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Which Coffee Bean Promises The Best Taste?

Coffee is known to impress with a variety of aromas. But how does the taste come about and which factors have an influence on it?

Variety of varieties: Taste of the individual beans

In order to find out the influencing factors on the coffee taste, we have to take a closer look at the respective coffee beans. In addition to origin and cultivation, the roasting of the beans plays an important role. Thanks to its more than 800 aromas, the coffee bean can boast a true variety of tastes. Depending on which bean is used, a wide variety of flavors are created. In the following article, we want to find out which coffee bean is ultimately the right one for you.

The types of coffee known to us are limited to 103 different types of plants. Surprisingly, only two of these are used for commercial purposes: the Coffea Arabica and the Robusta, a subspecies of the Coffea Canephora. The former takes around 70% market share, the latter around 30%. Of course, other types of coffee also occur – however, the production of such types is in very small quantities and is therefore hardly noticed. But what exactly is the difference between Arabica and Robusta beans?

The Arabica coffee bean grows in cool and stable climate regions. It has a curved scar on its flat side that is characteristic of its species. In terms of taste, the bean can convince with a strong aroma, mild notes and many coffee oils inside. If you choose this type of coffee, you can look forward to a fruity taste and sweet nuances. The versatile taste of the Arabica bean is one of the reasons why it is so popular around the world. The robust coffee bean, on the other hand, stands for an earthy and often bitter taste. It has a much lower oil content than Arabica. As its name suggests, it is very robust and thrives even in difficult climatic conditions. However, the strong flavor and low variety makes them less popular than the Arabica bean.

Cultivation areas and cultivation: This is how the taste changes

The taste of the coffee beans is sometimes determined by their origin. Even if all cultivation areas are in close proximity to the equator, there are significant differences in cultivation. For example, the Blue Mountain coffee variety comes from Central America, which convinces with a unique and sweet aroma. Beans from Mexico, on the other hand, are rather tart and extremely strong. This is where the heart of every coffee lover beats, as the taste is very full-bodied and soothing. Another special coffee comes from Costa Rica. The coffee beans from this region captivate with an intense fragrance and full-bodied and strong aromas.

The reason why coffee beans of the same kind taste different in one country than in another is mainly due to the cultivation and the climate. Other altitudes, temperature fluctuations and the use of individual fertilizers trigger different processes in the coffee plants and thus influence the taste of the coffee beans. So Arabica coffee is not always Arabica coffee – just like Robusta is not always Robusta. Anyone who likes to try different coffees should therefore also pay attention to the country of origin.

Roasting: fine-tuning the coffee beans

Probably the most important step in coffee production is the roasting process. Without this, the raw beans would be absolutely inedible and not really usable. Here the taste is decisively determined and the aromas and nuances are emphasized or even filtered out. Officially, a distinction is made between six different roasts. These range from light to strong to a dark Torrefacto roast. A coffee bean has a total of 300,000 to 400,000 cells. If you now heat the bean, it is roasted and chemical processes unfold. The amino acids and sugars are dissolved and reconnect. This can result in more than 1,000 new flavors. Even the smallest change in the roasting process creates a new and unknown taste. It is not without reason that coffee is one of the most aromatic drinks of all. Even wine can no longer keep up here and is far behind coffee in terms of its variety of tastes.

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Food

Why Some Apples Taste Mealy and How You Use Them

Floury apples are not a great pleasure on their own, but can still be used in many ways in the kitchen. We will explain why apples become mealy, how to store them correctly and which recipes mealy apples are particularly suitable for.

If the apple tastes mealy, that is not a reason for most people to be happy: Many appreciate the popular fruit precisely because it is crisp and al dente when fresh. That can easily change if apples are stored too long or under the wrong conditions. Also, certain apple varieties are more prone to tenderness than others.

By paying attention to the differences between the different varieties and storing your fruit correctly, you can prevent apples from becoming mealy quickly. If it happens anyway, you can still use the mealy apples in many ways when cooking and baking. At the end of this article you will find some suggestions for this.

Are there particularly mealy apple varieties?

