Breads

A spam fritter is a slice of Spam fried in batter. Commonly eaten with chips and mushy peas, spam fritters are served in fish and chip shops and burger bars in the UK. They were first introduced during World War II due to fish being unavailable. Spam fritters were so associated with the war that in 1995 a government memo relating to the commemoration of the 50-year anniversary of the war ending recommended "spam-fritter frying to get into the wartime spirit".

In 2006 the makers of Spam, Hormel Foods, announced the return of the spam fritter in pre-packaged form.

Quick Substitution for beer include chicken broth, beef broth, mushroom broth, white grape juice, ginger ale.

Additional Information about Alcohol in Cooking.

There are a vast number of wonderful recipes which use some form of alcohol as an ingredient in sauces, marinades or as a main flavor ingredient. What do you do when you don't have that particular liquor or you will be serving children at dinner or you do not partake of any alcoholic beverages? In many cases, you can make some non-alcoholic substitutions. In order to be successful, you'll need to be armed with information and background on why the alcohol is used and the flavor goal of the recipe. In general, the main reason any alcoholic beverage is used in a recipe is to impart flavor. After all, the finest extracts with the most intense flavors are alcohol-based, particularly vanilla. Fermentation intensifies and concentrates fruit essence into liqueurs, cordials, brandies and wines. Other foodstuffs are distilled into potent liquors specifically to boggle the senses but still appeal to the palate.

Many object to the alcohol content, but it is a completely natural by-product which happens daily in nature, even within the human body. In many recipes, the alcohol is an essential component to achieve a desired chemical reaction in a dish. Alcohol causes many foods to release flavors that cannot be experienced without the alcohol interaction. Beer contains yeast which leavens breads and batters. Some alcoholic beverages can help break down tough fibers via marinades. Other dishes use alcoholic content to provide entertainment, such as flambesand flaming dishes.

Wine and Kirsch were originally added to fondue because the alcohol lowers the boiling point of the cheese which helps prevent curdling. In the case of leavened goods, there is no ready substitute for beer. Instead, choose a different recipe which uses another leavener such as yeast, baking powder or baking soda. For marinades, acidic fruits will usually do the trick. For flambes and flamed dishes, you're out of luck if you don't use the alcohol. For flavoring alone, you will often have a number of substitution options.

Microorganisms are used to make food and drink:

There are many different types of microorganism's.

Bacteria

Bacteria are very small single celled organisms. There is no nucleus. The single circular chromosome is effectively 'naked' in the cytoplasm. There are often many smaller circular pieces of DNA in the cytoplasm known as plasmids. They often contain genes for antibiotic resistance.

Not all bacteria are harmful. Some are actually useful.

• The bacteria Lactobacillus is added to milk to make yogurt. The bacteria feed on the lactose sugar found in milk and produce lactic acid. This turns the milk slightly sour which in turn clots the milk to produce natural yogurt.

  This process relies on the growth of bacteria - usually mixed cultures including Lactobacillus species - on milk, and the conversion is due to anaerobic respiration by the bacteria. The milk is usually skimmed milk - "low fat"- often concentrated with extra "milk solids".

  As the bacteria respire anaerobically, they produce lactic acid:

  lactose ­­­(milk sugar) = lactic acid + energy

  The acidic conditions (pH 3.7-4.3) cause milk proteins to be coagulated, which provides the thickened texture of yoghurt. Other chemical products from the bacterial growth, e.g. ethanol (acetaldehyde) contribute to the flavour.Keeping qualities

  As the yoghurt is cooled, the bacterial growth rate is reduced and the product can keep for about 10 days at 5 °C. The normal numbers of bacteria are about 108 (100,000,000) per gram. After some time, acid slowly released by the bacteria gradually kills them and causes the proteins to separate into curds and whey.

• Acetobacter is used to convert alcohol into vinegar.
• Some cheeses are ripened using enzymes from bacteria they are added to warm milk; curds are produced that are more solid than yoghurt; these curds are separated from the remaining liquid part of the milk (whey);

Bacteria can multiply very quickly under the right conditions, often doubling in number every 20 minutes.

Yeast

When yeast respires it produces ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide.Glucose = Carbon Dioxide + Ethanol + energy

A build up of ethanol can be toxic. Yeast is used to make alcoholic drinks. The process is called fermentation.

For making beer:

• the starch in barley grains is broken down into a sugary solution by enzymes in the germinating grains, in a process called malting;
• the sugary solution is extracted then fermented;
• hops are then added to give the beer flavour.

In wine-making the yeast uses the natural sugars in the grapes as its energy source.

Yeast is also used in bread making as it gives off carbon dioxide gas which makes the bread rise, giving it a light and fluffy texture and the ethanol evaporates.

Bread making

When yeast respires it makes carbon dioxide gas. When the gas is made in the dough, it gets trapped and so tiny bubbles form inside the dough. This makes the bread rise. 'Knocking back' gets rid of large bubbles which can develop. When the dough is baked the bubbles expand. The yeast dies in the baking process and ethanol is evaporated.

Read more: Microbes_used_in_food_production