I love most herbs and spices. Cardamom is up there as one of my favorites. I enjoy its warm and pungent aromatic fragrance, and tasting it’s unique flavor, especially in Indian dishes, but you can find the flavor of cardamom in Middle Eastern and Scandinavian dishes too.

Two Varieties

Elettaria is the most commonly recognized of the two varieties. It is light green and looks like little puffed triangular pods. Amomum is the larger dark brown pods. Both are members of the ginger family Zingiberaceae and have alias names.

Elettaria aka green cardamom or true cardamom
Amomum aka black or brown cardamom, Kravan, Java cardamom, Bengal cardamom, Siamese cardamom, white cardamom, or red cardamom. Additionally, you may see white cardamom, which is mainly used in Northern European.

Purchasing and Storing

There are three ways to purchase green cardamom: whole pods, seeds, or powdered form. Some recipes may call for pods, some for seeds. Personally, I like to purchase the pods because they offer the longest shelf life. I’ll open as many pods as I need to use the seeds, or grind them into powder in a spice mill or coffee grinder.

Like all spices, it is best to keep cardamom in an airtight container away from heat and direct light. If your local markets doesn’t carry cardamom, there are online resources where you can purchase this wonderful spice.

Benefits and Uses

Cardamom has numerous health benefits like improving digestion and stimulating the metabolism. Use cardamom seeds to flavor coffee and curries, desserts, pudding, and mulled wine. One of the best known beverages featuring the taste of cardamom is chai. Cloves and cinnamon combine well with cardamom.

Recipe

Garam Masala

Making your own homemade blend is the best.

Split open cardamom pods by crushing the outer shell with the back of a spoon or spatula. Coolect the seeds and add to a coffee grinder along with all the remaining ingredients. Grind spices into a powder, about 3-4- seconds.

Transfer powdered spice mix to a bowl or container. Continue grinding spices, if there are any left, and add to bowl or container. Store in a small jar with a tight fitting lid until ready to use. Keeps between 3 – 6 month if stored properly. Keep away from heat and excess sunlight.

Giveaway

At the end of this month, one of your names will be drawn from the comment section of this post, and our wonderful sponsor Mountain Rose Herbs will send a gift cardamom to the winning participant.

I’d love to know how you use cardamom. Share your tips, suggestions, and ideas in the comment section.

Thanks for stopping by.

xoxo,
Ingrid

In honor of Nation Brain Awareness Month, I’ve put together a concise list of nutrient rich foods that help boost brain power. These foods contribute to helping us ward off free radicals, think faster, improve memory, solve problems, concentrate, think clearly, comprehend information better, and improve your life overall. A diet rich in essential fatty acids, fruits and vegetables helps unleash your brain’s full potential.

Leafy Green Vegetables and Cruciferous

Asparagus, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collard greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, radishes, red peppers, spinach, sprouts, turnips, and water cress are helpful for memory retention and good in boosting brain power.

Berries

Berries are rich in antioxidants which protect your brain cells from oxidation and free radical damage and have been shown to have the ability to improve memory. Antioxidants may slow down brain aging and prevent disease, while promoting the growth of healthy brain cells and keeping your brain youthful. Each of these berries are loaded with antioxidant power and brain power boosting benefits:

Blackberries [improving motor skills and learning capacity], Blueberries, Boysenberries, Cranberries, Elderberries, Goji Berries, Mulberries, Raspberries, Red Grapes, Strawberries [improves memory recall].

Avocados

Buttery, fatty avocado fruit is just plain delicious and contributes to healthy blood flow [helps lower blood pressure], which contributes to a healthy brain. It is rich in good fat and vitamin E.

Tea
Tea has potent antioxidants which promotes healthy blood flow, and can enhance memory, focus, and mood.
Freshly brewed high quality loose tea leaves is ideal, like sencha green tea, but a high quality tea bags is fine too. Matcha, a stone-ground Gyokuru green tea powder, contains exponentially higher amounts of EGCG [Epigallocatechin Gallate, a compound found uniquely in green teas with powerful anti-cancer, anti-aging and overall health benefits] than regular brewed green tea.

Another tea like Tulsi tea [made of an Indian herb called holy basil], ginseng tea help keep you alert, reduce stress hormone cortisol, and aids memory. Also a cup of two of gotu kola tea daily, regulates dopamine. That’s the brain chemical that helps protect brain cells from harmful free radicals, boosts pleasurable feelings, and improves focus and memory.

