I previously asked How to make chicken absorb more salt when cooking a soup? on how to make the chicken in my soup absorb more salt water, as I have noticed that the amount of absorption changes in some days. Note that the recipe is simple: Add 1.5 liter water, 1 kilogram chicken, and 8 grams of salt in a pot; bring to boil; simmer and eat. There are no vegetables.
The major reason the answerer gave was pore size influenced by freezing. Initially I thought he hit the nail, as I do recall the few days the absorption was good were the days I had taken it from the freezer.
Having been using frozen chicken since then, however, the absorption doesn't seem to be occuring while cooking. I am thinking that perhaps it is due to the way the chicken is being frozen. Factors I have thought about include:
- If the chicken's skin isn't removed, the freezing doesn't open pores effectively. (However, I sometimes have removed the skin, then frozen the chicken; yet, this didn't help.)
- Perhaps the duration of freezing makes the difference. (I used some old chicken, and it didn't work either.)
- Sometimes I have cut the chicken into small pieces, where the inner parts of the chicken becomes visible; perhaps, the crystals should only form around the chicken surface, if that is where the pores are.
- If I put the chicken in a bag, and tightened, the ice crystals do not form on the chicken hence pore sizes do not open.
Having done a fair bit of testing, I cannot seem to get these pores to open via freezing, which should then lead to high absorption of salt water when cooking. I didn't brine on the days when there was good absorption, so I think the answer has to do with freezing, although I could be wrong.
Do you think it is an issue of freezing, and it might be something about the way I am freezing?