FitSugar

Learn to Love: Fermented Foods

FitSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:00:00 PDT

Just the term "fermented foods" sounds, well a little . . . odd. Yogurt, an every day fave, is a fermented food. Add to that list the international flavors of sauerkraut, Korean kimchi, and miso. These foods all contain probiotics, lactobacilli created during the fermentation process, which have been shown to reduce breast cancer risk, protect against yeast infections, and boost immunity. They even help with the absorption of the mineral iron. Who knew that a modest bowl of miso was a probiotic powerhouse?

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The Wide World of Wings: Spicy-Sweet Korean

Sara Yoo — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:34:20 PST

We last took you to Mexico for a bright and tangy take on one of America's favorite game-day foods, but our next culinary adventure sends us across the Pacific to South Korea for some sweet and spicy finger-licking. If you've been lucky enough to dine at the KyoChon or BonChon chicken restaurants, then you know that Koreans love fried chicken. One of the most popular varieties is yangnyeom dak, a crisp, twice-fried wing or thigh tossed in a fiery sauce that reminds me of the classic buffalo wing with an Asian twist.

Just as buffalo wings marry a zesty tang with mouth-numbing heat, Korean wings combine the acidity of rice vinegar with the peppery punch of fermented red-pepper paste and red-pepper powder (found at many Asian grocery stores). Mix in sweet honey and fragrant sesame oil, and you have a crowd-pleasing and conversation-starting app that will make your game-day get-together a hit.

For this unique take on an American classic, just read on.

13 Foods For Freaky Friday

YumSugar — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:55:19 PST

In honor of Freaky Friday (today's Friday the 13th!), I thought I'd pull together a list of 13 freaky foods. Even if you don't have triskaidekaphobia (the fear of the number 13), you may be afraid of some of the things on this list. I know there are a bunch of other freaky things out there (how about almost anything Andrew Zimmern eats on his show?), so if you think something's missing, we want to hear it.

#13: Bubble Tea
I personally love this stuff; however, I've known quite a few folks who are freaked out by the tapioca inside of the tea. Come to think of it, I know a lot of people freaked out by tapioca in general . . .
#12: Squid ink pasta
I don't have a problem with this lovely pasta dyed with squid ink, but some find eating black pasta to be just a bit too freaky.
Keep reading to see more freaky foods perfect for Friday the 13th.

Green Tea 101: A Primer

YumSugar — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:29:10 PST

January sure is a busy month. Along with National Soup Month, it also happens to be National Tea Month. We thought we'd start off the festivities with a primer on a very trendy tea. Green tea came from Asia and took America by storm with its claims to fix just about every ailment. But what exactly is this wonder tea? Keep reading to find out.

A Primer on How Champagne Is Made

Katie Sweeney — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:25:56 PST

Recently, while sipping a glass of excellent Champagne, I had a horrible realization. I know nothing about the way Champagne is produced! Sure, I can read the label, pair it with food, and select a decent bottle, but when it comes to the hard-core technique that is the Methode Champenoise, I know very little. Naturally, I decided to learn all about it and share the process with you:

It begins like any other wine making procedure: the grapes (Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay) are harvested, pressed, and the juice is placed in vats.
Next yeast is added. The yeast reacts with the sugar in the grapes, and this produces alcohol. This takes about six months. At this point, the wine is flat. Thus, begins the second fermentation process that turns it into bubbly.

Keep reading for the rest of the Champagne-making method.

Food Preserving Facts: Do You Have Them in the Can?

Susannah Chen — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 05:04:41 PDT

For every minute that I cling more desperately to the idea of Summer produce, I can feel it further slipping away. My soon-to-be saving grace? A frenzy of food preservation as the days get shorter and the nights grow colder. Who knows; perhaps I'll host a canning and pickling party or make a fruit jam of my own!

But before I share ideas and recipes with you, I want to find out just how versed you are on food preservation. One of the best-known methods of treating food is heat processing, or forming airtight seals around food in jars - but there's also fermenting, jellying, pickling, salting, and curing. Do you have the basics in the can? Let's find out when you take this quiz!

