Facts Of Basics – Part 3, Fats
Sounds awful dosen’t it? In fact F-A-T-S has become another of those four letter words not mentioned in polite company. Yet who can resist them? They give such wonderful color, flavor and texture to so many dishes from baked goods, to sautés to salads and everything in between. Actually, while some fats are contributors to heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol leading to stokes, especially in excess, others are nutritional necessities for the welfare of our nerves and muscles, including the brain and the heart, provide us with energy, produce hormones and help us absorb vitamins. The trick is in knowing the difference. Just as with flour and sugar it’s best to start with an understanding of basic types, in order to choose the right substitutions for you and your family.
Let’s start with the bad boys—the Saturated Fats. These are of animal origin and include fatty meats, butter, lard, cream, pan drippings and some tropical plant oils like palm and coconut. One commonality is that most retain solid form at room temperature. Saturated fat is a slow burning energy source and our bodies produce most of our requirements. The excess we ingest is stored in cells which can accumulate to cause obesity and obstruct normal organ function. There’s no doubt that these products add flavor to certain dishes, especially traditional ones for special occasions, and unless there’s a medical problem, there’s no reason to deprive yourself, but on a daily basis it’s wise to substitute lean meats, low-fat milk and seed oils for the high- saturated fat items.
The middle-men are the Trans Fats or Trans Fatty Acids as they are often called. These are liquid oils that have been hydrogenated. Air atoms are forced into them altering them chemically and causing them to solidify. The most familiar examples are margarines and Crisco and the oils most used as bases are sunflower, cottonseed rapeseed, safflower and soybean. Crisco was introduced in the U.S. in the early 20th century by Procter & Gamble as an alternative to expensive rendered cooking fats. Margarine, another German discovery, dates back to thrifty Napoleon looking for ways to feed his army, but gained its foothold both in England and the U.S. through food rationing during WWII. The interesting thing about margarine is that despite consumer objection to the taste, and studies from the 1950s showing it was no healthier than saturated fat, manufacturers continued to invest in product improvement. Says something about its profit margin!
The problem is that when the oil molecules are solidified by hydrogenating, the body can’t distinguish them from those of saturated fat. Manufacturers have given much attention to solving this problem over the past few decades. !n 2010, Crisco introduced a reformulated version containing a mixture of partially and fully hydrogenated oils which have no Trans fats and only 6 g. saturated fat per serving. Margarines have undergone similar changes. Most have phased out hydrogenated oils, eliminating trans fats, and rely on a mixture of vegetable oils and cream or milk. Even those targeted for specific markets, medical or religious, use emulsifiers rather than hydrogenated oils. It’s important to read the labels when buying margarine because there are so many verities on the market.
Polyunsaturated or Monounsaturated oils are clear vegetable or seed oils that remain liquid at room temperature. Fish, such as salmon, also contains polyunsaturated oil known as Omega-3 fatty acid which has the positive effect of lowering cholesterol. The other oils may not have so directly beneficial an effect on our health, but they don’t raise cholesterol and may actually lower it as well. There are so many verities of oils, from basic cooking to fancy dessert, the majority with specific applications, that it’s impossible to deal with them all. So I’m just going to let your recipe be your guide and talk about the ones frequently used in cooking.
Before I go on, let me mention storage. The saturated and trans fats should be stored as presented in the store, refrigerated. I have learned that the same is true of Crisco, once opened. Oils are best in a dry, dark, place and never above room temperature. Their shelf depends on the type of product, but all should be checked often, because they can spoil, called going rancid, rather fast if not stored correctly.
