Guest guest Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 Joe, Rather than firing CaO in a kiln, you might want to just buy some calcium hydroxide ;-) I've never seen it at the grocery store, but you could buy it from a chem lab catalog I guess. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 24, 2003 Report Share Posted October 24, 2003 hi all, anyone ever make masa? From what I understand I need to soak the corn in calcium oxide, or slaked lime. However I have not had much luck finding this. I believe you can soak calcium oxide in water to make calcium hydroxide, but I can't find calcium oxide either. I believe you can heat calcium carbonate to make calcium oxide, but that requires a kiln. NT seems to use calcium magnesium oxide. I am wondering if that produces any different result from calcium oxide. calcium magnesium oxide does not seem to be that easy to find either. is there some natural source? other option I was considering was to burn wood. Wouldn't that produce many oxides and hydroxides. Don't know how effective it would be at making masa. Any thoughts or experience? thanks, Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 24, 2003 Report Share Posted October 24, 2003 >other option I was considering was to burn wood. Wouldn't that >produce many oxides and hydroxides. Don't know how effective it >would be at making masa. On the kefir list, Dom described how he makes lye for brining pickles. Basically by burning wood, then adding water and soaking, pouring off the water. I'm sure it's on a website in more detail, or search the kefir archives. That is the traditional method, I think. Just don't burn treated lumber or oleander branches and you should be ok. -- Heidi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 24, 2003 Report Share Posted October 24, 2003 Joe, >hi all, anyone ever make masa? From what I understand I need to >soak the corn in calcium oxide, or slaked lime. However I have not >had much luck finding this. I believe you can soak calcium oxide in >water to make calcium hydroxide, but I can't find calcium oxide >either. I believe you can heat calcium carbonate to make calcium >oxide, but that requires a kiln. Have seen containers of lime, made by Ball in a few canning sections of stores around here. This site talks of the lime method of the south and oak wood ash lye method used in the north http://www.kstrom.net/isk/food/r_corn.html Baking soda is said to work too on another site I found. Nutritionally its not mentioned on this site. Masa is ground finer than cornmeal. Don't think either the lime or wood ash method makes a difference. Depending on where you are determines which method to use. In the north oak is more available than limestone. Wanita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 24, 2003 Report Share Posted October 24, 2003 @@@@@@@@ > hi all, anyone ever make masa? From what I understand I need to > soak the corn in calcium oxide, or slaked lime. @@@@@@@@@@ Hey Joe, don't take this the wrong way, but why would you even want to eat such a low-quality food in the first place, especially if it requires great trouble? it's hard to imagine a situation in the modern world where resources would be compromised to the point where someone would be driven to this. if it's just a matter of gustatory curiosity, then just find a good restaurant or other commercial source; if it's a matter of pleasure, then you can do as in the previous case or turn to the hundreds of other pleasurable low-quality foods that can be made or bought more readily for those moments of infidelity to health idealism. phrases like " finely ground " make me wince... i could be off-base here, but it's an honest question. mike parker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 24, 2003 Report Share Posted October 24, 2003 I dont mind the question First people eat grains here. Is masa any worse than any soaked grain? I suppose on a perfect diet I would not be eating any grains at all. But alas, I have a family, and I have kids. And raw liver every night for dinner would not go over that well. And in fact my wife is from South America, and masa is part of their culture. So if they are going to eat it at least it could be good, real masa rather than the junk from a box, which of course is not soaked and much lower in nutrtition. Now if I make a tortilla with my good home made lard and real masa it seems like a fairly nutritional meal that my family will like and meets my in laws cultural requirements. Second, my kids are homeschooled, we don't consider this trouble, this is learning. Learning about cultures, learning about food, learning about nutrition and the body. This is one of the main reasons we make a lot of stuff from scratch besides the nutritional reasons. And yes, I am curious what a real traditional tortiallas made with masa and lard tastes like. Try finding a mexican restaurant that uses real masa, let alone lard instead of shortening. Not gonna happen. Regards, Joe > > hi all, anyone ever make masa? From what I understand I need to > > soak the corn