What is extra-virgin olive oil?
What is extra-virgin olive oil?
Extra-virgin olive oil is the precious unrefined first result of cold-pressing olives to make a fruity liquid that contains less than one percent acid.
Extra-virgin olive oil is the most expensive olive oil variety, and it is best appreciated in salads or as a garnish to give preparations a final flourish. If you are using olive oil to cook, it's fine to use regular olive oil.
Greece is the #1 consumer of olive oil in the world and also the leading producer of extra virgin olive oils, which account for 82 percent of their olive oil production. The U.S. is not a member of the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC), which regulates olive oil standards worldwide, and the IOOC does not recognize the U.S. standards for extra-virgin oil.
There is much controversy in the olive oil world, with accusations of corruption and adulteration smearing consumer confidence and shedding doubt on the purity of so-called virgin olive oil.
Kosher salt is a bright-tasting white, coarse-grained salt made without additives (such as iodine).
It is called kosher salt in North America (elsewhere it's referred to as coarse-grain salt) because it is used to aid in the preparing of kosher meat that is salted after butchering in order to draw out the animal's blood. Kosher salt works particularly well because its large grains don't immediately dissolve on the surface of meat, drawing in liquid instead.
But you don't have to keep kosher to appreciate kosher salt, a favorite of cooks everywhere for its large flaky texture and clean taste that works in a variety of dishes.
If you're new to kosher salt, be aware that it doesn't always dissolve completely in baked goods and that its grains vary in size according to the manufacturer, so be sure to check the box for measurement conversions. The large flakes of kosher salt make it a nice finishing salt to sprinkle on dishes before serving.
What's the point of letting dough rise?
What's the point of letting dough rise?
If you don't allow your bread dough to rise, you'll end up with a heavy and disagreeable loaf.
When you let dough rise, you're giving yeast a chance to leaven the dough. This happens when fermentation produces carbon dioxide gas that puffs it up. Dough should be left to rise in a warm place without draughts and covered with a clean kitchen towel to prevent a crust from forming.
The formal name for this process is proofing (sometimes calling proving).
What does it mean to grease something?
What does it mean to grease something?
To grease a pan means to coat it in some sort of protective shortening or fat -- usually butter -- to prevent whatever you are cooking from sticking.
Greasing has fallen out of favor with the demonization of fat and in the advent of non-stick pans, parchment paper, non-stick cooking sprays and silicone baking liners and tins.
While it's not always necessary to grease a cookie sheet or a cake tin, you have no choice if you want your soufflé to rise.
What is the Doctrine of Signatures?
What is the Doctrine of Signatures?
The Doctrine of Signatures is a philosophy about plants that can be traced back to Medieval European alchemists, who believed that God gave plants a signature that hinted at its uses. Meaning, plants that resembled human body parts could be read as indicators of how those plants could be used to treat the body.
Popularized in the early 1600s by a German shoemaker who had mystical visions and wrote a philosophy book about the interconnectedness of nature and man, the Doctrine of Signatures was adapted by herbalists. They believed that because the leaves of a plant may have resembled a liver, say, they could be used to treat a bad one, or that an infusion of spotted leaves could help cure a diseased lung.
The Greeks prescribed brain-like walnuts to treat mental illness.
what you should know
Rosemary's stiff needles and powerful smell make it an herb to be reckoned with.
Used with care, it imbues food with what Harold McGee describes as a scent "made up of woody, pine, floral, eucalyptus, and clove notes." We also call it resinous.
concentrate Rosemary is most at home with equally powerful dishes like grilled meat (especially rich, gamey lamb with garlic).
contain Best to add it early in cooking, finely chopped so that its strength mellows and its texture doesn't take over. (Another option: just bruise it.)
herbs fully loaded Rosemary has been shown to ease and calm our immune and digestive systems. Combined with thyme, bay leaf and other herbs, rosemary is an integral part of the French Herbes de Provence.
in a name Rosemary's botanical name, rosmarinus comes from the Latin, meaning "dew of the sea" -- inspired by the sandy soil of the Mediterranean coasts where it flourishes.
what you need
Jill Norman's thorough book will tell you just about everything you ever wanted to know about rosemary (and every other herb and spice).
Like many herbs, rosemary can be grown from clippings, but it's said to come on stronger if grown from seed.
Rosemary is perfect on any grilled meat. Cook it up on skewers, or just thread the meat directly on to tough sprigs of rosemary.
Hearing the word "rosemary" makes us start humming Simon & Garfunkel.
what you do
Woodsy rosemary plays off peppery parsnips in this roasted vegetable dish.
Roasted rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes work better if you blanch the potatoes first.
Roasted chicken with rosemary is a clean, simple classic.
