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Onion Skin: 5 Amazing Uses

We usually throw onion skins straight into the trash. That’s a shame, because the dry shell and the outer skin contain a lot of healthy substances – and you can use them in many different ways.

I guess most people don’t think twice when they throw onion skins in the trash. The paper bowl is really useful and healthy. The inconspicuous onion peel and the outer skin layers of the onion hide fiber which, if consumed in sufficient quantities, is said to reduce the occurrence of heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer and obesity. Also: flavonoids, which are also said to have vascular-protecting and cancer-preventing effects, and other healthy substances.

1. Onion peel in the soup

A good way to use onion skins together with healthy ingredients: off to the soup. Simply add washed onion skins (we recommend organic onions) to the water when you cook a soup and fish them out again at the end. The onion peel is not only healthy, but also refines the taste and gives vegetable soups in particular an appealing colour.

2. Dye hair naturally

I’ve got an onion on my head, I’m a doner kebab?” Nonsense aside. Onion skins are actually said to be excellent (and without nasty smells) for natural hair tinting. If you want to get a copper shine without any unhealthy chemicals: Cover about a handful of peels of a yellow onion with half a liter of water (mineral water is recommended on some blogs) and bring to the boil. Simmer for five minutes, cool and strain.

Apply the toner to your hair after washing it and leave it on for some time (recommendations vary from 30 minutes to an hour). Repeat this process until you have reached the desired red-brown color intensity.

3. Onion skin stock for healthy plants

Onion skins can also be useful in the garden and for indoor plants. Simply pour a liter of hot water over about 10 grams of onion skins, allow to cool and strain. Then it’s time to water the plants. The onion skin tea provides them with nutrients and prevents mold growth.

4. Dye Easter eggs naturally

The bright colors of supermarket Easter eggs not only look unnatural, they’re also unhealthy. But it’s not difficult to avoid the artificial colors. Onion skins, for example, produce a beautiful, natural golden brown

5. Onion tea for colds

This tip is not just about using onion skins alone, but a whole onion – including the skin. Because of its expectorant and antibacterial properties, onion tea is a home remedy for treating a persistent cough.

Simply slice an onion with the skin on and boil it in about half a liter of water for at least five minutes. Drain the onion tea and drink it in small sips while it is as hot as possible. Sweeten with honey if necessary.

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Cooking Tips

11 Amazing Tips How to Choose and Cook the Perfect Steak

How to choose good meat

On the market

  • The first thing you should pay attention to is the color of the meat. It should be deep red. The color may vary: fresh beef is just red, lamb is a little darker, pork is pink, veal is deep pink.
    Take a closer look at the color of fat and bones. Some unscrupulous sellers refresh stale meat by soaking it in a solution of potassium permanganate. In this case, the fat will be pinkish, and the bones will be yellow. Very yellow fat is a sign of an old animal. This meat will be tough and will take much longer to cook. Good young beef has white fat and crumbles, and fresh pork has white-pink elastic layers of fat.
  • Do not be afraid to taste the meat with your finger: it should spring back when pressed.
  • Another important nuance is the smell. If you even feel a subtle unpleasant scent, go to another seller. But there is a subtlety here: for example, the meat of non-castrated pigs can look and smell just perfect when raw, and when frying will give a terrible stench. Ask the butcher to cut a small piece and light it with a lighter. If it smells like barbecue, you can take it.

In the shop

  • In the store, the situation is different: in most cases, meat is now sold in vacuum packaging. The main thing is that it is not swollen.
    The piece of meat must be solid and of the correct thickness. For example, for ribeye, it is 2.5-3 centimeters.
  • After unpacking, the meat must be allowed to breathe for 15-20 minutes, and it is better to wrap it in parchment and leave it overnight: in the morning you will see a significant color difference.
  • But it is better not to buy ready-made meat in marinades – not the freshest pieces are most often used there.

Cooking

  • The steaks are best grilled on an open grill, but a grill pan will work at home.
  • Take the meat out of the refrigerator one hour before cooking and let it sit at room temperature.
  • For Medium roasting, first crust on both sides and then roast the meat for another 2-3 minutes on each side. You can turn it over every minute – so the juices are better distributed inside.
    If cooking in a skillet, add fresh thyme, rosemary, and garlic during frying, and at the very end add a lump of butter (3 x 3 cm).
  • Transfer the meat to a baking sheet with a wire rack and let it rest for 4-5 minutes. It is now that the meat can be salted.
  • Serve the steak with a light green salad or mint avocado, seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil.
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Food

10 Amazing Facts About Kumquat

No, this is not a small orange or an unusual tangerine. Today we will tell you about kumquat – an exotic and unfamiliar fruit for many of us. If in the supermarket you still walk past the shelves with this citrus, then our 10 facts are especially for you!