By nature, no apple variety is automatically mealy. However, some varieties are less suitable for storage and become mealy faster than others. These include in particular summer apples such as the white clear apple or the Grevensteiner. They cannot be stored for long and should be eaten no later than four weeks after harvesting. After that, they taste less fresh and crisp. The Golden Delicious also takes on a floury consistency if it is harvested late.

But there are plenty of apple varieties that, if stored well, last a long time and have a lower risk of becoming mealy. This applies above all to rather sour representatives, for example Boskoop, Jonagold and Elstar. But even sweeter varieties like Braeburn and Gala don’t become floury as quickly if you store them well.

This will prevent apples from becoming floury

Apples becoming mealy at some point is a natural process. You can therefore hardly prevent it in the long run. However, by storing your apples properly, you can at least slow down the process. You should note the following:

To avoid apples becoming mealy quickly, store them in a cool, dark place. A basement room is ideal for this. If you don’t have a basement, you can store the apples in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator. However, you should make sure that they do not come into contact with any other types of fruit and vegetables.
Even if you don’t store apples in the fridge, you should store them separately from other fruits and vegetables. Apples give off the ripening gas ethylene, which allows other varieties to ripen faster. Keeping them away from the rest of your fruit will keep it fresh longer. The apples themselves also benefit from separate storage, because other fruits (e.g. bananas) can also accelerate the ripening of the surrounding fruit. This interaction contributes to the fact that apples lose their freshness faster and become mealy.
It is important that you leave enough space for each apple. This allows air to circulate between the fruits and they stay fresh for longer. It is therefore better not to store large quantities of apples crowded together in a sack, but side by side in a box. Ideally, you should also refrain from storing several layers of apples on top of each other: the specimens on the bottom can easily bruise due to the weight of the upper layers. If you cannot avoid stacking for reasons of space, you can prevent pressure points by separating the individual layers with corrugated cardboard. This way the weight is distributed better.

This is how you can use mealy apples in the kitchen

Floury apples may not taste as good on their own as crunchy ones. If they are still good apart from that, you don’t have to throw them away: There are even more uses for mealy apples in cooking and baking than for those with firm and crunchy flesh.

But floury apples are also ideal for other recipes. Among other things, you can use them to prepare the filling for apple turnovers or apple strudel. They also make a good base for apple sauce, apple jam, apple jelly or apple chutney. So by overcooking mealy apples instead of throwing them away, you can try a variety of delicious recipes while avoiding unnecessary food waste.

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Why You Shouldn’t Eat Nuts That Taste Bitter

Bitter-tasting nuts can have negative health consequences. We explain how you should deal with bitter nuts and which regional nut varieties are best for consumption.

Bitter nuts can be harmful to your health. They may contain mold or toxins. If the nuts are also stored warm and moist, they can release so-called mycotoxins. These are certain mold toxins that are produced during the metabolism of mold. A distinction is made between different mycotoxins, including aflatoxin, for example.

If nuts are discolored or have a bad odor, do not eat them. But beware, the mold in mycotoxins can sometimes be recognized neither by its appearance nor by its smell. However, a bitter taste or discoloration are signs of mycotoxins.

This is why bitter nuts can be bad for your health

According to the Federal Office for Consumer Protection, mycotoxins can affect the kidneys or liver, cause diarrhea or vomiting, weaken the immune system and, in the worst case, even promote the development of cancer. Therefore, you should definitely spit out bitter nuts immediately.

According to the agency, pistachios and peanuts are primarily affected by mycotoxins. Occasionally, however, the mold fungi can also be detected in walnuts and almonds. Therefore, you should be particularly careful with these four strains. Also make sure to always store nuts in a dry and cool place.

Nuts are healthy – if they don’t taste bitter

Nuts are a healthy snack in and of themselves, as long as they don’t taste bitter. They are mainly made up of fat and protein, which are good for the cardiovascular system. At the same time, they contain important dietary fibers that have a positive effect on digestion. However, many nut varieties have a poor ecological balance due to their long transport routes.

Nuts that are also grown in Europe include walnuts and hazelnuts. Almonds mostly come from California, but there are also Italian or Spanish ones. Therefore, for the sake of the environment, you should pay attention to the country of origin of the nuts. An organic certification guarantees you organic cultivation without the use of chemical-synthetic pesticides. With the Fairtrade seal, you also support decent working conditions and fair wages.

