REDMOND REAL SALT INGREDIENT

We get questions, ha.

A couple of readers have asked what salt we use in cooking.  Well, that is a legit question!

We found this salt a few years ago.  It's called "Redmond Real Salt".

We LOVE it!

Like many chefs and home cooks alike, we use Kosher salt.  Not for any religious reason, but because Kosher salt is a slightly larger granule and not as fine, so it's easier to grab pinches and toss them into cooking.  Kosher salt in general always has a more natural salty flavor and this brand has the added benefit of naturally occurring minerals.  Of course, they sell fine salt as well if you want that and everything from pocket shakers of the salt, to bulk 25 lb bags and everything in between.

Locally, we can only find it at the HEB grocery story chain.  Of course you can buy it on Amazon HERE.

We like it for several reasons.  We like the texture and granule size and it has a rich, great flavor (as salt goes) that's almost sweet.  It's North America's own pink salt as it has a pink hue to it along with the darker colors from the other trace minerals found in it. 

This from their website:

"We think salt should be simple. It shouldn't contain artificial additives or unhealthy pollutants. And it shouldn't be stripped of beneficial trace minerals. It should be sea salt the way nature made it - nothing added, nothing taken away. Redmond Real Salt is unrefined sea salt mined from an ancient seabed in Utah where it's safe from modern pollutants. It's pure, unprocessed, and full of trace minerals that give it one-of-a-kind nutritional benefits and a subtly sweet flavor that brings out the best in each bite."

We don't get anything for posting this (though Redmond, if you're listening...LOL).  We just thought we'd share an ingredient we love from our kitchen!

BBQ SAUCE WITH NO HFCS

The other day, I posted here about a dish that we like to throw together really quick.  In the post I mentioned a "high fructose corn syrup free" BBQ sauce.  I think that generated as much interest as the recipe, ha.

  

So I went to the store and snapped some pics for you...  

KC Masterpiece with real sugar

It is KC Masterpiece and it's their 35 anniversary blend.  Notice the tag line on the front of the bottle?  It says "Made with Love and Real Sugar".  Not sure about the love part, ha, but the real sugar is a definite plus.

I snapped a pic of the back ingredients list.  Pretty much all good stuff.  Tomato puree, sugar and molasses as the first three largest ingredients so we're OK with that.  It's not homemade but to find it as a mainstream brand in a regular grocery store is great...so that got us to wondering...

Does anyone have any other HFCS free products from the store they like?  Share in the comments below...

INGREDIENT ESSENTIALS - SWEET HERBS & SPICES

I decided on this entry to not just focus on one thing, because there is really no SINGLE herb or spice that you must have, quite simply you need to have a variety.  I would say however that this is a list of essential spices that you should have in your pantry to use in your baking and dessert cooking. 

Previously, I covered the essential herbs for cooking savory dishes. 

In no particular order they are:

• CINNAMON- This ubiquitous spice is essential in all types of pies and cookies.
• VANILLA - In all forms, it's used in virtually all desserts.  Vanilla extract is the most common form, and you can actually make that yourself, I'll have a "how to" on that coming soon.
• NUTMEG - A whole nutmeg is best so that you can grind it as you need it.
• CLOVES - Ground is most commonly used in desserts, but often, whole cloves are used in a simmering style dessert to add flavor, and then are removed at the last minute.
• GINGER - An unusual spice, very pungent but necessary for Gingerbread and other similar desserts and breads.
• SUGAR - Goes without saying that it's essential, you can't make anything sweet without it. Sugar comes in many varieties, white, powdered, dark, light, cane, etc, and it's good to have a variety.
• ALLSPICE - Used in cookies and cakes and breads, adds an unusual taste to pies.

It's interesting, all of these seasonings are used interchangeably in sweet and savory dishes.  Whereas the savory spices are rarely used in desserts, these are very commonly used in dinners.  Nutmeg goes well with seafood dishes, and I've often put a tiny pinch of cinnamon in my meatloaf. 

The key to using them like this is to use a very small amount, just to add a little extra "hmm, what is that?" to your dish.  Also, when using them in your desserts, they are often not used to "taste", like, for example, salt/pepper.  If a recipe calls for one teaspoon, don't use two or three.  These seasonings are meant to be used in moderation so that they don't overpower your dish.

