The Level of Jamaican Ginger

[willy]

It's in that book about Brown. It is a common quote and I'm not looking it up. That weird fellow years ago said the statement was code for garlic. I don't find that much ginger overpowering. I have tried all levels, but I stick to the 13%. I use the 32 oz bag as key, because that is what mine reads. I read some food critic years ago comment about how he missed that gingery goodness of the old recipe.

[willy]

There seems to be confusion out there as to what ginger is. It is an herb, fresh, and also a healing herb, but dried, it is a spice since it isn't green and leafy. I don't know how set that is into concrete, but it is possible that CHS considered it, and all "vegetable" ingredients as herbs. That would fit the "20% herb" label. I remember as a young child hearing that a product you could eat "on it's own" was an herb. If it was used solely as a flavoring, it was a spice. I'm not indicating that this is true, or that I follow this logic, I'm only indicating that CHS might have considered ginger an herb.

[cascader]

It is great you brought this thread back to life. If you look back, there are references to the 5 cups (not 6) of salt.

[willy]

I read the 5 cups of salt assertion long after I read about 6 cups of salt. Let me be specific. I read from a forum member the assertion that CHS proposed using 5 cups of salt. I personally read, in print, the assertion that 6 cups of salt was proposed. The kicker is taking into account the actual amount of salt historically in the seasoning bags. With Ledington's, the salt is pretty much included into the recipe.

[Ken_Griffiths]

I’ve personally always thought of Ginger Powder as being a spice rather than a herb. The FDA seem to put it in that category too…
www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/cpg-sec-525750-spices-definitions.

Herbs to me are the dried leaves of a plant, generally speaking and I now see Garlic Powder/Onion Powder as being in a separate category altogether called ‘Seasonings’… and when Salt is also included I see them as a ‘Seasoned Salt’.

No matter what though, there are always those ‘grey’ areas that will divide opinion, particularly when it comes to how the Colonel may have thought about these ingredients during his own lifetime.

[willy]

I agree with you, but an old timer like CHS may have insisted that ginger was an herb. Of course, he wasn't going to argue about it. I do find it interesting that enough ginger must have been used to make the switch in types of gingers noticeable. That would almost make ginger the dominant flavor. To me, an herb is green and leafy. I don't consider chilis a spice or an herb.

[silver]

Jun 28, 2021 16:55:50 GMT willy said:

I agree with you, but an old timer like CHS may have insisted that ginger was an herb. Of course, he wasn't going to argue about it. I do find it interesting that enough ginger must have been used to make the switch in types of gingers noticeable. That would almost make ginger the dominant flavor. To me, an herb is green and leafy. I don't consider chilis a spice or an herb.

To my understanding, all Herbs are Spices, but not all Spices are Herbs.  And the sub-class of Spices called Herbs is exclusively leaves.  

[kgp]

We didn't come to the conclusion of the maximum level of ginger that can be used in a recipe. Anyone discover that by testing it?

[silver]

The franchise rumor of CHS instructing the zinging of 4 additional ounces of Ginger, combined with the likelihood of at least 1 ounce initially present (whereby I suspect from personal experience more like 2 ounces here), would sum to 5 ounces. This 5 ounces would scale to 5 grams of Ginger in a spice mixture built upon a base of 400 grams of flour. This rumor/story (if valid) might establish the upper terminus for Ginger as being in the ballpark of 5 grams for 400 grams of flour.  Admittedly no testing though...

[silver]

My next recipe to be cooked will contain 1.25 grams of Ginger in a base of 200 grams of pastry flour. Currently I'm at 1 gram.

[kgp]

Jul 17, 2022 13:41:52 GMT silver said:

My next recipe to be cooked will contain 1.25 grams of Ginger in a base of 200 grams of pastry flour. Currently I'm at 1 gram.

Increasing it .25 grams will not make a major difference. Since ginger does have heat as well as a spicy flavor I'm surprised nobody bumped it up for a test at it's maximum level. The most I've seen was Ken's recipe "Ken_Griffiths 8/10/14?" had 1 tsp for 1 cup of flour. Yves 23E had .75tsp for 1 cup of flour. When I make a coffee crumb cake I always use ginger along with the other ingredients for the crumb topping. Without it the topping taste flat. Just sweet, cinnamon and buttery. Ginger adds that something special flavor. Perhaps we are not using nearly enough ginger in our chicken recipes?

[willy]

I'm working on it. Frying livers in a few.

[willy]

I detect the note, Will Robinson.

[silver]

Jul 17, 2022 22:15:31 GMT willy said:

I detect the note, Will Robinson.

It's always a good feeling when that happens.

[willy]

Back to Bob Seger: "What to leave in, what to leave out".