Food Origins Archives

You might be having a good day or a bad day. You might be depressed or delighted. You might be having a stressful day ahead or an easy-going one; the only thing that can make you smile after a human contact is “food.”

If you are sad, it makes you feel better. If you are happy, it doubles your happiness. In this article, let us learn about some dangerous kitchen and food practices that we follow every day and how can we stop them, so that we can be happy and healthy.

Using Separate Cutting Boards:

Most of us use the same cutting board for vegetables, fruits, raw meat, cooked meat etc. Never do this, this very harmful and wrong practice. If you use the same board for cooked and raw meat, there is a big chance of cross-contamination of food.

If you use the same board for cutting fruits and vegetables for your salad and resting the raw meat, there is a significant chance that the bacteria in the meat will enter the salad and cause severe health issues. Use separate boards to keep it clean and efficient.

Preheating The Cooking Utensil Correctly:

The typical cooking mistake is not preheating the pan cooking utensil correctly before you start cooking. By not preheating correctly, it delays the process of cooking and even leads to serving raw food.

It is very dangerous, mainly when you are cooking meat or mushrooms. They cause food poisoning, and even there are cases of intestine damage. So preheat the pan correctly before you start cooking.

Stirring Or Turning The Food Too Often:

It is a classic rookie mistake we all make, checking the food and stirring it often. Many experts chefs say ” stir occasionally” don’t stir frequently. By stirring food frequently there will be a huge quality issue to the food. It may stick to the bottom of the pot, may not cook properly, may lose the flavour and even remain uncooked. Let the food settle down; don’t stir it frequently.

Turning the food frequently, especially meat, omelettes, pancakes, etc., can make it undercook or overcook it. By this, it may be undercooked, lose its texture, lose its flavour, lose its texture, and maybe burnt. Please don’t turn it frequently; let it cook entirely so that it can be healthy and delicious.

Don’t Eat Hot Food In Plastic Plates:

Most of us don’t consider this seriously, but this is very important, we should try to avoid plastic, plates, cups etc. for hot foods. Some of the chemicals are harmful to the human body, such as BPA (bisphenol-A) and phthalates. BPA, mainly found in a type of plastic called polycarbonate.

They interact with hot food, which we consume them, and it causes severe health problems. It can lead it various types of cancers, heart diseases and sometimes organ failure. Never consume hot foods in plastic containers.

In the end, if we avoid the things above we can be safe and keep our loves one safe.

Origin and Adaptations of Indian Cuisine-

Indian cuisine is especially known for its spices and grains. It involves
vegetarian on a large scale. There are some foods that have been inspired by
places like Persia, Ancient Greece, Mongols, and West Asia. The items like
chillies, pepper, tomatoes, potatoes and squash have been introduced by Arab
and Portuguese traders.

Sesame, Eggplant and humped cattle were introduced in Indus Valley during
7000 BC. Due to Indias’ rich foresting and agricultural culture during the Vedic
period, most of the dishes. Indians highly believed in Ahimsa, which led
Indians to follow a mostly vegetarian diet.

According to Ayurveda, the food was
classified in three categories like Saatvic (pure), rajasic (active and
passionate) or tamasic (heavy, dull, slow, gluttonous) which were said to have
a powerful effect on both the body and the mind.

During the Islamic conquest of
medieval India, the introduction of fruits such as melons, peaches, apricots,
and plums,
and pilaffs, rich gravies and non-vegetarian fare such as kebabs, giving rise
to Mughlai cuisine happened. The Mughals were great fans of cooking; sumptuous
dishes were prepared during the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan.

When blending of Mughlai and Telangana cuisines took place in the kitchens
of the Nizams, historical rulers of Hyderabad State, it resulted in the
creation of Hyderabadi biryani, a traditional celebratory
the meal made using mutton or goat meat or chicken,
basmati rice, yoghurt, onions, and
spices, considered by many connoisseurs to be one of the finest of the main
dishes in India till date. The British introduced European recipes and cooking
techniques like baking which we all love.