I remember reading an article once that said you can experiment in cooking dinner and don't have to be precise with amounts, but in baking and desserts, always follow the directions.

Good rule to live by I suppose.

Happy Cooking!

 

INGREDIENT ESSENTIALS - SAVORY HERBS & SPICES

I decided on this entry to not just focus on one thing, because there is really no SINGLE herb or spice that you must have, quite simply you need to have a variety.  I would say however that this is a list of essential herbs and spices that you should have in your pantry to use in your cooking. 

I'd make these the important herbs for savory cooking, i.e. dinner. 

Beautiful spices, herbs and seasonings

In no particular order, they are:

• BASIL -  We all need this most essential ingredient for almost any Italian dish.  You can't make a sauce, lasagna, pizza or pasta dish without this necessary ingredient.
• OREGANO -  Again, a versatile addition to any Italian dish, it's also great for Greek dishes and used in Mexican cooking as well.
• THYME - Great with poultry and pork, beans, potatoes, soups and rice.
• ROSEMARY - A very strong taste, use sparingly, but it does pack a lot of flavor.  We love it on potatoes with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, roasted in the oven.
• BAY LEAVES - This is almost a requirement in any kind of soup or stock you might make. 
• PARSLEY - Probably one of the most common, it's in so many recipes, you'll just always need to have it on hand when that recipe calls for it.
• DILL - Essential for canning pickles of course, but almost as essential for any fish dish.
• PAPRIKA - Great for pretty much any meat, it adds a very nice flavor, and can even add color (reddish) to a dish as well.  A deep, smokey flavor.
• ONION POWDER - Not Onion SALT, onion powder, it's a quick way to add that great onion flavor to a dish and another layer of flavor.
• GARLIC POWDER - Same for onion, you don't want garlic salt.  And everything goes well with garlic, an essential ingredient in any Italian dish.
• CHILI POWDER -   You ALWAYS need some heat available.  Even subtle amounts make a huge difference in the outcome of a dish.  And the nice thing is, you can use it as your taste desires, super hot or just barely there.
• CUMIN -  Essential in any Mexican dish, it's a rich earthy taste that goes well with spicy foods.
• SAFFRON - I know, everyone goes "but it's the most expensive seasoning out there!" and yes it is, for the quantity you get, but you use so little it's still cost effective.  You can't imagine the punch of flavor that a few threads can add to a dish, especially adding it to rice.

  

Bulk spices and seasonings

Don't be afraid to try new seasonings, they have been around for thousands of years and are integral ingredients in any dish you want to cook.  Best of all, they allow you to make any dish your own.  You can follow a recipe that calls for certain ingredients or you can take it and add your own seasonings according to taste and create your own version.

I'll cover spices used in baking/desserts in a future post.

What about you?  Any seasoning or spice that you consider essential to your own kitchen pantry?

INGREDIENT ESSENTIALS - KOSHER SALT

One of the things we consider to be absolutely essential in any kitchen is Kosher Salt.  The prevalence of cooking shows has brought this long used staple of commercial kitchens and restaurants into the mainstream.  But there is still some confusion out there.

It is not actually named that because it is Kosher, it is called that because of its use in making meats Kosher.  Unlike regular table salt, Kosher is usually made without additives.  Table salt is treated with iodide, hence the term "iodized salt".  Kosher salt will be about as 'all natural' as you can get without going to sea salt (which is great but has a much larger and irregular texture).

The grains are much courser shaped, and slightly flatter than the smaller, almost square, crystals of regular table salt.  This is the reason chefs and home cooks, such as 2nd Man, love this salt so much.  It's much easier to pick up between your fingers and it sticks well to foods that you sprinkle it on (roast chicken anyone?).  Please note that Kosher salt has less salinity (not as salty) as, well, regular table salt.  This being said, it takes a little more to match the saltiness of ordinary salt.  What we have found however, is that this makes us eat less salt in our diet and that's good all the way around.