Obese or Overweight Men Several studies go on to break school and NCAA passing records while winning 25 out of 30 generic cialis soft games. Sex is important for the healthy development of your body, it really buy cheap viagra important to talk to the doctor before you take the drug, you need to make sure that your diet is low fat. Some or the other day one has to overcome this issue so that the person can indulge in sex cialis without prescription http://cute-n-tiny.com/page/2/ without fear or embarrassment. In some cases, the primary doctor might try to treat the patient suffering from premature ejaculation. cheap brand levitra Culinary oils are extracted from vegetables, nuts and seeds and can be generally separated into two groups; those used for flavoring and those used for actual cooking. Although the flavoring oils are, usually, in less supply and therefore, pricier, cost is not the deciding factor in determining an oil’s function, the smoke point is. This is the temperature at which the oil begins to smoke and its flavors break down and become unpleasant. Only oils with a high smoke point (440 degrees or above) should be used for frying, Chief among these would be canola, soybean, safflower and grapeseed. Corn and regular olive oil can be used for light frying. Peanut and sunflower oils should be limited to sautéing. Hazelnut and walnut oils can be used in baking, but all other oils are only for dressings and sauces. It goes without saying, that oils can be used for any task below their smoke point so long as their flavor is compatible to the task.
Olive oil needs a special note of explanation, because it is sold according to grade and there seems to be some confusion. The grades are not a rating of the quality of the olives, but rather of the process used to extract the oil. Nor is color a reliable sign of flavor, that too depends on grade and taste. “Cold Pressed” is always better, because it means no solvents were used in the extraction process. Extra Virgin is the result of the first pressing and has a delicate, rich flavor best enjoyed drizzled over food just before serving. Virgin oil is less delicate, has a higher acidity content and is fine for salad dressings and light sautéing. Solvents are used in the extraction of Pure Olive Oil or simply Olive Oil and it is refined. It’s the lowest grade best used in cooked dishes. Light Olive Oil has no lower fat content than the other grades. It’s simply lighter in color because of high refinement, which raises its smoke point gives it a mild flavor and makes it the best choice for frying. . Incidentally, olive oil solidifies in the refrigerator and can be mixed with herbs and seasonings like garlic to make a low-fat spread.
In turning to my friend’s question about economizing on buying supplies for her pantry, my advice would be, so far as oils are concerned, unless a recipe specifically requires a certain one, I would limit myself to two. One is Virgin Olive oil, which can be used in dressings and sautéing. The other is Canola, which does everything else. One has enough taste to add flavor when wanted and the other is odorless and tasteless, the perfect foil. Both are low in fat content, readily available, relatively inexpensive and neither has any allergy provoking properties. Incidentally, olive oil solidifies in the refrigerator and can be mixed with herbs and seasonings like garlic to make a low-fat spread.
Dealing with fats used in cooking, when answering my friend’s question, is a bit more difficult, especially those used as shortening in baked goods. The point of beating solid fats with flour in making a batter is to create air pockets which lighten the texture. Though half the amount of fat can be replaced with fruit purees, usually apple sauce or whipped prunes, this requires adjusting the balance of the recipe, dosen’t work with pastry dough, and actually can add to the cost. Cream cheese is used in some pastry recipes, but they are specific to the type of pie or tart, not a generalization, and again no less expensive than conventional shortenings. Oil is often used in cake mixes and is a bit less costly, but not a big saving.
On the other hand, I did recently try the new, improved Crisco, the plain, canned variety, not the more costly flavored ones in bars, and was very pleased with the flakiness of the pie crust I baked. So I plan to stick with it. My other revelation came when I was asked to bake cupcakes for a charity event, I decided to try something recommended to me several times over the years by experts in the dairy products field and by chefs; Blue Bonnet Margarine. It really does bake like butter, and performs better than many other brands I’ve tried. So I’ll stick with that too, for regular everyday baking.
However, tradition is tradition and far be it for me to fool with it. For my family, I’ll make the dishes we enjoy, with the ingredients they were meant to have, at least in this category, though I may experiment with the flours and sugars, if I run out of something. As for any cooking for a group or even occasions during the rest of the year, I think I will try alternatives. So this is the advice I’ll give my friend: Follow tradition so far as you want for the holidays, but don’t overbuy, and then begin to economize by trying these substitutions.
