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Deficient Gourmet Oils! Almost Every Second Fails

Instead of sunflower or rapeseed oil, many culinarians use more unusual varieties such as linseed, sesame, or walnut oil. They want to give their dishes the finishing touch and enjoy the special aroma. But the Stiftung Warentest has now found that many of the gourmet oils have not earned their high-class reputation at all – two linseed oils should not even have been sold.

Gourmet oils in the test

A total of 25 gourmet oils were put to the test, including five argans, six linseed, five sesame, three grapeseed, and six walnut oils – 16 of which were awarded the organic seal. The gourmet oils were tested according to sensory and chemical aspects as well as the content of harmful substances and the declaration.

The result

The evaluation of the gourmet oil test is devastating: more different pollutants were found than ever before. The palette ranges from questionable solvents to carcinogenic substances and mutagenic substances. Two tested linseed oils should not have been sold at all due to their high content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).

But it wasn’t just the chemical results that were extremely sobering: many of the gourmet oils tested were also unconvincing in terms of taste. Two linseed oils from the organic range were rated with a smell and taste of essential oils and fir – rating: poor. The testers found the taste and smell of the two most expensive gourmet oils in the test, argan oils for 95 euros and 112 euros per liter, to be cheesy – they also failed.

Only seven of the 25 gourmet oils tested were rated as “good”: including two each of argan, walnut and sesame oils as well as one linseed oil – all from organic farming and unrefined. However, the organic seal does not automatically mean a good gourmet oil, because seven defective varieties also carried it. The detailed test results of the gourmet oils are available here.

Tips for using gourmet oils

  • Purchasing: Gourmet oils that are labeled “cold-pressed” or “native” are very tasty
  • Storage: Gourmet oils are less suitable than standard oils for cooking. Sunflower or rapeseed oils should be used there, as they are heat-resistant and health-promoting
  • Use: It is best to keep the gourmet oils tightly sealed in a dark and cool place
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Tomami Burger: The Low-Carb Burger in a Tomato

Bite into a really juicy big burger without regret – who doesn’t have a mouth-watering! Unfortunately, for most people, the pleasure is rather a rarity, because the calories that are consumed with it are immense. But now Tomomi is conquering the hearts of fast-food lovers: a low-carb burger that encloses its topping between two aromatic tomato halves – without any buns. EAT SMARTER introduces Tomomi.

Tomomi Burger: An innovation?

Nowadays, people are particularly health-conscious: food or dishes offered almost always have to offer added value for the body – and of course, taste great too. Burgers have a hard time there: too greasy, too many carbohydrates. But that should be the end of Tomomi now because this special burger no longer carries its delicious content on a brioche bun, but between two juicy tomato slices – sounds promising!

The Tomomi idea

The Japanese fast-food chain “Mos Burger” had the idea: Since particularly aromatic and large tomatoes were being produced this year, there should be a way for the fast-food restaurant to best use this for itself. The Tomomi Burger was born! With only 227 calories, the burger not only convinces low-carb fans but above all the figure-conscious. Incidentally, the tomato burger name is a combination of the English word “tomato” for tomato and the Japanese word “mi”, which means fruit, seed, or nut.

Tomomi: A real rarity

The original tomato burger is a real rarity worldwide: “Mos Burger” only sells the Tomomi Burger after 2:00 p.m. and only in one shop in Tokyo. Even if you make it there, it doesn’t mean that you can simply order the low-carb burger, because after 15 served copies it’s over.

That’s why Tomomi is healthy!

Tomatoes are naturally a low-calorie vegetable. They consist of about 94 percent water, and they also have a small amount of dietary fiber. The tomatoes owe their beautiful red color to the dye lycopene, which is considered an antioxidant and is said to protect against some types of cancer. Instead of the usual burger bun, the Tomomi trumps with its tomato halves and can also be tasted at home as an alternative.

