In the Kitchen, there’s no ingredient more
important than salt
Salt also highlights and suppresses the different
flavors we perceive in our food
Salt In small amounts, salt curbs bitterness, but
enhances sweet, sour and umami, giving sweet and
sour dishes a more two- dimensional taste
At higher concentrations, it reduces sweetness and
enhances umami, making it perfect for savory and
meat dishes
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Types of Salt
Table Salt
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The most common type and is
harvested from salt deposits found
underground. It’s highly refined and
finely ground, with impurities and
trace minerals removed in the
process. It’s also treated with an anti-
caking agent to keep from clumping.
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Kosher salt
Koshering salt- or kosher salt,
in the U.S.- is flakier and
coarser grained than regular
table salt. Its large grain size
makes it perfect for sprinkling
on top of meat, where it releases
a surprising blast of flavor.
Kosher salt also dissolves
quickly, making it a perfect all-
purpose cooking salt.
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Sea salt
Harvested from
evaporated sea
water, sea salt is
usually unrefined
and coarser-
grained than table
salt
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It also contains some of the minerals from where it was
harvested- zinc, potassium and iron among them- which
give sea salt a more complex flavor profile
Sprinkle it on top of foods for a different mouth feel and
bigger burst of flavor than table salt
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Himalayan Pink Salt
Himalayan salt is the purest form of salt in the world
and is harvested by hand from Khewra Salt Mine in
the Himalayan Mountains of Pakistan. Its color
ranges from off- white to deep pink.
Rich in minerals- it contains the 84 natural minerals
and elements found in the human body- Himalayan
salt is used in spa treatments, as well as the
kitchen.
Himalayan salt is used to flavor food. Due mainly to
marketing costs, pink Himalayan salt is up to 20
times more expensive than table salt or sea salt
Himalayan salt from Khewra Salt Mine near
Khewra, Punjab, Pakistan
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Also kinown as sel gris (French for “grey
Celtic Sea Salt salt”), Celtic sea salt is harvested from the
bottom of tidal ponds off the coast of
France
It’s great on fish and meat as both a
cooking and finishing salt, as well as
for baking.
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Fleur de Sel
Insert Your Picture Here
Literally “flower of salt,” Fluer
de sel is a sea salt hand-
harvested from tidal pools off
the coast of Brittany, France
This can only be done on
sunny, dry days with a slight
breeze, and only with
traditional wooden rakes
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Kala namak
Kala namak (“black salt” in Nepalese) is
Himalayan salt that’s been packed in a jar with
a charcoal, herbs, seeds and bark, then fired
in a furnace for a full 24 hours before it’s
cooled, stored and aged.
This process gives kala namak its reddish-
black color, its pungent, salty taste and a faint,
sulphurous aroma of eggs.
It’s often used in vegan and vegetarian dishes
to give egg-free dishes the taste of egg, as
well as in Ayurvedic practice.
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Flake Salt
Harvested from salt water through
evaporation, boiling or other
means, flake salt is thin and
irregularly shaped with a bright,
salty taste and very low mineral
content.
This shape means the crunchy flakes
salt dissolves quickly, resulting in a
“pop” of flavor. Among the different
types of salt, use it as a finishing salt,
especially on meats.
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Black Hawaiian salt
Also known as black lava salt,
black Hawaiian salt is a sea
salt harvested from the
volcanic islands of Hawaii
It gets its deep, black color from
the addition of activated charcoal.
Coarse- grained and crunchy,
black Hawaiian salt is great for
finishing pork and seafood.
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Red Hawaiian
Salt
Also called alaea salt, Used for centuries in ceremonial ways for
this unrefined, red cleaning, purification and the blessing of tools
Hawaiian salt gets its red Hawaiian salt is also great in the kitchen,
name and color from the adding an attractive finish and robust flavor to
reddish, iron-rich seafood and meat, as well as traditional island
volcanic clay alaea dishes like poke and pipikaula, a Hawaiian
jerky.
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Smoked
Salt
Slow-smoked up to two weeks over a wood fire (usually hickory, mesquite,
apple, oak or alder wood), smoked salt adds an intense and, yes, smoky flavor
to dishes
The tastes will vary from brand to brand depending on the time
smoked and the wood used. Smoked salt is the best of the different
types of salt to use for flavoring meats and heartier vegetables, like
potatoes. 15
Used for pickling and Pickling salt
brining, pickling salt
does not contain any
added iodine or anti-
caking agents, nor
many of the trace
minerals of sea salt,
which can cause ugly
discoloration of the
preserved food.
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Types of Meat
Pork
Pork is one of the most popular forms of meat in
the world. Despite some confusion on the issue,
pork is classed as red meat.
This is because it contains a large amount of
myoglobin, a protein responsible for the red
color of meat.
Bacon, Ham, Hot dogs, Jamon, Prosciutto,
Salami, Sausages and Spam are some meat
products that uses pork.
