289146 Thu May 02 12:41:48 -0700 2002 1 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1563953 The other day I posted a message asking about the use of baking soda in a recipe I made, and one person who responded said it helped tenderize the meat. This got me thinking. Does anyone know of any book or journal paper that dicsussed aspects of Chinese cookery, such as "velvetting" to make beef tender? I'm thinking of a kind of McGee-like book with a stress on the chemistry/physics of Chinese cooking. Thu May 02 12:41:48 -0700 2002 0 Howard-2 1 1564031 I have made 'Velvet Chicken' in the past, and seem to remember that the velveting was accomplished by hashing the chicken meat up very very finely. If you do a search for "velvet chicken" you'll probably find a variety of recipes. Fri May 03 08:17:03 -0700 2002 1563953 0 James G