Food Fun, Funds, and Fundamentals (Series #2)

Welcome back to the second installment of “Food Fun, Funds, and Fundamentals,” an ongoing exploration of food preparation, handling, and appreciation. To learn more about the philosophy behind these vignettes, please click here for Series #1.

          As we all know, imparting flavor to a dish can be enhanced in various ways using herbs and spices, which are available for purchase in either dried or fresh varieties (taken from the bark, fruits, seeds, flower buds, and roots of plants).

PROTECT THE FLAVOR

Since the flavor of herbs/spices are contained in volatile oils, care must be taken to preserve these oils lest they be wasted (think of freshly crushed peppercorns versus the foul-tasting sand most people call pepper).

Herbs should be stored in the refrigerator once they are removed from the plant. To maintain freshness longer, they can be placed in a cup of water, much like you would for flowers.

Prior to using herbs or spices in your dishes, you can extract more aroma by any of the following:

·        Finely (rather than coarsely) chopping your herbs.

·        Crushing dried spices between your fingers, as mild heat will activate and stimulate the release of oils contained in the center of the dried material.

·        Lightly roasting spices using olive oil or some other dietary oil.

·        For maximum flavor, you may purchase a mortar and pestle for crushing your herbs and spices (works wonderfully for preparing homemade Chai).

TOO MUCH SALT...

Table salt—while useful for bringing out the flavor in dishes—is often overused in modern-day food processing. In individuals who are genetically sensitive to salt, excessive consumption is associated with high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) and heart-disease; while some people can excrete excess salt from food via the kidney without issue, certain individuals trap salt not just in the walls lining their blood-vessels, but in the water between the cells lining their skin, frequently leading to salt-overload and ultimately, kidney dysfunction[1].

SALT CAN RUN, BUT IT CAN't HIDE

Doctors and nutritionists will often recommend higher bean, legume, and overall vegetable consumption in the diet to prevent or attenuate hypertension. But for many people living on a budget, that translates into higher consumption of canned food items, which are notoriously high in salt and the sodium that can lead to hypertension in those susceptible. Luckily by simply draining the canned goods in a strainer first, then rinsing them in running tap water, you will remove on average 40% of the sodium[2].

     Of the five senses involved in eating,

     Taste is the most important.

     It is our most direct, embodied encounter with food;

            It affords pleasure and disgust; and

            It is the one sense we cannot help but use.

     Yet taste is more than something that just happens in the mouth:

     It is also the leading metaphor in aesthetics.

- David M. Kaplan3

- Tyler Feeney-

M.Sci (c) in Dietetics

References

1.      Choi, H. Y., Park, H. C., & Ha, S. K. (2015). Salt sensitivity and hypertension: a paradigm shift from kidney malfunction to vascular endothelial dysfunction. Electrolytes & Blood Pressure, 13(1), 7-16.

2.      Duyff, R. L., Mount, J. R., & Jones, J. B. (2011). Sodium reduction in canned beans after draining, rinsing. Journal of Culinary Science & Technology, 9(2), 106-112.

3.      Kaplan, D. M. (2012). The Philosophy of Food. Berkeley: University of California Press.