Category: Your Food

Top Rated Affordable Hand Mixer

2/8/2021

from Consumer Reports

Cuisinart 5-speed mixer powers through cookie dough and quickly whips cream. It's wire beaters are easier to clean than center-post mixers. Can be a little noisy.

0 Comments

Reading Food Labels

2/5/2021

0 Comments

ORGANIC

A food must contain at least 95% organic ingredients to be labelled organic.
-fewer pesticides used in crops and no synthetic fertilizers and GMO's
-animals only fed organic feed only and raised without routine use of drugs like anti-biotics
-no artificial ingredients allowed in process foods unless they go through a rigorous review process and cannot contain artificial preservatives, colours or flavours.

vs.
NATURAL

There is no government regulation which means a product labelled Natural can contain pesticides and crops can be grown with synthetic fertilizers as well as GMO's. Animals can be raised with drugs like anti-biotics. Process foods can contain artificial ingredients, preservatives, colours and flavours.

0 Comments

How Long Can you Safely Freeze Your Food

1/28/2021

0 Comments

from Treehugger
Condensed

Raw meat & fish

Ground beef, turkey, veal, pork and lamb: For best flavor and texture, these ground meats are best used within three or four months of being frozen.
Steaks, chops and roasts: These cuts of beef, veal, lamb or pork can be frozen for six to 12 months before losing quality. Chops of these meats start to lose quality after four to six months and whole roasts are best used within four to 12 months. These are some wide windows, so check for freezer burn and other signs of quality deterioration periodically.
Poultry: Whole birds can keep their quality for up to a year; pieces of birds keep their quality for up to nine months.
Fish: For optimum quality, fatty fish (salmon, tuna) should be consumed with two to three months. Lean fish (cod, flounder) should be consumed within six months.

Fruits and vegetables
You can freeze most vegetables and non-citrus fruits for about eight to 12 months

Soups, stews, chili and casserolesSoups, stews, chili and casseroles that have vegetables, meats, grains, pasta or cheese will keep their quality for two to three months in the freezer. This stands whether they are newly purchased or freshly made and frozen.

General leftovers

Cooked meat or poultry: Eat within two to six months for optimum quality.
Pizza: Don't leave leftover pizza in the freezer for more than one or two months if you want it to taste its best.
Chicken nuggets or patties: Use them within one to three months or they'll start to lose flavor and texture.
Waffles, pancakes and French toast: These breakfast staples can be frozen for up to a month and they will still hold their quality, according to Betty Crocker.

How to prevent freezer burn

Make sure your freezer's temperature is accurate. It should be at 0 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid freezer burn and to keep the food safe. The NDSU Food Freezing Guide offers a good example of what happens above that temperature: The same loss of quality in frozen beans stored at 0 F for one year will occur in three months at 10 F, in three weeks at 20 F, and in five days at 30 F.
Package your items tightly so they stay moist and away from oxygen. Use freezer wrap and bags and containers specifically made for the freezer.
Don't overload the freezer. "Add only the amount that will freeze within 24 hours. This is usually 2 or 3 pounds of food per cubic foot of storage space. Overloading slows down the freezing rate, and foods that freeze too slowly may lose their quality," according to the Food Freezing Guide.
Vacuum seal foods if possible or make sure to draw as much air out of the packaging before you place them in the freezer.
The longer food is in the freezer, the more susceptible to freezer burn it becomes. Label your foods in the freezer with the date they went in and a best by date, and plan your meals accordingly. When it comes to thaw out food, let it thaw in the fridge, not at room temperature, which is a too-good opportunity for microorganisms to grow.

0 Comments

Safe Sprouting

1/12/2021

0 Comments

Step by step sprouting

Purchase certified pathogen-free organic seeds.
Rinse. Place 1 to 2 Tbsp (15 to 30 mL) of seed in a sieve and rinse under running water for one minute.
Soak. Use at least three times the amount of water to soak seeds, since sprouts will grow substantially, and it’s important not to overcrowd your sprouting medium. Soaking times vary (see chart).
Skim off all floating seeds and debris. It is this material that has been linked to problems with bacterial growth.
Drain and rinse again.
Transfer seeds to a thoroughly cleaned jar or tray (see sidebar). Keep in an area out of direct sunlight—indirect natural light is fine.
Rinse your seeds twice daily, draining well.
Harvest sprouts, rinse again, and refrigerate in a loosely covered container or partially opened plastic bag (pat dry to remove any excess moisture).

Sprouting with an eye on safety

To alleviate concerns about contamination, soak your seeds in a hydrogen peroxide solution. Use 2 Tbsp (30 mL) of 35 percent food-grade hydrogen peroxide to roughly 1 1/2 cups (350 mL) of water. Mist your sprouts lightly after each rinse with a fresh hydrogen peroxide and water solution (using the same ratio).
Always keep your sprouting equipment scrupulously clean. Sanitize jars in boiling water for 10 minutes before using. Scrub trays with vinegar after each use.
Large beans, including kidney, white, Lima, black, fava, pinto, and Anasazi, should not be sprouted to eat raw. They can be toxic, and must be cooked to be digestible.
Health Canada recommends that children, the elderly, and those with weakened immunity avoid eating raw sprouts.

Growing guide
Germination times included here are averaged. You may choose to harvest your sprouts either earlier when the sprout tail is small or once it has grown longer.

Alfalfa
Mild and grassy flavour
Soaking time 5-10 hours
Germination time 4-7 days
Best eaten raw

Fenugreek
Bitter/pungent flavour (use sparingly or combined with alfalfa)
Soaking time 8-12 hours
Germination time 4-8 days
Best eaten raw

Radish
Sharp/hot flavour (use sparingly or combined with alfalfa)
Soaking time 8-12 hours
5-6 days
Best eaten raw

Clover (red)
Similar to alfalfa but with sharper flavour
Soaking time 4-8 hours
Germination time 3-6 days
Best eaten raw

Mustard
Hot flavour (use sparingly or combined with alfalfa)
Soaking time 5-8 hours
Germination time 4-6 days
Best eaten raw
Black mustard seeds are reputedly easier to sprout than other coloured seeds

Mung Beans
Mild, somewhat starchy flavour
Soaking time 8-14 hours
Germination time 2-5 days
Best eaten cooked thoroughly
Place tray or jar of mung beans in a dark spot for best results.

Sunflower Seeds
Nutty, sweet flavour
Soaking time 6-10 hours
Germination time 18-24 hours
Best eaten raw
Hulled: After soaking hulled sunflower seeds, skim off skins with your fingers before sprouting. If you don’t remove the skins, the seeds can quickly spoil. Shelled: Shelled sunflower seeds are for sprouting sunflower greens and these are best grown in soil.

Lentils
Slightly hot, peppery flavour
Soaking time 10-12 hours
Germination time 3-5 days
Best eaten cooked; raw sparingly

Sesame Seeds
Slightly sweet flavour when eaten on first day
Soaking time 6-10 hours
Germination time 1-2 days
Best eaten raw
Use sesame seeds in the shell, which are darker than the white, hulled sesame seeds. After sprouting, eat quickly, since they turn bitter after 2 to 2 1/2 days.

Note: hulled seeds are those that have the shell removed.

0 Comments

Top Rated Affordable Hand Mixer

Reading Food Labels

How Long Can you Safely Freeze Your Food

Safe Sprouting

Simple Living

Archives

Categories