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Cooking Tips

Help, My Coffee Doesn’t Taste Good!

Is your coffee too bitter or sour, too bland or does it taste strangely burnt? A lot can go wrong when preparing a coffee. We present some of the most common sources of error.

Incorrect brewing temperature

The optimal brewing temperature is 88 to 92 degrees Celsius. Only then can the coffee aromas develop optimally. If your coffee tastes too bitter, then the set brewing temperature is too high. If your coffee is sour, increase the temperature because the water is too cold.

Poor water quality

Whether your coffee tastes good or bad depends not least on the quality of the water used. Good mineral water is best because the lime content is usually lower than in tap water. Alternatively, you can decalcify the tap water with a water filter before use. It is also possible that the coffee tastes bland and cannot develop any aroma if the water used is too soft. This can be remedied by carefully adding a very small pinch of salt to the water.

Ready ground coffee

Of course it is much more convenient to buy coffee already ground, because that saves time. However, ground coffee loses its aroma after a quarter of an hour in the air. If it has to be ground coffee, then you should only buy it in small quantities and use it up in a short time. Most importantly, always keep your coffee in an airtight container. Contrary to popular belief, coffee does not have to be stored in the refrigerator. On the contrary, coffee in the refrigerator can even take on the unwanted aromas of the food next to it.

old coffee

After three to six months, coffee beans have lost most of their aroma. So only buy as much fresh coffee as you need in a short time and not in stock.

Coffee from the discounter

Very cheap coffee is mostly made using the quick roasting process. Because the coffee beans are roasted here in huge drums within a few minutes at very high temperatures, the beans are brown on the outside, but still almost raw on the inside. However, in order for the coffee to develop its full aroma, the beans must be roasted slowly and completely at low temperatures. Of course, this process is much more complex and partly explains the higher price. But you will be rewarded with a coffee that doesn’t taste burnt or make your stomach acidic.

Wrong coffee blend

If you want a stable crema on your coffee, then a pure Arabica coffee is not ideal.

Too much or too little ground coffee

If coffee tastes bitter, then too much coffee powder was usually used. Eight to nine grams of ground coffee is the right amount for a cup of coffee. If you want to prepare several cups at the same time, use a little less per cup. It is best to use a coffee measurer, which is usually calibrated for seven grams, and overfill it slightly – this will give you the optimum amount of coffee powder. The notorious “Bodensee coffee” without any noteworthy aroma is obtained if too little coffee powder is used.

Wrong degree of grinding

An incorrect degree of grinding means that the coffee powder comes into contact with the water for either too long or too little. If the contact time is too long, your coffee will taste bitter. If the contact time is too short, the coffee will tend to be too acidic. With bitter coffee, you should therefore set the degree of grinding a little coarser so that the water can run through the coffee powder more quickly. Finer coffee powder, on the other hand, increases the contact time with the water.

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Yellow Beets: Everything about Taste, Cultivation and Use

Less well known than its red counterpart, the yellow beet is gaining in popularity. Here you can find out how red and yellow beets differ, what is important when planting yellow beets and how to use them in the kitchen.

In addition to the beetroot, you will increasingly find yellow or white beets at the weekly market or in the vegetable displays of some supermarkets. Beetroot is often less conspicuous because of its less intense color – but it is a healthy, tasty and regional winter vegetable that you can use in many ways in the kitchen. We will explain what makes them different from beetroot, how you can plant and harvest them yourself and which dishes they are suitable for.

Yellow beetroot and beetroot: That’s the difference

Both the beetroot and the yellow beet originally came from the wild beet (Beta vulgaris). Today’s beet is a cultivated form of this plant. Other types of vegetables that go back to the wild beet are, for example, the sugar beet or Swiss chard.

From a botanical point of view, the yellow beet is just a variant of the beetroot – it is not a separate variety. The dye betaxanthin is responsible for their yellow colour, while the strong red of beetroot comes from the dye betanin.

Apart from the colour, yellow and beetroot differ only slightly. Their nutrient content is similar: Both types provide various B vitamins in particular, as well as iron and folic acid. Both betaxanthin and betanine belong to the betalain family, which have antioxidant effects.

