Placebo Effect!

Expectations change our sensory system and alter the way we experience subjectively and objectively.

We may be laughing at people who believed in the effect of snake oil and think we are different now but Placebos still work the magic on us.

Placebos are effective in two stages to shape our expectations. Imagine that we first see the health claims all over the box of a new product, we believe in them and we decide to try. Great expectation makes us feel better after having it. Our faith results in positive initial experience and we are confident to go on. Sooner than later, we are conditioned to expect positively after repeated experiences and release chemicals to prepare us for the next pleasant outcomes, just like Pavlov's dogs salivated at the bell rings.

This explains why it's so hard to stop eating the junk food that we know is bad for us.

When we allow ourselves to reach for the convenient junk foods while feeling most hungry, sad, tired, stressed and frustrated, we are totally vulnerable to expect something good to lift us up, and boy, they are good! They are ingeniously designed and engineered so! Of course they cure all our ailments and we are hooked. We become emotional eaters of this cure-all.

We just went through the most effective Placebo process, thinking it's not much more than merely spoiling our appetite for the next meal, without knowing that it might be far more difficult to strip away the preconceptions and its self-enhancing Placebo effect once when our brains are primed and conditioned.

My point? If you have to, have it early in the day, when you are happy, full, and share it so you don't have to finish the whole bag by yourself.

Notes:

Hormones such as endorphins and opiates can block agony and produce exuberant highs and dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain's pleasure system when you expect a rewarding experience.

The Power of Expectations!

When we believe something will be good, it generally will be good. Studies show that it doesn't just change our beliefs psychologically, it also changes the physiology of the experience itself.

It turns out that knowledge doesn't merely inform us of a state of affairs, it actually reshapes the sensory perceptions to align with the information we received. That is, the knowledge of what we are going to eat actually modify the neural activity underlying the taste itself, so that when we expect something to taste good or bad, it will actually taste that way.

Interesting, don't you think?

What you know modifies your taste, changes the way you perceive and appreciate the food!

This will be quite useful when you invite people for dinner or encourage people to try something new.

However this is also how branding and marketing get us hooked on a product. We expect the product to be good because of the name, the artful presentation, the video clip or the well-designed box that suggest benefits, cultural images or social connections, and we experience greater pleasure from the product and the process of consuming it.

Don't believe that expectations change the experience? Check this out.

Coke versus Pepsi.
It's all in the head.

Receptive vs Expressive Level of Knowing.

In the world of language, we use "receptive vocabulary" to refer to the words that we understand in listening or reading, and we use "expressive vocabulary" to refer to the words that we not only understand well but can also skillfully use in speaking and writing.

Learning to taste well is the receptive food skill. Learning to prepare food is the expressive or productive skill.

Just like learning a word isn't an on/off switch process, learning how to cook is also a dimmer-switch, a "crescendo" process. The good thing is that, we don't have to make flash cards. We eat at least three times a day to refresh it.

Without a good receptive level of knowing your food, it will be hard to build up the expressive level of food skill because our receptive food memory sets up how we evaluate what we taste.

Moreover, if the receptive understanding of food is skewed, nothing out of nature and prepared by human hands naturally will taste like the processed food that you often had when you just started learning to cook. Discouraged, you thought you suck at cooking and you stopped trying. How sad!

Remember, pick up something fresh and is safe to eat raw, but will perish eventually if left long enough. Wash it clean and eat it as it is without messing with it. That's what you should compare to when you evaluate your cooking.

Chase the Real, Not That of Little Worth.

Admit it, some food is not worth having. Don't feel bad if you have to close the door to it. It is not a lost cause, it's your gain.

We hate the feeling of loss; we have an innate aversion of loss. That's why we feel we must take home that big screen TV on the last day of sale and we must take that last chocolate cookie on the platter before someone else does.

Chasing a lot of little worth just to keep the options open is foolish because it wears out our palate, our emotions, our energy, our time, our self-control capacity and our wallets.

With the abundant opportunities we have today, the right thing to do is to consciously closing some of the doors of little value and worth. We need to stay focused and selective with good taste in this very distracting world.

It is true for life and certainly true for food.

Escape from Freedom!

Do you have a hard time making choices or decisions? Do you feel overwhelmed or even anxious when you have to pick out of several options presented to you, because of the fear of missing out the others?

You are not alone, my friend. Quite the opposite, you are just the same human being as the next one.

Erich Fromm said in his book "Escape from Freedom" that we are beset not by a lack of opportunity, but by a dizzying abundance of it.

We keep telling the kids we can do anything and be anything we want to be.

That is all good, only that I see two problems, if we forget to read them the fine print.

Let's make the case within the realm of food.

We have talked about our brain and how evolutionally ancient it is (our food brain). When it comes to food, when our brain is primed to believe "do anything we want, experience everything", when we believe that without the knowledge of what's in our best interest and about the food system we have today, it is (in fact, it has been) a recipe for disaster. In a nut shell, if the food system doesn't work for you, you can't just take everything and every opportunity when the food is presented to you. Do you know whether that is real food or just edible food-like substances, how it is produced or manufactured, and what it does to your body and mind? That is the first problem.

The second problem is in living up to it.

I know, you are going to say, "didn't you just say we should not eat everything we could? So, is experiencing it all a bad thing to avoid or a good thing to live up to?"

Exactly! If you do it right, it's a good thing. If you do it blindly, it's beyond bad.

In my opinion, a good thing that's worth living up to, is something we must develop ourselves in every possible way so we can discern the nuance, truly appreciate the expression and consume the offering responsibly. The development of the capacity to perceive will enhance and maximize the experience, making it a lot more meaningful and substantial to you and to the planet.