Try this drink recipe: Matcha Latte

Source:
Tulsi Tea

A cup of two of Gotu Kola tea, an ayurvedic herb, regulates dopamine helping to protect brain cells from harmful free radicals. It also boosts pleasurable feelings, and improves focus and memory.

Source:
Mountain Rose Herbs

Dark Chocolate aka Cacao

Rich, dark luscious chocolate has powerful antioxidant properties, contains several natural stimulants, including caffeine, which enhance focus and concentration, and stimulates the production of endorphins, which helps improve mood. It is rich in flavanols that boost blood supply to the brain and help improve cognitive skills. Though dark chocolate is a beneficial superfood, it is wise to eat it in moderation.

Source and information:
Moutain Rose Herbs
Read more information about cacao
Excellent reference book Superfoods by David Wolfe

Red Wine
A few glasses of red wine weekly delivers the powerful antioxidant resveratrol, which may prevent free radicals from damaging brain cells.

Organic Vegan Wine Sources:
Frey Wine
Our Daily Red

thiamine, a brain-boosting nutrient.

Plant Oil
Essential Fatty Acids EFA found in coconut, olive, flaxseed, hempseed, avocado, and walnut oil keeps oxygen-rich blood flowing to your brain offering more memory-boosting power.

Sources:
Nutiva
Manitoba Harvest
Natural Zing

Turmeric

It’s the key ingredient in curry, which contains the chemical curcumin and the powerful antioxidant resveratrol. Turmeric is said to protect brain cells from harmful free radicals and help remove plaque from the brain.

Source:
Mountain Rose Herbs

Cinnamon

Add some cinnamon to your recipe, it contains a chemical good for keeping your blood sugar in check and can improve neurotransmission.

Gingko biloba

Gingko is a well-known brain tonics that improves mental clarity, alertness and memory.

Source:
Gingko biloba

Rosemary
Rosemary has long been known to improving your smarts. For example, the Pents’ao, an ancient Chinese compendium of herbal lore, recommended ginseng for “benefiting the understanding,” and in India, the herb gotu kola is a traditional brain tonic so highly regarded that it’s called brahmi, or “of the highest order.”

Sage

Helps the brain to function properly and has been known to help transmit message to and from the brain. No wonder sage is the herb of wisdom.

Sea Vegetables and Marine Plants

Sea veggies are a rare source of iodine, which helps promote brain function. Marine phytoplankton, microscopic plants & organism that live in the ocean, helps produce healthy new cells and nero-chemicals for the body and the brain. Blue-green algae is a good source of omega fatty acids.

Source:
Maine Coast Sea Vegetables

Photo and article by Kristen of Kristen’s Raw

How & Why I Freeze Raw Vegan Food

One of the ways I make my Raw vegan lifestyle easy is by utilizing my freezer. By doing this, I’m able to make foods in advance and nothing goes to waste. The following are things I think about when freezing Raw food.

1) What packaging (or container) will I freeze my Raw food in? There are two types of packaging/containers I use for freezing: glass or plastic bags. When I freeze soups, nut/seed butters, hummus, dips, nut/seed milks, or dressings, I use glass mason jars. And, to make the freezing process even better, I use my FoodSaver to suck out all of the air (they have an attachment for glass mason jars available for purchase). I even do this sometimes for food I keep in the refrigerator, even though it means using the FoodSaver every time I open the jar to eat some. It really helps to keep the foods extra fresh and delicious!

When I freeze dehydrated goodies such as pizza crusts, crackers, quiche crusts, nuts/seeds, dried fruit, or when I freeze desserts or pate, I tend to use the FoodSaver bags (yes, they’re plastic, but using the plastic can be helpful at times and necessary for things like quiche crusts, pizza crusts, desserts, and frozen bananas). Here, I use my FoodSaver to suck out as much air as possible, and, depending on the food, I’ll sometimes suck out all of the air (and sometimes I suck out most of the air – being careful not to crush the food). That being said, I have used glass mason jars to store crackers and dehydrated nuts/seeds/etc (and then proceeded to use the food saver and glass jar attachment before freezing). The hard part about this is that the jars take up a lot of room in the freezer. As such, I now have a second large freezer (pictured above) and it was worth every penny because I store so much in there. I’m able to buy in bulk, save money, and freeze some things to preserve freshness.