Take the Quiz

Global Pantry: Black Garlic

Padma Lakshmi — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:49:23 PST

We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Padma Lakshmi! The host of the Emmy-winning Top Chef, writer, and designer started Padma Lakshmi, a social networking site that celebrates our favorite topics, including food adventures, recipes, and party planning. She'll be dishing up goodies for us here on YumSugar monthly! Today, Padma offers her thoughts on the specialty ingredient known as black garlic.

Korean culture, famous for kimchi, has perfected the art of fermentation, patiently coaxing the flavors of everyday food to an entirely new level. Not surprisingly, the origin of black garlic is in Korea. After aging for at least 30 days, it possesses a caramelized, savory richness that has a mouth feel similar to eating a date. Because it’s sweet and mild, it’s hard to believe you’re eating garlic at all.

But it is indeed garlic - definitely less attractive, but with all the best assets intact and an umami sensation to boot. These smooth, smoky fermented cloves are irresistible and easy to eat on their own - minus the lingering, pungent breath.

I’ve seen it popping up more and more over the past few years in the states, and once again, it’s at the top of many seasonal, must-have ingredient lists for the best restaurants and now even pizza joints. Keep reading to learn how to cook with black garlic.

How to Put Good Bacteria Back in Your Gut With Food

Heather Dale — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:13:36 PST

A healthy gut is a happy gut. To keep your intestinal tract in optimal working order, it needs lots of "good" bacteria - no, that is not an oxymoron! There are only three types of basic bacteria in our digestive systems, so boosting the "friendly bacteria" with probiotics can help balance the pH of the intestinal tract, creating a less desirable environment for pathogenic bacteria (the bad stuff). Research has shown that probiotics can help in the battle against a wide variety of medical conditions including: allergies, cholesterol (it helps raise the good kind), colon cancer, high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, and diarrhea. Probiotics can also boost your immune system, which is especially important during cold and flu season.

Today, probiotic supplements - which often contain members of the lactobacillus and bifidobacterium groups of bacteria - are popular, but unfortunately many of these supplements fall short on bacteria content. But with the help of a few common foods, we can increase the number of beneficial bacteria in our digestive tracts and skip the supplements altogether. Learn these foods when you keep reading.

How to Can Tomatoes

Susannah Chen — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:24:41 PDT

This season, I made it a priority to educate myself on the basics of canning, pickling, fermenting, and food preserving. Thankfully, I was able to put my knowledge to work when I finally confronted a boiling-water canner and my Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. My parting thoughts after this first brush with home canning? It's not as hard as it sounds, and once you get the rhythm of it, it can be well worth the effort. My advice for those new to jarring: start with a project, such as this one, that isn't too complicated. To see how I canned whole tomatoes in their own juice, keep reading.

To Make Wine Explode, Pair It With Popcorn

Susannah Chen — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 03:42:55 PDT

Popcorn may not be the first food pairing that comes to mind when drinking wine, but Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson thinks it's time to change that.

"Popcorn is great with wine," said Robinson, who discovered the pairing when she was first starting out at New York's International Wine Center.

"I went into the kitchen to microwave some popcorn, and there was a free bottle of Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay. It was my first 'Aha!' wine pairing moment." Here are some of Robinson's favorite wine-and-popcorn flavor combinations.

Thyme popcorn or pesto popcorn with Napa Cabernet. Pesto will bring out the Cabernet's cedar notes, and is a great meat-free bridge to big red wines.
Wasabi popcorn + Riesling. The wine counterbalances wasabi's heat.
Paprika or hickory with Pinot Noir. Smoky elements complement the spice notes in a Pinot.
Aged gouda popcorn with barrel-fermented Chardonnay. "Eating aged gouda with barrel-fermented Chardonnay is like eating unsweetened crème brûlée!"

Have you ever tried eating popcorn alongside a glass of vino?

Source: Flickr User Mike Miley