Jesse Sartain information and articles about basics of cooking

Author: Jaswinder Singh

Why, unfortunately, just washing vegetables is not enough to ensure produce clean enough for consumption

We all ingest lots of chemicals, one way or another. We breathe them, we drink them, and we eat them. The most troublesome are pesticides in produce. It makes me uncomfortable to think that while we are eating fruits and vegetables in reality we are also ingesting poisons that can accumulate in our bodies and make us very sick. This is food that supposes to be healthy and good for us!

Even if the most toxic chemicals have already been banned for use in agriculture, pesticides in general are poisons designed to kill insects, weed, small rodents and other pests. The long time effects of these poisons on people are not completely known. Even the minimal risk with these pollutants is too much, when we think we may expose children. We should try to do every effort to minimize our intake of these adverse chemicals.

Education is the key. Knowing which produce contain more pollutants can help us make the right choices, avoiding the most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least polluted, or buy organic instead. In simulation of consumers eating habits has been demonstrated that changing a little bit the eating practices can lower considerably the ingestion of pesticides.

The results of an investigation on pesticides in produce by the USDA Pesticide Data Program, show that fruits topped the list of the consistently most contaminated produce, with eight of the 12 most polluted foods. The dirty dozen are: Apples, Bell Peppers, Celery, Cherries, Imported Grapes, Nectarines, Peaches, Pears, Potatoes, Red Raspberries, Spinach, and Strawberries.

You don’t like broccoli? Too bad because they are among those least contaminated. In fact the 12 least polluted produce are: Asparagus, Avocados, Bananas, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Sweet Corn, Kiwi, Mangos, Onions, Papaya, Pineapples, and Sweet Peas.

Can washing of produce help get rid of pesticides? Not really. The fruits and vegetables tested by the USDA PDP are “prepared emulating the practices of the average consumer” before testing for pesticides. That is: “

(1) apples are washed with stems and cores removed;

(2) asparagus and spinach have inedible portions removed and are washed;

(3) cantaloupes are cut in half and seed and rinds are removed; […] and (9) tomatoes are washed and stems removed”.

Washing before consuming is highly recommended because helps decrease the pesticide residues present on the surface of the vegetables, but the majorities of pollutants are absorbed into the plant and can’t be just washed away. Some pesticides are specifically created to stick to the surface of the crops and they don’t come out by washing. Peeling can help eliminating some of the chemicals but not all, and a lot of important substances will be discarded with the skin.

So, on one hand we have to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables for a healthy diet, and on the other hand we have to reduce as much a possible the intake of pesticides. What to do if you are unconvinced by the claims of the chemical companies that certain levels of pesticides are not dangerous?

We have very few options to defend ourselves:

(1) Wash all vegetables and fruit very well;

(2) Change eating habits in order to consume more of the produce with low pollutants;

(3) Consume a diet as varied as possible;

(4) Buy organic foods.

Author: Freddy Maier

You will find hereunder 6 different baking tips that will allow you to solve easily some problems that erase when you want to start baking cookies. The tips have been arranged with subtitles for an easier reading and understanding.

Make Chewy Cookies

The secret in making any cookie recipe into a soft and chewy cookie is to use Butter flavored Crisco instead of butter. If you want a crispy cookie use butter. Another trick to have chewier cookies is to cut your baking time by about 2 minutes (baked at the temperature stated on the recipe. Your cookies should be baked through but not yet crispy. You can also reduce your oven temperature by 25 degrees and bake for the time stated on the recipe. Always bake one batch according to the recipe the first time you try a new recipe and then make the adjustments based on how it came out. Make a note of your changes and keep your “customized” recipe for the next time.

Baking Soda or Baking Powder ?

Baking powder is alkaline and needs to be mixed with acidic ingredients in order to react. Baking powder is baking soda with an added acidic ingredient, usually cream of tartar. In cookies, baking soda tends to make them spread out more and baking powder tends to make them rise and become puffy or more cake-like. If your recipe calls for baking soda, simply try to reduce it a bit.

Make Chilled Dough for Better Results

Make sure the dough is chilled and the baking sheets are cool before putting them in the oven. Otherwise the fat in the cookies will melt too soon, resulting in flat cookies regardless of the leavener you are using. Note that vegetable shortening (e.g. Crisco) melts a higher temperature than butter. You can try then to substitute half the butter with Crisco.

Beware of nutritional information

You might one day read a recipe that has, for example, 2 sticks of margarine or butter. The nutritional information will read ‘0′ cholesterol. Why so? It is because the nutritional for recipes are calculated using the first ingredient when two ingredients are given. For example, when it says “margarine or butter”, the nutritional are calculated using margarine. If butter were listed first, it would be calculated using butter.

Dark or Shiny Pan?

Remember the darker the finish on the pan, the faster the sheet will heat and the longer it will hold the heat. The shinier the pan you use, the longer it will take to heat up. Dark absorbs heat, so your bottoms will be done more quickly then the tops or centers. By the time your tops and centers are baked, your bottoms will be crispy if not downright burnt. Shiny reflects heat and your cookies will bake more evenly.

How many trays in the oven?

Don’t try to crowd too many cookie sheets into your oven at once.. Your best results will be one tray at a time on the middle rack of the oven with plenty of room for the warm air to circulate around the tray. Don’t keep opening your oven to peek. Every time you do that, you loose warmth and your oven will have to struggle to maintain the correct temperature.