i Lead Recipes

Fats and oils come from both animal and plant sources. In cooking, fats provide tastes and textures. When used as the principal cooking medium (rather than water), they also allow the cook access to a wide range of cooking temperatures. Common oil-cooking techniques include sautéing, stir-frying, and deep-frying. Commonly used fats and oils include butter, olive oil, vegetable oils such as sunflower oil, corn oil, and animal fats such as lard, schmaltz, and beef fat. Seed oils such as rapeseed oil (Canola or mustard oil), sesame oil, soybean oil, and peanut oil are also used. The inclusion of fats tends to add flavour to cooked food, even though the taste of the oil on its own is often unpleasant. This fact has encouraged the popularity of high fat foods, many of which are classified as junk food.

Filed under: 1 Fats, Oils and Proteins | No Comments »

Edible animal material, including muscle, offal, milk and egg white, contains substantial amounts of protein. Almost all vegetable matter (in particular legumes and seeds) also includes proteins, although generally in smaller amounts, by weight. (When considered as a proportion of total calories, plant foods often contain a greater proportion of protein than animal foods. Broccoli, for example, contains a higher proportion of protein than ground beef.

These foods may also be a source of essential amino acids. When proteins are heated they become de-natured and change texture. In many cases, this causes the structure of the material to become softer or more friable – meat becomes cooked. In some cases, proteins can form more rigid structures, such as the coagulation of albumen in egg whites. The formation of a relatively rigid but flexible matrix from egg white provides an important component of much cake cookery, and also underpins many desserts based on meringue.

Filed under: 1 Fats, Oils and Proteins | No Comments »

Olive oil has been used in cooking for many thousands of years, so much so that it has become the keystone of Mediterranean cooking. There are, of course, many grades of olive oil, the best of them being extra virgin, which is characterized by its perfect flavour and scent. This is the oil that in some regions is judged by a panel of experts. It is used at the table with salads or for dipping bread, and added too soups and stews. Other grades are fine virgin, virgin, semi-fine, refined and pure. Strong flavoured olive oil can be used for frying fish and other strong flavoured foods, whereas you would use a mellow flavoured olive oil for baking a cake. Olive oil can be used with great success when mixed with butter for frying meats – try using it the next time you fry a rump steak in a griddle.

Filed under: 1 Fats, Oils and Proteins | No Comments »

Professional chefs and bakers alike agree that there is absolutely no substitute for flavour and execution than real butter, but there are a few things that you should remember. Keep the butter fresh – store it in its original paper or in a sealed container and keep it in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Don’t store it near any foods that have strong odours or flavours, because it will absorb those flavours and become tainted. If you’re going to be baking biscuits or cakes, always use unsalted butter for the best flavour. Do experiment with butter – heating it up before using it brings out its flavour to the full exposing a rich, full taste. Try drizzling melted butter over vegetables, potatoes, fish or pasta. Remember that adding butter along with savoury or sweet spices helps to retain their flavour and works to integrate the flavour throughout the entire dish.

Filed under: 1 Fats, Oils and Proteins | No Comments »