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Spaghetti Winner: Cheap Pasta Beats Branded Products

The Italian export hit par excellence is spaghetti. They are wrapped in fruity tomato sauce while they are hot and steaming, wrapped on the fork, and pushed into your mouth. But which product is the queen of spaghetti? Stiftung Warentest took a closer look at some varieties and found that cheap pasta can even beat branded products!

Testing spaghetti

The Stiftung Warentest tested a total of 25 types of spaghetti in terms of aroma, appearance, smell, mouthfeel, and pollutant content. Among them were 20 durum wheat, three whole grain, and two gluten-free products – both cheap pasta and brand names.

Wholemeal pasta is particularly healthy

Lovers of wholemeal pasta are reluctant to do without the heartier and darker version of the pasta. Anyone who has acquired a taste for it is also doing something for their health by enjoying their pasta dish: Wholemeal pasta has twice as much dietary fiber and more minerals than light-colored varieties. In the meantime, the processing and production of pasta from whole grains have been optimized in such a way that you can hardly taste the difference between light-colored pasta products. The best alternatives to white flour pasta are here, by the way.

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Food

Make Plum Chutney Yourself

Chutneys are a fine thing: they give cheese, meat, and savory bread that certain sweet and sour note. A great chutney can also be conjured up from plums. Today we will show you how to make your own plum chutney with a little ginger spiciness.

Plum cake, plum compote, plum jam: the variety is great when it comes to processing fresh plums. Try this fine plum chutney!

The mild sweetness of the ripe plums harmonizes wonderfully with chili, ginger, and onions. The chutney is also a hit as a lovely souvenir from your own kitchen.

Make plum chutney yourself: the ingredients

  • 150g shallots
  • 1 piece of ginger root (approx. 20 g)
  • 1 red chili pepper
  • 2 oranges (1 of them organic)
  • 3 anise stars
  • 500 grams of ripe plums
  • 50 grams of brown sugar
  • Salt
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (a little more if necessary)

Make plum chutney yourself: preparation

  1. Rinse the screw-top jars (for a total of 750 ml content) with the fitting lids with boiling water and drain them upside down on a kitchen towel. Peel shallots, halve, and cut into fine wedges. Ginger peel and finely chop.
  2. Cut the chili pepper lengthwise, deseed, rinse and cut crosswise into thin strips.
  3. Wash the organic orange in hot water, rub dry and peel half thinly with a vegetable peeler. Cut the orange zest crosswise into very fine strips.
  4. Halve both oranges, squeeze and measure out 200 ml of juice. Bring the orange juice to a boil in a saucepan with the shallots, ginger, chili, strips of orange peel, and anise stars. Cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, wash the plums, drain, halve, stone, and cut into thin wedges.
  6. Add the plums and sugar to the shallots, bring to the boil again, and cook covered over low heat for another 10 minutes. Remove anise stars.
  7. Season the chutney with salt and vinegar and pour immediately into the prepared glasses. Seal, flip and let stand upside down for 5 minutes. Turn the glasses over again and let them cool down. Closed and stored in the dark, the chutney will keep for about 2 months.

Enjoy your meal!

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Food

Otsu – The Trendy Noodle Salad from Japan

Tomatoes, lettuce leaves, mozzarella & co. have to watch out now because a Japanese noodle dish is currently conquering the world: Otsu – a salad that puts the taste buds in ecstasy and is child’s play to prepare. The hype surrounding the traditional soba noodle dish is spreading like a virus on social media. There is hardly a blogger who hasn’t tried Otsu and new fans are joining them every day.

This is Otsu:

The basic ingredients are simple: Japanese soba noodles meet coriander, cucumber, and crispy tofu – refined with oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame. The result is Otsu, a vegan salad for practically every situation, because it tastes great both warm and cold, making it the perfect gift for a picnic or visiting friends.

This is why Otsu is healthy:

The main ingredient in otsu is, of course, soba noodles. The Japanese variety is made from buckwheat and is therefore gluten-free. If you want to be sure that the soba noodles in the Asian store really do not contain gluten, you should take a look at the list of ingredients on the packaging before buying.