  1. Kumquat is the smallest citrus fruit. Kumquat, or Fortunella, is an exotic fruit. Its size does not exceed 5 cm in length.
  2. The southern regions of Ancient China are considered the birthplace of this fruit. In Europe and the United States, this fruit appeared in the 19th century.
  3. The kumquat fruit tastes like tangerine and has a strong, pleasant aroma. They eat it whole, without peeling.
  4. It can be eaten raw or processed (jam, candied fruits, dried fruits, marmalade). Various sauces are prepared from it and added to dishes.
  5. The fruit is rich in healthy oils that have a positive effect on the nervous system, help create a positive mood, and activate brain activity.
  6. Fresh fruit is low in calories (71 kcal) and is almost 80% water. But it is better to refuse dried fruits during a diet, 100 g contains 284 kcal.
  7. Thanks to the sparkling leaves and fragile white flowers that appear in summer, kumquats are also planted at home as an ornamental plant.
  8. In China, after the holidays, they are sure to be treated with kumquat. Even 2-3 fruits will save you from a hangover syndrome.
  9. Eight kumquats are about 10 grams of fiber. Fruit fiber improves digestion, which is why doctors recommend consuming kumquat every week.
  10. Regular consumption of kumquat protects against wrinkles, age spots, rough and dry skin.
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Food

16 Amazing Facts About Sweet Рotato

The plant belongs to the bindweed family. Unlike potatoes, which are tuber (stem thickening), sweet potatoes form root thickenings. Storage root – this is what the sweet potato roots are called abroad, which most fully reflects their essence. In addition, all parts of the plant are edible: leaves and young shoots are actively used for food. What do you know about Sweet Рotato?

  1. Worldwide, sweet potatoes are the sixth most important food staple after rice, wheat, potatoes, corn and cassava. However, in developing countries, it is the fifth most important food crop (it is grown more than any other root-tuberous crop). More than 105 million metric tons are produced annually worldwide; 95% of which are grown in developing countries.
  2. The sweet potato can grow up to 2500 meters above sea level. It requires less resources and labor to grow than other crops such as corn, etc. It can also be cultivated in areas with extreme growing conditions: dry periods, poor soil. Here it acts as a cheap “nutritional solution” in developing countries that need to grow more food in a smaller area.
  3. Sweet potato roots have a wide range of skin and pulp colors. It ranges from white to yellow, orange and deep purple. Varieties with bright orange flesh are an important source of beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. Only 125 g of this sweet potato provides the daily requirement for provitamin A of a preschool child.
  4. In addition, sweet potatoes are also a valuable source of vitamins B, C, and E, and they contain moderate amounts of iron and zinc.
  5. US dietitians are studying the potential anti-cancer properties of anthocyanins, which are present in the purple varieties of this crop.
  6. Sweet potato comes from Latin America, but today it is Asia that is the world’s largest producer of this crop: more than 90 million tons. China is the leader here. He not only grows, but also consumes the largest amount of sweet potatoes. The plant is used for food production, animal feed and processing (starch, flour, alcohol, food additives and dyes, etc.).
  7. The importance of sweet potatoes as a food crop is growing at an enormous rate in some parts of the world. For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, it is outpacing the growth rate of other major products. It was also tasted in Europe. This refers to countries that traditionally did not grow sweet potatoes: France, Great Britain, Germany (consumption of sweet potatoes by the population is growing from year to year).
  8. Sweet potatoes are used not only in human nutrition. It is a source of healthy and cheap animal feed. Recent studies have shown that animals fed high-protein sweet potato tops produce less methane gas than those fed with other foods. This potentially contributes to significant reductions in harmful global emissions.
  9. This wonderful crop produces more “edible” kilograms per hectare than any other (including corn and white potatoes). This is why sweet potato is considered one of the first plants to be cultivated in space stations.
  10. Batat more than once rescued the population of different countries during the “difficult periods” of their development. In America, he saved the first colonial settlements of Europeans from starvation. During the Civil War and the Great Depression in the United States, it allowed tens of thousands of people to survive. The Japanese used it when typhoons destroyed their rice fields. Made it possible for millions of people to survive in starving China in the early 1960s. The sweet potato came to the rescue in Uganda in the 1990s when a virus wiped out the cassava crop.
  11. Fresh sweet potatoes, stored for a long time in a modern refrigerator, develops a fragile taste and a hardened heart.
  12. When Columbus brought the first sweet potato roots to Spain, his first biographer wrote: “Christopher discovered one island called Hispaniola (present-day Haiti), whose inhabitants eat a special root bread. A small bush grows tubers the size of a pear or small pumpkin. They are dug out of the ground in the same way as our radish or turnip, dried in the sun, chopped, ground into flour and baked from it into bread, which is consumed boiled. The natives call these tubers “Achies”).
  13. It took the British 200 years to accept ordinary potatoes (they call them “Irish”) as suitable for human nutrition, but sweet potatoes immediately became a rare and expensive delicacy.
  14. Before becoming the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and the first president, George Washington was a yam farmer!
  15. In the industry of various countries, not only food products, semi-finished products and ethyl alcohol (from 10 kg of sweet potato yield up to 1.7 liters) are made from sweet potatoes, but also biofuel: bioethanol.
  16. In Japan, the following experiment was successfully carried out: an electric current of 2 A was passed through a sweet potato root crop for 5 minutes. As a result, the amount of antioxidants increased almost one and a half times! This technique had no effect on the taste of sweet potatoes.
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Food

