Wellness Weekly

By Sandy Considine

This article is about a variety of subjects with some interesting facts that are good to know and will help you make the best choice when purchasing and storing. Let’s start with Olive Oil. Did you know you are to avoid clear plastic and glass when purchasing olive oil. Purchase your oil in dark glass because it shields the oil from damaging light. And never store your oil on your kitchen counter where there is strong sunlight because the light will oxidize the chlorophyll in the oil, producing stale, harsh flavors. The same goes for storing the oil by your stove as the heat will accelerate spoilage. Store your oil in a dark cupboard.

All about Onions. Yellow onions are strong flavored and maintain their potency when cooked, making them the first choice for cooking. White onions are pungent and similar to yellow. Red onions are crisp and have a sweet, peppery taste when raw and are used mostly for salads. Sweet onions are Vidalia, Walla Walla. When cooked their texture becomes stringy so this sugary onion should be used raw. Pearl onions are small and mostly used in soups and side dishes, they are super difficult to peel so if you can buy them frozen. They are always peeled.

Shallots have a sweet flavor, when cooked they almost melt away making them the perfect choice for sauces. And lastly are the Scallions. They have an earthy flavor and a delicate crunch. These are my favorites. I highly recommend eating raw. When buying onions buy rock hard, no soft spots or powdery mold. Store in a cool room temperature away from light. Store your scallions in the refrigerator.

Potatoes: The three categories of potatoes are Starchy (low in moisture and sugar. They don’t hold their shape when cooked). Waxy (high in moisture and sugar but low in starch. They hold their shape) and All-purpose (are in between starchy and waxy, as they have a moderate starch and sugar content) The 8 types of potatoes are Fingerling, Russet, Baby, Purple, Sweet, Yellow, Red and White.

Fingerlings are waxy, small, long and narrow with edible skin. The best way to use these in a recipe is to roast or grill. Russets are starchy, long regular shape with thick inedible skin. Their ideal preparation is to boil and mash as they do not hold their shape once cooked. They are considered the choice for baking. Also, Idaho is another variety.

Baby potatoes are waxy and sweet. They come in red, yellow, white and purple. Best to roast, steam or boil.

Purple potatoes are an all-purpose and are slightly waxy. The flesh is mild and nutty in taste. The ideal use is potato salads. If overcooked, you will get very mushy results. To retain the color of the skin you should bake or steam.

White potatoes are classified as all-purpose. They are slightly waxy, light flesh and edible skin. This is your all around good potato for most dishes, especially mashed and into fresh cut fries.

Red Skins are waxy, small with thin edible skin. Great for soups and potato salad. They have a low amount of starch, sometimes called “new” potato because they haven’t had time to convert their sugar to starch. Common variety is the Red Creamer.

Yellow is an all-purpose potato with thin edible skin. Ideal for soups and mashed potatoes. Common varieties are Yukon Gold and Yellow Finn

Sweet Potatoes are starchy but of course sweet. They are large with rough skin. Best used roasted, baked or in soups and mashed. They are an alternative to Russets. They also make great French fries.

Store your potatoes in a cool dark area away from light. Keep well-ventilated and do not store your potatoes and onions together because the onions will give off gases that will speed up the spoilage of your potatoes.

I hope this article has been helpful to you and that you will try the recipe below.

In Health,
Sandy

Please feel free to email on what you what to know about for a future article at
sandra.considine@yahoo.com