Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea, seasonings play an important role in our daily life, and almost everyone eats them every day.
So, is there a simple, easy-to-remember, and easy-to-use method that can help us choose healthy, delicious, and safe condiments? Let's talk about it today.
4 principles for choosing seasonings
Let's start with the big selection principle.
Choose more natural flavors
Natural condiments, simply put, are condiments made from natural ingredients. For example, vinegar made from sorghum and bran, and soy sauce made from soybeans and wheat.
The preparation of condiments refers to the condiments made by using natural condiments as the main raw materials and adding various food additives for the purposes of seasoning, color enhancement and nutritional fortification. For example, a sour sauce made with glacial acetic acid and water (vinegar). Or soy sauce sauce (prepared soy sauce) prepared with more than 50% brewed soy sauce, hydrolyzed vegetable protein seasoning liquid, food additives, etc.
Natural condiments tend to taste better and are richer in nutrients than prepared condiments. Therefore, it is recommended that you choose natural flavorings. However, this does not mean that the preparation of condiments is harmful, as long as it is a qualified product that meets the relevant national health standards, it will not be harmful to health.
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Some friends are worried about accidentally buying the wrong product, and they can buy vinegar and soy sauce, but they don't have to.
Starting from January 1, 2021, the commercial standards SB/T-10337-2012 (prepared vinegar) and SB/T 10336-2012 (prepared soy sauce), which were originally used as standards for the preparation of vinegar and soy sauce, have been abolished, and soy sauce and vinegar manufacturers are no longer allowed to produce and sell products labeled as "prepared soy sauce" and "prepared vinegar". The preparation of vinegar and soy sauce has been managed as "compound seasonings" in accordance with the national standard GB31644-2018 (National Food Safety Standard for Compound Seasonings).
This means that the products that you can buy on the market today that say vinegar and soy sauce are brewed vinegar and brewed soy sauce.
Choose a condiment with a single type of ingredient list
A single condiment can be understood as a condiment that contains only one flavor type, such as salt, vinegar, soy sauce, monosodium glutamate, etc. Compound condiments refer to products that can be made of liquid, semi-solid or solid state by using two or more seasonings as raw materials, with or without auxiliary materials, and processed by corresponding processes. Such as oyster sauce, chicken essence, seasoning wine, acidic seasoning liquid products, etc.
The reason why it is not recommended to use too many compound condiments is that on the one hand, it is based on the difference between natural condiments and prepared condiments mentioned above, and on the other hand, because the salt and sugar content of compound condiments is not low, but they are often ignored by people because they are "invisible". However, there is no problem with the safety of the qualified compound condiment itself, just pay attention to the best not to use it in combination.
When a single condiment is used and then a compound condiment is used, it is not conducive to controlling blood pressure and blood sugar stability when the intake is large. For example, salt has been added to stir-fry, as well as chicken essence, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, etc. As everyone knows, there is about 30% salt in chicken bouillon, and the salt content of oyster sauce and light soy sauce is also more than 10%.
Choose according to the quality index of different condiments
Different condiments have different standards for their "excellent". For example, soy sauce focuses on a "delicious taste", we should look at the amino acid nitrogen content of soy sauce when choosing, the higher the content, the richer and more delicious the taste; vinegar, the emphasis is on the sour aroma, we should pay attention to the total acidity when choosing, the higher the total acidity, the stronger the sour flavor.
Learn to read the ingredient list and nutrition facts list, and choose low-salt, low-sugar products
Modern people are generally threatened by the three highs and four highs, so even if the amount of condiments is small, it is recommended that everyone try to choose products with low salt and sugar. At this time, it is especially important to learn to read the ingredient list and nutrition facts list.
No matter what kind of condiment, the various ingredients in the ingredient list are arranged in order of high to low content, and the first is the most important ingredient. The content of salt and sugar is given in more detail in the nutrition facts table.
Note: In the nutrition facts list, "carbohydrates" refers to the total amount of carbohydrates such as added sugars and starches, and is usually referred to only as the amount of added sugar in condiments (a small amount of starch in oyster sauce). "Sodium" represents the content of table salt, and the conversion formula between sodium and table salt is 1g of sodium = 2.54g of salt.
There is also a cold knowledge: not only soy sauce, oyster sauce, chicken essence, monosodium glutamate, and various sauces contain sodium, but even vinegar contains sodium.
Next, let's take a plate of how to quickly "select the best" for various condiments.
These 5 seasonings are picked like this!
Salt is the first of all flavors. However, there is no change in the flavor of salt, so the choice is aimed at health.
- If you have high blood pressure in your family, or if you eat a lot of salt and want to control the health risks caused by a high-salt diet, it is recommended that you choose low-sodium salt.