Moreover, when you have the capacity to distinguish real from fake, your craving will be geared towards food that is naturally good to you. That is how you reclaim your freedom in choosing what you eat and trust me, when it comes to deciding what can touch your body, you want the sole ownership of that right.

On the contrary, if we ignore to build up our understanding around it, we, as human beings, tend to spread ourselves too thin, eating everything we could unselectively, trying the newest product with the most health claims, running from one hip place to the next but never quite feeling enough or satisfied. Do you know that the processed food today, is meticulously and scientifically engineered to make us "insatiable" and always want more of it. How can you stay in control of your appetite and palate without knowing it? You have an illusion of freedom in your food choices but as a matter of fact your brain and palate have scientifically been hijacked.

Problem two in a nut shell: if you don't know what you are eating, it's bad, beyond bad. Build your food skill from tasting it and then preparing it.

Sugar!

Sugar not only sweetens food, it adds flavor, texture, decoration and it helps food to brown easier through caramelization process. It works to make baked goods more appealing in color, more moist and tender in texture, and it works to stabilize egg white meringues when making pavlovas and the like.

Sugar can be categorized by color and granularity.

White Sugar

1. Confectioners Sugar, Icing Sugar or Powdered Sugar
   It is also referred to as xxx to 10x sugar (more X's indicating finer grains), and the sugar is ground further into a fine powder that can come in different degrees of fineness. Confectioners sugar dissolves immediately in liquid, and is often used to make icing and frosting for baked goods. Because powdered sugar clumps up easily, there is always a small amount of cornstarch added as an anti-caking agent. If the recipe calls for pure powdered sugar, such as for French macarons, you can use pure granulated sugar and grind it finer in a coffee grinder, or crush it in a mortar and pestle by hand.


2. Snow Sugar or Doughnut Sugar
   This is similar to powdered sugar, only it doesn't melt as easily as it consists of dextrose, starch and anti-binding agents to retain its structure when dusted on pastries that require refrigeration.  Commercial bakers use this on cakes, doughnuts and other pastries for decorative purposes.


3. Caster Sugar 
   Caster sugar is finer granulated white sugar. Because the crystals are finer, they dissolve quicker than regular granulated sugar, which makes it ideal for making meringues, syrups, and cocktails.


4. Granulated Sugar 
   It's also called refined, table, or white sugar. When people talk about "sugar," this is usually what is referred to. It's the most common type of sugar for daily all purpose use. It is made from sugar cane or sugar beets (99.95% Sucrose).


5. Pearl Sugar, Nib Sugar, or Hail Sugar 
   Pearl sugar is a opaque-colored specialty sugar that comes in different sizes by brand, often used in Scandinavia and a few other countries in Northern Europe. It is not completely round, but comes in large chunks and has a coarse, hard texture. Because it is heavily compacted, it holds its shape, and doesn't melt when exposed to moisture or high heat. Pearl sugar is commonly used to decorate pastries, cookies, and buns. Sprinkling it over the top of a bread or pastry or mixing it into the dough will give the baking goods extra crunch, sweet bursts and a nicer finishing aesthetic appeal. 


6. Cubed Sugar or Sugar Cubes
   Sugar cubes are compressed blocks of sugar that are designed to dissolve easily in hot liquid. The individual grains of sugar are not held tightly together.

Multi-Color Sugar

1. Sanding Sugar 
   It is used mainly for decorating with its colorfulness and large crystals, which are resistant to heat. The crystals add crunchiness to the texture. Sanding sugar can be found in different colors for decoration.

Brown Sugar

Raw brown sugars range in the amount of processing they receive, but they are brown because, unlike white sugar, they have not had all of the molasses chemically and physically removed, except the "light brown sugar" and "dark brown sugar", which are made of refined sugar with a little molasses added back. The least processed of the brown sugars—Rapadura or panela—often still has the minerals and enzymes intact.

1. Cane Sugar 
   Cane sugar is produced solely from sugarcane and is minimally processed. It has a larger grain, golden brown color, and it is usually more expensive than regular white sugar. Use the same amount as you would granulated sugar when you substitute it.


2. Turbinado Sugar 
   Turbinado Sugar is a minimally processed raw cane sugar that's been steam-cleaned with a light molasses flavoring. This sugar variety has non-uniform, medium-size, light-brown crystals. Though its color is similar to standard brown sugar, it's not the same thing. Turbinado sugar has a delicate caramel flavor and can substitute for granulated sugar in recipes if the color is not going to be an issue. Use the same amount you would granulated sugar.


3. Light Brown Sugar 
   Light brown sugar is refined white sugar with a little molasses added in. It has a slightly sticky, wet, sandy texture and a delicate caramel flavor. It adds color and more flavor for dishes and baked goods. Use the same amount when substitute it for granulated sugar in recipes. To substitute for light brown sugar with dark brown sugar, mix 2 parts of dark brown sugar and 1 part of white granulated sugar. Or use one cup granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of molasses to substitute one cup light brown sugar.


4. Dark Brown Sugar 
   Like its lighter counterpart, dark brown sugar is refined white sugar with molasses added in. It contains more molasses than light brown sugar, resulting in a stronger, more intense flavor. Light and dark brown sugar can be used interchangeably. You can substitute brown sugar with granulated with a little molasses. Use one cup granulated sugar with 2 tablespoons of molasses to substitute one cup dark brown sugar.


