What Science Says About Brining Your Bird

[@ACSReactions]

There are 3 types of people in this world: dry briners, wet briners, and no briners. Which one are you? Try it yourself, do a blind taste test at home to see if you can really tell the difference, record it, post it, and tag us. We’d love to see your results. And remember to salt your unbrined chicken to make sure you're not comparing salted chicken to unsalted. Even George would be able tell the difference between those.

[@dancoroian1]

Dry brine! And I only arrived there after first experimenting with no brine, wet brine (which was a clear improvement), and then finally discovering the dry brine -- which gives you all the benefits in texture and juiciness as the wet brine, without letting most of the flavor leech out into the brine!

[@dm_nimbus]

"I think we've discovered the problem" that was a great moment, but thank you for putting this out there. This was so good to see, and you maintained honesty by publishing what didn't go your way.

[@doans1]

I don't remember the last time when I enjoyed a science video this much! I really appriciate your works in general but this video was really fun!

[@KevSez]

Balanced osmodic pressure. The salt is taking the water in, going back out, taking more in until there’s a balance between the solution and the meat.

[@KimClarke777]

Perhaps if you brine your hat it will be easier to eat?

[@mistyjohnson4794]

I absolutely love this because I love the science behind things rather than peoples perception and opinions. Thank you please more

[@Marklar3]

Having all 3 tasters together was a huge experimental design flaw. People are very often influenced by their peers. See the Asch Line Conformity study.

[@rashshawn779]

I thought so too.

[@SoonRaccoon]

For a long time, I've wanted to do a similar experiment with table sugar vs. high fructose corn syrup. I've met lots of people who swear that Mexican Coke (made with cane sugar) tastes way better than the Coke made with HFCS. Is the hype real? I think it would be a fun experiment.

[@Tonyneg]

Can totally taste the difference however I definitely prefer HFCS Coca Cola than the regular sugar Mexican stuff But it also could come down to carbonation, Mexican coke always seems less “crispy” to me

[@woopygoman]

The only difference I noticed personally is that it's less "goopy".

[@thekaxmax]

Non-USA Coke (which is what you get in Mexico) has a slightly sharper sweetness. I've had both on the same day. The USA-Coke tastes slightly 'mushier'--the sweetness is softer.

[@spindoctor6385]

The "study" on the organic VS non organic chicken was strange. Asking the non trained group if they liked one or the other more says absolutely nothing about whether or not they noticed a difference between the two. Unless you start with the assumption that one or the other will definitely taste better. I do not see any reason why that would be a reasonable assumption. I do not see how that study relates to this topic.

[@PuntinoNero]

That's the assumption of anyone selling you an organic chicken for a premium price. You pay more because you get a better tasting product.

[@SimplyDudeFace]

I love how you are sharing a lot of research, and giving son nice attribution. 😅

[@rashshawn779]

Science is about discover, not just about winning. This video was worth it, but the taste testing should have been done individually instead in a group.

[@Lastchance2030]

For those of you who don't know, the more you have bumps on your tongue, the more you can distinguish even the slightest subtleties in taste. Ask any wine expert who does taste testing and if they have done there research they will say the same thing. Also, those with a lot more bumps have less tolerance with spicy foods as well.

[@explosivedude8295]

I think we found the problem. 😂😂😂😂😂😂 don't be sour George

[@theplanetrepairman]

Best brine is made with a potassium (K)/salt (NaCh) mix, you can find it in the supermarket amongst the fancy salts.

[@Pwn3dbyth3n00b]

It's funny how a whole video idea came about because one guy cannot taste food properly

[@Mykandera]

I also can't tell the difference between a lot of foods that others say they can. It's endless frustrating and makes me feel like I'm missing out on this world of flavorful food. I can taste things and have my favorites, but I clearly don't have the same experience as many others I've cooked/eaten with. Goes beyond just brining, although salt levels on food as a whole is a big part of it.

[@BonesyTucson]

It's all about what you prefer to eat/taste!

[@walterwhite3208]

I LOVE THIS CHANNEL

[@TheLaurenKat]

Team Spatchcock and Dry Brine here-- you get the seasoning without the rubbery skin, and the bird cooks in a third of the time. I've got a turkey splayed out in my fridge as we speak. I would definitely be interested to know if dry brining improved tenderness like the wet brine without the aqueous solution-- I've never compared them side-by-side!

