Note: This is the 7th part of a multiple-posts about getting and preparing the best food. Please read the earlier posts to get more information.
Tips on Finding and Preparing the Best Food (part 1)
Tips on Finding and Preparing the Best Food – Vegetables (part 2)
Tips on Finding and Preparing the Best Food – Fruits (part 3)
Tips on Finding and Preparing the Best Food – Meat (part 4)
Tips on Finding and Preparing the Best Food – Poultry (part 5)
Tips on Finding and Preparing the Best Food – Seafood (part 6)
Important vitamins and minerals abound in the dairy case at the grocery store. This is where milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, and eggs are stored in refrigerated units.
Milk and milk products are primary soures of calcium, riboflavin, high-quality protein, vitamin D, and phosphorus. Milk also supplies vitamin A, thiamin, and niacin. Eggs are good sources of high-quality protein, iron, copper, phosphorus, vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and thiamin.
Eggs: At one time thought of as one of nature’s perfect foods, eggs recently have come under attack for their high cholesterol content. The yolk of one egg contains approximately 275 milligrams of cholesterol, a figure that approaches the 300-milligram-a-day maximum recommended by most registered dietitians for older children and adults. Egg WHITES are excellent sources of high-quality protein, and they are low in cholesterol and calories.
Eggs are graded by the United States Department of Agriculture depending on their cleanliness and soundness of shell, the amount of air in the shell, and the way the yolk and white hold together. The top-ranked eggs, Grade AA, are found mainly in
fancy restaurants and gourmet shops. Grade A eggs are the kind generally carried in supermarkets. Both grade AA and A are used for frying, poaching, and boiling because the white and yolk stay together well and produce attractive egg dishes. Grade B eggs have thinner yolks and more white, and they tend to spread out when cooked. These eggs are used for commercial baking and scrambling.
Egg size, which has nothing to do with grades, ranges from peewee to jumbo, with large and extra large being the most popular sizes. When looking for the best egg buy, compare prices with sizes. If the price difference between any two egg sizes is
more than 8 cents, then the smaller eggs usually are the better buy.
Although freshly laid-eggs have more flavor, supermarket eggs are sufficiently fresh. Freshness of egg can be judged by placing it in cold water. If the egg floats or tips upward, it is an old egg and should not be used.
The yolk and white of a fresh egg will hold together well when the egg is cracked open onto a flat surface. The yolk should form a high yellow dome, and the white should be thick and translucent. As the egg gets older, the yolk flattens and the
white becomes thin. A dark red speck in the yolk simply means the egg has been fertilized. Fertile eggs are not more nutritious than others. Unless the red speck is undesirable for the sake of appearance, there is no need for concern and no need to remove it.
The color of the shell – white, cream, or brown, depending on the breed of chicken – does not affect the taste, texture, or nutritional value of the egg. Also, yolk color, which can range from light yellow to vivid orange, will not affect flavor. Color of the yolk is influenced by the type of feed and heredity.
Milk: The variety of milks offered in supermarkets is wide. Milk sold in stores has been pasteurized to destroy microorganisms, and homogenized to keep the fat globules (cream) from separating from the milk. Most milk also has been fortified with vitamin D, and skim milk usually has been fortified with vitamin A, which is present naturally in the fat of whole milk.
Whole milk is at least 3.25 percent fat and 8.25 percent protein, lactose, and minerals. Low-fat milk and skim milk contain similar amounts of protein, lactose, and minerals but less fat. Non-fat dry milk solids have been added to some brands of low-fat milk to increase the protein content. This might be listed on the label as “high protein”, or “protein fortified”. Low-fat milk contains 1 or 2 percent fat, and skim (or nonfat) milk contains less than 0.5 percent fat.
When shopping for milk for children older than 2 years of age and adults, the less fat the better. Very young children need the fat that whole milk supplies; however, after the age of 2 years, fat in milk does little but add extra calories and cholesterol. Low fat and skim milk supply the same nutrients as whole milk but with less fat and cholesterol and fewer calories.
Cream: The percentage of fat in commercial cream varies greatly. Half and half, a mixture of milk and cream, contains anywhere from 10.5 to 18 percent fat. Fat content of light cream ranges from 18 to 30 percent. Light whipping cream contains from 30 to 36 percent fat, and heavy cream contains from 36 to 40 percent fat.
Cultured Milk Products: Buttermilk usually is made from pasteurized skim or low-fat milk that has been treated with bacteria cultures to produce a heavy consistency. Yogurt, made with whole, low-lat, or skim milk, also is treated with bacteria cultures to produce a thick texture. Sour cream or sour half and half are made by adding cultures to homogenized cream or half and half.
Butter: Butter is made from fresh cream and is available in two varieties: sweet (unsalted) butter and lightly salted butter. Butter, by law, must have a fat content of at least 80 percent. The majority of this is saturated fat and, as a result, butter is high in cholesterol.
Margarine: Recently, many people in developed countries have begun eating less butter, relying more on margarine, which has no cholesterol, less saturated fat, and more polyunsaturated fat. Margarine has the same caloric value as butter – and it usually costs less. Diet margarines, which generally have a higher water content and lower calorie content than regular margarines, also are available. Margarines also may contain salt, dyes, preservatives, and other additives.
Those who think the taste of margarine cannot compare with the taste of butter but are concerned about cholesterol, may combine butter and margarine. Some companies package such combinations, but it is easy and more economical to soften a stick of each and blend them together at home.
Cheese: Supermarkets usually carry a variety of bulk cheeses in their deli sections as well as prepackaged cheese in the dairy section. The large assortment of cheeses can be placed into three general categories: unripened cheese and ripened cheese (both of which are called natural cheese), and processed cheese.
Unripened cheese is produced when heat or lactic acid is added to milk to separate it into chunks of curd and liquid whey. The whey is drained off, and varying amounts of cream or milk are added to the curd to make cottage cheese, farmer’s cheese, pot cheese, and ricotta cheese. This process also is used to make mozzarella, and cream cheese.
Ripened cheese, such as cheddar, Swiss, Muenster, and Parmesan, is made by adding bacteria culture to the curd and allowing the cheese to ferment. The consistency of the cheese depends on the amount of whey left in it (less whey leads to a firmer cheese), and the flavor depends on the type of milk used, the length of aging, and the humidity and temperature of the cheese as it ages.
Processed cheese begins as natural cheese but it is chopped, blended, and pasteurized. Various additives often are introduced to provide the desired consistency. American cheese is the most commonly used processed cheese.
Other processed cheeses, such as “cheese food,” contain a variety of natural cheeses, thickeners, stabilizers, flavors, and colors. “Cheese spreads” are processed cheeses to which gums, fats, and liquids have been added.
Most cheeses are high in fat and cholesterol. Hard cheeses and processed cheeses usually contain more saturated fats than most soft and natural cheeses.
Unripened cheeses, such as cottage cheese, are the most nutritious varieties for everyday use. The most healthful cottage cheese is the low-fat or uncreamed variety. Most farmer’s, mozzarella, and ricotta cheeses are made with skim milk. Some are made with whole milk. Other kinds of cheese with the word “imitation” on the label have vegetable fats added.
For new ideas on cooking delicious and healthy food, visit lowsugar-recipes.com.
Tags: dairy products, eggs
