Which coffees are highest in antioxidants? Written by Randy Wilson
As researchers learn more about antioxidants with health and disease, they increasingly find themselves drawn to their influence on overall health. With them becoming an ever larger realm of study, people are looking for new ways to obtain high levels for them to be beneficial. Since coffees are one of most widely consumed beverages in world, it was natural for researchers to test coffee. Surprisingly, they found that some coffees have extremely high levels. The Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at University of Pavia in Italy studied antioxidants present in green and dark roasted coffees Coffee Arabica and Coffee robusta. They found that all of studied coffees showed a strong presence of them and also antiradical activity. There was no difference found between green and dark roasted coffee, indicating that roasting process did not damage natural presence in coffee beans. The School of Food Bio Sciences at The University of Reading, Whiteknights in Reading, United Kingdom looked at effects of roasting coffee and if that negatively affects presence of it in bean. They studied Colombian Arabica coffee that was roasted to light, medium, and dark roast. The researchers found that maximum detioxification activity was found in medium roasted coffee. This was in contrast to previously held belief that dark roasts were higher in antioxidative content due to their darker color.
| | Cooking Lesson: Seasoning Cast Iron Like the ProsWritten by Michael Lansing
In days before we had non-stick cookware, we had next best thing – seasoned cast iron cookware. While non-stick cookware has certainly outdone cast iron cookware in non-stick category, cast iron pots and pans are still favored by many chefs, including professionals because of their durability and ability to retain flavor.But, if you’re not lucky enough to have a hand-me-down from Grandma, you may find yourself confused about how to become a cast iron chef. Have no fear – you can learn to season cast iron cookware with pros and keep them in great shape for years to come. Seasoning New Cast Iron Cookware The process is actually quite simple. When done correctly, your pans will last a long time and may even become your own hand-me -downs in future. 1.Heat your oven to 300 degrees. 2.Coat pan with lard or grease. (Be sure that you do not use vegetable oil or commercial cooking sprays. While they may seem easier, they will not only cause your cookware to be seasoned incorrectly, but they will also leave a sticky film on outside of cookware that is impossible to remove.) 3.Place pan in oven on middle rack and allow it to bake for 15 minutes. 4.Remove pan and pour out any excess grease or lard. 5.Put pan back into oven and bake for another two hours. 6.Repeat as needed Many cast iron enthusiasts will swear upon repeating seasoning process several times before ever using cookware first time. Each time you season cookware, seasoning bond becomes stronger. Many people will recommend that first few times cookware is used it should be used to cook greasy foods (bacon, fatty meats, etc.) to again strengthen seasoning bond. Re-seasoning Cookware
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