A Little Word Told Me

Some people think that fat is a black sheep in the family of foods, while for others it is the golden goose. It all depends on what and how much you know about them. What are Fats and Oils?   In scientific parlance, fats are referred to as triglycerides, a.k.a esters of three fatty acid units attached to a molecule of glycerol. Did too many scientific terms confuse you? Let’s look at this another way. There’s a human named Wand - made from long chains of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen molecules. Wand is an alcoholic, but a very picky one. Once Wand is near his choice of alcohol- the sweet tasting alcohol called glycerol- the strong affinity unites them and together they become fat. Why are fats and oils so essential to cooking? Excellent carriers of flavours If you are an Indian or cook Indian food, you may have heard of the terms ‘Tadka’ (also sometimes spelt as ‘Tarka’) and ‘Chhaunk’. It is a process where oil is heated in a pan and then, spices are added (ac...

In the last few years with the increased awareness among the people about the harmful effects of the use of chemical fertilizers, a lot of companies have started marketing their products as organic and non-organic. However, these label stickers on food packaging haven’t been completely successful in gaining back the trust of health-conscious consumers. But what if there was a way   to produce plants and crops without soil, fertilizers and chemicals. Will that remove the doubt from a consumer’s mind? Can we grow plants without soil?  Soil, in scientific parlance, is the porous uppermost layer of Earth's crust that helps plants to grow. When I was in school, I was taught how different plants need different kinds of soils and climatic conditions to grow. And so I believed that without the right soil, you can’t grow the plants. I was sure that every state in India has its own set of fruits and vegetables to offer. But then I stumbled upon the concept of Aquaponics . Aquapon...

Ice cream is one of the most popular, loved frozen treats. It is easily available and affordable. I have never met anyone who has never tasted ice cream. But have you bought different brands and types of ice creams and kept it at room temperature just to observe how much time it takes for them to melt. If you have done this, you would have noticed that not all of them melt at the same speed. Some will completely melt within a few minutes while others may take longer. So what makes ice cream melt and why not all of them melt within the same time? Here's what you need to know. Ice cream is usually made by mixing the milk fat, sugar (or sweetener), stabilizer and emulsifier. This mix is then pasteurized, homogenized, aged and frozen. During this whole process, water and fat molecules in the mix are brought together with the help of protein molecules, ice-crystals are formed, and air molecules get incorporated. In the end, ice-cream is a frozen foam that consists of air dispersed...