BreakPoint
Metrication errors in the kitchen
In engineering, being aware of units Is one of the most important things. Confusion about units has caused some serious issues in the past and NIST even has a website listing some of them.
Since I like to BBQ once in a while, I have a supply of Annatto paste. However I am totally confused about the math behind the instructions.
Not only are the instructions different in Spanish and English, The yield is completely off.
Spanish: Dilute with sour orange juice or vinegar, sufficient for 12.75kg of meat (~26 lbs!)
English: dilute with vinegar or olive oil, enough for 6.6lbs of meat (~3kg!)
Can somebody figure out where that factor of ~4 comes from? While close, It does not match an accidental conversion in the wrong direction. (6.6kg != 12.75lbs) or anything else I can think of.
(Since it is a Mexican product, I would assume that the Spanish instructions are actually correct.)
(side note: This is probably more than 10 years old and I kept the box exactly because of the mentioned confusion. The current product looks very similar but I cannot find a picture of the current instructions to see if it ever got corrected)
Maybe they used the Habsburg pound? "Habsburg (civil) pound of 16 ounces was later defined in terms of 560.012 g "
@Yamaeda wrote:
Maybe they used the Habsburg pound? "Habsburg (civil) pound of 16 ounces was later defined in terms of 560.012 g "
That would translate the 6.6 ponds to 3.696kg, not even close to 12.75kg..
A conversion factor of 0.517 applied in the wrong direction would account for the values, so a metric pound (500g) would be closer.
I am still amazed by the four(!) significant digits in yield (12.75kg) when they don't even specify the dilution ratio or actual measures of vinegar, orange juice, or olive oil. 😄
A rub is not even proportional to meat weight. I believe that is typically proportional to meat surface area. 😄
@Henrik_Volkers wrote:
Different country (language), different taste?
(or different meat 😉 )
It is true that Mexican restaurants outside Mexico often make some Gringo'fied modifications that are less spicy, but Annatto has quite a mild and pleasant flavor, the primary function is the bright color
Both languages list the same meats (beef, pork, chicken, fish).
@altenbach wrote:
@Henrik_Volkers wrote:
Different country (language), different taste?
(or different meat 😉 )
It is true that Mexican restaurants outside Mexico often make some Gringo'fied modifications that are less spicy, but Annatto has quite a mild and pleasant flavor, the primary function is the bright color
Both languages list the same meats (beef, pork, chicken, fish).
Cooking is a science I am very disappointed! Hypothesis , Trial, Documentation...repeat!
Do the words "season to taste" mean nothing? Try a few ... you will (sometimes) like the results! You can use the failed formulae for septic cleansing.
Turmeric has significantly more flavor. Annatto is different. You should try it in your potato salad. 😄
(Quote: "It is often used to impart a yellow to red-orange color to foods, but sometimes also for its flavor"
Color is important and plays a crucial role in food presentation! Sometimes I even use butterfly pea flower tea when cooking rice. 😄
More questionable is treating meat with carbon monoxide to retain the fake bright red color, giving a fresher appearance.
