When you want a milder onion taste, or you are finishing up a stir fry, do you use green onions or scallions? Certain vegetable naming conventions can be confusing and there is no better example than the difference between green onions, scallions, and green onions. And, to make it worse, the name shallot sounds a … Read more
Many home cooks ask why use kosher salt simply because they see professional chefs use it, but they end up ruining their food. The truth is that Kosher salt isn’t better; it’s just less salt per spoonful, and if you don’t know the math, your recipes will fail. So, don’t switch to kosher salt because … Read more
Titanium dioxide is something we associate with paint and industrial use, so it seems scary to contemplate its use in the food we eat. Titanium, after all, is a heavy metal. However, some titanium dioxide is used in foods such as ranch dressing and other creamy salad dressings, where it serves as a whitener. Is … Read more
Xylanase is any one of a class of enzymes produced by some microorganisms. These enzymes are involved in breaking down the hemicellulose in the cell walls of plants. Specifically, xylanase hydrolyzes a principal component of hemicellulose called xylan and arabinoxylan. Xylanase is used in the food industry for bread making, the production of corn starch, clarification of fruit … Read more
Chefs seem to use the terms seasoning and flavoring interchangeably. The actual difference can be quite subtle, so why not just use one word? Can you both season and flavor a dish? The answer is yes. We often think of seasonings as spices and herbs added to food. However, depending on their intended use and effect, … Read more
If you’ve checked the ingredient label on a diet soda or a protein shake lately, you’ve likely seen Acesulfame Potassium (also known as Ace-K). Although it tastes up to 200 times sweeter than sugar, manufacturers almost never use it alone Because of its unique ability to blend with other sweeteners like Aspartame. Ace-K has become … Read more