5. Demerara Sugar or Demerera Sugar
   Demerara sugar is a variety of raw cane sugar that is partially refined and is originally from Guyana. It is very close to Turbinado Sugar, but with a larger, coarser grain and uniform crystals. Like Turbinado sugar, it has a golden brown color and a natural molasses flavor. Use it for coffee or tea, or as a topping on baked goods to add complex and round sweet flavor.


6. Muscovado Sugar or Barbados Sugar 
   Muscovado sugar is a British specialty unrefined brown cane sugar and is very dark brown with a particularly strong molasses flavor. The minimally processed crystals are slightly coarser and stickier in texture than “regular” brown sugar. It has a much stronger and distinct flavor that is wonderful in barbecue sauce, marinades, and savory dishes. 

Sugar You May Not Know

1. Chinese Rock Sugar (
   冰糖)
    or Lump Sugar 
   Chinese Rock Sugar is made by cooking the refined sugar until it starts to color. It is then cooled and solidified as an opaque, gold-colored sugar lumps. Traditionally it comes in irregular lumps of crystallized sugar of varying sizes that you have to whack before using. The crystals can be up to 2 1/2 cm (1 inch) wide. These days you can find it in different degrees of fineness and very easy to use. It has a clear taste, with no discernible caramel tones. It is rounder and not as in-your-face sweet as regular white granulated sugar. Because it's less sweet, it doesn't overwhelm the flavour of tea or dishes as much as white sugar can. 


2. Coconut Sugar 
   It's the same as palm sugar.


3. Jaggery Sugar or Java sugar 
   It's a variety of palm sugar. Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in Asia, India and Africa. It is a concentrated product of date, cane juice, or palm sap (see palm sugar) without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color. It contains up to 50% sucrose, up to 20% invert sugars, and up to 20% moisture, with the remainder made up of other insoluble matter, such as wood ash, proteins, and bagasse fibers. Jaggery is mixed with other ingredients, such as peanuts, condensed milk, coconut, and white sugar, to produce several locally marketed and consumed delicacies.


4. Kurozato (
   黒砂糖) 
   Sugar and Kuromitsu (
   黒蜜) 
   Syrup
   It is typically made from unrefined Okinawan kurozatō ("black sugar"), and is a central ingredient in many sweet Chinese or Japanese dishes.  Chinese and Japanese black sugar is very close to Muscodavo sugar with minimal processing and most minerals intact, which is believed to have health benefits. It is one of the ingredients commonly used in Asian desserts and pastries. For example it is used in making steamed cakes, muffins, wagashi, and it serves well with kuzumochi, fruits, ice cream, pancakes, sweet tonic soups, etc.


5. Maltose or Malt Sugar 
   More prosaically, it is a sugar made from grains by malting them. The grains might include barley, rice or wheat. It can come as a thick, sticky clear or amber color syrup sold in tins or tubs, or as a white or off-white crystalline powder with no odor to it. It is less sweet than honey, and only 1/3 as sweet as white sugar. It dissolves easily in water. Malt Sugar is commonly used in Chinese cooking, breads, sweets or pastries. For example, it can be diluted with water and brushed on the skins of ducks in making Peking Duck.
   
   
   Moreover, diastatis malt is used by bread makers to feed the yeast and improve the texture.  Nondiastatic malt is used in bread as a flavoring and preservative.


6. Misri Sugar or Mishri Sugar 
   Misri refers to crystallized sugar lumps, and type of confectionery mineral, which has its origins in India and Persia, also known as rock sugar or lump sugar elsewhere. It is used in India as a type of candy, or used to sweeten milk or tea..


7. Palm Sugar or Coconut Sugar 
   It comes in block should crumbled when you squeeze it with fingers. 
   Palm sugar was originally made from the sugary sap of the Palmyra palm, as well as the date palm or Sugar date palm. Now it is also made from the sap of the sago and coconut palms and may be sold as “coconut sugar.” Date sugar can also be made with the fruit of the palm by pulverizing very dry dates, but note that sugar made this way will not dissolve well in liquid.
   
   
   Palm sugar varies in color from a light golden color to a rich dark brown. It tends to be extremely grainy, with dried forms being highly crumbly, and it is typically minimally processed.


8. Panela Sugar or Panocha Sugar or Piloncillo or Rapadura  
   It is the least processed of all the cane sugars, and is rich in dietary iron. Unrefined, it is commonly used in Mexico (called Piloncillo) and in Central and Latin America, where it has been around for at least 500 years. Made from crushed sugar cane, the juice is collected, boiled and poured into molds, where it hardens into blocks. Panela is also known as rapadura in Portuguese.


9. Sucanat Sugar
   Sucanat (a contraction of "Sucre de canne naturel") is a brand name for a variety of whole cane sugar that was introduced by Pronatec in 1978. Unlike refined and processed white cane sugar and brown cane sugar, but similar to panela and muscovado, Sucanat retains its molasses content..

Spiced Sugar

1. Cinnamon Sugar 
   Mix 1 part ground cinnamon with 7 parts of granulated sugar.


2. Maple Sugar
   It's made from dehydrated and granulated maple syrup and is often sprinkled on pastries, cereal, pancakes and toast. 


3. Vanilla Sugar 
   Put the natural vanilla bean in the sugar for a week and you'll have this lovely scented sugar.

For Sandwiches, Rolls, Sushi, Wraps ...

