Mastering the kitchen involves understanding healthy fat profiles, variety-specific grain preparation, and safe food handling techniques.
If you avoid eating garlic because the smell comes out of your skin pores for days, you're not alone. Garlic, an herb used in many food dishes as well as a supplement in alternative medicine, can definitely cause a distinct and persistent body smell that can linger for days. Garlic can also linger on your breath.
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Cornstarch is used in countless food items ranging from snack foods such as cakes, cookies and doughnuts, to beverages such as fruit juice, soft drinks and beer, to meats such as sausage, bologna and hotdogs. It is also used in ice cream, cereals and condiments.
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Ground from dried red chile peppers, cayenne has been used to spice up meals for at least 9,000 years. Cayenne gets its heat from capsaicin, a substance that acts as a pain reliever. Cayenne is a common ingredient in many Cajun and Creole recipes, as well as Asian and Mexican foods.
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When you set about making an old-fashioned bean dish, you'll likely reach for white beans. White beans have been used for centuries as a nourishing staple, even today when fresh foods are always available it's comforting to have a bag or can of white beans on hand.
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Ginger root is a rhizome, which means it is an aromatic underground stem. This root is a common ingredient in many cuisines, including Asian and Indian dishes. Ginger has properties beyond providing a spicy, sweet taste to these cuisines, however.
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Bamboo rice is a type of rice popular in Asia, and it is made by infusing the grains with juice squeezed from bamboo plants. This action gives bamboo rice its distinctive green color and also adds a sticky consistency, so you might find bamboo rice to be a good choice for making sushi.
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An occasional upset stomach or case of indigestion may not be anything for you to worry about, according to Mayo Clinic, but if you have recurring, chronic gastritis, you may have an ulcer and increased risk of stomach cancer. Honey has been used as a home remedy for gastritis since ancient times.
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Cymbopogon, or lemongrass, comprises more than 55 species of grass. You can use lemongrass in various dishes and teas, as a pesticide and as a preservative. You can also prepare lemongrass can in several ways and use this grass fresh, dried or powdered. You can eat raw lemon grass.
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Part of the fun of going to a new restaurant, or trying a new kind of food, is learning about new and exotic ingredients. This is especially true for Westerners eating Asian food, with its diverse culinary cultures and its whole new world of unfamiliar colors, flavors and textures.
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Sugar and bread may taste good, but they can raise insulin levels, causing an inflammatory response in your body. The result? Weight gain, reduced energy and premature aging. The Department of Agriculture reports that Americans' consumption of refined sugar and grains has increased significantly over the past 50 years.
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A typical cookie recipe calls for a mere spoonful of baking soda or baking powder, so it's tempting to underestimate their value. Don't make this mistake. Baking soda and baking powder are powerful chemical agents. Without them, the entire character of a batch of cookies changes -- usually not for the better.
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Moist cooking methods are those methods that use a hot liquid to cook food. That liquid can be water, broth, wine or juice. Unlike dry cooking methods like roasting or baking, which use hot air to cook food, moist cooking methods preserve and even add moisture to the food as it is cooking.
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Table salt contains about 2,000 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon. Too much or too little salt intake during pregnancy can negatively affect your sodium levels. As with other nutrients, pregnant women need more sodium than non-pregnant women.
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Many people with food-related allergies or food sensitivities must learn how to eliminate specific substances from their diets. Caffeine, sugar, gluten and dairy are all associated with sensitivities that may cause adverse physical reactions.
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Lentils are part of the legume family and packed with important nutrients. In the United States, many vegetarian and health conscious individuals use lentils as a source of protein for their meals. In India, lentils are widely consumed and often eaten daily.
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Teens typically consume large amounts of sugar daily: 34 teaspoons for the 14- to 18- year-old age group, as opposed to 22 teaspoons for adults, according to the American Heart Association, or AHA. The biggest offending foods are soft drinks, candy, cakes, cookies and pies.
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Cakes are something of a challenge for new bakers trying their wings. When they work, they're wonderful, but there are far too many ways for them to not work.
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Blood clots are the body’s defense mechanism against excessive bleeding from injuries or cuts. However, conditions such as diabetes, family history and high blood cholesterol levels can lead to formation of blood clots in the arteries of heart, brain and lungs.
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Tapioca starch is made from the root of the cassava plant. Although it can be used as a flour for baking, its mainly used as a thickener. Tapioca is widely used in Asian cuisine, especially in Thai recipes. In India, tapioca starch is sometimes boiled and flavored with spices to eat as a side dish.
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There is as much advice about fried chicken as there are chickens to fry. Depending on who you talk to, boiling chicken before frying is either the only way to make this classic Southern dish or a completely unacceptable way.
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