All about Marinade (FoodArticles)

Posted 4 June, 2001 by PAF-News

Why marinade?
The purpose of a marinade is to add flavour and to soften and prevent the drying out of foods - especially when barbecuing. Meats and poultry benefit well from marinating, as well as fish, vegetables and mushrooms. The usual ingredients for marinades come in three groups - acids, oils and seasonings. Other agents or exotic condiments like ketchup, soy sauce, tamari, fermented fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce and yogurt can be used too.

The acids like wine (or other alcohol like sherry), vinegar and citrus juices or other fruit juices, break down the tissue of meats and add flavour.
Oils lock in the natural flavour and moisture of foods and also replace the moisture that can be drawn out by the seasonings. Depending on which oil is used, they can add flavour too - like olive oil, sunflower or vegetable oil, walnut or sesame.
The seasonings also add flavour and can help to tenderise meat - like salt and pepper, fresh herbs, spices, ginger, garlic, shallots or onion.

How to cook healthy (HealthyLiving)

Posted 2 June, 2001 by PAF-News

Good nutrition is not just a matter of selecting the "right" foods to eat. It is also important to prepare these foods in ways that will maintain their nutritional benefits. Careful decisions about cooking techniques can have a profound effect on the nutrient content of the foods we prepare. These cooking strategies and ingredient substitution ideas can help retain and, in some cases, improve, the nutritional value of your most popular dishes.

So, here is what to do:

Choose methods of cooking that will retain flavor, color, and nutrients. Steam instead of boiling vegetables. Avoid cooking at high temperatures (except for quick stir-frying) and long cooking times. Both extended heat and liquid can destroy or leach out valuable nutrients.

Add vegetables whenever possible to ensure your five-a-day intake. Experiment with more veggie variety in salads, try new vegetable mixes, include some shredded vegetables in casseroles, and add different vegetables to soups and stews. Use chopped red or yellow peppers to "pep" up the flavor. Try vegetable salsas and fruit chutneys as accompaniments to meat or poultry in place of heavy gravies or sauces.

Try some lower-in-fat substitutes such as low fat cheese, salad dressing and evaporated skim milk. Try low cholesterol egg products. Use two egg whites instead of one whole egg to significantly reduce the fat and cholesterol content of some baked goods.

When you use oil, select olive or canola oil. Drain off visible fat while cooking, blot pan-fried foods on paper towels to absorb extra grease, and allow soups to chill before reheating and serving so that the fat can be skimmed off the top.

Choose roasting, poaching or stir frying as frequent cooking methods. Keep open-flame grilling of meats to a minimum as this practice produces cancer-promoting compounds. Avoid eating charred food. Microwave cooking is a healthful way to cook vegetables because the short cooking time reduces nutrient losses and usually no added water or fat is needed.

Reduce the fat in home baked goodies by substituting applesauce, pureed prunes, mashed bananas, or yogurt for up to half of the shortening. It works! Obviously prune puree would discolor a yellow cake but does well for chocolate cake and brownies. The end result is moist and fat content is reduced.

Substitute some whole grain products for all-purpose flour in your cooking. Try whole wheat flour, oatmeal or flax in bread and muffins, or add some bran or wheat germ to your meatloaf. Try using some soy flour in biscuits and breads.

Try more fruit desserts (fresh, stewed, and cobblers) instead of cakes and cookies. Choose frozen yogurt, sherbet and sorbet instead of ice cream. Serve cake with fruit sauce instead of frosting or whipped cream.

Kitchen? What's that? say most British men (FoodNews)

Posted 1 June, 2001 by PAF-News

LONDON (Reuters) - A leading supermarket has discovered what long-suffering British women have known for years - the kitchen is foreign territory to most men who remain unrepentantly unreconstructed.
The survey of 800 British men by supermarket chain Safeway found that nearly half of them spent less than half an hour a week in the kitchen, and then usually only to boil the kettle.

For those who did not describe cooking as women's work and actually tried their hands at knocking up a meal the result was more often than not a somewhat unappetising plate of baked beans on toast.

Despite the national popularity of Italian food, so scant was the average British male's knowledge of cooking ingredients that 20 percent thought the dry Italian wine Frascati was a form of pasta.