One caveat, in baking, be sure to add it to the liquid ingredients so that it will dissolve fully.  If your baking recipe does not have a lot of liquid, you would be better off using regular table salt, so that you can avoid small bits of salt in your baked product.

There are several different brands, including generic and store brands.  We have found that Morton's, shown above, is our choice.  In a side by side comparison with Diamond Crystal brand and Morton brand, the latter grain is a bit courser and that's good.  Taste wise, we could tell no difference.  I'm sure chef's may have their favorites, but Morton's brand is the biggest seller.  A side note, we use a store brand, Kroger, for cleaning.  It works great when 2nd Man is cleaning his cast iron pans or needs something abrasive to scrub with (more on that in a future post). 

So........go out and get a box of Kosher salt.  A great way to try it first....get a whole chicken, rub it with some olive oil, sprinkle it with Kosher salt, some course ground pepper, and bake until done.  You'll never go back to "regular" salt again. 

INGREDIENT ESSENTIALS - Sriracha Sauce

Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

This week, I'm going to start a new feature where I will discuss one of the things we consider an essential must have in the kitchen pantry or fridge. 

Oh, dear, wonderful, Sriracha Chili Sauce, how do we love thee?  How did we go through life without ever trying you?

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a big hot sauce lover.  I know, sacrilege, but still, I'll occasionally use Tabasco, it's got such a unique taste, but the rest of them that are out there all seem the same, hot, hotter, and OMG!  I never bothered to try this now famous sauce, sometimes also called by it's nickname of "Rooster Sauce" (the symbol on the label) thinking, "how different can it really be?"  Boy, how wrong was I.  This stuff is great!  I bought it originally because it was an essential ingredient in a recipe for Five Spice Pork (will post that later!)  The recipe came out great, and I have to give alot of that credit to the Sriracha.

You have probably seen this sauce, in its ubiquitous plastic squeeze bottle, with green spout and the rooster on the front.  This chili sauce was created by a gentleman who was producing it and selling it in his home country of Vietnam before immigrating to the United States in 1980.  Not long after, he opened Huy Fong Foods  and started selling it.  It quickly caught on, and today, they produce almost 15 MILLION bottles annually.

It is spicy without being overly spicy.  I'm not going to lie and say it's not hot.  It is.  After all, it IS a jalapeno based chili sauce, but this doesn't seem to 'burn' and linger on your tongue or in your mouth.  It's just the right combination of slightly sweet, hot and spicy, smokey, and some other subtle, yet complex flavors....it truly does go great on everything.  A few nights ago, 2nd Man made "Migas" (a Mexican dish of eggs, tortillas and cheese, topped with avocados) and I decided to add a swirl or two of Sriracha to the top and oh my, it was great!

We've also found that when you pair it with a cheese or other sort of dairy product, it really cuts the heat that it has,  and brings out all those subtle flavors.  I like to mix it with mayonnaise, you can just decide what amount you like best, depending on how hot you want it, but I've found a 4 to 1 ratio works great (i.e. 4 TBSP mayo & 1 TBSP Sriracha) and then use the mayonnaise as you normally would.  Another thing we enjoy is mixing it into a little Philadelphia Cream Cheese and spreading it on a cracker, topped with whatever you want.  Yet another great option is to add a little bit to some Ranch Dressing, and then dip your french fries in it.  Wonderful!  You can add this to just about anything you are cooking, from soups and stews, to chilis and pasta sauces.  Even adding a TBSP or two in a batch of Marinara sauce gives it an extra zing that will leave your guests asking for the recipe.  It's so versatile, it's almost like an Asian style  version of ketchup (or is that catsup?).

I have also seen, though not tried, a similar sauce they make, it comes in a jar instead of the squeeze bottle, and has more garlic in it.  All of their sauces are made without added water or artificial colors.  That red comes straight from the pepper!  The sauce has even become so popular, it now has it's its own Facebook page with almost a quarter million friends.

It's usually found in the Asian/International food sections of most grocery stores, but is sometimes in the hot sauce section as well.  So do yourself a favor and grab a bottle next time you're at the store and try something you might never had tried before.  I think you'll enjoy it and find all sorts of uses for it.  And if you DO use it now, please share how you use it.  I love to get new ideas and try new things!