Learning to Cook and Other Things

Thanks to http://www.NewsTarget.com for the cartoon Art:Dan Berger Concept:Mike Adams

I found this Google gadget which I really liked. Finding a particular recipe will just be a click away. Hooray!

From:IFIC "Under the Food Additives Amendment, two groups of ingredients were exempted from the United States regulation process: GROUP I — Prior-sanctioned substances — are substances that FDA or USDA had determined safe for use in food prior to the 1958 amendment. Examples are sodium nitrite and potassium nitrite used to preserve luncheon meats. GROUP II — GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) ingredients — are those that are generally recognized by experts as safe, based on their extensive history of use in food before 1958 or based on published scientific evidence. Among the several hundred GRAS substances are salt, sugar, spices, vitamins and monosodium glutamate (MSG). Manufacturers may also request that FDA review the industry’s determination of GRAS Status."

Purpose: Allow smooth mixing of ingredients, prevent separation, keep emulsified products stable, reduce stickiness, control crystallization, keep ingredients dispersed, and to help products dissolve more easily Application: Salad dressings, peanut butter, chocolate, margarine, frozen desserts Common Label Names: Soy lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, egg yolks, polysorbates, sorbitan monostearate

Purpose: Prevent food spoilage from bacteria, molds, fungi, or yeast (antimicrobials); slow or prevent changes in color, flavor, or texture and delay rancidity (antioxidants); maintain freshness Application: Fruit sauces and jellies, beverages, baked goods, cured meats, oils and margarines, cereals, dressings, snack foods, fruits and vegetables Common Label Name: Ascorbic acid,citric acid,sodium benzoate,calcium propionate,sodium erythorbate,sodium nitrite,calcium sorbate,potassium sorbate,BHA, BHT, EDTA, tocopherols (Vitamin E)

Purpose Offset color loss due to exposure to light, air, temperature extremes, moisture and storage conditions; correct natural variations in color; enhance colors that occur naturally; provide color to colorless and “fun” foods Application Many processed foods, (candies, snack foods margarine, cheese, soft drinks, jams/jellies, gelatins, pudding and pie fillings) Common Label Name FD&C Blue Nos. 1 and 2 FD&C Green No. 3 FD&C Red Nos. 3 and 40 FD&C Yellow No. 5 (tartrazine) and No. 6 Orange B Citrus Red No. 2 annatto extract beta-carotene grape skin extract cochineal extract or carmine paprika oleoresin caramel color fruit and vegetable juices saffron (Note: Exempt color additives are not required to be declared by name on labels but may be declared simply as colorings or color added)

My daughter sent us this superb tasting ready to prepare cappuccino mix. Made in Indonesia, it comes in two separate packs: (1)the coffee mix and (2)a much smaller sachet which contains the chocolate granules. Judging from the Italian flag type packaging I surmise the choco granules originated from Italy. I tried to experiment to test how the mix could achieve a superior flavor. For my initial test, I used 1 cup of boiling hot water per packmix and then added the chocolate granules. Ooooh! It was too sweet. The next time, I used 1 large mug of boiling hot water plus the chocolate granules. Surprise! I got the perfect blend. Unlike other coffee flavors, even those dispensed by large coffee shops, Tora Bika tastes good even when it is cold. Ingredients: Sugar, creamer, instant coffee, chocolate granules

Purpose: Replace vitamins and minerals lost in processing (enrichment), add nutrients that may be lacking in the diet (fortification) Application: Flour, breads, cereals, rice, macaroni, margarine, salt, milk, fruit beverages, energy bars, instant breakfast drinks Common Label Names: Thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin (Vitamin B2), niacin, niacinamide,folate or folic acid, beta carotene, potassium iodide, iron or ferrous sulfate, alpha tocopherols, ascorbic acid, Vitamin D, amino acids (L-tryptophan, L-lysine, L-leucine, L-methionine)

Purpose: Provide expected texture and a creamy “mouth-feel” in reduced-fat foods Application: Baked goods, dressings, frozen desserts, confections, cake and dessert mixes, dairy products Common Label Names: Olestra,cellulose gel,carrageenan, polydextrose, modified food starch, micro-particulated egg white protein, guar gum, xanthan gum, whey protein concentrate

Purpose: Enhance flavors already present in foods (without providing their own separate flavor) Application: Many processed foods Common Label Name: Monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrolyzed soy protein, autolyzed yeast extract, disodium guanylate or inosinate