Bottom line – I love my FoodSaver for freezing raw foods! In fact, my mom froze individual slices of my raw vegan cheesecake OVER A YEAR AGO using her FoodSaver, using the FoodSaver bags and sucking out as much air as possible without smishing the dessert (like my use of a technical word “smish?”). Anyway… when it thawed, it tasted as delicious and fresh as the day I made it. Talk about some longevity! Heck… get a FoodSaver and make your holiday desserts during the spring or summer! Be prepared and save yourself time during the busy holiday season.

Now, all that talk about the lovely FoodSaver doesn’t mean that I don’t successfully freeze without a FoodSaver. I do! When I know I’m going to consume something within a month’s time or so, for example with raw desserts like cookies, chocolates, and sometimes cheesecakes, etc… then I just slice it into individual servings (or create the individual cookies or chocolates) and freeze them in glass jars or glass square storage containers (my mom scored some of these at Costco for me recently – they have plastic lids, but that’s okay for me because the food isn’t touching the lid). It’s true that sometimes I end up using plastic containers, ICK!, but I try to stay away from it as much as possible. I’m still building up my supply of glass storage containers. It’s taken time to build an awesome Raw food kitchen, but it’s been worth every bit of the investment. It’s my family’s health after all.

2) What are the best Raw vegan foods to freeze?
A good rule of thumb is knowing that the higher the fat content it has usually means a better freezing experience. Therefore, if I’m freezing a fat free soup or dressing, then it might get some crystals on it over time, and it might not taste as good as it would fresh… but it’ll still be pretty good. In my opinion, I’d rather use a dressing on my salad that was frozen then thawed (but was still Raw vegan and pure), than to use a bottled dressing that underwent pasteurization and has shelf-life extending ingredients in it that I probably can’t pronounce anyway.

3) What about the vitality of my Raw food after it’s frozen? It’s probably true that I lose some of the vitality of the food when freezing (depending on the food), but probably not nearly as much as when cooking. Freezing raw foods is a great option because if there is some nutrient loss (anywhere from 5-30% I’ve heard), I’m still getting tons of nutrition. And, add that to the fact that my life is easier, I’m less stressed and more organized, I save money, and I’m eating less cooked food because I have a freezer stocked full of delicious Raw foods… it’s a win-win all around for me.

In fact, the “fresh” produce I buy that sits in my refrigerator… well, that is also losing nutrition over time. It’s for this reason that some people believe that buying a bag of frozen organic berries (or other fruit) has more nutrition than fresh fruit from the produce department. The philosophy is that the (frozen) fruit was picked at its ripest and then frozen immediately to prevent nutrient loss that can occur from shipping to sitting in a large produce cooler at the store to sitting on the shelf waiting for you to buy it to transferring it home and then sitting in your refrigerator there, too. Note: Frozen veggies from the store are another story, because they have almost always been blanched before freezing, still studies show that not all of the nutrients are lost.

So, what do I do? I cover all of my bases. I buy fresh and frozen organic fruits, and I buy fresh organic vegetables. I get most of my fresh produce from the farmer’s market because locally grown is very important. And, while I eat most of my foods fresh, I like to keep a steady supply of Raw vegan foods frozen to make my life easier.

The photo and written article by contributing writer, raw vegan chef, author and teacher and certified raw chef and instructor Kristen of Kristen’s Raw.

Other contributions from Kristen

Exotic Chocolate Milk

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If you enjoy watching movies you might enjoy some of the ones listed below. Here is a list of 15 movies with a theme centered around food: two documentary movies and the rest are movies with lots of entertainment value and inspirational messages.

Some of these movies I’ve seen like the adorable Ratatouille, with it amazing animation and inspiring messages. Then there is Julie and Julia [I gasped at the stunning scenes of my home away from home, Paris], Chocolat, another movie set in France, No Reservations [recommended by Debbie of Debbie Dose Raw ~ thanks Deb], and Simply Raw, a must see documentary movie. I can’t wait to see some of the other movies on this list.

Which of these movies have you seen?

A rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his family’s wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. When fate places Remy in the sewers of Paris, he finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. Despite the apparent dangers of being an unlikely – and certainly unwanted – visitor in the kitchen of a fine French restaurant, Remy’s passion for cooking soon sets into motion a hilarious and exciting rat race that turns the culinary world of Paris upside down. Written by Orange

Julia Child and Julie Powell – both of whom wrote memoirs – find their lives intertwined. Though separated by time and space, both women are at loose ends… until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible. Written by Columbia Pictures

Vianne Rocher and her young daughter are drifters who are met with skepticism and resistance when they move to a conservative town in rural France and open a chocolate shop during Lent. As Vianne begins to work her magic and help those around her, the townspeople are soon won-over by her exuberance and her delicious chocolates – except for the mayor, who is determined to shut her down. When a group of river drifters visit the town, Vianne teaches the townspeople something about acceptance, and finds love for herself along the way.
Written by J. Lake

A master chef, Kate, lives her life like she runs the kitchen at upscale 22 Bleecker Restaurant in Manhattan–with a no-nonsense intensity that both captivates and intimidates everyone around her. With breathtaking precision, she powers through each hectic shift, coordinating hundreds of meals, preparing delicate sauces, seasoning and simmering each dish to absolute perfection. Written by AhmadMob

A department store executive (Flanery) tries to resist falling in love with a young woman (Gellar), who he believes has possessed magical powers after inheriting a restaurant. Written by Lawless

Retired Mexican-American chef Martin Naranjo shares an L.A. home with his three gorgeous, but single, adult daughters. Though he long ago lost his ability to taste, Martin still lives to cook incredibly lavish dinners for his loved ones and to serve them in a family-style ritual at traditional sit-down meals. Although the women humor their father’s old-fashioned ways, each of them is searching for fulfillment outside the family circle. College student Maribel is growing increasingly frustrated with the singles scene and wants a steady man; gorgeous career woman Carmen is fed up with her boyfriend and his wandering eye; meanwhile, eldest daughter Letitia, who has suppressed her own romantic longings, senses something missing in her life. Things take a turn for the romantic when Dad, a widower, meets a vivacious divorcee on the lookout for a mate and each of his daughters, in turn, finds someone. But they’ll all discover that the recipe for happiness may call for some unexpected ingredients. Written by Sujit R. Varma

Is it just another evening at the hugely popular Italian restaurant of proprietor and bookmaker Louis Cropa in New York? Anything but as tonight’s guests include; a local police detective and his wife specially invited by the owner; on the balcony rival bookmaker gangsters from Queens who want to become partners in the restaurant; in the corner renowned food critic ‘the food nymph’ is her usual demanding self; and at the bar, seemingly unnoticed, is Ken. As the evening continues enter Duncan, inveterate gambler and sous-chef on-the-line in the frenetic kitchen downstairs, who acts as the catalyst that causes the evening to draw to its inevitable, explosive, deadly conclusion. Written by Mark Smith

Senior Master Chef Chu lives in a large house in Taipei with his three unmarried daughters, Jia-Jen, a chemistry teacher converted to Christianity, Jia-Chien, an airline executive, and Jia-Ning, a student who also works in a fast food restaurant. Life in the house revolves around the ritual of an elaborate dinner each Sunday, and the love lives of all the family members.
Written by Will Gilbert

In post war Sweden it was discovered that every year, an average housewife walks the equivalent number of miles as the distance between Stockholm and Congo, while preparing her family meals. So the Home Research Institute sent out eighteen observers to a rural district of Norway to map out the kitchen routines of single men. The researchers were on twenty-four-hour call, and sat in special strategically placed chairs in each kitchen. Furthermore, under no circumstances were the researchers to be spoken to, or included in the kitchen activities.
Written by Sujit R. Varma

Tita and Pedro want to get married, but Tita has to take care of her ageing mother and is not allowed to marry. Pedro ends up marrying Tita’s sister, but lets Tita know he only married her sister to be closer to her. When Tita is forced to make the wedding cake, the guests at the wedding are overcome with sadness… Tita has discovered she can do strange things with her cooking. Written by Colin Tinto

Kit is a gangster looking to start a new life as a chef in Canada, so he can be closer to his girlfriend. But in his struggle to learn the fine art of cuisine, he runs across a red-headed beauty who will change his plans, and soon finds himself off in search of the retired master who can teach him how to win in the ultimate cooking challenge. Written by Mike Myers

In 1671, with war brewing with Holland, a penniless prince invites Louis XIV to three days of festivities at a chateau in Chantilly. The prince wants a commission as a general, so the extravagances are to impress the king. In charge of all is the steward, Vatel, a man of honor, talent, and low birth. The prince is craven in his longing for stature: no task is too menial or dishonorable for him to give Vatel. While Vatel tries to sustain dignity, he finds himself attracted to Anne de Montausier, the king’s newest mistress. In Vatel, she finds someone who’s authentic, living out his principles within the casual cruelties of court politics. Can the two of them escape unscathed? Written by J. Hailey