11 Amazing Facts About Eggplants

Eggplants are starting to appear in our markets, and gourmets are in a hurry to seize the moment when the vegetable is available for sale. Eggplants contain vitamins C, B, B2, PP, carotene, as well as potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron, this vegetable is good for the brain. What do you know about Eggplant?

  1. Eggplants are included in national cuisines all over the world – from China to America.
  2. In some countries, eggplants are eaten raw because they retain more nutrients in their raw state.
  3. When cooking, eggplants significantly decrease in volume, losing liquid, so you should definitely take this fact into account if you are thinking of a dish from these vegetables.
  4. Eggplants are eaten with or without the peel. It is believed that the peel is completely indigestible by our body, so it is better to remove the excess load for the stomach.
  5. Eggplant looks very harmonious as part of vegetable stews and sautés, as it combines with seasonal vegetables in the best possible way – tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini. Eggplant is an excellent side dish for fish and meat, and also tolerates the neighborhood with fermented milk products – cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese.
  6. There are many types of eggplant, but the most useful are narrow oblong fruits with almost black skin.
  7. Overripe eggplants are undesirable for consumption, as they contain a poisonous substance – solanine.
  8. Eggplants go well with spices such as basil, garlic, onion, thyme, rosemary, cumin, coriander, tarragon.
  9. Eating eggplants can lower blood cholesterol levels, improve heart function, and solve problems of the intestines, liver, and kidneys.
  10. Eggplants relieve swelling and normalize the water-salt balance in the body, remove salts.
  11. In Europe, eggplants began to be eaten in the 15th century, but their industrial cultivation began much later, only in the 19th century.
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Food

10 Amazing Facts About Basils

Although the scope of its application is not as wide as it could be – all because of the powerful aroma of basil, which makes it unconditionally dominate in combination with delicate foods – where basil is appropriate, it literally transforms the dish, breathing new life into it. And of course, there are many other interesting facts to tell about the basilica.

  1. Basil comes from central and tropical Asia and Africa – according to one of the versions, we owe the origin of the basil to India. However, in the Mediterranean, basil grew extensively already in antiquity and is an integral part of Mediterranean cuisine.
  2. The name “basil” goes back to the Greek “royal”, “royal”. The Greeks believed that only the monarch himself, armed with a golden sickle, has the right to collect the basilica.
  3. In addition, the ancient Greeks, and with them, the Romans believed that basil would rise only if the sowers shouted curses and shouted wildly.
  4. In general, there are many superstitions associated with basil. For example, it was widely believed that a basil leaf, forgotten under an inverted bowl, after a while turns into a scorpion. Some even believed that sniffing basil would trigger a scorpion in the brain.
  5. It was also believed that Salome covered the severed head of John the Baptist in a pot of basil to hide the smell of decay. Let us also mention the terrible story told by Boccaccio about a girl who watered a pot of basil with her tears, in which the head of her lover was buried. Later, this story inspired the English poet John Keats to create the poem Isabella, or a pot of basil. However, it seems to me that the fault is not basil, but the overly violent and painful imagination of some creative personalities.
  6. However, the stories associated with the basil do not have to be chilling. In Italy, basil has always been considered a symbol of love, and in Romania, a young man who accepts a basil stalk as a gift from a girl agrees to be engaged. In Mexico, they believe that basil protects from the fact that the beloved will lay eyes on someone else, in Haiti, basil is generally considered a powerful amulet.
  7. A mixture of basil and rosemary is used as a salt substitute in a salt-free diet.
  8. Basil leaves are a valuable source of vitamin P-rutin and provitamin A. In addition, the aerial part of the plant is rich in essential oils, and therefore basil is widely used in medicine as an aphrodisiac and general tonic, to stimulate digestion and arouse appetite.
  9. Basil goes well with tomatoes and is one of the main ingredients of pesto, so a rare Italian dish does without basil.
  10. Basil is also famous for the fact that it suits almost any dish – fish, meat, vegetables. In addition, you can always add a spicy flavor to food by seasoning it with vinegar or olive oil infused with basil.
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Food