Staples and spices-

Apart from these, the staples of Indian cuisine are
quite famous like atta (whole wheat flour), rice, and a
variety of pulses like masoor(red lentil), toor (pigeon
pea or yellow gram), urad (black
gram), chana (Bengal gram),
and mung (green gram).

Indian curries are mostly fried in vegetable oil.
In North and West Indian region, groundnut oil has been primarily used for
frying, while in Eastern Indian region, mustard oil is more commonly used. In the
South Indian region, coconut oil and sesame oil are standard. In recent times, sunflower oil and soybean oil have
gained popularity all over India. Hydrogenated vegetable oil, highly known as
Vanaspati ghee is also a highly used cooking medium that replaces Desi ghee.

The most essential and most frequently used spices in Indian cuisine are
chilli, black mustard seed, cumin,
pepper, turmeric, fenugreek, asafoetida, ginger, and garlic. A
trendy spice mix is a garam masala which is usually a powder of five or more
dried spices, commonly comprised of cinnamon,
cardamom, and clove.

Every region has its own mix of
Garam Masala. One such is Goda Masala which is a popular spice mix in
Maharashtra. Leaves like tejpat,
coriander leaf, fenugreek leaf and mint leaf are commonly used. The use
of curry leaves is something that is typical in all South Indian dishes. In
sweet dishes, saffron, cardamom, nutmeg, and rose petal essence are used.

There is more to say about Indian cuisine, and the
content is endless. Yet, I shall explain about beauty if Indian cuisine of each
region in-depth on an upcoming article.

Set up your kitchen:

Make sure that you got all the right tools to make your food because you can’t make puri over dosa pan.

Self-criticism:

Well, the foremost thing to do is skip the self-criticism. Mistakes in the kitchen are compelled to happen but never fail to learn from it as well. Maybe you tried to bake a cake, and it was burned or overcooked, or may not be it hasn’t turned out as the ones shown in the video, or maybe you got a little heavy-handed with the baking soda because you thought you didn’t need to measure out one teaspoon. Then your food was a little bit overcooked. It happens to everyone! Remember, you’re not expected to make complicated meals a week after you start cooking or maybe never. So stop criticising and try making yummy cakes day after the other day, but don’t stop making cakes!

Know the basics:

Knowing some basic cooking methods will make your life significantly easier. If you know how to make the perfect rice, saute vegetables, then you’ve got multiple meals you can make! And moms make the recipes in a way better if you are making them. Try not to miss their suggestions.

Pick your favorites:

When I wanted to cook something delicious, I always make sure that I’m in love with it. Even the food I make mostly has cakes, pasta, dosa and some spicy foods that make me say ummm…..yummmyyyy!!! So make sure you have your favourite dish on the list. But never make them every single week.

Don’t fail to do an Experiment :

Found a new recipe? Never fail to try it. New vegetables or different cooking methods. Change your cooking methods like steam, saute, bake, roast etc. Alter sides and flavourings; try different spices, try with a new vegetable. But be sure that you have something other than this dish as we all know that some firsts don’t taste as good as they look. Never fail to keep an open mind.

I know that cooking is not something that everyone enjoys, but once you start cooking, you will feel like making more and more. The magic in cooking is that it just makes you feel so pleasant even if there is so much sweat on your face and all the stress we had fly’s away like dust particles with the wind.

Not so convinced right? Check out how.

Sometimes, breaking through your stress is as simple as reasserting your dominance at the top of the food chain. Confused? It’s just like chopping vegetables, and butchering hens can take the edge off of the most stressful times. Had the worst fight with your boss? Imagine that onion is his face and chop it into how many pieces you want to.

Conclusion:

Next time when you had a terrible day at the office, pick up a solid knife and fresh veggies and chop them as finely as needed. Cooking is a hobby that eases you, and that has the bonus of being nourishing, too. Skip the social media, gossiping, and so many blahs for relaxing. And get eased with the old-fashioned way: in front of the stove.

Dangerous Kitchen And Food Practices That We Need To Stop!

The beauty of Indian cuisine