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Benefits Concerns
Pork is a particularly significant source of thiamine Compared to other meats, pork contains extremely
(vitamin B1). The content of this important vitamin high levels of omega-6 fatty acids. Despite being
is much higher than in other meat and plays an essential for health, an unbalanced ratio of omega-
essential role in glucose metabolism and protecting 6 to omega-3 can be pro-inflammatory in nature.
cardiac health.
Pork is more susceptible to bacterial contamination
Much cheaper than most other meat.
and food-borne illness than other meat; ensuring
pork is thoroughly cooked is essential.
Pork contains decent amounts of selenium and
zinc, which are responsible for boosting the
immune system, defending against
stress, and optimal hormone production.
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Beef
When most people think of red Despite fearmongering over the fat content of beef, the
meat, they probably imagine main fatty acid in beef is none other than oleic acid. If
beef. There are many different you haven’t heard of it before, then it’s the main fat in
olive oil (and known as “heart healthy”)
beef products and cuts of beef,
ranging from hamburgers to rib Benefits Beef contains a wide variety of beneficial compounds that
eye steaks. While mainstream include creatine, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and
health advice often dictates glutathione
selecting the leanest cuts of red
meat, fatty cuts of beef are
perfectly healthy. 19
Excessive beef consumption can increase circulating iron to
unhealthy levels in some individuals. These high levels can
increase the risk of various cancers and cardiovascular
disease. This risk is especially the case in those with a
genetic mutation called hemochromatosis, which causes
over-absorption of heme iron.
Concerns
Overcooking beef (burning) can lead to the formation of
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic
amines (HCAs). Both of these compounds are carcinogens,
but we can minimize their risks by sensibly
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Both lamb and mutton are very similar
Lamb and Mutton types of meat, with one fundamental
difference;
Lamb is from a sheep less than one-year-old
Lamb contains a broad range of health-
Mutton is the meat of an adult sheep protective nutrients, especially zinc, selenium
and B vitamins.
Just like beef and pork, there are variety of
popular lamb cuts- perhaps lamb chops are the
most popular. Concerns
Generally speaking, both lamb and
Benefits mutton is very healthy Lamb is very expensive in
Because sheep graze on pasture all day, comparison to different
the omega 6 to 3 ratio is very low- and
optimal—compared to other meats. kinds of meat
Alongside beef and pork, chicken is one of the ‘big
Chicken three’ popularity-wise. However, chicken is a different
classification of meat and comes under the poultry
category. People commonly refer to as “white meat”
rather than red.
As one of the most popular foods in the world, there
are all sorts of chicken-based foods. These range
from fried and roasted chicken to chicken soup and
even chicken popcorn.
Benefits
Chicken is very cheap and easily affordable.
For those who are trying to consume less
fat/calories, chicken offers a smaller amount than
other meats but with the same protein content.
Chicken stock/broth offers a significant source of
gelatin. As chicken bones have a lower density
than other meats, the collagen and gelatin are far
easier to extract. 22
Chicken provides a decent source of necessary vitamins and minerals,
particularly selenium, potassium, phosphorus and B vitamins.
Due to commercial chicken feed – and similar to pork –
chicken contains an excessive amount of omega-6.
Whether this is problematic or not likely depends on the
overall diet.
Concerns
Bacterial contamination with strains such as E. coli and
salmonella is too common in chicken. As a result, strict
hygiene procedures are necessary when handling the raw
meat.
Turkey
Turkey is another type of white meat, probably best known for
its appearance at the Christmas table! It has both a deeper yet
drier taste than chicken and is a less prevalent form of poultry.
As mentioned above, the most popular kind is probably roast
turkey, but you can find a variety of processed and unprocessed
turkey products. 24
Turkey is among the most
protein-dense of all meats,
offering 17.5 grams of protein
in only 149 calories.
Similar to chicken, turkey also
Benefits
provides a significant amount
of B vitamins, potassium,
selenium and phosphorus.
Turkey provides an
inexpensive source of high-
quality protein.
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Similar to other
forms of poultry,
turkey is more likely
Concerns to harbour foodborne
bacteria than red
meat
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Venison Benefits
As deer live and feed in the wild,
venison is one of the healthiest and
most natural varieties of meat. The
excellent omega 6 to 3 ratio (2:1)
shows the benefits of an animal living
on a natural diet.
Venison has more vitamins and
minerals than beef despite having
Venison refers to the flesh of a deer,
significantly fewer calories. In
and it is a traditionally rarer type of
short, venison is possibly the
meat. In recent years, sales of
venison have been soaring as a most nutrient-dense meat out
result of its healthy reputation among there
consumers. 27
While there are no major
health concerns, one
obstacle could be the
Concerns price; venison costs a
lot. Expect to pay around
$30 for one pound of
venison steak.
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Duck is one of the less
Duck popular types of meat.
However, it has immense
popularity in Chinese
populations, where
‘Peking duck’ is a
showpiece dish. Like
chicken and turkey, we
can consider duck as a
kind of white meat.