Purpose: Add sweetness with or without the extra calories Application: Beverages, baked goods, confections, table-top sugar, substitutes, many processed foods Common Label Name Sucrose (sugar),glucose, fructose,sorbitol, mannitol,corn syrup,high fructose,corn syrup,saccharin,aspartame,sucralose,acesulfame potassium (acesulfame-K),neotame

Purpose: Add specific flavors (natural and synthetic) Application: Pudding and pie fillings, gelatin dessert mixes, cake mixes, salad dressings, candies, soft drinks, ice cream, BBQ sauce Common Label Name: Natural flavoring, artificial flavor, and spices

According to research Following are some reasons why ingredients are added to foods: * To Maintain or Improve Safety and Freshness: Preservatives slow product spoilage caused by mold, air, bacteria, fungi or yeast. In addition to maintaining the quality of the food, they help control contamination that can cause foodborne illness, including life-threatening botulism. One group of preservatives — antioxidants — prevents fats and oils and the foods containing them from becoming rancid or developing an off-flavor. They also prevent cut fresh fruits such as apples from turning brown when exposed to air. * To Improve or Maintain Nutritional Value: Vitamins and minerals (and fiber) are added to many foods to make up for those lacking in a person’s diet or lost in processing, or to enhance the nutritional quality of a food. Such fortification and enrichment has helped reduce malnutrition in the U.S. and worldwide. All products containing added nutrients must be appropriately labeled. * Improv...

My daughter left me her Sony DSC32 digital camera. It is practically her first digital cam which we gave her as a Christmas present years ago. Two years ago, when she left to work in another country she decided to leave it with me. She knows very well that my old, reliable SLR Nikon needs to be brought to the repair shop. So good. I have a camera. But here's the problem, the batteries are all spent. Meaning, every time I need to use it I need 6 hours to charge the batteries. That's kindda tedious, yes? On the other hand, I am not sure if I want to leave it charging overnight. I don't want to risk that. Perhaps, when I get a new pair of Sony batteries will I be able to take photos for my food blog. I will just have to temporarily borrow from the web if ever there's a pressing need for photos. Cheers!

Thanks to www.noodlesandrice.com for the image. As opposed to gourmet, jologs cooking is what I am practically doing these days. Well, I define 'jologs' cooking as 'no recipe' cooking -- just combining whatever I have in my garden with what I have in my pantry and the fridge. So if I cook adobo whether chicken or pork, I just add tumeric or cumin instead of laurel leaves if that is what I have in my pantry. It is not only experimental but workable. More often, jologs cooking do not appeal to the sense of sight, being hodge podge and all. But what I can assure you is tastily cooked food. Promise :-) Some chefs define gourmet as good cooking. Agreed. I must insist though that jologs cooking is not only good, practical and healthy. Hooray! So hell to the chef!!! [joke :-)]

Kamote tops salad is another one of those humble but super healthy veggie dish. I have some kamote plants in my backyard where my tops come from. Kamote tops or talbos in our vernacular usually mean the youngest leaf on the stem. They are colored bright green as opposed to older leaves which has dark pigmentation. These are best for salads. What I do is infuse the tops in boiling water for about 60 seconds. Drain the water. Add freshly diced tomatoes(2pcs clean) plus lots of purple onions (1 medium sized and whites can do as well). Then add 2 teaspoons lemon juice, lots of freshly milled black pepper (according to your taste) and finally, a pinch of salt. If you have olive oil, that should make it more delish!

Everyone's going ga-ga with moringa or the 'lowly' malunggay. It used to be that this was considered staplefood of the economically challenge. I remember that back then my father had lots of malunggay trees in our vegetable yard. When there's a good harvest usually during the summer months, my mother extracts the fleshy white part of the pod(fruit) and saute it with lots of tomatoes, onions and garlic. Add a little salt and its good to go with fried fish. The white flowers, as I recall we made into salads. Fresh from the garden, my mother infuses it with boiling water for about a minute, adds fresh tomatoes pinch of salt and pepper and presto. The leaves, ahhh the leaves, it is my father's favorite veggie addition to tinola a chicken soup dish that usually incorporates green papaya along with pepper or sili leaves. My father's version, on the other hand use a lot of malunggay leaves instead of sili. When I cook souped clams these days, I also use malunggay...