Cooking for the Senses by Jennifer Peace Rhind & Gregor Law

Author:Jennifer Peace Rhind & Gregor Law
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Singing Dragon
Published: 2018-02-04T05:00:00+00:00

OILS, VINEGARS AND SALTS

The creative use of oils, vinegars and salts can transform mundane dishes, elevate the ordinary to the special, and even add intrigue!

Oils

Oils are fundamental to our cooking. It is important to use the right oil for a dish. I use cold-pressed olive oil for most basic culinary processes, but I will use others such as rapeseed if I am frying, and nut oils in salad dressings for their flavour. We can also purchase beautiful flavoured oils for augmenting and accentuating the presence of herbs and spices in our dishes, and explore the flavours of seed oils which can give wonderful accents and lift to everyday fare.

A word of caution…many oils, when heated, form large quantities of toxic aldehydes, including the carcinogenic acrolein (2-propanol), which are very harmful to our health. Sunflower seed oil is one of these, and so it is far better to avoid anything cooked (especially fried) in sunflower. For occasional frying and high-temperature cooking, it is best to use rapeseed or coconut oil, or vegetable ghee. I also recommend that excessive browning of carbohydrate-rich ingredients such as potatoes and cereals is avoided – because this forms carcinogenic acrylamides.

We do not advocate sunflower, safflower and corn oils for culinary use. Apart from the aldehyde issue, they also contain a high ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 6 fatty acids include linoleic acid (LA) which is converted in the body to gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and helps to stimulate skin and hair growth, maintain bone health, regulate metabolism and support the reproductive system. Now, Omega 3 is used in the body to make anti-inflammatory eicosanoids, but Omega 6, if consumed in excess, produces pro-inflammatory eicosanoids. Paul Clayton and Colin Rose explain that it is the balance that is important, and that we are currently consuming far too many Omega 6 foods, including the ubiquitous sunflower oil – and the ratio may be between 10:1 and 100:1, depending on consumption. The ideal ratio is 1:1 or 2:1! To redress this, we can avoid eating foods cooked in sunflower oil, avoid sunflower spreads and take an Omega 3 supplement to tip the balance towards a healthy ratio. See ‘Some Important Plant Compounds and Their Role in Health Maintenance’.

AVOCADO OIL

Thick and a bit unctuous, rather like the avocado itself, the oil is often reserved for salad dressings, where it will impart a very mild pleasant green-grassy flavour. However, it can withstand some heating, and can be brushed over vegetables before grilling. Always buy unrefined and cold-pressed avocado oil; it looks cloudy but the flavour is far superior. Keep it cool and in the dark, and enjoy it before it goes off!

COCONUT OIL

In the past, this was the most important commercially produced vegetable oil. It is very stable, and solid at cool temperatures. However, it is rich in saturated fats – at around 90% – meaning that it can raise LDL cholesterol in the blood. However, it is thought that if it is consumed in moderation as

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