working with transglutaminase

http://www.willpowder.net/transglutaminase.html

Found this on the willpowder site -

After forming, products are generally left under refrigeration for 4-24 hours to allow maximized bonding to take place. After the reaction is complete, the products can be frozen, tempered and portioned. In some cases products can be portioned fresh and then packaged fresh and/or frozen.

What I normally do and what really works well is apply, vacuum, cook and then you can chill, the bonding

is happening faster in the bath.

Thanks! That was exactly what I was looking for.

Can we expand this thread to include different ways to use transglutaminase? Has anyone out there done anything with meat glue?

it works great for sausage making or anything you have to roll. its great for adhering bacon to other proteins.

http://www.cookingissues.com/2011/05/20/the-trials-of-transglutaminase—the-misunderstood-magic-of-meat-glue/

Sure thang! I've only ever done applications with powder, the slurry method isn't the greatest for RM afaik.

There are some nice articles on cookingissues on it.

http://www.cookingissues.com/primers/transglutaminase-aka-meat-glue/

Some plates I've made -

Rabbit

Pork wrapped in pork

Stuffed pork

Tim_Sutherland_52834

The Harvard Food and Science Lecture 8 (2011), Proteins & Enzymes: Transglutaminase has Wylie Dufresne playing with meat glue, which is interesting to watch and then try to replicate.

Speaking of Wylie, he makes shrimp (or you could sub any other seafood really) noodles using TG. I've done them with shrimp and incorporated some vietnamese flavors to make a "shrimp salad". Piped them directly into the water bath and they cook instantly. Pretty fun and they have great texture.

They had a re-run of iron chef tilapia last night where he served that.

Ewww tilapia.

It sure isn't the most exiting of fishes....

Chicken of the sea for sure.

Or roadkill

I used some meat glue on some river trout a little while back.

The trout was glued and cooked sous vide with butter, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. The squash was sautéed in the same butter mix. The sauce was an orange butter emulsion. The skin was pressed between to sheet pans and baked until crisp.

Matt__34377

Just curious if anyone has tried anything to use it with besides meat proteins. I saw a recipe for edamame sheets in modernist cuisine and was trying to think of applications it may have with egg. I saw a video in which a chef made egg yolk Parisian gnocchi and thought maybe it involved TG in the same manner Chef DuFresne's shrimp noodle does. I have had some of this stuff hanging out in my freezer for the past 5 or 6 months and was wondering if anyone is aware of how long the shelf life of it is if kept frozen. I know it loses its ability to bond pretty rapidly if not frozen/refrigerated.

Cheers.

FrankM_3301

Have had success playing with chicken skin... Vietnamese spring rolls, primarily made of shrimp, with a chicken skin "wrapper", "chicken fried steak" (rib eye with chicken skin) and sausage with chicken skin "casing".

@MattKG under proper storage it should still work, but the only way to know for sure is to try it out. I would be interested to know the outcome of viability after 6 months in the freezer. I know from experience that 6 months outside at kitchen temp (89-95F) in not so airtight containers the enzyme still had some viability although not optimal by any means.

It'll hold a year in the freezer.

Chris_Young_80640

Well sealed, it will last a very long time in the freezer. The classic way to test the potency of transglutaminase is to rub a bit of it into some scrap meat and wait a few seconds. If it smells funky, slightly like a wet dog or carpet, then the stuff is still good. The enzymatic reaction releases some very volatile amine compounds that create that aroma, which dissipates quickly.

Sumit__65166

>> If it smells funky, slightly like a wet dog or carpet, then the stuff is still good.
@chris lol

Lennard__34626

Salmon and tuna, with TG slurry