23 Amazing Facts About Peas

If you intend to grow peas, you will have to put in a lot of effort, as this plant can sometimes be quite moody and does not want to grow properly. However, everything is relative – if it were so difficult, peas would not be grown all over the world in incredible quantities. In addition, this plant is very valuable, and dishes from it can be found in the cuisines of various nations.

  1. The very concept of heredity in biology was discovered thanks to peas. The Austrian scientist Mendel studied this plant, and thanks to his research, heredity was discovered.
  2. As an experiment, peas were grown on the ISS in zero gravity.
  3. Farmers know that after peas, other crops grow very well in their former place. This is because the roots of this plant contain a lot of nitrogen, which is a valuable fertilizer. After harvesting the pea crop, the roots remain in the ground and rot, enriching the soil.
  4. Archaeologists have established that peas became the first cultivated plant that was grown by people thousands of years ago in Central Asia and the Middle East.
  5. Peas were part of wedding ceremonies among a number of peoples, in particular among the Poles.
  6. The starch obtained from it is used in the production of modern bioplastics.
  7. A thousand years ago, peas were the most widely grown crop in the British Isles.
  8. The ancient Chinese considered peas, not rice, to be a symbol of wealth and fertility.
  9. More than half of the world’s total pea crop is harvested in three countries – China, Russia, and Canada. But the leadership in its production is firmly held by the Chinese.
  10. In the Middle Ages, peas in Europe were as important a part of the diet as rice in Asia.
  11. At the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries, pea sausage, which was made from pea flour, bacon, and meat, was consistently included in the army’s diet.
  12. People have been eating peas since time immemorial, but the so-called “green peas”, that is, not yet ripe, began to be eaten about three hundred years ago.
  13. Peas are the seeds of peas. Strictly speaking, they do not belong to vegetables.
  14. There are seven types of peas in the world. There are much fewer kinds of beans, of which there are several hundred.
  15. Among all the vegetable crops used for food, peas are second only to lentils in terms of protein content. Beans are slightly inferior to him in this parameter.
  16. Archaeologists have discovered pea seeds in Switzerland, which are about 20 thousand years old.
  17. The protein content of peas is comparable to that of beef. True, this is a vegetable protein, not an animal protein, but it is useful and well absorbed.
  18. Eating peas regularly in moderation helps the body flush out excess bile and also reduces the risk of blood clots in the blood vessels.
  19. Common peas, the same ones that are grown in almost all countries, can grow up to two meters in height.
  20. It contains a huge amount of fiber, which helps to remove toxins and excess fluid from the body.
  21. When and where people first began to cultivate peas is not known for certain. But in Ancient China and Ancient India, he was already widely known. True, flour was usually made from it.
  22. The total harvest of peas around the world is about 15 million tons per year.
  23. Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was fond of growing peas in his spare time. On his land, he cultivated about thirty varieties of this plant.

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Food

11 Amazing Facts About Bulgarian Peppers

Let’s talk about bell pepper, its benefits, dietary properties, how much pepper you can eat per day and how to save it for the winter.