(C) Reuters Limited 2001.

UK shops mistaken to drop GM food (FoodNews)

Posted 1 June, 2001 by PAF-News

LONDON, May 31 (Reuters) - Lord Haskins, Chairman of Northern Foods Plc , criticised UK supermarkets on Thursday for turning their backs on supplying genetically modified food to consumers, saying people could make up their own minds. Haskins, whose company is one of Britain's leading chilled food and grocery manufacturers, said the country could miss out on the GM revolution by giving in to "paranoid" consumers and environmental pressure groups.

"Their (the supermarkets') attempts to outlaw all genetically modified food were wrong," Haskins told a conference organised by the U.S. Embassy, the Royal Agricultural College and the School of Oriental and African Studies.

"They should not have introduced voluntary bans on GM foods three years ago. They should have offered consumers choice," said Haskins, whose group supplies private label products to Britain's leading supermarkets.

Public opinion has turned against GM food after consumers' confidence was rocked by a number of scares, including mad cow disease, E-coli and salmonella.

Haskins agreed with scientists that there should be further testing of genetically modified food and crops and more research into the effect of crops on the environment before they were grown commercially.

But he said Britain risked falling behind technological advances by searching for answers to consumer fears over food by looking towards more natural methods of farming like organic production.

"The idea that the world can feed itself with organic produce is ludicrous," he said.

"We must share this innovation, not dump it."

Northern Foods' top five customers are supermarkets Tesco , Sainsbury's , Asda (WMT.N) and Safeway and clothing and food retailer Marks & Spencer .

(C) Reuters Limited 2001.

Seafood Goodness (HealthyLiving)

Posted 1 June, 2001 by PAF-News

All seafood is nutritious, rich in important vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc, B and D vitamins. It is also an excellent source of high quality protein. It is recommended to eat fish at least once a week. There are more reasons for that.

It's well-known that fish and shellfish contain omega-3 fatty acids, whose biochemical properties seem to work wonders throughout the body. However, when fish is substituted for meat in a diet, unhealthy saturated fats are replaced with unsaturated fats. That's key.

It's possible to lower total fat and saturated fat intake considerably, even when eating high-fat fish, such as Alaska salmon, sablefish (black cod) and herring. Even the most porcine fish contains less than 15% fat.

Preliminary studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids may reduce risk of many ailments from heart disease to breast cancer. Omega3s are building blocks of powerful hormonelike substances called eicosanoids, that help regulate inflammation, blood clotting, and constriction of blood vessels.

Top Ten Reasons To Eat More Fish

Omega-3 fatty acids may decrease:

blood pressure in mildly hypertensive people.
arthritis pain.
risk of preeclampsia during pregnancy.
incidence of childhood asthma.
painful menstrual cramps.
death rate from heart arrhythmia.

Omega-3 fatty acids may increase:

levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.
swimming ability.
ability to tan.
our sense of well-being, by fighting hostility and depression.

Source: tcgmagazine

Love Potatoes (KitchenTips)

Posted 30 May, 2001 by PAF-News

Potatoes provide substance and texture to many dishes. They can be mashed, boiled, steamed, baked, fried. But best of all is - they can accompany any sort of meat or vegetable dish.

If you fancy a break from the traditional ways of cooking them, why don't you try Potatoes Dauphinoise. Simply peel them, slice them thinly and layer them with herbs and/or garlic, a little butter and cover with cheese or white sauce in an oven proof dish. 30-40 minutes in the oven and you have a delicious and different dish. Depending on your oven (my fan-assisted oven doesn't cook all through), you may have to parboil the potatos.

Rosti is another dish you can try. Rosti is made by grating parboiled potatoes (for abut 10 minutes), pressing them down and frying as you would a tortilla. For a bit more flavour, add shallots or onions to the potato mixture.

Or if you have some cooked potatoes, slice and fry them with onion, peppers and anything else you desire, add 2-3 eggs beaten with half a cup of milk and brown on both sides. This is the 'Spanish Tortilla'.

