18 Comments

  1. “osmosis”? are you sure it is not just diffusion? that’s an honest question, by the way, i really am not sure which is taking place in the example cited.

  2. The photos og your brined salmon look as if there is LARGE pat of butter on each, but you don’t mention it. Everything tastes better with butter, but fatty salmon ! Please explain.

  3. I throughly enjoy your cooking tips using the Chef Alarm and the Thermopen.
    I have the Chef Alarm, Thermapen, and The DOT, I often use these in combination.
    I’ e used the tips you have published for Steaks, Chicken, Ribs, to name a few and I will definitely make use of this tip on Salmon.
    I seldom prepare anything for the grill or oven without brining according to your information, and I wouldn’t prepare anything my Thermoworks equipment.

  4. Great article on salmon; one of my favorites. I wonder what kind of salmon was used for the test cook? A 130 degree final would be 4-5 degrees high for Chinook (King) salmon but just about right for Sockeye from cold waters. Other kinds of salmon and farm-raised salmon are best left in the sea. 🙂 Cheers and good eating!

  5. I’ve always been a bit disturbed by the release of the albumin, even though I understood what it was. I’ve brined fish and shrimp in the past, but have not tried it with salmon. I think I may split the difference and try it for about 20 minutes and see what that does. Good article. Thanks.

  6. I’ve always been a bit disturbed by the release of the albumin, even though I understood what it was. I’ve brined fish and shrimp in the past, but have not tried it with salmon. I think I may split the difference and try it for about 20 minutes and see what that does. Good article. Thanks.

  7. I have high blood pressure , BRINING anything is bad for me. What are other methods to brine or is salt the only way.
    Thanks

  8. Absolutely best salmon EVER after brining.
    Thank you for cooking for engineers…
    Love thermoworks and have purchased again and again… for work (kronz dental laboratory) too!

    1. So glad to hear it! Brining makes a huge difference with nearly any protein, and Cooking for Engineers is a great site. Happy to hear you’ve had good experiences with our company 🙂

  9. It really is a bit off-putting, isn’t it? I saw a small difference with ten minutes, of brining, but I’d be interesetd to see what happens after 20-30 minutes. Happy cooking!

  10. Glad to hear you’re enjoying our content! The products really are best used in combination with the Thermapen for accurate spot-checking during the cooking process. Happy cooking!

  11. I’m an experienced cook, but certainly not a professional. I have never heard of baking salmon at anything other than a high temp; e.g., 400 degrees. for say 15-20 minutes

    Am I interpreting your instructions correctly? Thank You

    P.S. New to Thermapen!

    1. That is a generally accepted method, yes! But we find that cooking more slowly gave us flakier, more tender fish without overcooking the outside of it. Give it a try, you may find that you really like the results. And we’re excited for your adventures with your new Thermapen!

  12. You wrote:
    > It would seem that the brined salmon increased in temperature more quickly during cooking and during the rest. This makes sense, since the salmon that had been brined presumably had more water content to conduct heat through the mass of the fish.

    Maybe… but I think a simpler theory is relative evaporation rates. As you yourself wrote earlier, the water in the brined ones “will be less likely to evaporate during cooking”. The greater loss of water from the unbrined salmon = greater evaporation = more heat loss.

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