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Duck provides a significant
amount of selenium, phosphorus,
and B vitamins. These vitamins
Benefits are all important for optimal
energy production and a well-
functioning immune system
Making duck at home- or having a
Concerns roast duck- is perfectly healthy.
However, be aware that in Chinese
cuisine, duck often comes in sauces
made from a variety of additives
including sugars, oils, and
monosodium glutamate (MSG).
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Wild Boar Wild boar is a non-
domesticated pig that
lives in the wild. The meat
of this animal is also
known as ‘wild boar ‘.
Generally speaking, wild
boar contains a higher
proportion of protein and
a smaller amount of fat
than regular pork.
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As it lives and feeds in its natural environment,
wild boar contains a higher proportion of
Benefits omega-3 fatty acids.
Wild boar contains an array of health-
protective nutrients, in particularly B vitamins,
selenium, and zinc.
Despite containing a higher amount of omega-3,
Concerns the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is still very high.
Trichinella spiralis, a parasite sometimes found in
pigs, occasionally contaminates wild boar meat.
There have been several outbreaks of this in
recent years, but it is very rare.
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Sorting and Grading of Meat
Meat is the most important raw materials in meat processing
A protein is responsible for the majority of
Myoglobin food color
Myoglobin doesn’t circulate in the blood but
fixed in the tissue in the cells and is purplish
in the color, when it is mixed with oxygen, it
becomes oxymyoglobin and produces a
bright red color.
Color is also influenced by the age of the
Color animal, species, sex, diet and even exercise.
The meat from older animal will be darker
color because the myoglobin level increases
with age
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Exercised muscles are always darker color, which means the
Color same animal can have variations of color on its muscle.
Must possess bright color, pale color may
Color mean a stressed animal before slaughter
Odor Must not possess unusual/undesirable odor.
The following Touch Meat must be firm to touch and must not be
measures should and feel exudative
be used to
Size and meat must conform to the specification
determine good needed for specified products
shape
quality of meat
Thickness of fat should conform to the
specifications required
Meat materials should not show defects such as bruises,
Defects blood clots, and PSE meat which will adversely affect the
quality of the processed products 34
Meat Quality
Color Important consideration in deciding to purchase meat, consumers have
a particular concept of color for various types of meat
Beef Bright
should be cherry red
carabeef
should be Bright red
pork
should be pink
Poultry Creamy yellowish skin
should be and pinkish meat
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Tenderness Tenderness is a very important attribute of meat quality. This
involves three aspects:
The initial penetration of the meat by the
teeth upon biting/chewing
The initial penetration of the meat by the
Juiciness teeth upon biting/chewing
The amount of residue left after chewing
Is the other quality attribute most desired in meat, depends on
the amount of water retained on the cooked meat
Juiciness is closely associated with flavor, water retention and fat
content determine juiciness.
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Meat flavor is attributed to he soluble components in water and
Flavor fats contents of the meat
The diet of the animals determines the kinds of flavoring
components in the meat.
For example, it is well recognized that free range chicken in
coops. In beef, pastured-fed cows differ in flavor from those
raised in feedlots.
Storage and handling affect flavor 37
Flavor migration can happen during storage Finally the choice of cooking methods affects
the meat flavor of meat.
Because of its high fat content can easily
takes up foreign flavor from storage, if not Dry heat method usually results in more
properly packed or segregated intense meat flavor, to correct this
Preparation techniques used such as over deficiency in moist heat cooking flavoring
washing the meat can contribute to loss of ingredients such as herbs and vegetables as
flavor well as other ingredients are added.
Braising is preferred to plain boiling because the pre-browning process produces important
flavoring constituents that remain even when cooked for prolonged period.
EGGS
Most eggs are graded for freshness and size.
Egg sizes and weights
The process for grading for freshness is
known as candling, which entails placing the 30 oz.
eggs in from of the light makes it possible to Jumbo
judge the thickness of the white, the size and Extra large 27 oz.
position of the yolk and the size of the air
cell, the fresh egg has a thick white that Medium 21 oz.
supports the rounded form yolk and small air
cell. Small 18 oz.
Eggs are classified according to size and Peewee 15 oz.
weight 38
Water test for grades of Eggs
Water
Float in the
surface of the Grade C
water
Stay in the
middle of the Grade B
container
Stay in the
bottom of the Grade A
container
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Freshness of an egg refers to its Grade AA
quality not its age
Eggs will stand up tall. The yolk is firm and
the area covered by the white is small. There
The freshness of eggs are Grade AA, is a large proportion of thick white to thin
white
A and B.
Grade B
The color of the shell has no
Eggs spreads out more. The yolk is flattened
influence on the eggs quality and there is about as much (or more) thin
white as thick
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Eggs covers a
relatively small area.
The yolk is round and
upstanding. The
Grade A white is large in
proportion to the thin
white and stands
fairly well around the
yolk
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