Hello all you clever people,
I really only wanted to know why half my black puddings split when, being somewhat computer illiterate, I stumbled across the Forum. Now I wonder when I'm ever going to get time to make any more sausages or black puddings and I now have to ask myself if I am really clever enough to continue in any case?
I only found the site last night and have already spent hours reading about a traindriving/sausagemaking/furniture maker from south-east England; had lessons from a Swiss Canadian on cutting up a pig and how to correctly sharpen my knives; considered the ph of water and read (I can't in all honesty say learned) of the difference between nitrate and nitrite, courtesy of a couple of people in the USA. The mind boggles at what I might get to know about in due course from the members in Azerbaijan and Kathmandu!
Already I have discovered that I should have been adding iced water to my sausage mix and that might answer my thoughts on the 'density' of my sausages when cooked.
Now I must get off this site somehow, so........ the water's in the fridge, I'll put the pork in the freezer for a time, pour myself a stiff gin and tonic and start mincing.
Thanks for all the help I've already received and although I still have the problem with the black pudding - quite apart from the mess I make - I'm very confident that with all the talented people on this site, somebody will come up with the answer.