What is Beef Franks?
Beef franks are a popular American meat product. Some brands are Kosher to meet Jewish dietary rules. The beef frank or hotdog is made from beef, seasonings and preservatives to maintain shelf life. The franks are brown or reddish brown and can be boiled, grilled or cooked using any other method. The flavor is salty and umami.
Ingredients
Ground beef can be made from any cut of beef, though commonly the chuck steak and round steak are used. Chuck steak has a good meat to fat ratio, creating a savory and succulent burger or meatball. Ground beef is a reddish color and formed into thick "strands" from the meat grinder, with a soft and very pliable texture. Ground beef should be cooked before consuming.
Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.
There are a number of spices used in cooking and baking. Spices generally refer to a variety of seeds, barks, fruits and roots that are used to add specific flavors to food. Some spices are sweet, spicy, pungent or savory. The flavors range greatly and spices can be used whole or ground and are usually cooked, but generally cooking them is not required.
Sodium lactate is a food additive and is the salt from lactic acid. It comes in a white powder or liquid form. It has a mildly salty taste. In food use it is used as a preservative and to maintain proper PH levels. It is made by fermenting a sugar source such as corn or beets.
Paprika is a spice made made not from one type of pepper but from multiple varieties of sweet peppers and chili peppers. Common paprika is not spicy, but some paprika will be mildly spicy if hotter peppers are used. The pepper is dried and ground into a fine red power used to season savory dishes. The flavor is both sweet and pungent with a hint of bitterness that can emerge when it is cooked.
Hydrolyzed soy protein is an additive used in many food products, such as vegetarian soy products, some processed meats, and as an addition to soup, stews, and chips. It is used as a flavor enhancer and source of protein. This product is made from large soy protein molecules that have been broken down. It comes in tiny flaky chunks that are cream-colored and have a strict umami flavor.
Garlic powder is made from dehydrated garlic cloves that have been ground into a super fine powder. This powder is a pale yellow/golden color and is used to flavor foods. It works well in a pinch and can be used in many of the same ways that fresh garlic is used. The flavor is milder than raw or cooked garlic and is spicy, pungent and nutty. Garlic granules are another form of dehydrated garlic, but rather than powder it is coarser and has the same function. It is often used on top of fresh pizza, as a light dusting.
Sodium diacetate is a food additive used to maintain pH and as a souring agent to impart a flavor similar to vinegar or pickles. This product is made with acetic acid and sodium acetate or sodium carbonate through a specific high speed stirring process. The product is white and powdery with a sour taste.
Sodium erythorbate is an additive made from sugar and closely resembles vitamin C. It is white and granulated. This additive is used to accelerate the curing process of meats and is also used to fix the pink/red color in cured meats.
Sodium nitrite is an inorganic salt compound that is used as an additive in food production to help preserve and work as an antimicrobial. It is commonly used in preserved meats. Sodium nitrite is a white granulated substance that is used in small amounts.
