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Infographic: A Scientific Map Of Optimal Food Pairings

Infographic: A Scientific Map Of Optimal Food Pairings
Happy Thanksgiving! To keep you busy while you recover from turkey coma, we're republishing some of our favorite stories from 2013. Enjoy.--Eds Surf and turf. This is the science of Western cooking. Of course, the Scientific American infographic is actually a reinterpretation a flavor map created by Yong-Yeol Ahn. Up top, you have roast beef--the food that shares the most chemical compounds (or food relatives) with other foods. Roast beef's link to peas is especially notable, because peas sit way down on the tree. The more time you spend exploring the graphic, the more “aha” moments you’ll have. Interestingly enough, Scientific American points out that while the tradition of Western food is largely based upon these chemical overlaps, Eastern food is created quite differently, with dishes comprised of discrete flavors rather than interrelated ones. Try it here. [Hat tip: FlowingData] [Image: Peas via Shutterstock]

chai spice + almonds I’m very hit or miss when it comes to chai spices. I guess my only real experiences with the chai-flavor, is in tea form. It’s rare that I try a chai tea that I fully enjoy. They typically end up too sweet or spicy, and sometimes too potent. Once in awhile though, the spices are just right. Spice mixing can seem scary. I typically add the tiniest pinch of cloves in my recipes, so deciding to put a whole whopping teaspoon into this fairly small mixture, had me a bit scared. warm. spicy. deep. rich. Tastes like winter. Chai Spice Mix 2t cinnamon 2t ginger 1t cardamom 1t cloves 1/4t nutmeg 1/4t all spice Mix together and store in a sealed jar or spice container. If you’re lucky enough to have a bulk spice section in your store, this should cost well under $1 to make. This spice mix is totally customizable. So what made me randomly decide to mix up these spices? Oh you know, to make nut butter! I’ve become strangely addicted to the oh so convenient + cheap, peanut butter. Better yet? Ashley

Consumir vitaminas sinteticas en exceso puede ser peligroso - Noticias de Salud, Educación, Turismo, Ciencia, Ecología y Vida de hoy A raíz de que la consagrada cantante pop Katy Perry envió por Twitter, a sus 37 millones de seguidores, una foto con bolsas etiquetadas con las vitaminas que toma cada día “al levantarme, al desayuno y a la cena”, estalló un debate mundial sobre la cantidad de vitaminas que se debe consumir y el riesgo de que tomadas en exceso pueden ser perjudiciales. La cantante, guitarrista, compositora y actriz estadounidense apareció con bolsas con más de 30 pastillas cada una. En Colombia, médicos especialistas coinciden en que el exceso en el consumo de vitaminas sintetizadas artificialmente puede ser peligroso y en que solo deben ingerirse bajo prescripción médica. Las vitaminas naturales que contienen los alimentos y bebidas son vitales para la salud humana. En la siguiente entrevista, el médico cirujano Leonardo Palacio Sánchez define la realidad de cada una de las vitaminas que requiere el organismo y explica los mitos y errores de la creencia popular sobre el tema. ¿Qué podría producir? Sí. No.

Cake Whiz | Mango oatmeal I recently received some samples from Quaker. I was very excited coz let's face it... who doesn't like FREEBIES? Plus, I am a BIG Quaker fan. I have been enjoying their stuff since I was a kid. In my package, I got oatmeal cookies, granola bars, cinnamon oatmeal and LOTS of coupons for other Quaker goodies that I am happily SHARING with everyone. These are my honest opinions after trying out everything: Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies: Among everything I got from Quaker, these were my absolute FAVORITE! .These cookies came in a packet of 4, making them EASY to share and very easy to carry in my purse. Big chewy chocolate chip oatmeal bars: They came 5 in a box and are 60% bigger in size than before. Perfect portions-Cinnamon flavored oatmeal: Among the 3 things I got from Quaker, this was my LEAST favorite. Using milk in the preparation made it only slightly better. However, I played around with a few ingredients and made a DELICIOUS mango oatmeal with dried cranberries and coconut. Enjoy

Monsanto renuncia a su lucha por la industria transgénica en Europa El mayor fabricante de cultivos transgénicos del mundo, Monsanto, anunció hoy que renuncia a seguir intentando introducir plantas modificadas genéticamente al mercado europeo. “No vamos a hacer ningún trabajo de lobby más para el cultivo en Europa”, aseguró a un diario alemán el portavoz de Monsanto Europa, Brandon Mitcheneer. Esta decisión se tomó en base a la débil demanda de los agricultores. “Hemos comprendido que por el momento no existe una gran aceptación al respecto”, comentó la portavoz de Monsanto Deutschland, Ursula Lüttmer-Ouazane. El Ministerio de Agricultura alemán rechazó comentar la noticia, pero es conocida su postura contra los productos transgénicos. ALEMANIA CONTRA LOS TRANSGÉNICOS Desde hace años existe un gran movimiento de protesta contra las plantas modificadas genéticamente en Alemania. Otras empresas como Bayer CropScience, BASF y Syngenta decidieron también abandonar sus negocios de plantas transgénicas en Alemania.

Pastel de Tres Leches- Basic Tres Leches Cake Recipe "Pastel de Tres Leches" or "Tres Leches Cake" is named for the three milks in the soaking liquid (Leche means milk in Spanish.) The three milks in the soaking sauce for Tres Leches are sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream. The heavy cream is also whipped up to use as the topping. Due to the rich ingredients and that it is soaked in a creamy syrup, Tres Leches Cake is extremely dense and moist, almost like a custard. Tres Leches is sweet and delicious, but it is nothing like a traditional dry cake that is light and fluffy. See a Step-by-Step version with pictures of each step Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups cake flour1 pinch salt1 teaspoon baking powder1/3 cup oil1 cup sugar1 teaspoon vanilla extract5 large eggs1/2 cup whole milkCream Syrup for Soaking (see recipe below)Whipped Topping (see recipe below) Preparation: Combine flour and baking powder and salt. Let the cake cool until it feels room temperature.