Here is what you can use to wrap up a quick meal in minutes. Use any of these interchangeably to make rolls, sandwiches and wraps in my recipes:

Ready to Use:

• Artisan or Rustic Bread, Baguette, Ciabatta, Sourdough, sliced
• Bánh Mì Bread (Vietnamese bread)
• Chinese Steamed Flat Bun
• Crepe
• Egg Roll Wrapper (Japanese-style thin omelette)
• English Muffin (Try my English Muffin recipe)
• Flatbread
• Nori or Roasted Seaweed Sheet
• Pancake (thin)
• Pita Bread
• Sandwich Bread
• Buns and Rolls
• Tortilla
• Waffles

Banh Mi Bread	Chinese Steamed Buns	Crepe

Egg Roll Wrapper	English Muffin	Flatbread

Nori Seaweed	Pancake (Thin)	Pita Bread

To Be Cooked:

• Chinese-style Pancake (homemade or frozen)
• Dumpling Skin or Dumpling Wrap
• Pie Crust
• Puff Pastry Sheet (What) 
• Spring Roll Shells, Wrappers or Spring Roll Pastry Sheet (frozen)
• Rice Spring Roll Paper Sheet or Banh Trang (dehydrated)
• Rice Noodle or Banh Pho Flat Rice Noodle (fresh)
• Tofu Skin or Dried Beancurd Sheet (Yuba in Japanese and  豆腐皮 or 腐竹 in Chinese)
• Wonton Skin/Wraps or Wonton Wrapper

Chinese Pancake	Dumpling Wrap	Pie Crust

Spring Roll Wrapper	Rice Spring Roll Paper	Rice Noodle Sheet

Dried Tofu Skin	Wonton Wrap

Puff Pastry Sheets!

Puff Pastry Sheets 

This buttery pastry is a light, flaky, rich pastry made by rolling dough with fat (butter or lard) and folding it repeatedly to form layers. Its versatility extends from sweet to savory, from desserts to main courses, from soup crust to hors d'oeuvres, including but not limited to canapés, tarts, turnovers, straws, breadsticks, rolls, puffs, palmiers, hot pies, pizzas and napoleons. They are great for bite-size desserts, or serving cups for appetizers.

To make puff pastry from scratch, it requires serious time to roll and chill in between the repeated folding process. Store bought frozen pastry sheets are pre-made dough to save the day without all the hours and elbow grease.

What to Buy

There are three main brands of puff pastry. I prefer all-butter pastry versions over those with vegetable shortenings for health reason and better taste. The all-butter versions also keep their flavor longer when cooled. 

How to Use and Store
     - Keep frozen until use
     - Thaw completely
     - Keep it cold while rolling

Needless to say, you should keep them in the freezer until ready to use. 

Frozen puff pastry sheet needs to completely thaw before you use it. If you can, take the package of puff out of the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. If you are pressed for time, set the pastry on the counter for about 35 to 45 minutes to thaw at room temperature, but keep a close eye on it as you want to catch the moment when it is pliable enough to work with but not so warm that the butter starts to melt and weep. 

The main thing is to keep it cold while you are working, so the layers of butter remain firm. Stow the unused sheets in the refrigerator until you get to them. If the pastry gets too soft while you're rolling or cutting it, simply return it to the fridge or freezer to firm it up. If you're trying to create a specific shape, keep the pastry as cold as possible and it will be easier to make precise cuts. Use a sharp knife, a pizza wheel, a pastry cutter, or simple cookie cutters, and if you're after really straight lines, pull out a ruler or use a straight-edged baking sheet as a guide.

How to Roll 

Most frozen puff pastry comes in folded sheets. Unfold the pastry gently after it's thawed, and if you see any tears or holes, use your fingers—and a little water if necessary—to gently squeeze the pastry back together.

If your box comes with one large sheet, you can fold it crosswise in half and roll it out to create more layers.  Cut out what you need, wrap the rest tightly and freeze leftovers for later usage.

To prevent sticking, roll puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin. Afterward, gently brush off any excess flour. If you're making a sweet recipe, you can use sugar or cinnamon sugar in lieu of flour, and for recipes made with cheese, you can use finely grated cheese. 

Be careful not to roll puff pastry too thin, especially if making any kind of pizza or tart—the pastry needs to be sturdy enough to support the toppings and stay crisp.

How to Bake

If you're blind-baking a pie or tart shell and want to keep the inside from rising as much as the edges, use a fork to prick the surface of the dough (like you would a regular pie crust). The pastry will still be light and flaky—it just won't puff up as much. If you need straight, even sheets of puff pastry for making a napoleon, bake the puff pastry between two baking sheets so it bakes into completely flat pieces. 

Just before baking, brush your puff pastry with an egg glaze (one large egg lightly beaten with about 1 teaspoon water) to give it an attractive sheen. An egg glaze can also be used like an edible glue to seal the pastry edges for turnovers, empanadas, or any stuffed pocket-style pastry; just brush a thin layer along the edges and press them together gently.

Keep Liquid Out

Puff pastry is delicate, so be careful not to weigh it down with excessive toppings or ingredients that could release a lot of liquid and make the pastry soggy. Be particularly cautious with sticky fillings or ones that could overflow and make a mess of your baking sheets. And no matter what you're baking, line your baking sheets with parchment or a silicone baking mat, such as a Silpat, to prevent sticking.

Save the Scraps

If you have any pieces of puff pastry left over, combine them and roll them out to make palmiers or cheese straws. Leftover pastry won't puff up quite as much and it may be a little uneven, but that's less important with smaller shapes.

Puff Pastry Sheet versus Phyllo Dough

Phyllo (Filo) Dough 

There is also frozen phyllo (or filo, means leaf in Greek) dough in the same section, that is not to be confused with puff pastry sheets. Phyllo dough is a very thin unleavened dough used for making pastries such as baklava, spanakopita and börek in Balkan, Greek, Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean cuisines. 

