IS AN APRON IMPORTANT?

WHY MUST   I USE AN APRON

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever come home from work and in the bid to quickly set up a meal, ruined your favorite shirt or dress? Well, I was just wondering if their was a way to avoid that.

A very simple way, always wear an apron!!

Aprons are worn for cleanliness, sanitation, and safety. If a professional cook goes to the restroom, the apron is removed before entering. Aprons also can be exchanged for clean ones during the day, so the cook can continue to wear the same clothing and stay cleaner and more sanitary. An apron can also afford a layer of protection beyond the cooks clothing from fire or grease splatters. If a chef goes out to greet a customer, he normally remove his apron. His clothing is cleaner and when he returns to the kitchen, by putting the apron back on, he is keeping germs that may have gotten on him outside the kitchen, isolated underneath the apron.

WHAT IS THE PROPER SIZE OF AN APRON

Not all aprons are created equal. Depending on what you’re up against, there is an apron for that. conventional apron size, the bib apron is perfect for both chefs and servers alike, offering a shorter fit than the Chef’s Bib, while still providing the coverage and protection restaurant pros need.

If I could speak for my people in this part of the world In Nigeria, especially my town, a lot of times we pay little or no attention to aprons, and by extention general kitchen hygiene.  But I must add we all  can`t be the same.

HOW SHOULD I USE AN APRON

Depending on the use of an apron, use it there and leave it there, for instance,Use a kitchen apron in the kitchen and leave it in the kitchen. I was surprised to know that a teacher uses an apron in the class room, so to avoid dirt, its best he left it in the classroom when going out. Always make sure apron fits tight around  the body to avoid loosed ends.

WHO SHOULD USE AN APRON

Well it may surprise you to know that anyone can wear an apron, not only in the kitchen. In fact the protection on your clothing could be said to be an apron. An example is lead apron. So if you do anything that may require you to get dirty you can use an apron

HOW TO PROPERLY MAINTAIN AN APRON

An apron should always be kept clean, it must not be kept unused for a long time in the open. A kitchen apron must be washed frequently.

CONCLUTION

The apron is an important part of kitchen that is often neglected, but it still remains that the importance of apron can`t be over emphasized.

 So why don`t you let me know of a time you wished you had put on an apron.

REFERENCES

Hugh McKernan, 2 years as Chef at "Philmont Boy Scout Camp"

The strateg0ist.

Quora.com

Chef works.

WHY IS PEPPER HOT IN THE FIRST PLACE

WHY IS PEPPER HOT?

Introduction

Am so sure that  am not the only one who has asked this question.  Does pepper have  to be hot? Why is it tasty but yet so hot? In fact for it to be a pepper it has to have some amount of heat.

The burning sensation that comes with eating chillies has long fascinated scientists. It also gives us some insight into why chillies may be associated with cognitive decline: the sensation is the result of plants evolving to protect themselves against diseases and pests.   “While some plants have evolved to become bitter or spicy to predators, it’s better if the plant can make themselves toxic, too,” says Kirsten Brandt

Lets now go on to know more about how hot a pepper can be.

                                                 Moruga scorpion.

What is the limit of the hotness of pepper

The standard unit for measuring the heat of pepper is Scoville Heat Units (SHU)  based on the concentration of capsaicinoids, among which capsaicin is the predominant component The scale is named after its creator, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville, whose 1912 method is known as the Scoville organoleptic test. The Scoville organoleptic test is the most practical method for estimating SHU and is a subjective assessment derived from the capsaicinoid sensitivity by people experienced with eating hot chilis.

TABLE SHOWING THE PUNGENCY AND SHU FOR PEPPER.

Pungency	SHU
Very highly pungent	Above 80,000
Highly pungent	25,000 to 70,000
Moderately pungent	3,000 to 25,000
Mildly pungent	700 to 3,000
Non pungent	0 to 700

The pungency of the calorina riper is one of the world’s hottest peppers which has a SHU of  up 1.6 million to 2.5 million SHU. It is in the view to get hotter pepper that breeding is still on going to get even hotter pepper.

Can I ever take too much pepper?

People involved in active spots have been our challenge in trying to convince them to patronize pepper, I for one has experienced this in trying to sell out catalyst pepper, they often complain that after taking pepper they find it difficult to run well. There is no harm including pepper in your diet, but make sure to consume it in moderation. Do not have more than 1-2 teaspoon of black pepper every day. Having it in excess can have multiple side effects

SIDE EFFECTS

-It can lead to gastric problem and stomach upset.

- Having it an excess can irritation in the intestinal walls.

-Avoid consuming black pepper if you are pregnant as it can lead to miscarriage.

   One or any of the side effect is enough to make you reduce or stop the consumption of pepper for a little while or for a very long time.

What is the best form of consuming pepper?

      Pepper comes in powder, like catalyst pepper, sauce, like bukerbutt pepper.  Dried pepper, lasts longer without any form of preservation while the sauce  pepper has to go with one form of preservative or another. Also, the sauce pepper may need to under go a little heat so it can ciik like any other vegetable.

CONCLUTION

The burning sensation after consumption of pepper is a way of pepper trying to defend itself from predators, but however I am confident that with a suitable processing, any pepper can be taken without any  complications. Also the capsaicinoids which is the active part of pepper makes it pretty much worth taking.

Have you ever seen someone throw up as a result of taking too much pepper? Why don’t you hit me up on the comment box.

REFERENCES

Ø E Times lifestyle

Ø  Scoville, Wilbur (May 1912). "Note on Capsicums". Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association.

HOW TO GET THE BEST FROM ONIONS

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY USE ONIONS

Introduction

          Have you ever seen someone put an onion on his or her face and you got wondering, well I wondered the same thing too. To be able to effectively use onions, one has to know the nutritional content of onions, when and how to use it and what benefits one can derive from the good old onions.