  1. Thanks to the large amount of B vitamins, it serves as a natural antidepressant, relieves stress, helps to get rid of insomnia and normalizes the nervous system.
  2. It contains the hormone of joy – just like chocolate. Only unlike chocolate, pepper will not add extra inches to your waist.
  3. Pepper improves memory.
  4. The pepper will help improve the condition of hair, skin and teeth.
  5. It thins the blood and prevents blood clots.
  6. It improves immunity due to the large amount of vitamin C – especially high in yellow bell peppers.
  7. It contains a lot of fiber, which removes toxins, toxins and bad cholesterol from the body.
  8. Yellow pepper contains a lot of potassium and iron, which are necessary for good heart function, and it also improves blood composition.
  9. Peppers are high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, making them ideal for dieters. There are even diets based on this vegetable that help you quickly shed those extra pounds. However, it is worth remembering that before any diet, it is imperative to consult a doctor so as not to harm the body.
  10. By the way, remember: many vitamins in pepper are fat-soluble, which means that the body simply cannot absorb them. If you are making a salad with fresh peppers, season it with vegetable oil.
  11. The most useful pepper is seasonally ripe. It can be saved for the winter by freezing in bags. Keep in mind that re-freezing destroys nutrients, so it’s best to freeze it in batches.
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Food

9 Amazing Facts About Broccoli

Broccoli is a very healthy and tasty cabbage that is given to babies as a complementary food and is called the “product of the 21st century.” Here are some interesting facts about this bright and beautiful cabbage.

  1. Broccoli is one of the oldest vegetables on earth. It did not exist in the wild: scientists found out that this variety of cabbage was bred in the 6-5 centuries BC. In the 1st century BC, the ancient Roman scientist Pliny wrote a description of broccoli, where he called it “a blessed plant.”
  2. Despite the fact that in ancient Rome broccoli was very popular, the rest of the world did not even know about its existence. After Rome, broccoli was recognized in ancient Greece – more than 2,000 years ago. Then, centuries later, broccoli came to Byzantium (modern Turkey), and from there it spread throughout the world.
  3. The name “broccoli” was popular only in Rome. In the rest of the world, it was called “Italian asparagus” – everywhere except in Germany. There they called the cabbage “Brown Copf” – brown head.
  4. Since then, more than 200 varieties of broccoli have been developed. Despite such a large number of species, only 6 varieties are mainly grown. And recently, scientists have created another variety, Beneforte – this broccoli contains three times more beneficial anti-cancer substances than ordinary cabbage.
  5. Broccoli is considered a negative calorie food. This is the name of foods, the digestion of which the body spends more calories than they contain. By the way, the calorie content of broccoli is very low: only 34 kcal per 100 grams.
  6. And that’s why broccoli is used for weight loss. It is a part of many diets. For example, recently broccoli has become very popular in America: more than 76,000 tons of this cabbage are eaten there a year!
  7. Moreover, this cabbage is very useful and contains almost all the substances the body needs. It is considered a superfood: broccoli contains a large amount of antioxidants, vitamins A, E, and C, PP and B group, many minerals, proteins, and carbohydrates.
  8. By the way, the proteins that are part of broccoli are compared with proteins of animal origin. In terms of their nutritional properties, they are practically equivalent, but they are much easier to digest.
  9. In order for the beneficial properties of broccoli not to be destroyed, it must be cooked correctly: it is best to steam the cabbage, lightly fry or bake it, eat it raw. You should not overcook broccoli: it should be damp, and tastier, and healthier.
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Food

10 Amazing Facts About Beans

Beans are a unique plant that is grown almost all over the world. What do you know about Beans?

  1. Beans are a unique plant that is grown almost all over the world. The total cultivated area of beans reaches 130 million square kilometers worldwide. The USA grows the largest amount of soybeans.
  2. The largest volumes of peas and beans are grown in Russia.
  3. Beans are very rich in nutrients. In addition, beans contain several times more protein than other foods. Because of this, beans are used dry or fresh for feeding animals and nature in human nutrition.
  4. The bean fruit can be very different. Usually, all fruits differ from each other in size (slightly).
  5. There are beans that are woven, and there are those that are compact.
  6. Basically, the roots of beans run deep underground, which naturally allows you to enrich the soil with nutrients.
  7. The beans tolerate cold very well and germinate even at temperatures around 5 degrees. However, beans are very fond of moisture, so growing them in dry areas is problematic.
  8. Beans can be grown in front of almost any other plant, as beans saturate the soil with nutrients and minerals, which other plants do not.
  9. The beans can grow alone, but they can grow with other plants. For example, you can plant beans along with corn so they grow up better, and use corn as a base to curl more.
  10. You need to sow beans quite early, to a depth of about 5 centimeters. You need to harvest the beans when about 70-80% of the crop is dry. Only in this case, it will be possible to obtain the maximum yield from the entire plantation.
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