Basically, the yellow beetroot is a little milder and sweeter in taste than the red variety. For people who are bothered by the slightly earthy taste of beetroot, the yellow version can therefore be a more pleasant alternative.

Planting yellow beets: you should pay attention to this

If you want to plant yellow beetroot in your own garden, you should choose a sunny and deep location: The beets develop so-called taproots that reach far into the ground. In addition, humus-rich soil is recommended for good growth. Apart from that, the yellow beet is relatively undemanding. Only very heavy soils (clay soils) can cause problems.

It is best to buy the seed for the yellow beet in organic quality – you can get tips and information on the advantages of organic seed in our overview. Between May and July you can sow the yellow beet seeds directly into the bed.

How to plant yellow beets:

Make seeding rows 4 inches apart and place the seeds 8 to 10 inches apart in the bed.
After sowing, cover them with soil about an inch or two deep.
After about two to three weeks, the seeds should start to germinate. If you then find that the plants are too close together, you may need to separate them – for the beets to grow well, they need enough space. In this case, loosen the soil around a plant with a toothpick, carefully remove it, and replant it in a suitable spot.
You should also water the plants regularly during growth: always keep the soil slightly moist, but avoid waterlogging. Apart from watering, the yellow beet does not need any additional care.
By the way: The yellow beet is well suited for mixed cultures. It’s best to choose plants that grow low so they don’t take away the sunlight from the yellow beets. You can plant kohlrabi, radishes or chives in the same bed, for example. Be careful not to plant yellow beets in a spot where you have previously grown goosefoot or foxtail plants. These include, for example, spinach, chard or sugar beets. With such a crop rotation, the yellow beets are susceptible to diseases and the soil loses nutrients, because these plants have very similar requirements.

Harvesting and storing yellow beets

You can harvest the yellow beets from September right into the winter months. It usually takes about three months between sowing and harvesting. You should get the yellow beetroot out of the ground before the onset of frost at the latest – they can cope with temperatures down to zero degrees Celsius, but they don’t tolerate sub-zero temperatures.

How to harvest yellow beets:

To harvest, use a small shovel or special digging fork to loosen the soil around the beets.
Then you can easily pull them out.
When there is plenty of excess soil on the beets, roughly pat them off. If you intend to store your harvest, you should leave a little soil on it – this increases its shelf life. While you can gently twist off the root of the beetroot about an inch below the beet, you should not remove the leaves.
A sand-filled box in the basement or a storage pit (earth heap) in the garden is best suited for storing yellow beets. With cool temperatures of around zero to one degree Celsius, the beets last all winter. If you don’t have a basement or a storage pit, you can also preserve the yellow beets by boiling them down. You can do this in the same way as with beetroot.

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Freeze Strawberries: This is How the Sweet Fruits Taste Longer

You can easily freeze strawberries without losing much of their flavor. Not only whole fruits are suitable for freezing, you can also preserve strawberry puree in this way. You can find out more about the various options here.

You can freeze strawberries after the strawberry season and thus preserve them. Depending on the weather, the strawberry season varies slightly from year to year. However, the bright red fruits can usually be harvested between May and July. Then they also have high season in supermarkets and organic shops. In order to have delicious strawberries for the rest of the summer and even in winter, we show you different ways to freeze them.

Freeze strawberries: instructions for whole fruits

You can easily freeze fresh strawberries – whether from the organic market or harvested yourself – as whole fruits:

It is important that you wash the strawberries thoroughly before freezing. It is best to clean them in cold, standing water, for example in a large bowl or in the sink, so that you do not damage the fruit.
Now remove all stems and remaining foliage.
Then pat the berries dry with some kitchen paper or a towel. They must not be wet when freezing, so that a layer of ice does not form.
To prevent the fruit from sticking together later when defrosting, freeze them first: place berry by berry next to each other on a flat plate or tray. The berries should not touch each other. Then place everything in the freezer for an hour or two.
To make room again, you can then fill the strawberries into their final freezer container. Place the pre-frozen berries in a stainless steel freezer box and store in the freezer. Frozen fresh strawberries will keep for about eight months.

