Pinch Of Salt London

What is the best cookware set for your home?

Note: The set mentioned in this article is specifically for students who regularly attend college or university and have a limited supply of money they need to their month with, so if you’re not a student or are rich, go somewhere else as I don’t want to be responsible if you get the wrong one for your needs.

Now that you’ve read the above paragraph, there’s no need to tell you the main motive behind the article. (Although you could’ve guessed that by the article title) For those who didn’t read either one, this article will tell you the best set that is both affordable and will look good in your kitchen. After lots of careful analysis and reading reviews at Cookwithtina.com of the most famous cookware sets and comparing their functionalities, I conclude that the ‘Cuisinart 77-7 Chef’s Classic Stainless 7-Piece Cookware Set’ is the best one for your home! 

The set was manufactured by a company widely regarded as the best cookware companies of all time. Cuisinart is famous for its cookware sets as their quality and price are beyond the level of other competitors. This one is no exception. It is an ideal set for any occasion, whether it is for a vacation home, or for daily usage (don’t forget that we are targeting this for students, as this is best for them!)

The set is made of stainless steel, and the base is aluminum. Why? Because aluminum is a better conductor of heat than stainless steel, which means that food will cook quickly and evenly, as opposed to regular stainless steel which cooks food only in the centre. The set includes all sorts of pots and pans, all of different sizes. It has 7 pieces and includes 1-1/2 Qt. Saucepan w/Cover, 3 Qt. Saucepan w/Cover, 10″ Open Skillet and an 8 Qt. Stockpot w/Cover. Although it has a less amount of pieces than other sets, it targets only the ones required to save both money and space. Who wants pots and pans they will never use? The handles are made up of pure stainless steel. They also use a technology called stay-cool, which makes the chances of handles being heated less frequent.

The product comes with a lifetime warranty and is made according to North American Electrical Standards, so if you have spare money in your pockets and want to buy one, don’t hesitate!

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Role Of Salt In Cooking

Just like Chef knives and all their different functions, another miraculously versatile item in the kitchen is NaCl ; table salt for those of you who skipped out on chemistry class. Sodium, in the form of common salt, is one of the essential mineral components of a healthy diet, helping the body to perform vital functions.

A balanced diet is rich in minerals and vitamins and many foods are natural sources of sodium. The percentage of salt we consume from different foods depends on our individual eating habits but typically about 20% of the salt we consume comes from foods that naturally contain salt.

For thousands of years, salt has been used to preserve food and to improve taste. It is also used to as a colour controller, binder, texturiser and fermentation control agent.

Seasoning

First and foremost, salt is used as a seasoning to enhance the taste of food. It makes bland foods such as carbohydrates (bread, pasta, etc) palatable and it helps to bring out the natural flavours in other foods.

Preservative

Salt is an important natural preservative and has been used for centuries to preserve meat, fish, dairy products and many other foods. Long before the invention refrigerators slating, like pickling, was used to keep food safe to eat.

Within foods, salt brine dehydrates bacterial cells, alters osmotic pressure and inhibits the development of bacterial growth – making it take longer for food to spoil.

It inhibits the growth of clostridium botulinum, the bacteria responsible for serious food poisoning – botulism. Salt helps to prolong freshness making food safer for longer.

Even with the development of refrigeration, this is an important aid to food hygiene.

Binding Agent

As a binder, salt helps extract the myofibrillar proteins in processed and formed meats binding the meat together and reducing cooking losses. It also increases the solubility of muscle proteins.

In sausage making, stable emulsions are formed when the salt soluble protein solutions coat finely formed globules of fat, providing a binding gel consisting of meat, fat and moisture.

Colour Controller

Salt promotes the development of colour in foods such as ham, bacon and hotdogs. Used with sugar and nitrate or nitrite, salt produces a colour in processed meats which consumers like to see.

Salt enhances the golden colour in bread crust by reducing sugar destruction in the dough and increasing caramelisation.

Texture Aid

As a texture aid, salt strengthens gluten in bread dough, providing uniform grain, texture and dough strength, allowing the dough to expand without tearing.

It improves the tenderness of cured meats such as ham by promoting the binding of moisture by protein. It also gives a smooth, firm texture to processed meats. Salt develops the characteristic rind hardness and helps produced the even consistency in cheese.

Fermentation Control

In baked products, salt controls fermentation by retarding the growth of bacteria, yeast and moulds, preventing wild fermentation. This is important in making a uniform product and reducing the opportunity for harmful bacteria.

Within cheese, salt helps to assure the dominance of the desired flora, controls the rate of lactic acid fermentation, aiding the development of flavouring, body and texture. In cheeses like stilton, for example, this is largely responsible for the taste and texture.

by Salt Association

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