in calcium oxide, or slaked lime. > @@@@@@@@@@ > > Hey Joe, > don't take this the wrong way, but why would you even want to eat > such a low-quality food in the first place, especially if it requires > great trouble? it's hard to imagine a situation in the modern world > where resources would be compromised to the point where someone would > be driven to this. if it's just a matter of gustatory curiosity, > then just find a good restaurant or other commercial source; if it's > a matter of pleasure, then you can do as in the previous case or turn > to the hundreds of other pleasurable low-quality foods that can be > made or bought more readily for those moments of infidelity to health > idealism. phrases like " finely ground " make me wince... i could > be off-base here, but it's an honest question. > > mike parker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 24, 2003 Report Share Posted October 24, 2003 Can you tell me how you made your lard? If you are successful with your masa i would like to know what you learned. Elaine have kids. > lard and real masa it seems like a fairly nutritional meal that my > family will like and meets my in laws cultural requirements. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 25, 2003 Report Share Posted October 25, 2003 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ > And yes, I am curious what a real traditional tortiallas made with > masa and lard tastes like. Try finding a mexican restaurant that uses > real masa, let alone lard instead of shortening. Not gonna happen. > > Regards, Joe @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Hey Joe, I'm totally convinced by all your reasons! Thanks for setting me straight. mike parker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 23, 2004 Report Share Posted October 23, 2004 At 05:41 PM 10/22/04 -0700, you wrote: >>That's great to know. I would love to know how to make a good corn tortilla. >>We have a tortilla press/grill, but we can never get the texture right. We >>have used those recipes on the masa bags but that do not work for us. >> >>Ideas? > >Go visit someone's Mamacita and take lessons? I never could get it >right either but I used to watch them at Olvera Street hand-patting >them at lightening speed. Great. I was just about to go off doing all sorts of experimenting so's to post all sorts of useful stuff (mostly failures, probably), and now I've got Cheech & Chong's Santa Claus thingie going off in my head. And it probably won't go away for days. " Ohhhhhh, Mamacitaaaaaaaa .... " Thanks, kids. At least now I'll have an excuse for not posting ... MFJ I just don't like it when you lump me in with everyone else in the world. Because just like everyone else in the world, I wanna be speshul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 23, 2004 Report Share Posted October 23, 2004 > And it probably won't go away for days. " Ohhhhhh, Mamacitaaaaaaaa > .... " Donde esta Santa Claus? Cheech and Chong sure have come up often these days for some reason. Lynn S. ------ Lynn Siprelle * web developer, writer, mama, fiber junky http://www.siprelle.com * http://www.thenewhomemaker.com http://www.democracyfororegon.com * http://www.wisforwomen.com http://www.knitting911.net * http://www.tomformayor.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 23, 2004 Report Share Posted October 23, 2004 On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 15:53:30 -0500, lin Family wrote: > >> Masa flour is a good one for cornbread etc. It is soaked in lime, >> > which makes it easier to digest than plain corn flour, plus it's > easy to find and cheap.< > > That's great to know. I would love to know how to make a good corn > tortilla. We have a tortilla press/grill, but we can never get the > texture right. We have used those recipes on the masa bags but that > do not work for us. > > Ideas? > > Tina in TX > Get thee to a library and check out a book by Rick Bayless (of Frontera Grill). The clarity of his instructions are just amazing. For instance, Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen: Capturing the Vibrant Flavors of a World Class Cuisine, by Rick Bayless with Deann Groen Bayless and Marie Brownson (New York: Scribner, 1996) ISBN 0-684-80006-3 You do need to take some time kneading the dough for it to become smooth and non-sticky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 23, 2004 Report Share Posted October 23, 2004 At 06:20 PM 10/22/04 -0700, you wrote: > >> And it probably won't go away for days. " Ohhhhhh, Mamacitaaaaaaaa >> .... " > >Donde esta Santa Claus? > >Cheech and Chong sure have come up often these days for some reason. > >Lynn S. Maybe because everyone's thinking about turkeys? Really. I'm DONE with this joke now. REALLY. Gonna stop. NOW. RIGHT now. NOT gonna run with it. REALLY. I SWEARS. MFJ I just don't like it when you lump me in with everyone else in the world. Because just like everyone else in the world, I wanna be speshul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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