour. I remember from many years ago when , enthusiastically in the 70s, when we were all into wasting time doing all kinds of food preserving undertakings, that I used to get it for experimenting with making chorizo and other kinds of meat products. Yes, really! However, I tried to get hold of some a few years ago to be told it was now banned in the meat processing industry as a possible carcinogen.

That is Sodium nitrate, or saltpetre as it's common name. It gives the pink to corned beef and such. It's not banned though and is easily bought online via amazon. Can't find it locally however.

Thank you, sorry, yes, of course!!! How stupid of me - I had a vague feeling it wasn’t quite right but couldn’t think what! Interesting that it’s not banned after all, as I was categorically informed by a v upmarket butcher - the kind who makes all his own pies etc - where we used to live in UK, that it had been banned some years ago. So, sorry for misinforming anyone.....!!