The pseudo-grain variety contains a lot of protein as well as potassium, iron, and magnesium. The latter mineral is u. a. important for muscle relaxation and energy metabolism. Due to its high protein content, tofu is a popular food for vegetarians and vegans. The soy protein is better digestible for humans than other vegetable proteins and contains all essential amino acids.

The Otsu Recipe:

Depending on personal taste, an otsu can of course be less spicy or prepared without coriander. Here are the ingredients and the quick six steps to Otsu Salad:

For the Otsu dressing:

  • 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
  • Zest 1 organic lemon
  • 2 tsp honey or agave syrup
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 60 ml brown rice vinegar
  • 80 ml soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil

For the otsu salad:1/2 bunch coriander

  • 3 spring onions
  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 300 g soba noodles
  • 4 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 300 g firm tofu

The preparation:

  1. For the Otsu salad dressing, grate the ginger and mix with the zest of the lemon, honey (or agave syrup), and cayenne pepper. Then stir in lemon juice, salt, rice vinegar, soy sauce, olive, and sesame oil.
  2. For the otsu salad, wash the coriander, spring onions, and cucumber. Roughly chop the cilantro and set aside a handful for garnish. Cut the spring onions into fine slices. Halve the cucumber lengthways, deseed and cut into thin slices.
  3. Cook the soba noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, about 4 minutes. Then drain, rinse with cold water and drain.
  4. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, then set aside.
  5. Dry the tofu and cut it into small cubes. Then fry in a pan with a little oil until golden brown on all sides.
  6. In a large bowl, toss the soba noodles with the vegetables, cilantro, and dressing. Then add the tofu and garnish with the remaining coriander and sesame seeds.
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Do Not Pit: it is Best to Sieve The Cornelian Cherries

From September, the overripe cornelian cherries are ready for harvest. The cherry-like wild fruits taste delicious in chutneys, jams, and pastries, as well as in juice or syrup. However, since pitting the cornelian cherries is extremely laborious, the red fruit should be processed differently.

Seven instead of stone

Instead of pitting them, the cornel cherries should be sieved so that they can then be processed more easily. The best way to do this is to briefly boil the fruit in a pot with a little water and then pass the fruit market through a sieve. In this way, pith and kernels are cleanly separated from one another. Cornelian cherries taste particularly good when they are combined with apples or pears, as this softens the acidity.

Harvesting the cornel

Despite their name, cornel cherries are not related to the well-known cherries but belong to the dogwood family. The wild fruits are also called Herlitze or yellow dogwood and grow on tree-like shrubs at the edge of the forest. Cornelian cherries are ripe from September. When they are overripe and almost fall from the bush by themselves, it is the right time to harvest.

The vitamin bomb

The red fruits are rich in vitamins B and C, which strengthen the body’s defenses and have a positive effect on the immune system. Cornelian cherries also contain potassium, calcium, and iron, which are responsible for strengthening bones and for transporting oxygen in the blood. The fruit is also often used as a home remedy to reduce fever and for gastrointestinal diseases.

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So Easy and So Delicious: Make Your Own Marinades

Who does not know that? No matter how tasty the names of the marinades for packaged grilled meat from the supermarket sound, somehow the end product from the grill always tastes suspiciously similar. Whether “hearty summer herbs” or “smoky barbecue” – in the end, it honestly tastes like glutamate, paprika powder, and garlic.

Our hearty and aromatic homemade marinades transform conventional meat, fish, vegetables, or tofu into an incomparable treat in no time at all.

Our recommendations for an ideal preparation

For a perfect result, it is important to note that the pickling time varies depending on the dish.