Tip: Only use freshly harvested soil without dents or holes for freezing. Damaged fruit spoils faster even in the freezer – better eat it now.

Freeze strawberries as a puree

You can also puree the strawberries before freezing them. After defrosting, you have fresh strawberry puree at hand that is perfect for pancakes, with homemade Bircher muesli or to be enjoyed on its own. You can also cook strawberry jam or combine it with rhubarb to make strawberry rhubarb jam.

Wash the undamaged, fresh fruit in standing, cold water (as described above).
Remove the stems and foliage, then gently pat the strawberries dry with a towel.
Place the strawberries in a tall container and puree them into a smooth cream.
If you want the puree to be even creamier and finer, spoon it through a fine sieve before freezing. So you can easily catch the small seeds.
Pour the strawberry puree into a freezer bowl or glass.
Tip: You can also pour your pureed strawberry puree into ice cube molds. Frozen strawberry ice cubes taste wonderful in sparkling wine, mineral water or homemade cocktails.

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Cooking Tips

Freezing Currants: This is How They Taste Best

As soon as they are ripe in summer, you can freeze currants in advance. That way you can still have some of the delicious fruit for the rest of the year.

Red, black or white currants grow in many gardens. Among other things, they contain a lot of vitamin C and, with their sour taste, are a great ingredient in sweet pastries. You can just as well use them to make jam or jelly, or add them to your muesli in the morning. Like the other berries, currants are sensitive. Therefore, you should process or freeze them within a few days of picking them.

Cook currants

How to cook the currants for freezing:

Discard unripe or mushy fruit.
Wash the berries. Make sure the water pressure is not too high, as the currants are delicate.
Dry the berries.
Now remove the berries from the panicles. If you do this before washing, the berries will leak juice through the resulting cracks in the skin. You can easily scrape the berries from the panicles with a fork.
Remove any remaining stalks.

Pre-freeze currants

Pre-freeze the berries so that you can thaw them individually later. To do this, place the currants not too close together on a large plate or tray and place it in the freezer for one to two hours. If you don’t have enough space for this, you can also freeze the berries in a jar and shake them carefully after an hour so that they separate.

After pre-freezing, you can put the currants in a freezer box (preferably made of glass) and freeze it. The fruits will keep for up to 12 months.

Defrost currants

Slowly thaw the berries before using them. So they lose little aroma. This works best if you first let the berries thaw in the refrigerator and then thaw them completely at room temperature.

Defrosting the currants will make them a little mushy. You can then no longer use them as well as decoration, for example for cakes. But they are still good for:

Compote, currant jam and currant jelly
currant syrup
Currant cake, in which the berries are baked in the batter
muesli or porridge
milkshakes or smoothies
fruit sauces

Alternative: Freeze currant puree

You can also process the currants into a puree with a little powdered sugar or agave syrup before freezing and freeze it without pre-freezing. Small molds are particularly suitable for this. This way you can defrost the puree in portions.

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Lifestyle

What Does the Taste of Your Coffee Say About You?

Do you drink coffee black, as a latte, cappuccino, caffé latte or espresso? Take this personality test to find out what the taste of your favorite coffee says about you. Your coffee preferences say a lot about your character. Find out!

This is what the taste of your coffee reveals about your personality

Black

You are a confident and straightforward person who doesn’t care for unnecessary frills. They like to keep things as simple and straightforward as possible. The same applies to coffee, which you can only pimp with a little sugar. In order to master the day, the coffee machine is turned on in the morning. If you had to be described in one word, you would probably be called “minimalist”. True to the motto: Less is more.

Espresso

You are at home in big business. With you, everything has to go in no time. You don’t have time for extensive coffee talks and therefore prefer to have a quick espresso (or a double). You are a workaholic and enjoy taking on leadership roles within a group. You work hard for success. So you need the quick caffeine kick. A healthy diet and balancing out with sport are also very important to you.

Latte macchiato

Let’s be honest: You don’t actually like coffee that much and you would still like to drink hot chocolate. But because you are of a certain age, you reach for the latte macchiato. Since it’s mostly milk, drink the mildest coffee beverage. No wonder you can be described as a comfortable and easy-going person. You like to drink your latte in good company at Sunday brunch with your loved ones or in a cozy café around the corner.

