Let's Define Brine

Do you occasionally run across a recipe telling you to use brined chicken or turkey?  Sometimes the cookbook just assumes you know what you're doing...but I find that if I understand the "why" - then I can apply the "how" to many different situations.  So, what is brining?  Definition:  The insertion of salty water into protein by osmosis and diffusion.  Less boring:  Brining is salted water that completely covers a piece of meat and over time enters the meat molecules,  Nature likes to "make things even" (what goes up must come down, right?) - and osmosis tries to even out the water molecules outside of the meat  (alot) with the water molecules inside the meat (not so many).   There is very little sodium and chloride (salt) inside a protein cell, so the same thing happens with the dissolved salt in the water - nature pushes it through to make things balanced inside and outside of the protein.  Science doesn't even completely understand why, but the result is protein cells that are able to hold on to more water, making them softer and slightly swollen, more tender, and more seasoned.  A general rule of thumb is one cup of kosher salt to one gallon of water.If you're not sure how much water to use, put your protein in a ziplock bag, and fill the bag till the protein is completely covered.  Then dump the water accumulated in the bag into a (really large) measuring cup, and add the salt according to how much water there is.  I like to add sugar as well - it balances the salt - about 1/4 whatever the amount of salt I added.  Swish it all around till its dissolved, add your meat, and throw it in the fridge for a day (or two, or three) - all depending on how big your protein is.  A couple of chicken breasts only need a few hours; a 10# turkey will take 2-3 days.  Obviously, your more tender proteins like a good steak don't need this process.  We're talking about drier cuts here - chicken breast, whole chickens, turkeys, pork loins etc (the stuff that doesn't have much fat).  If you have any questions while on your brining odyssey, you can always email me a http://www.lulasforlunch.com  Here's to lovin low-cal lean cuts!  - Lula