So is grilled lamb with orange zest, honey and the piney essence of rosemary.
Vegetarians will appreciate rosemary with toasted barley or roasted zucchini.
Rosemary's bright flavor becomes doubly refreshing when mixed with lemonade.
Featured: Rosemary does double duty as a spice and a skewer with these lamb kebabs. Congratulations to Madeline, of Madeline's Adaptations, who submitted the featured recipe for this week's Root Source Challenge.
what you should know
Golden, fragrant and naturally sweet, honey is the fruit of a long-standing arrangement between men and bees.
Worker bees buzz around snatching nectar from the flowers, returning to the hive to concentrate the nectar and stash it in the viscous form of honey. Then the beekeeper snatches the honey from the bees.
crystal clear Finding crystals in your honey is actually a testament to its high quality. To smooth it out, set the honey jar in a pan of freshly boiled water, until the honey turns liquid again.
the buzz Colony Collapse Disorder has been killing off honey bees in the last several years. Since honey flavors so many food products, some companies are rallying to help the bees.
honey bunch According to Martha Hopkins of The New The New InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook, honey has longstanding connections to love and sensuality. In the fifth century B.C., Hippocrates prescribed it for "sexual vigor."
more than bears Honey can be drizzled in its liquid form, whipped to prevent crystallization or creamed and spread like butter.
sweet wishes Rosh Hashanah is celebrated with honey and honey desserts, to help ensure a sweet coming year.
what you need
Searching for some fine literature about bees and honey? Start with Sue Hubbell's A Book of Bees or Holley Bishop's Robbing the Bees.
If your table setting calls for something more elegant than a plastic bear, you might want a honey dispenser.
Instead of a spoon, try using a honey wand to coax the golden liquid from the jar without spilling a drop.
And while you're whipping up some of our honey recipes, Sweet Honey In The Rock makes the ideal background music.
what you do
Jaden's fantastic pecan-crusted tilapia is sweetened with a honey glaze.
hogwash roasts shallots with honey and feta for a Greek-inspired twist on the French classic.
Before winter spoils the mood, freeze a batch of honey ice cream with ginger-spiced pecans.
Easier than baklava, these flaky honey and almond triangles are a delight.
Glaze your carrots with honey for a smooth, golden sweetness.
Featured: Satisfy your sweet tooth with Honey, Pistachio And Chocolate Chip Biscotti -- this week's Root Source Challenge featured recipe. Congratulations to Dishing Up Delights!
Find more honey recipes at Cookthink.com. And if you haven't yet signed up for a free account at Cookthink, do it now!
what you should know
Eons before humans knew what Omega-3 fatty acids were, our species was hip to walnuts.
food of the gods Fossilized walnuts dating from Neolithic times have been found, and written references stretch back into B.C. The botanical name for walnuts, juglans, is derived from the belief that the ancient Roman god Jupiter lived off of them. Depending on where you are in the world, walnut consumption has long been linked with a healthy heart, healthy bones, longevity, fertility, intelligence and libido.
nut cases Modern science continues to show that the walnut is one of the healthiest foods we can eat. Still, it's too often relegated to dessert. Try working walnuts into your diet by putting them in salads, spreads, soups and sandwiches. (Or sprinkling them with sugared bacon, a food for which modern science has shown little regard.)
break out of the shell Nut crackers abound, but buying shelled walnuts makes cooking with them much easier. Because walnuts are so fatty, they can spoil without the right care. If buying in bulk, stay away from shriveled or rubbery walnuts. Smell them to make sure they smell nutty and not rancid.
keep it cool At home, store walnuts in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. If you're going to have them for a while, put them in the fridge.
what you need
One of Chip's favorite things to do in the winter is sit on the sofa late at night with a glass of port, a book and a mound of walnuts, which he cracks with his Stanley hammer. (No joke.)
The roasted walnut oil made by California-based La Tourangelle is in the San Francisco Chronicle's Taster's Choice Hall of Fame.
what you do
When making pesto in the colder months, we like to replace the pine nuts with walnuts. We used basil in this one, but you could just as easily use spinach or arugula.
Brys riffed on hummus back in May for our root source on chickpeas. Recently, we've been taken with this lemon-walnut hummus.
Walnuts are perfect for winter salads like this grated beet, frisee and goat cheese salad.
Upon returning to Chicago after the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Al Capone supposedly ate something similar to this spaghetti with garlic-walnut sauce.
Finely chopped walnuts can make a more flavorful and textured coating than bread crumbs. To see what we mean, try this walnut-crusted chicken stuffed with spinach and feta.
Claire's family has been making holiday walnut rolls for as long as she can remember. Once you make them, you'll know why.
