Harm And Benefit Of Palm Oil: Is The Devil As Scary As It Is Portrayed?
Many of us have heard about the harm of palm oil at least once in our lives, but remembering exactly what it is and from whom is not an easy task. The conclusion suggests itself - isn't this a cunning black PR used in the battle of the titans of the food industry? Let's try to weigh all the pros and cons, and put someone in the sentence: "Palm oil execution cannot be pardoned."
Damage
In the minds of the masses, palm oil is on the same level as dyes, preservatives, flavor enhancers and GMOs. They say that it contains some fatty acids that can harm the body, provoke a heart attack or stroke. For example, in 2011, Stanford University researchers published data showing that in countries with the highest consumption of palm oil, statistics of cardiovascular diseases are also increasing. But scientists ignored the fact that palm oil is eaten more in countries with a low standard of living, where people's diet is generally worse, and medicine is not all right.
Benefit
Other researchers of human consumption of saturated fats claim that neither butter, nor palm, nor any other vegetable oil can in itself cause any harm to health, especially when it comes to moderate consumption.
But why is palm oil used so often and everywhere? The reason is cheapness: if a ton of milk fat costs about $2,700 in 2015, palm oil is being asked for $570. So why pay more when this similar substance can easily replace butter? An additional plus - unlike margarine and other popular substitutes, palm oil does not contain trans fats, the harm of which has been proven by science.
Micronutrients are also found in palm oil: co-enzyme Q10, carotenoids, tocopherols and tocotrienols. These substances have the properties of antioxidants, which means that they are completely suitable for food consumption.
Production
It turns out, you can safely buy cheeses, sweets and sauces, ignoring the labeling on the packs? Unfortunately, everything is not so rosy. Intensive production of the product harms the environment, because huge areas of virgin tropical forest are cut down to plant oil palm plantations. Thus, rare species of animals disappear, rivers become polluted and dry up, which ultimately leads to global climate change. Conservationists say that if plantations in Indonesia continue to expand at the same rate, after 7-8 years only 2% of the forest will remain in the country.
A rhetorical question
Unfortunately, demand creates supply, and poor tropical countries continue to follow the lead of industrial giants Unilever, Nestle, Procter & Gamble, Kraft and other companies that actively use palm oil in their products. Perhaps, when a person is faced with the painful choice of whether to eat or not to eat this mysterious product, he should think not only about the mythical clogging of arteries, but about the very real ecology of our planet.
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5 Delicious Desserts With Mascarpone
Desserts are loved by both adults and children! Homemade sweets are many times tastier than store-bought ones, because they are fresh and healthy, and prepared with love. We present you 5 recipes for incredibly delicious desserts with mascarpone: Tiramisu cake, cream tartlets, cheesecake, trifle and eclairs. We promise that after such a treat, guests will come to you more often!
1. Cake "Tiramisu"
The classic Tiramisu cake is distinguished by its unforgettable taste and is prepared on the basis of Savoyardi cookies and airy cream cheese cream.
Savoyardi cookies - 36 pieces Strong coffee - 250 grams Powdered sugar - 100 grams Mascarpone cream cheese - 500 grams Baileys liquor - 100 milliliters Eggs - 4 pieces
Let's start with the cream first. To do this, we need to separate the yolks from the whites. Beat cold egg yolks with 50 grams of powdered sugar, the mass should turn white and increase in volume. Then beat the egg whites, gradually adding the remaining powdered sugar and increasing the speed of the mixer. Gently add the beaten yolks to the whites and mix with a spatula. Add the mascarpone cream cheese to the egg mixture and stir until smooth. Then we mix strong coffee with liquor and with a sharp movement we dip the cookies into the coffee-liquor mixture. Put the cookies into a mold. On top of the first layer of cookies, carefully distribute the cream, and do the same with the next layers (the number of layers depends on the size of your cake mold). Cover the cake with a lid and send it to the refrigerator for 6 hours.