- Ordinary families recommend iodized salt preferred. This is because in most areas of the mainland (coastal areas have slightly higher iodine intake than inland areas due to more seafood consumption, but there is still a deficiency), people's daily iodine intake does not reach the recommended iodine reference intake of 120 ug/day recommended by the dietary guidelines for Chinese residents.
- Looking at the total acidity mentioned above, the higher the total acidity, the more flavor compounds, and the higher the nutritional value. And because of the high acidity and strong bacteriostatic properties, there is no need to use more salt and preservatives. The total acidity must reach more than 3.50% to be qualified, and the total acidity of Shanxi aged vinegar exceeds 6%.
- Look at its raw materials. Vinegar can be brewed from grains such as sorghum, barley, glutinous rice, indica rice, and bran, as well as from fruits such as grapes and apples, and white vinegar can also be made from wine. Different raw materials determine their different aromas and taste experiences.
Grain vinegar usually has a stronger and mellower sour taste, such as Shanxi aged vinegar, rice vinegar is relatively refreshing, fruit vinegar has a fruity aroma and sweetness, and white vinegar has a relatively bland taste and insufficient aroma. The choice can be based on personal taste preferences.
- Cooking needs. Some delicacies require specific vinegars to make. For example, white vinegar is usually used for cold dishes, which is not stained and more refreshing.
From a health point of view, Shanxi aged vinegar is a good choice. Not only is the total acidity high and the salt content is low, but also the content of amino acid nitrogen (umami) and flavonoids (antioxidant) is also higher due to the long brewing time.
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soy sauce
-grading
In the selection of soy sauce, the state has already helped us do our homework in advance, and we only need to "copy homework". The national standard GB 18186-2000 stipulates that soy sauce is divided into special grade, first grade (≥ 0.70%), second grade (≥ 0.55%), third grade (≥ 0.40%), and special grade according to the different amino acid nitrogen content. The amino acid nitrogen content of premium soy sauce should be ≥ 0.8%, and the taste is also the most delicious.
- Salt content
Soy sauce also contains salt. For health reasons, we should try to choose soy sauce with lower sodium content. You can compare in premium soy sauce and choose the one with lower sodium content. Some soy sauces have the words "reduced salt" or "thin salt", which can also be preferred.
It is important to note that the amount in the nutrition facts list of different soy sauces may be different, and the sodium content should be converted to the same amount first. For example, if the nutrition facts of a premium soy sauce are marked as "content per 10ml", and the nutrition facts list of another premium soy sauce is labeled as "content per 15ml", they need to be converted before comparison.
Different soy sauces may have different amounts in the nutrition facts list Image source: Screenshot of e-commerce
oyster sauce
- Oyster juice content
The main ingredient of oyster sauce is oyster juice, which has its own umami flavor. Therefore, the higher the oyster sauce content, the fresher the oyster sauce. Some products will be specifically labelled with the amount of oyster sauce. If it is not labeled, you can look at the ingredient list, if the oyster sauce is ranked first, it means that the oyster sauce is the most abundant ingredient.
- Salt and sugar content
In order to make the taste more delicious and rich, oyster sauce also contains salt and a small amount of sugar. If you need to control your salt and sugar intake, try to choose products that contain less salt and sugar. Or reduce the amount of salt used when cooking with oyster sauce.
Image source: Screenshot of e-commerce
It should be noted that since the protein content of oyster sauce is not low, it can easily spoil if it is not stored properly. It is recommended that you follow the instructions and refrigerate the opened oyster sauce.
Chicken essence or monosodium glutamate, mushroom powder and other freshness condiments
Many friends like to use chicken essence, monosodium glutamate, mushroom powder, etc. to enhance freshness and flavor. When choosing this type of product, pay attention to 2 indicators.
- The content of the main freshener
Specifically, because chicken essence and mushroom powder usually contain some other condiments or food additives used for seasoning and freshness. Therefore, if you buy chicken essence, you can choose chicken powder and chicken at the top of the ingredient list, and if you buy mushroom powder, choose mushrooms and other ingredients at the top. In this way, we can at least buy "value for money", and we are really paying for these umami ingredients.
- Salt content
The salt content of such products is often not low, and when using them, it is necessary to pay attention not only to reducing the amount of table salt, but also to choose products with lower salt content. The method is still to look at the "sodium" content in the nutrition facts list, which will not be repeated here.
Image source: Screenshot of e-commerce
Here are 3 MSG-related tips to share with you:
(1) Monosodium glutamate, the ingredient of monosodium glutamate, is not a chemical synthesis, but a product of the combination of glutamate and salt contained in various meats, seafood, and mushrooms.
(2) The main ingredient of essence of chicken is monosodium glutamate, and essence of chicken is not healthier than monosodium glutamate;
(3) MSG causes hair loss, cancer, etc., which have no sufficient scientific basis and can be considered rumors.
Well, let's talk about the relevant knowledge of condiment selection this time, and remember to take this out and buy it when you go to the supermarket to shop!
Source: Popular Science China