Phyllo-based pastries are made by layering many sheets of phyllo/filo brushed with melted butter or olive oil; the pastry is then baked. When it bakes up, the layers get airy, crisp, and flaky.

Phyllo dough can also make great edible serving cups for appetizers or desserts but phyllo dough and puff pastry sheets are different and can't be used interchangeably. Since phyllo dough consists of many fragile tissue-thin layers, it is delicate and won't hold the shape nearly as well as the puff pastry.

How to Use and Store 

Although you may be able to find fresh phyllo in Greek markets, they are easy to find in the freezer section in flat squares or rolls. Defrost in the refrigerator and not on the counter since it can get gummy. The main thing is to keep it from drying out. Keep the sheets covered with plastic wrap or a damp towel while you're working, and don't be discouraged if a sheet rips — just patch it back together and move on, it'll bake up just fine!

Note that don't refreeze phyllo, as it will get brittle.

Note:

• Vegetable shortenings are partially hydrogenated, which means they are infused with hydrogen atoms to create an oil that is solid at room temperature but melts at cooking temperature. The chemical reaction turns the oil in the shortening into trans fats.

Browning Tips.

• Don't overcrowd the pan. My rule of thumb is that the food should cover 90% of the bottom of the saute pan and somewhere between 85% to 90% is okay. All the food should be in contact with the bottom of pan, the heat source, in one single layer. If your pan is too small, cook in batches.


• Heat up the pan without the oil first. The pan is not as delicate as the oil, which has a smoke point and a flash point.


• It is a high heat cooking method so choose the oil accordingly.


• Heat up the pan for about 3 min and make sure there is no liquid before you add the oil. Some people would drop a little water to test if the pan is hot enough. If you do so, make sure the water is all gone. Pour the water out or cook it off before you add the oil.


• Don't add oil into a hot pan with very little liquid because the little droplets of water in hot oil will burst and might splash hot oil onto you. This is also why you should always pat the food dry in high heat dry-cooking with fat method.


• If you overload the pan, the ingredients make the pan's temperature plummet and the foods end up steaming in its juice rather than properly browned. If there is too much juice in the pan, the temperature will remain at 212F boiling point until all the juice is vaporized and before we see any serious browning. All the extra cooking time while waiting for the juice to be gone would have already cooked the food to the ideal doneness internally without yielding the desirable browning and flavors. If you keep cooking to have the browning, the food would most likely end up overcooked, dry, juiceless and grainy.


• When you put the food in a pan, thinking the pan and oil have been heated hot enough, but you see juice coming out of the food and you don't hear the signature "Psssst....." sizzling, pick up the food immediately and let the pan heat up to cook off the liquid. Or place the food aside, and pour off the liquid before you make the second attempt to brown. This way, you won't over cook it. Bottom line, there can't be any liquid in the pan when you want the color and flavor.


• If the food cover less than 80% of the pan, the area without food would overheat and burn the oil. For our one-pot club members, use something that won't release liquid but can add flavors such as ginger, green onions or carrots to keep those areas occupied. Cut them into bigger thicker slices so it's easier to handle because you may have to keep flipping and moving these little helpers to avoid burning them (for this reason, I won't use onions), while you leave the meat undisturbed for 4-5 minutes. If the aromatics brown too fast, pick them up and place them on the meat to cool down.


• When you brown the meat, you need to leave those meat alone for 4-5 minutes on medium to medium-high heat without messing with them. You need to let the heat do its thing if you want the Maillard Reaction to happen. When you hear the sizzling sound quiets down, it means all the liquid in contact with the pan is gone and the temperature is rising fast. That tells you to check more often now, about every 1-2 minutes.


• Pat the meat or fish dry before cooking. Surface moisture creates steam when it hits a hot pan or grill and impeding browning until the liquid is gone.


• Run your knife like a squeegee against the skin of fish or meat to scrape off the water trapped in it and pat dry to be sure.


• To draw more moisture out of the surface, you can sprinkle salt on all sides of the fish, chicken, or meat. Leave it in the refrigerator uncovered. For fish, 30 minutes to a couple of hours will do. For meat or chicken, you can do this overnight to 24 hours ahead. Beside making browning more effective, this method will give you crispy skin when baking or roasting them.


• Yes, that means you can also brown food in the oven. A broiler is the same idea as an inverted grill, a source of concentrated quick-cooking heat. Chicken and meat take about 10-12 minutes to broil at 450F to 500F. You will want to check halfway through, after 5-6 minutes and flip them.

Why Browning...

My Five Simple Rules For You to Master Cooking!

Here you go:

1. Sharpen your taste buds. (More sequels of my posting about taste to come!)

2. Recipes are maps. You are the driver at wheel.

• Don't be obsessed about the measurements. Season to your taste, your liking.
• Taste and adjust is part of the fun in the journey. Embrace and own it.
• Don't be afraid to get lost. Explore and experiment is fun.
• Change ingredients for what you have on hand! My notes provide you basic rules and options.
• One of the keys to sustainability is that you have to like it, not to be told to.

3. Shop like your grandma.

• Well, I've done part of it for you by posting weekly sales.
• Inspect the produce. 
• Don't be afraid to ask the workers for more if the shelf is empty.
• Ask for rain checks if they are all out for sale items.
• Go to farmer's market. Know your local growers if you can.
  (List of State by State farmers' markets)

4. Stick with real, fresh, local and seasonal.

5. Pick on the quality of food, not quantity.


For people who have decision fatigue, feel free to use my grocery shopping rules:

• Choose those closest to the earth, soil, habitat - vegetables, fruits, chicken, fish, wholesome real food.
• Choose those that don't require the packages - the produce.
• Choose those that don't require ingredients list.
• Choose those with short ingredients list, generally the less the better.
• Choose those with ingredients that you know and can pronounce.
• Choose those that don't have to shout for their health benefits and claims.
• Wednesday is the best grocery shopping day, less people shop on Wednesday.

