Spices that You Should Have in Winter

In each different seasons, of course the foods we eat will be different too. If the summer comes, the choice will fall on the kind of fresh food and drink, then when winter comes, the candidates must be warm and spicy meal. Let's see what spices are typically used as a food ingredients in winter.

Ginger 
Spice with the Latin name Zingiber Officnale, is the type of rhizomes that widely used as ingridient, whether for cooking, or a mixture for warm drinks. The spicy flavor of ginger comes from a compound called zingeron.

Cinnamon 
Cinnamomum Verum, is one of the oldest spices that has been used by humans as a food ingredient. Cinnamon belongs to the type of spice-scented, has a slightly sweet flavor as well as spicy. Cinnamon contains various chemicals sompounds, such as essential oils eugenol, safrole, sinamaldehyde, tannin, calcium oxalate, resins, and tanner.

Cardamom 
If you ever eat a bowl of curry, you'll find a sensation of unique taste from Amomum Cardamomum, the Latin name of cardamom. Essential oil in cardamom oil is quite high, resulting in burst of the fragrance smell.

Clove 
Known by the Latin name of Syzygium Aromaticum or Eugenia Aromaticum. This native spice of Indonesia has a distinctive aroma which is produced by the main compound of clove called eugenol. Eugenol acts as antiseptic and anesthetic.

Turmeric
Considered to be natural antibiotic, makes Curcuma Domestic become a traditional medicine that's quite popular. A number of studies stated that turmeric has anti-inflammatory phenylbutazone, which can relieve pain. Turmeric also is a herb which also gives natural color for cooking.

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I Choose Egg for Breakfast

Egg is the sort of food that's quite popular around the world. We often use eggs to make many varieties of foods. And therefore, many studies have been conducted to uncover the benefits of eggs for health. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition stated that people who ate eggs for breakfast will feel full longer and eventually will choose the type of food with the least amount of calories at lunch.

Not just for breakfast menu, another study stated that eating eggs after heavy physical exercise or sport will assist in boosting tissue repair and muscle growth. To achieve this effect, don't miss the egg yolk. Some people often get rid of it, because it's being considered to have excess fat. Nevertheless, the study mentioned that the yolk provides half the protein in eggs. It means, if you miss the yolk, you will lose six grams of protein.

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Tips: How to Store Fish at Home

Fish is rich in nutrients. Its nutrients even exceeds the other sources of protein, so it is important to understand the right way how to store fish. The correct way will minimize the lost of nutrients during storage. Here are some tips that might help you keep your fish better at home:

1. After you bought the fish and get home, clean the fish and store it in refrigerator (if you don't want to process it immediately).
2. In the cleaning process, use cold water. It's better to use water that has been filled with ice cubes to help remove dirt and bacteria in fish.
3. Dry the fish with a clean cloth or paper towels in order to remove any residual water left in the fish. Water can be a good  media for bacterial growth.
4. Put the fish in an airtight plastic bag, but before, coat the fish with paper so the moisture from cold air of refrigerator, doesn't seep into the fish.
5. To maintain oil levels in fish, particularly in salmon, store the fish up to three months. The longer it is stored, more of fish oil will come out, so that when it's ready to be served as a meal, the fish will be more juicy.

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Dark Vader Burger

Perhaps the story of black burger is an old news, but I could not resist the urge to write that black burger on this blog, it's just so exciting!

Quick, once again made a sensation! After a few years ago, Quick launched a foei gras burger, one month ago they introduced the black hamburger. And this black burger immediately attracted the attention of French.

The launching of this unique burger was actually a part of the promotion of Star Wars Episode I 3D in France. Therefore, this black hamburger earned the nickname of 'Dark Vador Burger'.

As the name suggests, its uniqueness lies in its solid black bun with beef, cheese, and vegetables. In addition, there are also several other types of burgers with the name of a character in the Star Wars movie, like the Jedi Burger.

Both burgers are offered in two different versions. These burgers were marketed across the network of Quick with time-limited, lasting only for one month.

Previously, Quick also has made several promotions that attract public attention, not only in France but also worldwide. They are foie gras burger for Christmas and the only halal burgers for French Muslims.

Quick is a franchise of Belgium which first opened its branches in France about 30 years ago. Until now Quick has over 362 outlets scattered throughout France.

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Tips to Make Pretty and Crispy French Fries

French fries is deliciously served by sprinkled with salt and pepper, dipped in chili sauce, mayonnaise, or aioli sauce. To get pretty (not too tan) and crispy french fries, please consider these tips.

Want to make your own french fries? It's not too difficult. The usual problem we meet is the brown color of french fries, while what we want is french fries with an attractive white color.

