Food Handling And Storing

This is festive and holiday season and there is food everywhere.  A party is a good place to enjoy the festival and food but along with that few important food handing precautions should be followed to avoid any foodborne illness.  Nobody wants to begin the New Year with any sickness.  Foodborne illnesses are caused by harmful bacteria, toxins, parasites, viruses, chemical contamination etc.  Many people don’t wash their hands after using the restroom/bathroom/toilet or even before handling food.  It is not a good habit.  The germs from their hands can transmit to the food and the utensils they handle and ultimately to our hands and food. Always remember personal hygiene starts with “us” first.

What is food? According to the NYC Department of Health “Food is any edible substance, ice, beverage or ingredient used or intended for use or for sale in whole or in part for human consumption”.  Thus anything that we eat as food including the ice becomes an important part of food and nutrition.  Hence proper food handling and storage is of utmost importance in our everyday lives. 

People who handle or serve food should take utmost care and always wear gloves.  Avoid keeping food at room temperature for too long time.  Cooked food left outside for more than two hours is not a healthy habit.  Any food at the room temperature should be kept in the refrigerator within two hours.  Hot foods should be kept hot (i.e. 140^o F or above) and cold foods cold (i.e. 40^o F or below).  “Danger zone” is between these temperatures and harmful bacteria rapidly grow in food if it is kept in this danger zone.  Have you observed many food vendors on the pedestrian pavements do not wear gloves while handling food? They cook food in front of us but seldom we question their personal hygiene and cleanliness.

In India, kitchen is considered a sacred place and especially in the Hindu religion the temple and all Gods and Goddess idols and pictures are kept in the kitchen.  Those who have big and spacious house have a separate pooja (worship) room.  However growing urbanization has reduced the space of a house.  In many parts of the developing world people live in slums and shanties where there is no concept of a living room, kitchen, bedroom, toilet, and bathroom.  Though it cannot be generalized, the size of an apartment or house has shrunk in many developed countries and the problem of space is a growing problem and concern in some bigger cities too. 

Kitchen should be always kept clean as food is mainly handled and stored there.  Do you know that any food item should be kept at a height of six inches from above the ground level? There is a safe way of storing food items in a refrigerator.  All raw and uncooked meat should be kept in the freezer and any meat to be thawed should be stored in the bottom section of the refrigerator to avoid cross-contamination.  Cross-contamination happens when meat or meat products mix with other cooked and raw food.  The juices (or blood) dripping from raw meat can contaminate the cooked and raw food.  Similarly while shopping food, meat should be kept separately from other food items.  We observe this in the shopping mall/stores too. The cashier will put your meat items in a separate bag and all other items in other bags.  If these food items are mixed bring this to their notice to avoid cross-contamination.  They have plenty of bags and they are there for our service.  “If you see something, say something”.

Even the hard surfaces such as dining table, prepping table, kitchen table etc. should be wiped with a clean rag and a solution of water and chlorine bleach after use.  Always use clean rags and wash them regularly.  Use clean cloth napkins while cooking and wash them regularly after every use.

This is my last blog for this year and I’ll end today’s blog with some interesting thoughts on stocks.  How many of us use stocks in our food? In French stocks is known as Le Fond de Cuisine i.e. “the foundation of cooking”.  I like my curry a little juicy, saucy, or with some gravy.  A good way to add juice or sauce and make good gravy in your curry is to add some kind of stock.  My all time favorite is the vegetable stock.  Nowadays we get all kinds of readymade stocks in the stores.  However a homemade stock has its own flavor.  Onion, carrot, and celery are the three mail ingredients in a vegetable stock.  Vegetable stock brings out the aroma, taste, and oil from these vegetables.  Make your own stock and store it in the refrigerator for future use.  If you need a little gravy in your curry just quickly add some stock to your dish while cooking and this dish goes well and fine with rice or bread.  Personally I like chapati (fluffed Indian bread) made without oil or ghee with chicken or mutton curry.  I like my chapati with vegetables too and my all time favorite vegetables with chapati are the French beans or okra (lady’s fingers) slow cooked but a little juicy and saucy.

I hope in this festive season you handle and store food with all the precautions not only for the well being of yourself but also for all the people you care about.  Wish you a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in 2016.  Till then eat healthy and stay fit as “health is wealth”.

Shabeena Saveri

Food And The Body

I started reading this beautiful book “The Soul Of A Chef – The Journey Toward Perfection” written by Michael Ruhlman (2001).  What a genuine book to read!  This book gives some important facts, history of American cuisine, and insights on food writing.  I am still reading the book and will surely share more interesting details in my future blogs.

Who is not obsessed with food? We work for food and we all eat to live.  Hunger is a natural process of the body and our body requires energy to perform its various functions.  There are many functions of our body that is purely dependent on the nutrition that we get from our food.  Have you ever imagined how many people in our world go to bed without eating food?  According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) 793 million people across the globe suffer from chronic hunger.  FAO defines chronic hunger as “undernourishment caused by not ingesting enough energy to lead a normal, active life”.   

I usually don’t skip my meals and I strictly follow a disciplined meal regimen.  Though I am a non-vegetarian I prefer to have veggies in my food.  Dark green leafy vegetables attract me the most and of course many other vegetables are my favorite.  I don’t believe in dieting and I’ve never dieted in my life.  Contrary to that I eat what I want to eat and stay away from junk and fast food as much as possible.  I was never skinny and I don’t desire to be.  A lot of my physique and body structure comes from both of my parents who have been healthy.  However I am very particular about my yoga, exercises, and my regular walks.

