Cooking Homework: Loose Tea

Had this in my purse, couldn't understand why clerk at Apple store looking at me funny

We’re a few month’s into cooking homework.  We’ve tackled orphaned appliances and dusty cookbooks. Last month, I encouraged bean soaking (sounds so sexy I know). As with most things food-related, I am taste motivated and I can say with certainty , in that department, soaked beats canned hands down. I cooked dried chickpeas and black beans shortly after the assignment in March. One little package yields a LOT of beans and though I had hopes of experimenting with other beans, there’s only so much hummus and huevos rancheros one family can eat. I pictured my kids in their future therapist’s office recounting their month of legumes. So it’s time to switch gears.

I like cooking tasks that are easy but often avoided. I also love tea. I have a tea kettle at work and one at home, tea is stashed in all my purses (see above) and  I travel with it. I’ve written about some of my favorite teas. More often than not these teas are in bags. I buy from good companies and seek out mesh teabags but always feel I’m drinking the tea-equivalent of boxed wine. Those who know tea, the tea connoisseurs or teas snobs drink loose tea.

I didn’t want to make a switch because it was “cool” or seemed more serious, I wanted to know why loose tea has a superior reputation. Sure enough, tea bags contain broken up pieces of tea leaves called fannings. Loose tea tends to be whole or larges pieces. The natural oils in tea leaves decrease when tea is in smaller pieces; this impacts the taste of your cup of tea. Fannings oxidize more which in green and white tea affects the catechin content. Assuming it’s fresh, lose tea generally has more taste and is better for you. If you’re ready let the tea out of the bag you’ll need:

1. Tea- find a shop or purveyor you like. I recently tried the teas from Bellocq in Brooklyn. I haven’t been to the tea atelier but love the teas I ordered.  You’ll need 1 to 1.5 tsp of tea per cup or 8 ounces of water.

2. Tea infuser or bags

Your tea will go in your tea infuser. Tea leaves, like people, need breathing room so if you’re purchasing one for the first time choose a larger size.

3. A small teapot ot or iced tea pitcher are optional but a lot of fun. I love this from Takeya.

I’ll check back with you after Memorial Day, steep well.

Did you do any soaking, how did it go? Are you a fellow tea freak? Bags or loose? Will you do your homework?

Carrots and Beets, Have One and Skip the Other.

It’s no secret that I love to juice. I understand green juices aren’t for everyone and  there’s so many things to juice that aren't green. A recent study showed beet juice to be an excellent exercise aid. Cyclists who swigged beet juice (2 cups) before workouts were able to cycle 16% longer.  Beets are high in nitrates which increase nitric oxide relaxing blood vessels and improving blood flow. Another study in Hypertension, based on this same effect, showed beet juice lowered blood pressure.  If you’re thinking nitrates sound familiar, you’re right. Added, inorganic nitrites (hotdogs, cured meats) can react with compounds in protein called amines and produce carcinogenic compounds. Naturally occurring nitrites in beets and also radishes do not react in the manner and are in fact good for your heart and exercise. Beet juice is intense, I like to juice beets, cucumber, celery and ginger.

And now for the “bad”, not to worry I’m not one of those people who think carrots have too much sugar and therefore should be expelled from the vegetable bin, puleez. I do have a carrot issue and that’s with these

These don’t exist in nature. Baby carrots have greens attached to their tops, they’re not these uniform nubs which are actually “baby-cut” carrots. They’re large carrots that have been peeled, cut and washed in a chlorine solution (of course claimed to be safe) and then packaged. If it’s been a while peel an “adult” carrot, cut it up and do a taste test. You’ll never eat babies again.
Have to tried beet juice? Any foods you swear by for energy? And adult or baby-cut carrots, what do you prefer?

Does Taste Matter?

When a client comes in reporting that they veered from their nutrition plan, my first question is generally “was it worth it?” You see, to me there’s a difference between a treat and a cheat. Treats are worth it. The best pizza Chicago has to offer, your grandmother’s famous holiday dessert, the Bi-rite ice cream I had on my birthday are all treats. Treats are savored and special. I wish I could take credit for this concept but it’s not mine. While I have no recollection of my mother dieting when I was growing up (ironic maybe when you think of my profession) she certainly had a rule system. When she tasted something ordinary she would often remark “that’s not worth it” and she’d immediately put her fork down. This was a woman who loved wine and cheese and bread so none of this was restrictive.  I’ve always liked this mentality as it shifts the focus of food from calories and food groups back to taste.

Sadly, much of our eating is governed by factors other than taste and sometimes taste doesn’t even come into play. The LA Times reported on a recent study conducted on moviegoers. Participants were given either fresh or week-old stale popcorn. Results showed people consumed the same amount of popcorn they usually do at movies regardless of freshness (or taste). Those who weren’t regular popcorn eaters were somewhat less likely to consume the stale stuff.  In a meeting room, people did eat less of the stale popcorn than they did in the dark theatre.

While I’d like to think most of us don’t regularly eat stale food, habits can be very powerful. How many times have you gone to lunch at 12:30 simply because you always do? I’ve talked about dessert and it’s very common to have a sweet after dinner purely out of habit. Habits also come into play with portions. Oftentimes we finish what’s on our plate or what we cook without regard for when we’re sated or if it really tastes good.

I’m asking you to jettison those old tendencies and take a page out of Elli’s playbook (funny I feel no need to respect my mother’s privacy). Embrace your inner food snob and to pay attention to how your food tastes. Ask yourself if its worth it and if not stop. You can use #TIDEI (tweet it don’t eat it) @Foodtrainers and we’ll give you a virtual gold star. Another thing we should glean from the study is that only things that are “worth it” should be done in the dark. When it comes to eating, the brighter the lights the better.

When do you find yourself eating sub par food? When you commit a cooking flop do you eat it anyway? Any treats you want to report?

*If you’re now craving freshly popped popcorn, tune in Friday for some Pop Secrets.