Choosing Potatoes
Potato type greatly influence the texture, flavor and color of french fries. If you buy potatoes that have been packaged, and ready to be fried, you should select a high-starch and low in sugar, as this will reduce the possibility of discoloration. Avoid packing potato that contain wax, because wax makes french fries not so crunchy.

If you buy fresh potatoes, it's better to choose potatoes that are not bruised with smooth skin. Don't buy potato with greenish skin, this green color is the result of sun exposure, and the green spots on the skin of potatoes contain solanine or toxins.

Boiling
Boiling potatoes briefly in water, drain and then soak in ice water before frying to reduce discoloration. This process will remove wax and dissolve the sugar found in potatoes. Sugar makes french fries become too tan.
In addition, the hot water will reduce the polyphenol oxidase enzyme, a natural enzyme in the potato which is the major cause of the color changes to gray. By boiling the potatoes can disrupt the activity of the enzyme and prevent the discoloration to gray and also to avoid oil spurt when frying.

Soak in ice water
To get good color, in addition of boiling process, we can also soak potatoes in cold/ice water for 1 hour. Fry potatoes in hot cooking oil and drain the potatoes and let the rest of the oil drain by itself. It will give good color and crispy french fries.

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Are You on Diet? Try to Eat Slower.

Do you often eat in hurry? If you're trying to lose some weight, avoid this habit. Eating in a calm and relaxed will effect on body weight. Just enjoy every taste, texture and aroma of food slowly!

Due to the short lunch/dinner time and tight activities, often make people tend to eat and chew their food in hurry. If you are currently trying to lose weight, avoid this bad habit.

The study conducted by University of Rhode Island found that those who want to have a slimmer body are advised to chew food longer. Chewing longer will significantly reduce the amount of calories into the body.

The study involved two groups, women and men as participants. Men tend to have a habit of eating more quickly than women. The result, men tend to be heavier. By chewing longer, make the brain sends satiety signal to the stomach, so the body does not want to eat more.

Chewing for longer time also lowers ghrelin, hunger hormones circulating in the digestive system. This hormone was found lower on responders that chewing food slowly. This is an effective and simple solution to overcome the problem of obesity.

Kathleen Melanson, a professor of nutrition at the University of Rhode Island noted that people who eat fast are able to consumed 100 grams of food per minute, medium speed for 70 grams of food per minute, while the slow eaters consumed 60 grams per minute.

This is the first discovery confirmed that people who eat a high pace tend to have excess body weight, than those who were slower. That way, this shows a link between eating pace and weight.

Eating too fast is very influential on obesity. Therefore, ehen eating fast, body will not aware of satiety. Conversely, when you eat more slowly, the body can taste food, smell, and feel the texture, which makes people pay more attention to what they eat and how much food is in, so the stomach tend to be full longer.

Other researchers also agree with the opinion of Melanson that gender is related in speed of eating. Because, during the lunch time, It was found that men consumed 80 calories per minute and women consumed only 52 calories per minute.

Melanson adds that, those who eat quickly have a relationship with greater energy requirements. That is why many of men eat quickly, because a man needs a higher energy than the women.

Even so, the relationship between speed of eating with obesity remains to be studied properly. Melanson adds that, those who ate slowly produces fewer calories, compared with those who ate fast.

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Salmonella Outbreak in England, Be Careful to Eat Watermelon

One person died and 34 others are still lying sick from salmonella bacteria in the UK on imported watermelon. The number of victims continues to grow even to this day.

This outbreaks caused by Salmonella Newport is expressed by UK Health Protection Agency (HPA). Together with Food Standards Agency (FSA) are both investigating the source of the outbreak that occurred throughout the UK and has even reached Germany.

The presence of Salmonella Newport was first identified by scientists from the HPA. Through several tests conducted from a number of suspected food samples. And finally Salmonella Newport was found in these samples of watermelon .

As quoted from dailymail.co.uk, HPA teams said: "Salmonella Newport infection cause pain similar to other form of salmonella infection and symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and fever."

The victims, ranged in age from 6 months to 85 years, have fallen ill since December. Seventy percent of them were women. And recently, the number of cases occurre three times higher than the previous two months. Even it has been reported that a patient had died, although the death was also triggered by other health complications he had.

Dr Bob adak, head of the gastrointestinal diseases department at the HPA, said that although it is too early to mention what caused the infection. But early indications suggest that a number of people became unwell after eating watermelon. A similar information is obtained in several cases that occurred in Scotland and Germany.

Current outbreak of watermelon-Salmonella Newport case occurred in England (26 people), Wales (3 people), Northern Ireland (1 person), Scotland (5 people), the Republic of Ireland (5 persons), and Germany (15 people). Salmonella Newport Outbreak also have occurred in UK  in the previous 2004. Although that time, the suspect was salad.

Until now, cases are still under investigation and the HPA to remind the public to wash fruits and vegetables throughly before eating them.

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