Perfect Mushrooms (KitchenTips)

Posted 29 May, 2001 by PAF-News

White, button mushrooms are nutrition stars for what they contain-important B vitamins, trace minerals, a fair amount of potassium-and what they do not. They are virtually fat free, sodium free and very low in calories.

Keep mushrooms refrigerated in a paper bag or in the original container covered with just a paper towel. Wipe them with a damp paper towel or quickly rinse in cool water just before using them.

Cooking mushrooms intensifies their mild, woodsy flavor. The right pan size and cooking temperature are the keys to classic sautéed mushrooms. Perfectly Sautéed Mushrooms contain a number of essential nutrients and have a delicious mild flavor.

Perfectly Sautéed Mushrooms:
For eight ounces (3 cups sliced) use a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet. A smaller pan will crowd the mushrooms causing them to steam.
Heat 1-tablespoon oil or butter over medium heat until hot enough to gently sizzle a mushroom slice.
Add the mushrooms and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir occasionally until the mushrooms are tender, liquid evaporates and they begin to brown, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Can Veggies Prevent Cancer? (HealthyLiving)

Posted 29 May, 2001 by PAF-News

The National Cancer Institute, in its booklet 'Diet, Nutrition, & Cancer Prevention: A Guide to Food Choices', states that 35 percent of cancer deaths may be related to diet.

According to the booklet:
* Diets rich in beta-carotene (the plant form of vitamin A) and vitamin C may reduce the risk of certain cancers.
* Reducing fat in the diet may reduce cancer risk and, in helping weight control, may reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Diets high in fiber-rich foods may reduce the risk of cancers of the colon and rectum.
* Vegetables from the cabbage family (cruciferous vegetables) may reduce the risk of colon cancer.
While FDA acknowledges that high intakes of fruits and vegetables rich in beta-carotene or vitamin C have been associated with reduced cancer risk, it believes the data are not sufficiently convincing that either nutrient by itself is responsible for the association. Nevertheless, since most fruits and vegetables are low-fat foods and may contain vitamin A (as beta-carotene) and vitamin C, the agency authorised a health claim relating diets low in fat and rich in these foods to a possibly reduced risk of some cancers.

Another claim may relate low-fat diets high in fiber-containing vegetables, fruits and grains to a possible reduction in cancer risk. (The National Cancer Institute recommends 20 to 30 grams of fiber a day.) Although the exact role of total dietary fiber, fiber components, and other nutrients and substances in these foods is not fully understood, many studies have shown such diets to be associated with reduced risk of some cancers.

Source: tgcmagazine

Citrus and Colds - Nutrition Plus (HealthyLiving)

Posted 29 May, 2001 by PAF-News

Colds got you down? Tired of fighting that stuffy nose feeling? Have you checked your nutrition lately?

During the cold and flu season everyone is looking for the cure-all. While it may not be a cure-all, vitamin C can help fight colds.

Recent research has found that people who consume vitamin C rich foods when a cold starts, get rid of the cold sooner.
Whether you have a cold or not, getting enough vitamin C can help your overall nutritional health. Vitamin C, along with other antioxidants, may help reduce the risk of heart disease and certain forms of cancer--so check out your intake.

Vitamin C rich foods include the obvious oranges, grapefruits and their juices, but also include broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, tomatoes, green peppers, strawberries, potatoes and cantaloupe.

A myth about vegetables (FoodArticles)

Posted 29 May, 2001 by PAF-News

It is believed that raw vegetables are better than cooked. Is that so?

Perhaps yes, when it comes to salads, but some veggies such as red kidney beans contain natural toxicants which, if the beans are not cooked properly, can lead to diarrhoea and sickness. Boiling them for twenty minutes renders the toxins harmless and makes this nutritious food safe to eat. Butter beans or lima beans similarly contain cyanide that would be dangerous if eaten raw, but again is destroyed making them safe to eat when cooked.

Other vegetables like potatoes would be indigestible if eaten raw while some such as like broccoli appear to lose some of their bitterness when cooked. Cooking carrots or tomatoes helps to release substances called carotenoids and lycopenes so the body can absorb them more easily. These 'antioxidants' have been shown to be good for our health.

Source: Gourmet Connection

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