[@SeanBZA]

You want to brine you can, just do what I often do, instead of salt water simply replace the water part with beer and half the salt. This adds a whole new flavour profile, and you only have to soak it, preferably in a nice thick plastic bag, so all the skin gets a coat without needing a massive bucket, and leave overnight in the fridge before you want to cook it. Then pat dry, apply the dry rub ingredients and cook it. turkey is often too dry otherwise, the beer bath really juices it up, and if you are going to roast it you take it first, still in that beer filled bag, and boil it to half done as a preamble. Halves roasting time, and soft and juicy, and no dry tasteless breast meat anywhere.

[@lamarbennett436]

​@@SeanBZADamn I never thought of doing a beer brine. What beer do you use?

[@SeanBZA]

@@lamarbennett436 Normally Castle Lager, seeing as it is the second most popular beer sold by me, and generally what is available easily. But can be pretty much any lager or beer, it will not really make much difference in the end to the taste.

[@Nervousnancy]

Thanks for your effort

[@AdityaMehendale]

Also, more Dr. Sam plz!

[@thekaxmax]

a note on bottled water: test them. Many bottlers just use the water they have available, sometimes with passive filtering. Our tap water here (Canberra, Australia) is purer than the average bottled water. It's also close enough to the best bottled water that you can't tell the difference without testing.

[@johnsheetz6639]

I buy the cheap Chicken in according to the label is 30% saline solution which is Brine already that's probably why I could never tell.

[@AnacondaHL]

lmao at the COPIUM post-credits statement

[@bgezal]

It's a no-briner.

[@Phootaba]

This is really one of the best channels out there! Also as someone who started poking in chemical safety at work, I feel like I'm on deep waters 😱

[@gussampson5029]

This is the kind of science that actually benefits humanity. Hopefully you don't go releasing reflective particles into the atmosphere or other hubristic garbage like some evil scientists tend to do.

[@habitsofsuccess4322]

And this follks shows the difference between Logic and Fact.

[@jimmij3894]

Doesn't salting prevent microorganism growth?

[@BloodAsp]

Only at a certian (high) concentration of salt. That is why there is still bacteria in the ocean.

[@theplanetrepairman]

Yeah. Before fridges and modern preservatives, we used to salt our food to preserve it almost indefinitely. Also vinegar. But the high salt content raised some health concerns for some groups of people. ie. elders, sick etc.

[@Pwn3dbyth3n00b]

It inhibits but does not prevent microbial growth unless it high concentration were the food doesn't taste great or has to be eaten in small amounts or mixed with something else like salted fish, soy sauce, etc.

[@HalfdanReschat]

I've never heard of "brining" before - and you didn't explain what it was, but after a while it seemed obvious from context clues. Is this an American thing?

[@theplanetrepairman]

It's a world-thing. Brine is another word for (very) salty water. You've never heard of it probably because all the meat these days comes pre-brined. The process also makes the meat weigh more so producers won't miss out on that. Even go a bit over board with it, so most supermarket-meat contains a lot of moist that first have to be boiled off before it fries.

[@HalfdanReschat]

@@theplanetrepairman thank you, that makes more sense.

[@SeanBZA]

@@HalfdanReschat Yes over 30% on a lot of things, so you literally overpay for water that you have to boil off. You never wonder why your chicken shrinks so much when you roast it, from filling the pan, to being lost in the middle somewhere.

[@Caxel108]

I had brined turkey a few times but it just tastes bland and soggy each time , even the ones that were smoked

[@gabedarrett1301]

I think you did it wrong. When I had brined turkey, it tasted much less bland

[@kyokoyumi]

Quick tip (for George and everyone who agrees with him about them tasting the same): If you have a lot of sugars and carbohydrates in your diet, it dulls your senses. Ask anyone who's keto or carnivore (like myself). It's like night and day once you get fat adapted. Carbs start being disgusting and food actually tastes good. Give it a try and I'm sure you'll finally be able to taste the nuance of the meat, George :) Yes I knew George would lose and I'm glad he could be a good sport about it. Also, Andrew's initial statement was just hilarious and on the nose and I love it. His whole demeanor through this whole video was just "Ths is absolutely ridiculous". Still great.

[@jamesprince571]

Nah?? Sodium hydride??

[@ACSReactions]

Nah, "nah", not NaH.