A balanced food, good sleep, regular exercise, and an active life keeps a person glowing not only from outside but also from inside the body.  All these things are interlinked and either have a positive or negative effect on our personality.  Make-up can only hide our blemishes but will not remove impurities from within us.  It is very important to detoxify and cleanse our body from inside to remove toxins that enter our body through various channels such as food, water, air etc.  Water and fiber rich fruits and vegetables are a good source to detoxify and cleanse our body.  Many of us don’t have access to all these sources for various reasons but believe me use the resources that are within our reach and use whatever is available.  There are some simple ingredients in our kitchen that can do wonders.  Few changes in our dietary and food habits can have a longer and positive impact on our health, body, and lives. 

Very recently I learned to make garlic bread.  It was just delicious and I still remember its flavor.  Do you know garlic has many health and medicinal properties? It is nutritious, can combat common cold, reduce blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels thereby reducing risk of heart diseases, it is an antioxidant and can detoxify heavy metals from the body, it improves bone health and has many other health benefits.  However it should be taken in a limited quantity as it can have an adverse effect.

How to make garlic bread?

Ingredients:

A Long bread of your choice

Garlic oil (which has chopped/minced garlic in it)

Butter

Olive Oil

Cooking time (10 minutes):

Cut the bread horizontally from the centre and open both sides.  On the inside part of the bread apply olive oil with a brush, put some garlic oil (with some garlic), and spread some butter.  Close the bread, wrap the bread in an aluminum foil and place it in a pre-heated oven (350^o F) for 5-10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and slice the garlic bread according to desired serving size pieces and enjoy with your meals or favorite soup.  It is easy to make and the taste and flavor is just awesome.   

See you soon with few more food experiences and also a quick and simple recipe. Till then eat healthy and stay fit!

Shabeena Saveri

The Pleasure of Cooking!

Who likes to eat fast food? Do you consider it healthy? Well there are various theories that critique the negative effects of fast food on our health.  A couple of decades ago a new movement has emerged around food.  The “Slow Food” movement!  This movement is an alternative to fast food.  Right now I am not discussing too much in detail on the Slow Food movement but today’s fast-paced life has left less option for many of us other than to rely on fast, packaged, and processed food with preservatives added to it.

Personally I am not a big fan of fast food.  I prefer to cook and eat my food when I am at home.  I get a chance to eat what I want to eat and it also gives me an opportunity to concentrate my attention and relax.  When I am cooking, I am with the food and I only think about cooking and the food.  At least I know what is in my food and I am aware what goes in my mouth and stomach.  Last week I ate a new dish, Polenta.  Polenta is a famous Central European dish.  It’s origin is from Northern Italy, France, and Switzerland.  I liked this dish as it is simple to make and tastes good.

Polenta is made from corn.  Cornmeal is made thick by adding it to boiling water.  To me it first looked like semolina (rava in Hindi).  Initially it also tasted like semolina made in an Indian style.  While in India I ate semolina either salted (upma) or sweet (sheera).  In India salted semolina is made with onion, green chili, ginger and garlic paste, coriander leaves, curry leaves, mustard seeds, water, salt, and oil.  Whereas sweetened semolina and is made with clarified butter (ghee), sugar, water, milk, dry fruits, and some spices can be added to increase the aroma and flavor.

How to make Polenta?

Ingredients:

One cup Polenta

Three cups of water 

Olive oil (for greasing the tray/utensil)

Salt

Cooking time (10-15 minutes)

Boil water add salt and add Polenta as the water boils.  Keep stirring to avoid lumps.  Once the water is absorbed and Polenta is cooked remove it in a tray/utensil greased with olive oil.  Spread cooked Polenta in the pan and top it with your favorite cheese and tomato sauce.  The Polenta dish that I ate was topped with Mozzarella cheese.  With this I had sides such as cauliflower and oven cooked meatballs in tomato ragout.  Polenta with cauliflower and meatballs was an entrée dish.  Of course I started my meal with a greens salad. 

This dish was healthy, nutritious, and gave me the required calories.  It also gave an opportunity to learn a non-Indian dish.  In my next blog I’ll introduce you to the concept of food and some basic tips on hygiene in the kitchen.  Don’t forget to cook food and eat whenever you get time.  Till then eat healthy and stay fit.  

Shabeena Saveri

My first blog!

Hi! This is my first blog. Ever since I created my blog page, I wondered what to write. There were many topics that came to my mind. However I was never motivated to sit and write seriously. But now I've decided that I'll write something that I am passionate about. Yes! I am going to write about my passion and my experiences associated with my passion. In this blog and my future blogs I am going to write about my passion "food".

I am a foodie and I love to try and experiment with food. I've traveled to various countries and while traveling I always try to taste the local food.  I've traveled to North America; European countries like Sweden, Germany, Denmark, and Spain; New Zealand; South Africa; South-East Asian Countries like Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong and Beijing (in China).  Originally I am from India and was born and raised in the city of Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra and for few years I lived in the city of Chennai in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.  During my travels there has been some dish which has always attracted me. 

I am not an expert and I am not trying to write a review on any cuisine, but instead I am going to write my current experiences with the food. Food is an essential part of our life. It is an important aspect of our physiological existence. Our senses such as sight, smell, taste, touch etc. play a vital role in preference for food. Food is not just about good aroma and taste, it is also about the way it is presented and internalized in our mind.

A new menu/dish always excites me and I am always curious to try my hands at it. However I am a bit choosy and try not to get health problems because of any wrong selections and also not eat food which are tabooed in the culture I was born and raised. Very recently I came across the concepts of food safety and sanitation, nutrition, culinary skills etc. In my future blogs, I'll attempt to write on these and share experiences of my adventurous journey in this new and exciting area of interest. I hope my narratives will keep you entertained and proves to be informative.  For today, I am only giving you a sense of my liking for food and also introducing you to my blog.  I am sure you'll follow my blog and also give your comments and feedback to keep me motivated to write more. 

Shabeena Saveri