by Hobbitfeet » Sat Jul 28, 2007 9:20 pm
The calculator is more commonly known as Pearsons Square and was originally used by dairy farmers to mix different milks with different fat contents in order to obtain a final product with a required percentage of fat.
So as far as its application to sausage making... Enter the fat percentages of the two different meats you would like to use in your sausage - it doesn't matter which way round but the usual way is the higher percentage at the top. Then enter the desired fat percentage in the middle box (I aim for around 20% but many prefer one much higher) then press calculate. The solution tells you how much of each meat to use to obtain that desired total fat percentage.
For example... Say you want to make a sausage with pork belly(30% fat) with some beef mince (12% fat) and you want a 20% fat sausage. Enter 30 and 12 in the Meat 1 and 2 boxes and the 20 in the middle Target box. Press Calculate and you should use 8 parts pork belly to 10 parts beef in order to get the 20% total fat.
Hope that's clearer!
"I would not enter on my list of friends (Though graced with polished manners and fine sense, yet wanting sensibility) the man who needlessly sets foot upon a worm." William Cowper.