Suck at Cooking? Myth Busted.

I know, it's fun, it's tongue in cheek entertainment and I enjoy watching it. However, I don't think there is a certain way that can be called "right" when it comes to cooking.

Cooking is an art and a very intimate, very personal sensory experience. I believer there is no "right" or "wrong" ways, there is only "this" or "that" way that people choose according to what their taste buds are telling them.

A lot of people are intimidated because they don't want to embarrass themselves by "being wrong", so they completely outsource the food preparation to, uh, the food industry or the restaurant industry. That's really tragic because they fail to realize that's a high price they can't afford to pay.

Certainly for professional chefs and cooks, there will be general expectations and guidelines of the food they are serving, but it is not so when you prepare food for yourself and your family.

Recipes are not mechanical manuals for you to follow to a Tee. They are to be adjusted, changed, modified to fit you, to please you! It is you who could say, this is not right for me, I don't like it, and not the other way around. Your palate is the judge and you are the ruler of it.

The more you allow yourself to know about food, the more comfortable you are to handle and prepare them, the more choices and control you'll have for your own and your planet's future.

Simple rules, accessible, approachable, sustainable ... that's my mission.

Grilling Into the Independence Day!

For this week's sale, you've got everything you could ask for on the grill.


For chickens, check out Grilled Chicken Drumsticks or Quarter Legs.

Or use my barbecue sauce for the pork chops.

You've got broccoli, carrots, corn, bell peppers and mushrooms to hit the grill and be served with the side of salad and fruit medley.

For dessert, you can grill the peaches, mango, or melons to go with your meat.

If you not much of an outdoors person, use the ground pork with my New Ethnic Ragu on Rice Recipe. Try half pork and half chicken/turkey if you like. Or try my Mapo Tofu recipe.

Enjoy!

Five Ways With Fried Shallots!

Here are 5 ways to use Fried Shallots. (If you can't find it in Asian market, try my Homemade Fried Shallots Recipe.)

1. Top them with fried rice.
2. Top them with pastas.
3. Top them with grilled steaks or pork chops.
4. Use them as flavoring agents when you cook clear savory soup.
5. Use them in scramble eggs, omelette, or frittata.

They also go well with garlic, cilantro and chives in these five ways. Enjoy!

How to Deglaze!

How to capitalize the delicious fond that is bursting with flavors?

First, remove the food you’ve just cooked from the pan and pour off any liquid or fat. Dump out anything that seems burned because that won’t taste good if you’re making a sauce.

Return the pan to the heat and add liquid to cover the pan by about half an inch. As the liquid heats, use a spatula or spoon to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan until the pan is clean and all the fond bits are dissolved or floating into the liquid.

You can simply add water to deglaze but if you want to jazz up the flavor with the fond, use stock, wine, juice, beer or vinegar to deglaze. If you are using alcohol to deglaze, make sure to remove the pan from the heat when adding the alcohol to prevent flames.

To transform that liquid into a sauce or gravy for a meal, boil the liquid until it’s reduced and thickened. Add any aromatics such as shallots, garlic, fresh herbs, or whole spices and cooked briefly. Remove from heat, strain off the solids if necessary, whisk in butter or cream to make it velvety, and serve.

Where are those brown bits from?

Love Your Ugly Fond!

Fond (pronounced fahn), the French culinary term for "base" or "foundation", refers to the remaining residue or brown bits that sticks to the pan after browning meat or vegetables, either on the stove top or at the bottom of a roasting pan in the oven. 

These brown bits contains hundreds and thousands of complex and irresistible

flavor compounds unlocked by Maillard Reactions and Caramelization when proteins and sugar are present in cooking.

Fond is used by professional cooks to form the base of many flavorful sauces, while it is mistakened by many home cooks as dirty, nasty burnt bits and simply discard down the drain.

The tasty bits stuck to the pan are largely water soluble - so water, wine, stock, etc., is used to "dissolve" them and this is a technique known as degla

zing.

A fond, which means the same as a base stock, is categorized into 3 main categories: white, brown or vegetable stocks (in French referred to as fond blanc, fond brun and fond de vegetal).  They are at the core of classical cooking and of the five mother sauces, at least three are based on fond by deglazing.

Deglazing is a cooking technique for removing and dissolving browned food residue from a pan to flavor sauces, soups, and gravies by introducing liquid to the pan to loosen and disperse all of those concentrated flavors, aka fond, back into your dish. Flavor the fond with the addition of an aromatic or two -- such as shallots or garlic -- thicken it with flour, tomato, or vegetables, and you have the blueprint for hundreds of sauces and gravies.

To deglaze...

Notes:

Fond is literally translated to mean "the bottom" or "base."

In classical French cooking, the word is also used to mean "stock," another common base for various recipes.

Why Take Time to Brown?

Why do we love grilled meat?

You put a piece of meat with an open fire, with a very, very hot iron to grill. The moment the meat is in contact with the heat, you can almost hear the meat begin to talk to you.

Even if you know nothing about cooking, if you hear the meat spit, splatter and yell at the top of the lungs, "A-A-A-Ouch!", most likely you would immediately smell something wonderful and your mouth starts to water. If you hear nothing but a whimper, "so what", you know something isn't right ...

