Category Archives: Food

Food

Organic Food is a Choice You May Want to Consider

Organic food is a choice that you may wish to consider for your family. It is going to taste very similar but it can have some variations when it comes to the appearance of it. What you can feel very good about though is that there aren’t any residues remaining from pesticides out there used to grow food items. When it comes to organic foods from animals they have been raised without the use of medications or hormones so those sources are healthier for you.

If you have information about the way conventional foods are grown then you definitely are going to see the many benefits from those that are organic in nature. The fact that only natural items are used for the planting, care, and harvesting of the food is very important when it comes to organic foods. To get rid of pests and weeds there are people that trap these animals and that pull the weeds. The land used for the planting of the crops is rotated as well so that there is a chance for the soil to get better.

This is a vital part of successful organic food farming due to the fact that the nutrients in the soil are so often depleted during conventional processing methods. You may be wondering what is used for fertilizer for organic foods. The use of compost that comes from leaves, manure, food remains, and other natural items are used to give the soil what it needs for the crops to grow.

Keep in mind that there are many foods out there that contain some form of organic materials but not enough for them to be certified as organic. Those differences are significant so don’t overlook that information. To be certified there must be at least 95% organic material. These guidelines are set by the USDA and they have many evaluations that farmers have to follow on a regular basis in order to keep that certification active.

You may want to consider organic foods in the forms of those that come from animals as well. This includes cuts of meat, cream, yogurt, cheese, and eggs. Organic foods in this form are raised without any medications including antibiotics. They are also raised without hormone injections. Their diet consists of only organic items and that means they aren’t full of harmful products when you consume them. They are also raised in more humane conditions so that is an additional benefit.

There will continue to be more choices out there for organic foods in the future. This is one of the fastest growing areas in the food market today. It is also one that is taking place on a global scale as well. While organic foods may not hold more nutritional value for you they can be better for your overall health. They can also help us to protect the environment. Those are things many people would like to see happen so they continue to buy such products.

It is a personal choice though and one you should consider. Weigh the benefits of it along wit your budget and other factors so that you can be happy with your choice. Organically grown foods aren’t something that you should buy because you feel guilty. For many people the high cost of them prevents them from getting as much organic food as they would like to. As better methods can be implemented for such processing though those costs should start to go down. The long term benefits to our environment will be something to evaluate in a decade down the road too thanks to these farming methods.

Food

The Different Types of Food Smoking

Food smoking is a technique that dates back thousands of years, to perhaps when fire was first invented. In those days it was used for mainly preserving food. Today the process is used to flavour, cook and preserve food using wood chips, wood dust or charcoal briquettes. A number of variations on the technique now exist which include hot smoking, cold smoking, wet smoking and dry smoking. A range of food can be smoked such as meats, poultry, fish and vegetables and there a number of smokers on the market catering for a range of budgets and requirements.

Below is an overview of each of the cooking methods:

Remember when smoking to try and keep the oven shut and covered, as tempting as it is to keep on checking the idea is to get that smokey flavour to penetrate into the food.

Hot Smoking

Hot Smoking is usually done at a temperature of approximately 160 degrees C. The process of hot smoking actual cooks the food and it will be ready to eat straight away. During hot smoking the heat produced from the smouldering wood chips will cook the food and the smoke produced will flavour the food. One concern with hot smoking is that it can dry the food out; if this is the case then you could wet smoke your food. This involves wetting the wood chips or adding a tray of water into the smoker. As the water evaporates the steam produced helps to keep you food nice and moist.

Cold Smoking

Cold smoking is usually done at a lower temperature, around 30 degrees C. This is because the food is not actual cooking during cold smoking but is being flavoured and preserved. The lower temperatures allow the smoke to penetrate deep into the food. The process can take anywhere between several hours and days dependent on the flavour trying to be achieved.

It’s also worth noting that food should be cured before cold smoking. This involves rubbing the food with salt (dry curing) or placing the food in salty water (wet curing).

Flavoured Smoking

Flavoured wood chips or wood dust add a new dimension to your smoking. There is a range of flavours available such as apple, cherry, beech, oak and whiskey oak. The best advice is to pick some up and experiment.

Smokers

There is a range of smokers available on the market and in various price ranges and sizes. Some multi purpose ovens allow the food to be smoked, barbecued and roasted.