Coffee latte

You prefer the caffè latte in a cozy environment with friends and family. It is particularly important for you to spend a lot of time with your loved ones, which is why you like to put some duties on the back burner.

Cappuccino

The first thing you do after waking up is not the coffee, but your cell phone. Something important might have happened on your social network. They are very active and like to be everywhere. At work are at home in the creative field, always motivated and slightly obsessive. You prefer to drink your cappuccino in a sweetly decorated café, where you can also relax for a few hours with your laptop or a book. Served with a small muffin or croissant. Yummy!

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Quality and Taste: How to Recognize Really Good Bread

Good bread is said to be available in every discounter – at least that’s what Lidl, Aldi & Co. would like us to believe. But good bread is not only recognized by its taste and certainly not by its price, but by how it is made.

Bread is not only available in numerous varieties and flavors in this country, it is also served in the morning, at noon and in the evening. The meals even have their own names – depending on the region, we call them snacks or supper. But do we actually know what exactly is on our table? How can you recognize really good bread and where can you buy it?

You can choose to buy bread:

discount stores and supermarkets
bake shops
bakery chains
organic bakeries
small local bakeries

Where can you buy good bread?

Even cheap bread from the assembly line, made from ready-made baking mixes with artificial enzymes and additives, can apparently taste good: about one in five Germans buys their bread rolls most often in bakery shops and discounters – i.e. in places that have very little to do with real baking to have.

Bread in bakeries and discounters: industrial frozen goods

The supposedly fresh rolls come from industrial production all over Europe; they are delivered deep-frozen as “dough pieces” and are only thawed and baked on site. Artificial enzymes and other aids ensure shelf life, crispiness and color during production.

Speaking to “Markt” moderator Jo Hiller, nutritionist Dr. Finally, Mattias Riedl: “The bread on our supermarket shelves has gotten worse and worse.” As reasons, he lists the baking processes, which are price-optimized and geared towards speed.

Can you really call the bread from the supermarket, discounter or bakery “good bread”? No, when we talk about good bread, we mean bread that is made with purely natural ingredients, that is not made on the fully automatic baking line but in the bakery, preferably in the region – without long transport routes, but with traditional skills by trained bakers. Bread from real bakeries.

But there aren’t that many of them anymore. How do you actually recognize real artisan bakers and how do they bake their bread?

Bakery chains: regional bulk goods

A few large bakery chains dominate the market in Germany. Some of them operate hundreds of branches – some of them throughout Germany, such as Kamps or Ditsch. Other bakery chains sell more regionally, such as Ihle in Bavaria, Dat Backhus in Hamburg or the Glocken Bäckerei in the Frankfurt area.

Nevertheless, these chains have earned the name bakery, because they actually bake their bread themselves and do not – like discounters and bakery shops – have them supplied by external companies. As a rule, the bakery chains operate one or more of their own bakeries.

However, this designation should not be misleading, because this can also be an (at least partially) industrialized manufacturing process. Nevertheless, according to Armin Juncker, General Manager of the Association of German Large Bakeries, “many branch bakeries very consciously define themselves as craft bakeries”, because a lot of manual work still takes place everywhere.

“The main difference between baking stations and artisan bakers is that baking stations have their dough pieces made by third parties, while artisan bakers make them themselves,” explains Daniel Schneider, General Manager of the Central Association of the German Bakery Trade.

In most artisan companies, the breads are baked in a central production facility, the rolls only in the branches. The “raw” rolls (dough pieces) are usually distributed from the production sites to the branches where they are cooled, where they are then baked – at Aldi, Lidl & Co., on the other hand, the dough pieces arrive deep-frozen and are only baked.

Most of the branch bakers bake according to their own recipes instead of using ready-made baking mixes. Nevertheless, it is noticeable that the rolls in the branches of different large chains often look, name and taste very similar; unusual and imperfect baked goods are rarely found here. So it’s still the same thing – albeit more regionally baked.

It is difficult to say in general terms whether the bread in the large bakery chains is made with the help of artificial enzymes or not. Because “enzymes are used by bakeries of all sizes – depending on the recipes used,” explains Juncker. Hence our recommendation: ask which ingredients are in the bread. Show interest and find out where and how your local store’s bread is made. And only buy where you get satisfactory answers.