Best gym commercial ever! Roasted Brussels Spouts and Cranberries with Maple Balsamic Drizzle Brussels sprouts are in season right now and my favorite way to eat them is to roast them. It is the absolute BEST way to bring out their natural sweetness. Adding the crans, balsamic, and a little maple syrup doesn’t hurt either. This is a great side dish and would be perfect for the holidays! We love our Lodge Cast Iron pans and can’t recommend them highly enough. Camping season is coming up and I’m so excited. In the meantime enjoy this delicious Brussels sprouts side dish with juicy steaks or pork chops! Roasted Brussel Spouts and Cranberries with Maple Balsamic Drizzle 1 pound Brussels sprouts, tips cut off, discolored leaves removed and sliced in half1 tablespoon olive oilSalt⅔ cup fresh cranberries (or ⅓ cup dried cranberries)⅓ cup crumbled Gorgonzola or goat cheese⅓ cup freshly toasted pecans1 tablespoon maple syrup, or more to taste1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or more to taste Preheat your broiler.Set a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stove.

McDonald's Will Soon Try To Make You Eat Vegetables And Skip The Fries Slowly but surely, McDonald's is inching towards providing customers healthier options--a reaction, perhaps, to the company's inability to significantly boost sales in recent years as healthier competitors like Chipotle gain in popularity. The fast food chain's latest move: a Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) commitment to giving customers who order value meals the option of getting a side salad, fruit or vegetable instead of french fries (but only in its 20 largest markets, though those make up 85% of all sales). So yes, the age-old phrase "Do you want fries with that?" may soon be replaced by "Do you want fries, a salad, fruit, or a vegetable with that?" McDonald's, which is partnering with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to implement the initiative, won't say exactly what will be in the salads, or what fruits and vegetables will be offered. For years, McDonald's has been making small, healthy tweaks to its menu. Photo by Flickr user 20 frimaire.

Caramelized Apple Crepes Crepes are yummy. Fall is good. That much I know. And what about fall inspired crepes? I’ll tell you what – not only it is possible, the result also is amazingly delicious! Sure I have the recipe for you, here it is… The list of ingredients. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. … until sugar turns amber in color. 13. 14. 15. 16. Enjoy! (This recipe was adapted from MarthaStewart.com. Taste-Testing An Incredibly Realistic Salt Replacement (That You've Been Eating All Along) For a week this past May, I used a new salt substitute called Salt for Life in all of my foods. I sprinkled it on soup and cooked dishes. I even tried a little bit without any accompanying food at all. It tasted slightly different from regular salt--a little sharper, somehow. Salt for Life comes from Nu-Tek Salt, a Bill Gates-endorsed company that sells salt replacement products that contain 70% less sodium than traditional salt. "We have taken a logical path on how we have developed the technology and put it in the marketplace. That consumer-friendly product is Salt for Life, which will begin rolling out online and in grocery stores in August and September of this year. Nu-Tek’s secret sauce, says Mower, is what it calls "single crystal technology." Nu-Tek takes potassium chloride and salt, turns it into a wet slurry (diluting it), blends it in an organic acid like lemon juice, and recrystallizes it.

Online Recipes | Online Cookbook | Recipe Contests | Daily Sweepstakes | Better Recipes "Food is the next frontier of 3D printing" News: 3D printing expert Janne Kyttanen has produced prototype printed pasta, breakfast cereal and burgers to demonstrate how advances in 3D printing could transform the way we eat (+ interview + slideshow). Kyttanen, co-founder of design studio Freedom of Creation and creative director of printer manufacturer 3D Systems, told Dezeen: "Food is the next frontier. We’re already printing in chocolate, so a lot of these things will be possible in the next few years." To illustrate the possibilities, Kyttanen has 3D-printed models of pasta in plastic and cheese burgers in plaster. "I printed burgers just to create an iconic image and make people realise that one day we will be able to 3D-print a hamburger. Kyttanen believes it's only a matter of time before technology enables us to print molecules in combinations that produce tasty meals. "If you look at all the recipes on the internet, everything is free and everything is shared," he continues. Photography is by Ivo de Bruijn.

Cooking Techniques for Beginner and Intermediate Cooks 8 Tips For Better Bread Making How to Bake Great Bread at Home Many people are extremely intimidated by bread making. I’ve heard folks say everything from “I’m afraid of yeast,” to “I can’t make bread.” And that last is usually before they even try their hand at it. Continue Reading » Simple Reduction Sauce How to Make a Simple Reduction Sauce A reader wrote to me to say that he cannot make a reduction correctly. Continue Reading » London Broil London Broil – Meat Cut or Cooking Technique? Continue Reading » 8 Tips To Grill Like A Pro Become A Better Grill Master With These Simple 8 Tips I’m often asked by home cooking enthusiasts how to grill like the pros do. Continue Reading » Steaming Technique | How to Steam Food All About Steaming Steaming is a moist heat cooking method. Continue Reading » The Secret To Great Saute How to Saute Like a Professional Chef Probably the most important technique I can share with you is how to sauté properly. Continue Reading » Saute Cooking Videos Fire Up the Grill

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