  • Poultry, pork, and thin slices of beef should rest in the marinade for about four to eight hours,
    and large cuts of pork and beef should be allowed to marinate for up to 12 hours.
  • Fish fillets, on the other hand, should only be marinated for about an hour – otherwise, the tender fish flesh will be too tender and the flavor too strong.
  • By pickling, the spices and acid penetrate deep into the food, making it more aromatic and tender.

Marinades should also not contain any salt, otherwise, they will draw liquid out of the food and the flavors will not take off as well.

Fruity-sweet whiskey marinade

With this hearty, spicy marinade, every fillet of beef or pork becomes a unique treat.

Ingredients for about 500 grams of meat:

  • 10 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons whiskey of your choice
  • 1 tablespoon mustard, coarse, spiciness to taste
  • 1 tbsp mango chutney
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • pepper

Preparation:

  1. Whisk together the cooking oil, whiskey, and soy sauce, then stir in the honey, mustard, and chutney until smooth. Season with pepper at the end if you like. Place the meat in the marinade in the refrigerator for approx. 8 hours so that it can absorb the marinade as best as possible. You should also make sure to dab the meat with paper towels before grilling to prevent liquid from dripping onto the embers.

Bay leaf and lime marinade

This unusual variant is particularly suitable for juicy fish fillets, as the lime juice makes the fish more tender and at the same time refines the aroma.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

  • ½ bunch of fresh thyme
  • 8 bay leaves
  • 5 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 limes (zest and juice)

Preparation:

Top the fish fillet with thyme and bay leaves. Whisk together the olive oil, grated zest, and lime juice and drizzle over. Let the whole thing rest for about 1 hour.

Asian marinade for spicy tofu steak

A detour to Asian cuisine is always worthwhile with this aromatic, spicy pickle. Ginger and garlic not only provide plenty of flavors but also keep the heart and blood vessels healthy.

Ingredients for 2 servings:

  • 5 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • a few slices of ginger (optional)
  • 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
  • 1 teaspoon syrup (e.g. apple or rice syrup)
  • chili

Preparation:

Finely chop or crush the garlic cloves and ginger and then mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, and syrup with them. Marinate the tofu steak for about 10 minutes.

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Food

Solanine Danger: Discard Boiled Potato Water

Whether baked, roasted, fried, or boiled: potatoes can be prepared in many different ways and they always taste wonderful! However, fans of the tuber should be careful, because the cooking water from the potatoes absolutely belongs in the sink and must not be used any further.

Whether baked, roasted, fried, or boiled: potatoes can be prepared in many different ways and they always taste wonderful! However, fans of the tuber should be careful, because the cooking water from the potatoes absolutely belongs in the sink and must not be used any further.

The solanine content in potatoes can be reduced by up to 80 percent by peeling the tubers. The subsequent cooking reduces the proportion by a further ten percent. Before preparation, green potatoes should generally be sorted out and green areas generously removed. Larger tubers are preferable to smaller ones because the surface-to-volume ratio is better there.

The popular side dish is best stored between four and twelve degrees in a dark and cool place. Storage below four degrees ensures that the starch contained in the potatoes is converted into sugar, which makes them taste sweet. Storage above twelve degrees allows the potatoes to germinate faster.

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Listeria Detected: Penny Recalls Gorgonzola

The company “IGOR s.r.l. Italy” is recalling the products “SAN FABIO GORGONZOLA DOP DOLCE 200 g” and “SAN FABIO GORGONZOLA DOP PICCANTE 200 g” sold by Penny for reasons of preventive consumer protection. The reason for this is the detection of Listeria in these two types of cheese.

This affects all items throughout Germany with all best-before dates and batch numbers, as Penny now announces. The products are marked with the following EAN codes (bar codes):

  • 23685390 (Dolce) and
  • 22138569 (Picante).

The company “IGOR s.r.l. Italy” advises against the consumption of the goods due to possible health risks and has removed the items from the market as a precaution. Customers who bring the relevant products back to the respective Penny stores will receive a full refund of the purchase price.