When you cook your food on high heat and see it turn darker, two miracles happen - caramelization and Maillard reaction (both are forms of non-enzymatic food browning).

To the eyes, both processes appear as the food gets brown and darker. In many contexts, "caramelized" have become a catchall culinary term meaning the food should be cook to darken until it's caramel-brown. However these two processes are not the same.

Caramelization

Caramelization is a process of cooking sugar (carbohydrates) until it melts and darkens. The sugar undergoes chemical changes through different stages as the temperature keeps rising. The sugars break apart and reform hundreds of new compounds. These complex compounds are highly desirable with their rich, buttery, nutty, acidic, slightly bitter and rounder softer sweet notes.

Maillard Reactions 

Baked goods and meat that develop a nutty, slightly sweet richness when browned undergo a process called "Maillard reactions" and it's named after the French chemist who identified the process in the early 1900s.

Maillard reactions is a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a reducing sugar, usually requiring the addition of heat and this process accelerates in an alkaline environment because the amino groups do not neutralize.

Maillard reactions also create caramel-like flavor developing in foods that contain carb (sugar) and protein as they brown on high heat. The reactions are similar to classic sugar caramelizing except they involve a series of complex reactions between proteins and sugars, as opposed to caramelization happens to just sugar. Another thing is that Maillard reactions occur at much lower heat than true sugar caramelization.

This reaction is the basis of the flavouring industry, since the type of amino acid determines the resulting flavour. In the process, hundreds of different flavour compounds are created. These compounds in turn break down to form yet more new flavour compounds, and so on. Each type of food has a very distinctive set of flavour compounds that are formed during the Maillard reaction. It is these same compounds that flavour scientists have used over the years to create artificial flavours.

Wait, don't throw away those brown bits!

How to brown tips!

Notes:

• Browning of foods can be either non-enzymatic (caramelization or maillard reaction) or enzymatic.
• Enzymatic browning in fruits and vegetables is usually not desirable but it is essential in developing flavors in tea.
• Different sugar types have different temperatures for caramelization to happen. In general, it starts above 160°C (320°F).
• Maillard Reaction can happen as low as 100°C (212°F) but it happens very slowly. It progresses at a faster pace at higher temperature, such as at 150°C (300°F) it can cause noticeable browning within minutes. However, above 180°C (355°F), a different set of reactions occur to char foods and too much of that would cause foods to burn and taste bitter.
• Pat meat and fish dry before browning to speed up the Maillard reaction process since the presence of water will keep the temperature at the boiling point until it's all vaporized. (More...)

Fried Shallots.

Crispy fried shallots are aromatic, sweet, salty, crunchy and are an essential condiment/ingredients in Southeast Asia, such as Taiwan, Burma, Vietnam and so on. 

They turn up in sauces, soups and on salads, sprinkled onto dumplings as a garnish, and minced and added to meatballs. 

You can sprinkle them on burgers, casseroles, chickens, chops, fish, meat, baked potatoes, hot dogs, scrambled eggs, frittata or even a tuna tartare for extra aroma, flavor and crunchy texture.

How to Make at Home

You may want to make double batches, as people have a hard time resisting the urge to snack on them. Strain the oil you used to fry the shallots and use it in other recipes or to fry more shallots. The strained oil, called shallot oil, will keep, refrigerated, for several weeks. The freshly fried shallots will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container, for 1 day, but they're best the day they are made.

Homemade Fried Shallots Recipe.

How to Buy

It is indispensable in some Southeast Asia dishes and can easily be found in Asian supermarkets. Beware of the labels on many packages are called "Fried Onions", which is a misnomer and they usually cannot substitute each other because the flavors are different. If you are just adding a touch of crunchiness to a dish, such as a casserole, either would work well.

How to Use

Five Ways with Fried Shallots!

Papery Dried Shrimp Skin.

Other than the regular dried shrimp we talked about (Dried Shrimp), there is another dried shrimp product that is made of the shrimp shells or really tiny shrimp.

These tiny dried shrimp, known as ‘shrimp skin’ (虾皮) in Chinese, is like the dried shrimp in terms of flavor but is a few notches lighter. They are much smaller, papery and they cost less.

The regular dried shrimp is on the right in the picture for comparison, while the tiny dried shrimp skin is those on the left.

The good thing about dried shrimp skin is they don't require soaking process prior to cooking. They can go directly from freezer to stove.

I also keep a bagful of these for use when I need to punch up the umami, and when I make my special Pork Stew Meat Sauce.

Dried Shrimp Skin and Dried Shrimp

Dried Shrimps!

Dried shrimp are made from tiny, unshelled shrimp that are boiled and then sun-dried or baked dry over a gentle heat. After the drying process, they are shrunk to about a thumbnail size.

Dried shrimp is a natural flavor enhancer just like the dried shiitake mushrooms and anchovies, that make everything they touch taste better.

They are used in many Asian cuisines, imparting a unique salty, umami taste that can lift the flavor of all kinds of savory dishes. Some people find their taste a bit strong because they are intensely briny and mildly fishy. Just like the fish sauce, the aroma is stronger than the flavor. They are dense, meaty, and potent so you don't need a lot to flavor a dish. Because of that, dried shrimp is used to season the dish, rather than to substitute for the fresh shellfish.

Unlike some flavoring agents that end up flaccid and insipid after a long cooking process, dried shrimp stay briny and chewy no matter how long they cook. In fact, texture is one of their biggest selling points. It makes them seem more like pork than shellfish.

I always keep a bagful of these dried shrimp in my refrigerator. A few dried shrimp can be used to jazz up a bowlful of wontons in soup, pad Thai, tamales, fried rice or an omelette, and a handful transforms a cabbage into a fragrant, irresistible stir-fry. 

