Culinary Questions Answered

Some good questions were asked.
Now to do my best to answer them.

1). How do you choose Sea Salt? (Thanks M for asking)

Some may say that Sea Salt is a healthier option to Table Salt. Is that 100% true. To a degree it is. The main difference between the two is the texture. Sea Salt has larger, more irregular grains, Table salt has fine granules and dissolves quickly making it ideal for baking. Back to healthier or not. Sea Salt is harvested from evaporating seawater and is very minimally processed. Leaving behind more of the natural ingredients. Table salt is mined from underground salt deposits and processed much more than sea salt is.

Some types of Sea Salts:

Black Salt - an indian mineral actually pinkish gray color. It has a sulfurous mineral taste and often added to chutney's, raitas, and other savory snacks.

Grey Salt - is light grey, somewhat pink in color. Collected by hand and is very moist and because of that and that fact that is unrefined, this salt is considered the best quality available.

Fleur de Sel - (or flower of the sea) is a condiment salt made of young crystals that naturally form on the surface of salt evaporated ponds. Often used in salads, vegetables and great for grilling meats.

Hawaiian Sea Salt - contains some red clay. Being rich in iron oxide gives this salt a pink color. It is mellow in flavor compared to regular sea salt. Great for seasoning and preserving. Especially great on Prime Rib and Pork Loin.

There are many types of Sea Salts and it is hard to sometimes choose one that is going to work perfectly with your dishes. In addition to regular sea salts, there are infused sea salts to make the decision process harder. The best thing is to experiment with ones that tempt your pallet. You'll quickly find out which one's will become a staple in your pantry.

2). Do you have to use yeast to cook bread? Is there a way to make bread without yeast? Where do you find yeast in the grocery store? How in the world do you calculate enough food for big groups? (Wonderful questions Bree)

Yeast is a plant and is capable of reproducing itself. Just by adding sugar it will grow, and heat will kill it. (starve it) The function of yeast is to supply carbon dioxide gas which inflates the dough during the proofing time and early stages of baking in the oven. Without yeast, bread will be flat, and hard, but that doesn't mean we can not make bread without it.

We can make unlevened bread, flatbreads, soda breads, sourdough breads or quick breads which often require beer or ale instead of yeast. I found a wonderful recipe for a soda bread that does not require yeast.
Soda Bread Recipe:Whole Wheat - 3 1/4 c (or gluten-free)Baking Powder - 5 tspSea Salt - 1/2 tspWater - 2 cOlive Oil - 1/4 cSeeds: poppy and sesame seeds (optional)Mix together the dry ingredientsAdd WaterAdd SeedsKnead until smooth but don't knead too much. Should not be too sticky. Form into about 8 small buns and place on greased pan for baking. You do not need to let it rise before baking because the dough does not contain yeast but baking powderPlace in oven and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 mins or until bread is light brown
Yeast can be found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores.
And calculating food for large groups. To be honest, I don't have a tried and true method. I know that doesn't help you. I guess after you do it for a while, you become comfortable with figuring it all out. (sorry, i know that is not a good answer) I've done a lot of reading and spoken with lots of caterer's and chef's which has helped.

3). How do you decide which spices to add to a dish? (I love spices. Thanks Kristen)
Spices are one of the most intimidating ingredients you will ever use. There are so many out there, we don't always know what it tastes like when asked for in a recipe. So we sometimes just end up leaving that certain spice out of a recipe and end up with the same spices in our spice racks. I know...not very adventerous, but we can be. So how can you choose spices that work for your style of cooking, and better yet how do you choose spices that have the best flavor? Simple once you learn a few tips.




Here they are:
1). Consider the types of cooking you do most often. Certain spices are needed for different types of cooking. Example, if you love Cajun-style cooking, you would choose hot spices like cayenne pepper. If you prefer French cuisine, you want to use Herbs de Provence.
2). Anytime a recipe mentions a spice you've never used, look it up. The internet is a wonderful addition to finding out information. This way you can find out what to expect in the way of flavor.
3). If you can, buy whole spices rather than ground. Reason behind that is that whole retain the most amount of flavor. Ground on the other hand, start to loose their flavor as soon as they are ground. I suggest buying an inexpensive coffee grinder that you can use specifically for grinding your spices. And when you can...when they are in season, purchase fresh.
4). Grocery stores have a large selection of herbs and spices, but try visiting a Gourmet Food Store which may introduce you to new tastes and smells. (Love walking into those stores and smelling everything) I find those smells really inspire my cooking.
These are just a few tips that will take you from your tried and true spices on your spice rack to adding so many different spices, you just won't know where to begin once you get them all home.
I hope these answers will help you and inspire you to be creative in your kitchen!Thanks and I look forward to next month when Savour's blog will have another Culinary Question Period.
Until we cook again :)