Organic bakeries: good ingredients, big chains

Organic bakers sell real bread that is neither made in highly industrialized baking factories, nor frozen and thawed again, that contains hardly any additives and that is made with high-quality raw materials. They use purely organic ingredients and traditional production methods, give the bread dough enough time to rise and often have different types of rolls and bread in their range.

The EU organic seal allows the use of artificial enzymes, while the organic farming associations Naturland, Bioland and Demeter rule this out. Many organic bakeries attach great importance to regional raw materials.

In principle, organic bakers make really good bread that more than justifies the slightly higher price. However, not every organic bakery is small and local; here too there are chains with many branches and sales outlets, for example organic shops.

But that doesn’t have to mean anything bad, on the contrary: It’s nice when the concept of organic bakeries works and the good bread can be found in more than one place. But only those who produce locally have short transport routes and support the region. Maybe it doesn’t have to be that the Munich Hofpfisterei, for example, carts its organic bread from Bavaria to Berlin at night.

Local artisan bakeries: traditional, local, high quality

Our No. 1 recommendation for really good bread: the local artisan bakeries. Although there are fewer every day, they are still there: bakers who have always baked in the traditional way in their own bakery, who do not use unhealthy additives, who use high-quality ingredients and who know their craft – and who do it for you shortly before six in the evening the shelves can be empty because the rolls are often only freshly baked once a day.

“It’s a question of the location,” says Schneider from the Central Association of the German Bakery Trade. Craft bakeries with several branches are often supplied with “raw” rolls, which are then baked in the branch. However, many bakery branches are still only supplied with ready-baked goods once a day.

And then there are the very small bakeries: “There are still many small bakers who have the bakery in the back and the salesroom in the front and that’s it,” says Schneider. There is usually freshly baked every morning.

Bread from the artisan baker usually costs more than in the discounter or bakery shop – but it’s good bread and not assembly line goods. And that’s worth getting.

You can often find small bakeries in the countryside and at weekly markets, but there are still local artisan bakers in most cities. The Central Association of the German Bakery Trade e. V. offers the IN-Bäckerfinder on its website, which displays all the bakeries in Germany on a map by entering a location or a postal code.

Good bread is healthier

The higher price of good bread from a real (organic) bakery also pays off for our health. Many people today can no longer tolerate bread. This can not only be due to gluten intolerance, but also to the resting time of the bread dough. At discounters and bakery shops, the dough has little time to rise, and the ready-made baking mixes are also enriched with artificial enzymes and additives. In a traditional bakery, on the other hand, bread dough is given sufficient resting and rising time and is therefore more digestible. In addition, these breads stay fresh longer and require fewer ingredients and additives.

Where you buy your bread is a decision with consequences: if we want good bread to continue to be available in the future, we should support real bakers now.

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Food

Top Flavoring Mistakes: That’s According to the Science of Taste

Seasoning dishes is a science in itself. There are numerous spices that you can combine and use in many different ways. Here you can find out what the biggest mistakes are when seasoning.

For a dish to taste good, it has to look good, smell good and taste good. People have always used spices to refine their food. Spices are usually herbs or seeds that are added to food in dried or fresh form.

Due to their intense inherent flavor, spices have a significant impact on the overall taste of a dish. The correct handling and dosage when cooking are therefore important for a satisfactory result. We tell you the most common mistakes that you should avoid when seasoning.

You just season with salt and pepper

Of course, if you just want to season your dishes with salt and pepper, that’s perfectly fine. However, there are a great many spices with a wide variety of flavors that you can combine in different ways. So it would be a shame if you only used salt and pepper. Human taste is an extremely complex matter. The overall oral impression of a meal consists of taste, aroma and appearance, as described in the book “Aroma – The Art of Seasoning” by Vierich and Vilgis.

Humans are known to be able to distinguish between five tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. The latter is a flavor discovered by a Japanese scientist in the early 20th century. Umami stands for spicy and hearty. According to the latest findings, there is also a sixth taste, the fat taste – but it is not yet fully recognized in the professional world.

