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The Mighty King of All: Garlic

A diet rich in garlic can have a significant positive effect on your health, according to the New York Times. Really? I could have told you that a thousand times! It seems that garlic increases the production of hydrogen sulfide in your blood, which - in the short term - relaxes your blood vessels and increases blood flow.

The power to boost hydrogen sulfide production may help explain why a garlic-rich diet appears to protect against various cancers, including breast, prostate, and colon cancer, say the study authors. Higher hydrogen sulfide might also protect the heart, according to other experts. Did I mention it tastes great in sauces like Aioli? Read more »

Oil and Water DO Mix - The Science of Mayonnaise

Pull out your jar of Hellmanns’ or whatever, and read the ingredient statement. Remember that ingredients are listed in order by amount in the product. The first one on my jar is “soybean oil”, followed by “water”. So what gives? Why do not the oil and water separate like they do when you make oil and vinegar (vinegar is about 95% water) dressing? The answer is the third ingredient, the egg. Specifically, egg yolk.

Egg yolk contains, amongst other things, a material called “lecithin”, which is an emulsifying agent, like soap. Lecithin molecules have one end that is water soluble (”hydrophilic” in chemistry lingo) and another end that is oil soluble (”hydrophobic). When egg yolk is mixed with oil and water and stirred or beaten vigorously, the lecithin literally sticks its hydrophilic end in the water droplets, making a sphere of lecithin spikes sticking out of the small water droplets. The ends sticking out are hydrophobic, and dissolve in the oil. (It would work the other way, but due to how mayonnaise is made, it the water that gets the lecithin first). These aggregates of water and lecithin are called “micelles” and essentially hide the water in an oil soluble material. Read more »

Salt, the Stuff of Life

Salt, the most popular food seasoning, is a dietary mineral essential for animal life, composed primarily of sodium chloride. Salt for human consumption is produced in different forms: unrefined salt (such as sea salt), refined salt (table salt), and iodized salt. It is a crystalline solid, white, pale pink or light grey in color, normally obtained from sea water or rock deposits. Edible rock salts may be slightly greyish in color due to this mineral content.

Chloride and sodium ions, the two major components of salt, are necessary for the survival of all known living creatures, including humans. Salt is involved in regulating the water content (fluid balance) of the body. Salt flavor is one of the basic tastes. Salt cravings may be caused by trace mineral deficiencies as well as by a deficiency of sodium chloride itself.

Overconsumption of salt increases the risk of health problems, including high blood pressure. In food preparation, salt is used as a preservative and as a seasoning. Read more »