What would small prairie towns be like without a grandparent’s house? Often Grandma and Grandpa have moved into town and the young family live on the farm. Children take part in many after-school activities, and many moms and dads have off-farm jobs.
I recently had Kids-In-The-Kitchen classes in my home. After school, Grade 5 and 6 boys and girls walked to my house for the class. When it was over I’d check to see how they were getting home. A large proportion left to go to grandma’s house, where their parents would come and pick them up when they were able to do so. I suddenly realized how important having a grandma or grandpa’s house in town was for all these farm families.
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I personally feel so privileged to live in one of those grandma houses.
Removing the saltshaker
Dear TEAM: In an effort to reduce our sodium consumption, I have stopped putting the saltshaker on the table, and I do not use salt in most of my cooking. When making soups and chili, I normally use canned ingredients such as beans, tomatoes or beef broth that already have a lot of salt in them, and so I generally do not add more.
I was surprised to learn, however, that the salt in processed foods and restaurant food do not contain iodine. If we do not use iodized salt, but eat an otherwise varied diet, will we be getting a sufficient amount of iodine? I know that seafood is a good source, but I am allergic and my family prefers freshwater fish, so it is something that we do not consume on a regular basis. Thanks for any information that you can give me. – Susan, e-mail.
Dear Susan: What I have been able to find out is that food manufacturers and restaurants have the option of using iodized or non-iodized salt. I contacted three manufacturers of canned foods. One used iodized salt and two did not. There is usually a toll-free number on the can that you can call to see if the company uses iodized salt or not.
If they use kosher or sea salt, they will not have iodine added, and sea salt does not contain a sufficient quantity.
Although most foods do not contain iodine, one teaspoon (five mL) of iodized salt consumed daily is more than sufficient to satisfy physiological requirements for this nutrient. Other dietary sources of iodine include seafood (clams, lobster, oysters, sardines and ocean fish) and kelp (a seafood vegetable). Smaller amounts may be found in dairy products, vegetables, cereals and drinking water. The amount in fresh water is small and variable. Plants are only good sources if they are grown on iodine-rich soil.
Everyone who lives in a land locked area where the soil is deficient in iodine is at risk of iodine deficiency. The ideal solution would, of course, be to add iodine to a food that everybody consumes daily in limited quantities. Such a food is salt. Studies carried out all over the world have shown that salt is the most universally available food item. The amount of iodine that has to be added to the salt is minute, 25 to 50 micrograms of iodine per gram of salt. These quantities of iodine do not in any way alter the taste or colour of the salt. Canada has iodized the salt and so has almost rid the population of iodine deficiency.
What type of butter?
When a recipe calls for butter, how do you know whether to use salted or unsalted butter?
You can use either kind in most recipes. In baked goods such as cookies, the results may vary slightly. Recipes are usually written to use the most available butter, salted, and would specify if unsalted butter was to be used.
The salt in salted butter can overpower the sweet flavour of butter and so you may prefer the unsalted. This might also be true in icings and other sweet foods.
You have control over the exact amount of salt added to a recipe with unsalted butter because the amount of salt in salted butter varies between brands. The general range is one to two teaspoons (five to 10 mL) per pound (500 g) of butter.
Keep in mind that unsalted butter is more perishable than salted butter.
Horseradish
Dear TEAM: I have been searching everywhere for a hot horseradish. I have tried grating a root, mixing a powdered product and tasting a variety of store bought products to no avail. Do you have any suggestions? – Jane, e-mail.
Dear Jane: I always thought the root itself was hot. If you grate your own root, the following information might help.
The bite and aroma of the horseradish root are almost absent until it is grated or ground. During this process the root cells are crushed and volatile oils known as isothiocyantes are released. Vinegar stops this reaction and stabilizes the flavour. For milder horseradish, vinegar is added immediately.
Horseradish is strongest when freshly grated because its flavour evaporates when exposed to air. Therefore, it is vital that the freshly ground root be bottled immediately.
Heat also destroys the pungency, so it is eaten raw or barely heated to add to a mild sauce.
Some areas of the world claim to grow more heat, depending on the soil, weather and the variety of horseradish.
Lois Hole in her book, Herbs & Edible Flowers, said, “horseradish’s potent flavour can be weakened if it gets too much water and fertilizer. It is one plant that actually benefits from neglect.”
Horseradish appears in the supermarket in a variety of products. Basic horseradish is the grated prepared horseradish root mixed with distilled vinegar. Spices or other ingredients may be added such as salt, sugar, cream or vegetable oil to enhance and protect the flavour.
To relish the full flavour of processed horseradish, it must be fresh and of high quality. As processed horseradish ages, it browns and loses potency. Buy only the amount you will use in a reasonable time.
Keep it in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator to protect freshness. Horseradish that remains unrefrigerated gradually loses flavour.
Fresh or dried herbs
If a recipe calls for fresh herbs and you only have dried, or vice versa, you can make the change. Essential oils are more concentrated and potent in dried herbs than fresh, so you use less.
A general rule is to use a third as much dried as you would fresh, and, conversely, three times as much fresh herb as you would dried.
Another way is to use the tablespoon-teaspoon way of making the conversion. Since a tablespoon is three times as large as a teaspoon, one tablespoon (15 mL) fresh equals one teaspoon (five mL) dried and vice versa.
Ginger is an exception to this rule. If a recipe calls for fresh ginger, you cannot substitute ground. The flavours are completely different.
Other conversions that I seem to often make is that one medium clove of garlic equals a quarter teaspoon (one mL) of garlic powder.
Let taste be your guide. Dried herbs tend to lose potency as they age, so you may need more to get the seasoning you desire. But in general, when using herbs and spices, it is in your best interest to season with a light hand. There can be a lot of variation from season to season and among varieties of plants. You can always add more seasoning to a dish.
Dried herbs need to be moistened in a liquid such as a salad dressing or marinade, or cooked and simmered a while to reconstitute them and to bring out the flavours. Fresh herbs are usually added near the end of the cooking to keep their colour and so that the flavours are not simmered away.
Scotty’s nest eggs
My sister-in-law, Irene, served this neat little breakfast dish to us while we were visiting her. It could also be a brunch or supper dish. Kids enjoy making this easy recipe. My daughter-in-law, Pam, is going to use it in one of her Kids-In-The-Kitchen classes. This recipe is enough for one nest.
2-3 thin slices Black Forest ham
1 egg
1 tablespoon cream 15 mL
2 tablespoons grated Swiss
cheese 30 mL
sprinkle dried basil
English muffin
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease large muffin tins. Line with ham and break egg over top of ham. Add cream and sprinkle with cheese and basil. Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Serve on half a toasted English muffin. (Place water in any unused muffin cups to prevent damage.)
Source: The Best of the Best and More, Best of Bridge Publishing Ltd.
Alma Copeland is a home economist from Elrose, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team
Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