[@TheStarTrekApologist]

I have always thought of Organic as a Simi-scam

[@jordanf.4876]

If you cook meat slow, you don't evaporate the moisture, and it's plenty moist. Brining is overcompensating on moisture so when you cook it too hot, you still have moisture left. Then drench it in a marinade before serving it.

[@ErikratKhandnalie]

nah, mate. Even slow cooker chicken ends up dry and tasteless without brine.

[@jordanf.4876]

@@ErikratKhandnalie Definitely not, if you have tenderized it with sufficient number of small holess throughout, cook at 20l-250 for hours and put a baste on it. 100% moist and amazing.

[@jordanf.4876]

*200

[@ErikratKhandnalie]

@@jordanf.4876 "Yeah, just pulverize your meat like it's the first week of December, beat it like it owes you money, and it'll be tender af" lol bro, no duh, you can make anything tender if you beat the shit out of it. Brining actually chemically breaks meat fibers down, makes it more tender on the chemical level, while also infusing it with flavor.

[@SeanBZA]

Chicken processors like to brine chicken, because of the simple fact that 20 to 30% of that chicken "meat" is now, instead of the expensive actual protein and real chicken, now cheap and low cost additive, water and salt, both being a cent or so per kilo that they add, but now, because you cannot separate them, is now costing a dollar or two per kilogram. You can see that on the packaging, where the food regulations say that you must specify the amount of brine added, and you can absolutely bet the brine added is right at the top end of the scale, then the pieces are coated in extra before they go into the blast freeze tunnel, so you can have that convenient IQF portions, before being packed into the bags. Unbrined is available, and is typically a little more, but there you get only chicken, not water with chicken flavour. Yes there is a taste difference, but not much, easy to overcome with just a tiny bit more seasoning, and for those on a low sodium diet an absolute difference between being able to eat a single piece of chicken, or half a winglet.

[@douglasboyle6544]

There is no difference between conventional and organic chicken.

[@theplanetrepairman]

I think that paper on organic chicken has put you on the wrong foo(t/d). Organic is mostly a marketing term. And as a scientist, for this you could've taken the same road as us ,yk, normal people and ask an expert. Idk, maybe a cook.

[@theplanetrepairman]

For completion, or if you've still not come to your senses, you could try hunting for wild game. You will find you can hardly cut it without brining. You'll need teeth like a wolf to chew, and wolves hardly chew anyway.

[@ACSReactions]

To be fair to George (ugh), his whole assumption was that experts could tell the difference, but regular tasters wouldn't know unless it was pointed out. So asking an expert for their opinion wouldn't be helpful in testing that hypothesis. Of course, in hindsight it's obvious that just believing the experts can save you quite a bit of time and embarrassment.

[@theplanetrepairman]

@@ACSReactions Alright. I came on too strong. just take it with a bit of salt.

[@JohnDoe-jh5yr]

It would have been good to mention the high sodium diet that many people eat and the effects of sodium on the heart, for the sake of making informed choices.

[@GoldringI]

Is this an American thing? I'd never heard of 'brined' chicken before this.

[@ErikratKhandnalie]

Where are you from? Brining is just the process of applying salt to meat. Usually, through soaking it in a saltwater solution, though some people like to "dry-brine" by just applying salt directly to the surface of the meat, and letting it absorb that way (though it needs to be washed off before cooking)

[@GoldringI]

@@ErikratKhandnalie UK.

[@ErikratKhandnalie]

@@GoldringI Ah, that explains it. Most other countries prefer their cuisine to have flavor. Jkjk, but I'm fairly certain that brining should also be something on your side of the pond as well. It's not exactly a new technique.

[@paulsmith9341]

Brining believer!

[@alarcon99]

Woke: “Can the human ear tell the difference between different temperatures of water?” (MatPat) Broke: “Can the human tastebuds tell the difference between brine and not brined chicken?”

[@MrSpacelyy]

All that extra salt must be healthy...

[@astroch]

Why is everyone doing video about this american thing all of a sudden?

[@eroraf8637]

Because the American holiday of Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and one of the traditional foods at Thanksgiving dinner is turkey, which is often brined before cooking to keep it moist and tender.

[@astroch]

@@eroraf8637 aaah i see, thanks! Just realized how close it is to Christmas

[@ErikratKhandnalie]

It's not an American thing? Plenty of food cultures brine their meats.

[@christabellajulander3972]

No words, just likessssssss!!! The secret to success = *promo sm*!