Listeria is a widespread type of bacteria that, with its flu-like symptoms, can be dangerous mainly for pregnant women, newborns, the sick, and people with a weakened immune system.

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Palm Oil – The Oil from The Jungle

Chocolate, margarine, detergent: there is palm oil in almost every supermarket product. But the massive cultivation of oil palms is a great danger for the rainforest and its inhabitants. We provide information about which products contain palm oil and how consumers can act responsibly without giving up products with palm oil entirely.

The number is impressive: 53 million tons of palm oil were produced in 2013, and the trend is rising. The oil, which is obtained from the kernel and pulp of the fruit of the oil palm, is a real all-rounder: it has a high melting point, which is why it gives food a creamy texture.

At the same time, it can be heated to very high temperatures; therefore it is found in frying and deep-frying fat such as palm. Cheap to produce, palm oil can be processed into biodiesel as well as cake icing, chocolate, mascara, and soap. There are thousands of products with palm oil in every supermarket.

So far, so good, one might think a fast-growing, extremely flexible natural product, this palm oil.

A look at the rainforests of Southeast Asia reveals the dramatic downside: In order to satisfy the global hunger of the industry for palm oil, rainforests are being cut down on a large scale, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia, or forest areas are simply being burned. In its place is a monoculture that offers no habitat whatsoever for flora and fauna, let alone protection from flooding or erosion. Since 1990, the area under cultivation for oil palms has doubled worldwide and even increased tenfold in Indonesia (source: WWF).

Palm oil plantations now cover twelve million hectares worldwide – that’s a third of Germany! An intact rainforest is not only important for the global climate, it is also a habitat for endangered animal species such as orangutans and tigers. The fire clearing of the forest is particularly difficult for the orangutans: the rare great apes are repeatedly killed in the flames.

You can’t do without palm oil either

But boycotting palm oil completely is not a solution either, according to environmental organizations such as the WWF or Greenpeace. In principle, palm oil is not a bad oil: It takes less space and time to grow than comparable oil plants. In this way, a large part of the global demand for vegetable oils can be covered in a relatively small area. In order to achieve a comparable yield of soybean oil, for example, the area under cultivation would have to be more than twice as large. For many small farmers in Southeast Asia, the cultivation of oil palms is also a way out of poverty.

But the cultivation of palm oil – the experts agree – must change radically. Otherwise, the green rainforests of Southeast Asia will soon be history.
Unfortunately, most palm oil producers are still a long way from an ecologically, economically, and socially acceptable standard.

The Round Table for Palm Oil (RSPO) has existed since 2008 and sets certain minimum production standards and issues a certificate. The RSPO is not an eco-label: it is about doing more for working conditions and environmental protection on the plantations than is required by the laws of the respective country. The label is also only awarded to areas for which no rainforest has been cleared since 2005.

Which products contain palm oil?

It would make more sense here to ask the opposite question: Which products actually contain no palm oil? It is found in every second supermarket product in various degrees of processing, for example in ready meals such as pizza, in chocolate, in spreadable fat, in biscuits, in muesli, in shampoos, hair treatments, creams, mascara, and concealer. This is where the various practical properties of the oil come into play again: it makes creams easier to spread, makes the chocolate pieces in the cookies you buy creamy, and lets pizza cheese spread beautifully. Since palm fat can also be used to produce surfactants, it is also contained in almost every detergent.

How do I recognize products with palm oil?

For a long time, the vague term “vegetable fat” was sufficient to declare different fats in a product. Fortunately, that changed in December 2014: Since then, every vegetable fat contained in food has to be explicitly named.

The ingredients must also be listed in a standardized manner throughout Europe on all cosmetics packaging, but unfortunately not necessarily in German. If palm oil is found in cosmetics and there is no German translation, then there are terms such as palm stearine, palmitate, palm olein, or palm kernel oil. Some suppliers, especially from the natural cosmetics sector, also label in German. Some providers such as Dr. Hauschka and Annemarie Börlind never use palm oil.

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