How to Use

A handful is enough for the whole dish serving 4 people. Rinse and soak a handful in cold water for 10-15 min until they are softened. You can chop them up if the cooking time is short, or use them as whole pieces if you can allow them to simmer for long period. The water is to be kept and used too.

Some Chinese cooks soak dried shrimp in Shaoxing wine to mellow the flavor, but water works just fine at making them easier to mince or chop. 

You can grind the dried shrimp in a spice mill without soaking but I don't find it necessary as they soften in water rather quickly.

How to Store

Once opened, vacuum-sealed packages of dried shrimp should be stored in the refrigerator, where they will keep for a few month. Dried shrimp that are sold loose, as they are in Chinatown, should be refrigerated as soon as you get them home.

Keeping them refrigerated in mason jars with air-tight lid helps to preserve the aroma and extend the shelf life.

Where to Buy

Most cooks prefer bigger dried shrimp, even in recipes in which they are chopped. They hold more moisture when dried and are not quite as salty. They can actually be chewy straight from the bag, while small ones are almost always brittle. In fact, some of the larger ones — three-quarters of an inch to an inch long — are chewy and mild enough to eat as a snack. The price increases with size: tiny shrimp run about 50 cents an ounce (about three tablespoons), while larger ones can cost twice as much. The difference in sizes does not effect the flavor at all.

No matter what size you buy, avoid those that are gray or brown or look washed-out. Dried shrimp are not as stable on the shelf as most other dried foods. Within a few months, they will become very hard and lose much of their flavor. Fresh packages will have bright pink, coral-colored shrimp that are whole rather than broken.

Shiitake Mushrooms!

Shiitake mushrooms is a very common ingredient in Asian cuisine and it's now widely used in all types of cuisines.

All fresh mushrooms are to be either brushed to clean or gently rinsed with water but should never be soaked or the fragrance and flavor will be drained and lost. Once when it's rinsed, it should be used in cooking right away.

Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

Dried Shiitake

Dried shiitake mushrooms have all the umami flavor of the fresh counterparts and the umami is more intense because of lack of the water content. It is a very important flavoring ingredient in Asian fine food cooking and the water used to soak and rehydrate the mushrooms are to be kept and used too.

To use dried shiitake mushrooms, rinse them shortly to remove the dirts and soak them in cold water to rehydrate. Since the water would have serious flavor and should be used later, I usually barely cover the dried shiitake with just enough water. This way, I won't end up with too much water to dilute the flavor and water down the dish.

How to Use

Soaked Shiitake

For small and thin dried shiitakes, they could be softened and rehydrated in 1-2 hours. If you have those gorgeous, thick-cap, deep-crack-fissure, hana (means flower in Japanese) shiitakes, they could take up to 8 hours or overnight to be fully rehydrated. You have to check in on them in the beginning since they float on top of the water. You could either use something to push them down or keep flipping them so all sides have a chance to get wet and be soaked. You should keep them in the refrigerator if you are to soak them overnight or longer.

If you are pressed for time, you can soak them in hot water but this will leach much of the great flavor into the soaking water. I've always managed my time to soak them early enough in cold water.

Another trick to speed up the soaking process is to snap and separate the stem and the cap before getting them wet. The stem is tougher and more woody so it takes longer to soak it. Don't throw the stems away. You could cut the stems into thinner, smaller pieces after soaking, or keep it to cook stock later.

After they are fully soaked and softened, remove them from water with hand and gently squeeze the excess water out. Then slice them or dice them, depending on what your recipe requires.

How to Store

Though dried shiitake doesn't have to be refrigerated and they last a very long time when kept in dry condition, they do get moldy if you live in very damp and humid areas. You should keep them in the refrigerator or freezer in this case.

Where to Buy

If you decide to add dried shiitake to your pantry, don't buy the pre-sliced, small package from just any market as those are of less quality and more expensive by weight. It would worth your while to take a trip to the Asian supermarket for better deals and buy them in the uncut whole mushroom form. Since this is a common ingredients, the Asian market usually have one of the brands on sale. Even if you can't afford the top-tier best-grade ones, you could still be very pleasantly surprised by what the the small, thin dried shiitake could offer to boost your dish.

In the Asian market, they are usually displayed with herbs, spices or dried beans. The deals are placed at the end caps of aisles.

I have never tried online purchase but if you cannot find it in your neighborhood, that would be something worth trying.

Substitute Fresh Shiitake for Dried Ones?

The tastes of the dishes won't be the same if you replace one for the other and especially in dishes that call for dense meaty flavor, you will need the dried ones. However, in most cases of the clear soups, using the fresh shiitake is okay and could be delightful and refreshing.

Ground Beef for Mapo Tofu!

Today is the last day for you to get that ground beef on sale.

Here is my Mapo Tofu recipe for you.

Enjoy!

If You Can't Trust Your Eyes...

I hope you understand your brain and how it perceives better after the games on your eyes.

What about your auditory perception? Can you always tell me what pitch it is, if I play a single note on the piano? Or can you always tell me which one is higher or lower if I play two notes on the piano?

For the majority of us, it is way easier for us to perceive a group of things and tell a relative difference or distinction.

This could actually be good news for us. If we know how our brains work, we can help the brains to help us in reaching our intended goals!

How about this:

If you want to control your diet, you should start with the plate size.

Cheers.

Can You Tell?

You must have played this, right?

Which of the circles in the center is bigger?

Which line is longer?

Which red line is longer?

Are the shades of these 2 patches the same or different?

Enjoy!