 The reason why people put onions on their faces is because of its ability to attract microbes when it is opened or sliced. Hence it is always better to store onions as a whole rather than when cut in two.

Lets now go on to find other benefits of the onions.

Nutritional content of onions

The main nutrients in 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of raw onions are

• Calories: 40cal.
• Water: 89%
• Protein: 1.1 grams
• Carbs: 9.3 grams
• Sugar: 4.2 grams
• Fiber: 1.7 grams
• Fat: 0.1 grams

Onions consist mostly of water, carbs, and fiber. Their main fibers, fructans, can feed the friendly bacteria in your gut, though they may cause digestive problems in some people.

Effects of putting onions on the face/skin

    1.     Onions are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and certain other vital nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E that are extremely important for keeping skin ailments at bay. These vitamins protect you from the harmful effects of ultra-violet rays.

2.     The antioxidants in onions help detoxify our body by flushing out toxins from the bloodstream. This eventually purifies the skin, thus preventing the risk of developing any skin issue.

3.     The components like quercetin and other sulphur-rich phytochemicals present in onion help combat free radical damages, thereby delaying the signs of ageing.

4.     The vegetable has anti-bacterial, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory that help in reducing inflammation and preventing breakouts.

5.     The vitamin content, especially vitamin C present in onion helps nourish our skin, making it healthy and glowing.

6.     Not just your skin, but onions take care of your lips too. Regular application of onion juice may help remove dead skin cells and provide soft and supple lips.

Onion extract or juice

Onions are members of the Allium genus of flowering plants that also includes garlic, shallots, leeks and chives. These vegetables contain various vitamins, minerals and potent plant compounds that have been shown to promote health in many ways. In fact, the medicinal properties of onions have been recognized since ancient times, when they were used to treat ailments like headaches, heart disease and mouth sores

After squeezing the extract of the onions, it can be consumed directly or mixed with milk and used on the face.

Should I use the onions?

It's a question with which every home cook must grapple at some point. Here are some questions to help you decide:

• Is there mold growing on the onion?
• Does the onion have any discolored areas? 
• Is the onion giving off an unpleasant odor?
• Is the onion soft or downright squishy?
• Are there soft spots on the onion?
• Is the onion's flesh all dried out?
• Has the onion started sprouting?

If you answer "yes" to one or more of these questions, toss the onion. However, for one caveat, a newly sprouting onion with none of these other problems is still OK. Just use it soon, as onions start rotting quickly once they begin sprouting.

Conclusion

In any use of onions, do not use an onion that show symptoms of spoiling.

Onions are low in calories yet high in nutrients, including vitamin C, B vitamins and potassium.

Onions consist mostly of water, carbs, and fiber. Their main fibers, fructans, can feed the friendly bacteria in your gut, though they may cause digestive problems in some people.

why don`t you drop a comment about your experience with onions...

References

www.ndtvfoods.com

www.Healthline.com

UNKNOWN BENEFITS OF PEPPER

UNKNOWN BENEFITS OF PEPPER

INTRODUCTION;

    When I was younger, I often heard the grown ups say “pepper is just for taste” or “pepper does not have any nutritional value in the body.” Well, am confident that after you`re done reading this article, you will have a change of thought.

    The consumption of spices example sweet tasty delicious pepper could be associated to low rate of mortality. This research was carried out on the people of china.

Capsaicin, the main active ingredient in chillies, may improve blood cholesterol levels and inflammation (Credit: Getty Images)

CAPSAICIN; A MAJOR COMPONENT OF PEPPER.

  The  major findings were that higher intake of spicy foods is related to a lower risk of mortality, particularly deaths due to cancer, heart disease, and respiratory diseases,” says researcher Lu Qi, professor of nutrition at Harvard's school of public health.

       This does not, however, mean that starting to eat large quantities of chilli peppers will protect your health – or protect you from respiratory illness – in the short-term.

       It’s important to remember that the China study followed people for a median time of seven years each. So even if chillies had a protective effect on participants’ health, rather than the people who ate chillies happening to be healthier to begin with, the effect likely built up over time – not within weeks or months.

    Qi tried to separate the effects of chilli consumption from everything else by controlling for age, sex, education level, marital status, diet and lifestyle factors including alcohol intake, smoking and physical activity. He says the lower risk of disease relating to eating chillies may be partly due to capsaicin. {a colorless pungent crystalline compound derived from Capsicum, sourse of the hotness of hot pepper, such as chilli, cayenne and jalapeno.}

“Certain ingredients in spicy foods, such as capsaicin, have been found to improve metabolic status, such as lipid profiles” – cholesterol in the blood – “and inflammation, and these may partly account for the observations in our study.”

A number of studies also have shown that capsaicin can increase the amount of energy we burn and can decrease our appetites.

Zumin Shi, associate professor at Qatar University's human nutrition department, has found that chilli consumption is associated with lower risk of obesity and is beneficial for high blood pressure. So when she studied the effects of chilli pepper consumption on cognitive function, she expected a hat trick.  

In one study, people who ate more chillies had poorer cognitive function

But when she measured Chinese adults’ cognitive function against their chilli consumption, she found that people who ate more chillies had poorer cognitive function. This effect was strongest with memory: chilli intake above 50g per day was associated with almost double the risk of self-reported poor memory. Still, it’s worth noting that self-reported data is widely considered unreliable.

RESOLUTION;

The next time you hear someone try to to disregard the importance of something created by God, please think twice. (Genesis 1:30). I could understand when allergies are involved but aside that, pepper is good for the body.

REFERENCES;https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200406-are-there-benefits-to-eating-turmeric-and-other-spices    

 https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20181231-is-juicing-actually-good-for-you