Sunday, November 27, 2011

Salt is not your enemy

Crispy Caramel Cookies
Food Diary (November 26, 2011)
Breakfast: Rolled oats with flax seeds
Lunch: Pickled herring and beetroot salad
Dinner: Bean soup with sourdough

Today was a bad cooking day. I started the day with burnt oats, moved on to very salty salad for lunch but dinner really surprised me. It was nice, not burnt or salty. As I was thinking the worse was behind me a less than perfect rice pudding sneaked in. The rice pudding was slightly burnt, almost negligible. It was nice but definitely could have been much better. This was the worst rice pudding I had ever made. The  crispy caramel cookies turned out very nice though.

My mind was pre-occupied and this affected the quality of the food. Our state of mind does affect what we do and this made me think of professionals. Teachers in bad moods probably yell at their students but students are used to it. Doctors may misdiagnose but maybe the patient never finds out. But chefs in good restaurants have to consistently deliver good food. I wonder whether they have the ability to overcome bad moods or their brigade keeps the quality in check.

Today's Favourite Photo
Source: Smoky Wok
Soufflé Cheesecake

Today’s Favourite Blog
Source: mnn
Salt is not your enemy. Taking a moderate amount of salt may be healthier than too little or too much, according to a research study.

Researchers at McMaster University in Canada found people who consumed a moderate amount of salt had the lowest risk of heart problems, while people who had high-salt diets had an increased risk of stroke, heart attack and other cardiovascular events. Those with low-salt diets had a higher risk of death from heart disease and an increased risk of being hospitalized for heart failure.

Consuming 7 to 8 grams of sodium a day was considered high salt intake while less than 3 grams was low salt intake. A teaspoon of salt, or roughly 5 grams, holds around 2.3 grams of sodium.

Researchers are yet again confusing us. Coconut oil and butter, previously considered bad fat, is now good fat. Salt is coming back in. I guess the message remains the same – moderation.


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13 comments:

  1. SO glad salt is coming back - I LOVE it!
    mary x

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  2. I never thought about food impacting your mood. I think you might be on to something. I haven't noticed the bad food, bad mood thing but I'm definitely in a better mood when I eat GOOD food :)

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  3. Hi Three cookies, great, your caramel cookies has character- crunchy appetizing looks
    Thanks for remind me on this-“Our state of mind does affect what we do and this made me think of professionals”.

    My neighbor never add salt to his cooking- one day he fainted and his whole body was sweating, wiped, but it went on sweating, which to the elders is a sign of death coming. They rush him to the hospital, the doctor said this is due to lack of salt.
    Have a nice day and best wishes in blogging to you too. Blogging is a favorite hobby of mine ever since i started :)

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  4. Aww... I'm sorry. I burn things and overseason things too! Hope tomorrow will be a better cooking day!

    amanda

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  5. I agree anything in moderation is not bad

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  6. Food affects the mood, mood affects the food .... all I know is, I get grumpy when I'm hungry. Sorry to hear of the burnt stuff. Call it cajun and it'll taste better.... mental tweaking.

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  7. "Moderation" is what I wanted to say before reading your last word :-) I am happy we agree. I don't like extremes in food or drink.
    I am sorry for your failures. I perfectly know what it means. I have already had such bad baking days when two or three desserts in a row were inedible. I know I cannot be too nervous or too much in a hurry, otherwise the results are in danger.
    The caramel cookies look delicious though, so I hope they improved your mood in the end :-)

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  8. yes, moderation is the key. humans are like that i think, how we feel affects how we do things so we should try to have a zen piece of mind. i know, easier said than done. i love your cookies! haven 't really got back into the groove of cooking and baking yet but i hope to do so soon!

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  9. Mary: I was glad to read that also

    Parsley Sage: In this case mood affected food quality but I suppose it might work vice versa also.

    Wan: I have never heard of anyone suffering because of lack of salt, so the article is definitely true

    Amanda: it was much better, thanks

    Raymund; exactly

    ping: wish I thought of that earlier – Cajun. Very creative. There is a saying “a hungry man is an angry man”. Perhaps we can modify to “ a hungry man or woman is a grumpy …”:)

    Sissi: I am sorry too for my failures, it wasn’t delicious but I finished everything! Mood affects baking, along with so many other factors.

    Sylvia: I try that zen thing also but as you say its easier said than done. Enjoy your time off, I am sure cooking and baking will be back soon.

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  10. Those cookies look very tempting! I can't keep up with all this research. I think it is easier to consume too much salt than too little, so I generally avoid adding it to most things. But I eat plenty of biscuits and cheese that I'm sure I get atleast a moderate amount!

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  11. Great post and awesome looking cookies! Too much salt's a bummer though, hard to fix that problem..
    Take care

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  12. Salt is moderation has always been key. We as humans simply abuse things from time to time. Salt is definitely no exception. I obviously love salt. Especially the Himalayan Kind :)

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  13. seriously, i agree. moderation is key! i've even started eating more salt in my diet this past month!

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