By the way: Spicy is not a taste, but a pain signal from the nerves, more precisely the trigeminal nerve. A dish seasoned with chilli only irritates the pain receptors. The same happens with ginger or mint, for example.

You are storing your spices incorrectly

Spices can lose their flavor and aroma if you don’t store them properly. You should observe the following tips to avoid this:

It is best to store your spices in a dry and cool place.
The color of many spices can be destroyed by UV radiation, making them no longer attractive. So protect them from sunlight.
You should also store spices in airtight containers and, if possible, in their entirety. Ground spices have a larger surface area. As a result, the essential oils and thus the aroma evaporate much faster, according to Vierich and Vilgis.

You season with the salt shaker directly above the saucepan

Spices should not only stay dry where they are stored – you should also keep them away from moisture when cooking. When you use your spice grinder or shaker directly over the steaming saucepan, the spices inside come into contact with water vapor. The moisture can then collect in the grinder or container, and your spice will go lumpy or even moldy. It is best to sprinkle spices over your dish by hand.

You don’t roast your spices

The point at which you season your dish is of great importance. Many spices only develop their full aroma when you roast them. The heat then releases the essential oils of the spice. It is best to roast the spices whole and only then crush them with a mortar. You can find a mortar made of olive wood in the Avocadostore**, for example.

Spices in powder form, on the other hand, are poorly suited for roasting, as they quickly lose their aroma and burn due to the larger surface. Sometimes they also develop a bitter taste. This is the case, for example, with paprika powder.

You can roast your spices in a pan with or without cooking oil. If you roast your spice in oil, the aromatic substances will dissolve in it – so use an oil that is as tasteless as possible, such as sunflower oil or rapeseed oil. If you don’t want to use oil, it’s a good idea to roast the spices individually. This way, you can be more careful not to accidentally burn a spice. As soon as the spices start to smell fragrant, you should remove them from the pan. Always roast on a low or medium heat so that the spices warm up slowly and nothing burns.

Attention: Not all spices are suitable for roasting! Here is a small list of spices that you can roast without hesitation:

anise
chili
fennel
cardamom
cumin
cloves
pimento
sesame
black cumin
mustard seeds
fenugreek

You buy poor quality powdered spices

As previously mentioned, the essential oils in spices are volatile and are released when crushed. Therefore, you should buy your spices in whole form if possible, for example whole peppercorns and not ground pepper. This is the only way they can develop their full aroma potential.

In this context, it is also an advantage if you buy spices in small quantities. If you stockpile large quantities of spices, you will end up with less of them as the flavors will dissipate over time.

Make sure you buy organic quality: Only with organic spices can you be sure that they are free of chemical-synthetic pesticides. The seals from Naturland, Demeter or Bioland are particularly meaningful. They stand for healthy spices without flavor enhancers and genetic engineering.

You only use dried herbs

Dried herbs usually taste more intense and you need less of them to flavor your dish. However, there are some exceptions that are much more aromatic when fresh. For example, it is best to use fresh basil, chives or parsley, as they are much more flavorful than in dried form. Ginger or bay leaves are also more aromatic when fresh.

Now you know which basic mistakes you should avoid when seasoning. Be courageous when cooking and keep trying out new combinations of spices. Only through practice will you learn which spices you particularly like and how they can develop their full potential.

Seasoning isn’t everything: what else makes up the taste of a dish

According to Vierich and Vilgis, the temperature also has a major influence on the intensity of the taste. We perceive salty and sweet to a greater extent in warm dishes, sour and bitter less. Heat-cold contrasts also stand for a full-bodied taste, which is why, for example, warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream tastes great. In connection with the taste, the temperature also has an influence on the seasoning.

We perceive aroma through our sense of smell. The higher the proportion of essential oils, the more aromatic a spice is. Incidentally, the scent molecules that we perceive as pleasant serve the plants themselves either as a sex attractant or as a defense against predators. For example, truffles smell of androst, a boar sex hormone that is also found in many men’s perfumes.

Finally, of course, the look is also important for the overall perception of a meal. These include the texture, presentation and color of the food.

Incidentally, taste also changes over the course of life. Perhaps you have already noticed this yourself because, for example, you like to eat certain foods today that you did not like as a child.

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