2. Tartlets with sweet filling
Tartlets are a fairly common sweet among desserts and they are served with a variety of toppings. We suggest you prepare a delicate cream cheese cream, decorate the tartlets with fresh berries and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Fresh raspberries - 250 grams Soft cottage cheese - 50 grams Mascarpone - 150 grams Powdered sugar - 2 tablespoons (+ for sprinkling) Ready tartlets - 6 pieces
We need to mix cottage cheese with mascarpone until smooth, you can use a mixer, then add powdered sugar and mix again. Put the finished cream into tartlets through a pastry bag (or carefully with a spoon), decorate with raspberries on top (you can take any seasonal berries, fruits) and sprinkle with powdered sugar. The tarts are ready!
3. Classic cheesecake with mascarpone
Cheesecake is an incredibly tender and delicious dessert that will drive you crazy from the first bite! We offer you one of the easiest options for making an airy cheesecake.
Cookies - 400 grams Butter - 100 grams Salt - 1 pinch Cream cheese - 500 grams Mascarpone - 400 grams Sugar - 1 cup (+ for cake to taste) Eggs - 4 pieces Vanilla extract - 1/3 teaspoon
First of all, turn on the oven at 180 degrees. For the base, crush the cookies into crumbs using a pusher or mixer and combine with soft butter, add salt and sugar (if the cookies are not sweet). We spread the resulting mass in a baking dish and form an even cake with sides with our hands, then send it to the oven for 8-10 minutes. Let's do the stuffing. Beat cream cheese with sugar and vanilla extract, add mascarpone and pre-beaten eggs. You should get a gentle, airy mass. We take out the cake from the oven and reduce the temperature to 100-120 degrees. We spread the cream in a form with a cake and carefully level it. Place the cheesecake mold in a second, larger mold filled with water and send it to the oven for about 90 minutes. We take out the finished cheesecake from the mold and let it brew for 3-4 hours. If desired, before serving, the cheesecake can be decorated with fresh fruits or berries, almond petals, chocolate. Bon appetit!
4. Trifle
Trifle is an insanely simple dessert that absolutely everyone loves! Such a dessert captivates not only with its perfect taste, but also with its appearance.
Biscuit - 100 grams Berries - 200 grams Mascarpone - 200 grams Cream - 150 milliliters Liquor - 1 tablespoon Nuts for decoration - 2 tablespoons Sugar - 3 tablespoons
In a saucepan, combine 100 grams of berries with liquor, 2 tablespoons of sugar and heat until sugar dissolves. Whip the cream with 1 tablespoon of sugar, then add the mascarpone and beat again. We cut the biscuit into cubes and put it on the bottom of the bowls or glasses. Pour the already cooled syrup prepared by us and a layer of fresh berries onto the biscuit. Next, spread a layer of buttercream, then a layer of the remaining fresh berries and buttercream again. We decorate our trifle with chopped nuts, fresh berries or chocolate chips. This dessert is served chilled. Bon appetit!
Trifle recipe with step by step photos >>>
5. Eclairs with butter cream
Eclairs are prepared on the basis of choux pastry stuffed with the most delicate cream. Today we will prepare airy butter cream based on Mascarpone cheese. Let's get started!
Water - 250 milliliters Butter - 100 grams Salt - 1/4 teaspoon Flour - 250 grams Eggs - 4 pieces Mascarpone - 250 grams Powdered sugar - 120 grams Cream (20-22%) - 100 milliliters
Let's take a test. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, then add butter, salt and bring the mass to a boil again. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour sifted through a sieve to the oil mixture. We mix the mass until you get a dense and homogeneous dough that does not stick to the walls of the pan. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and add 2 tablespoons to the dough, mixing each time until smooth. The dough should be runny but still holding its shape. Through a pastry bag on a baking sheet covered with parchment, spread the dough in the form of small sausages. Bake eclairs for 30 minutes at 200 degrees. For the cream, beat the mascarpone, cream and sugar until smooth and refrigerate. We make cuts on the already cooled eclairs and fill them with the most delicate cream. It is convenient to do this with a confectionery syringe. Voila - eclairs for tea are ready! You can decorate them with powdered sugar or melted chocolate.
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