Society scion Newland Archer is engaged to May Welland, but his well-ordered life is upset when he meets May’s unconventional cousin, the Countess Olenska. At first, Newland becomes a defender of the Countess, whose separation from her abusive husband makes her a social outcast in the restrictive high society of late-19th Century New York, but he finds in her a companion spirit and they fall in love. Written by Marg Baskin

2 Documentary Movies:

The current method of raw food production is largely a response to the growth of the fast food industry since the 1950s. The production of food overall has more drastically changed since that time than the several thousand years prior. Controlled primarily by a handful of multinational corporations, the global food production business – with an emphasis on the business – has as its unwritten goals production of large quantities of food at low direct inputs (most often subsidized) resulting in enormous profits, which in turn results in greater control of the global supply of food sources within these few companies. Health and safety (of the food itself, of the animals produced themselves, of the workers on the assembly lines, and of the consumers actually eating the food) are often overlooked by the companies, and are often overlooked by government in an effort to provide cheap food regardless of these negative consequences. Many of the changes are based on advancements in science and technology, but often have negative side effects. The answer that the companies have come up with is to throw more science at the problems to bandage the issues but not the root causes. The global food supply may be in crisis with lack of biodiversity, but can be changed on the demand side of the equation. Written by Huggo

After arriving at The Tree of Life in Arizona, the group receives entry exams and medical tests, and is placed under the care of Dr. Gabriel Cousens. Dr. Cousens is a well known holistic medical doctor, as well as an authority on alternative healing and raw living food nutritional therapies. Medical discussions and group support meetings were held daily and medical checks conducted twice a day. The participants are encouraged to exercise, practice yoga and meditation, and are taught about food selection and preparation.

Reactions varied to this regime. All experienced a variety of emotions about the new diet and new lifestyle that they were immersed in. Some adapted to the changes more easily, others expressed feelings of deprivation and frustration with the shift from their familiar diet and environment. After a short time following the protocol, their blood sugar levels began dropping without medication and they were delighted as their bodies felt better and their minds experienced a deeper clarity. They began to believe that it was possible to reverse their disease with diet and the transformation from feeling powerless about their diabetes, to feeling empowered and healthy, emerges as they witness dramatic changes within themselves.

Simply Raw reveals, with startling clarity, that diet can reverse diabetes* and change the quality of people’s lives. The film captures the human drama and struggle of these courageous individuals making a quantum leap of faith from a traditional junk food diet to a raw vegan diet and it shows revealing moments of nurturing, compassion, and human spirit. It is a film about a life changing journey on a simply raw diet and how nature is the original medicine.

Are there any food-theme movies or documentaries you know of that aren’t listed here? Share with us the name of the movie and if you would like, write a synopsis in the comments section just below.

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We know that eating a raw diet is healthy with all its nutritional and healing benefits, but how often do we actually take the time to enjoy eating raw foods? Ever think to yourself, “If only I could just get used to the taste of greens”? Luckily, there are many wonderful ways to delight our senses and satisfy the palate eating a healthy raw diet!

Adding a dose of love and pleasure to the foods we eat can really complete the experience! Here are a few ways to start enjoying healthy eating. Let’s start by…

Connecting back to nature Getting a better sense of how our food is grown is a wonderful first step. A huge benefit of shopping at farmers markets, for example, is that it allows us to get acquainted with who our local farmers are. When we have an awareness of how and where our food is grown, it connects us back to the harvesting fields.

Adding love during food preparation Now that we know the care that went into the harvest, it’s up to us to add care into each and every meal before us. Staying present and mindful during food prep really connects us to what we are creating.

Creating beautiful presentation Now that we’ve added a dose of our love, let’s give it some beauty. Taking time to create an interesting meal that draws us in is always worth the effort. Play around with the arrangement and try adding some colorful variety for added appeal. Food should not only taste great but should look inviting and lure us in.

Saying a loving blessing Now that we have excited the senses, it is a wonderful practice to give thanks and appreciation for all that life provides us so abundantly. And let’s not forget the importance of being in a state of love and gratitude for the nourishing foods that we are taking in.

Creating a peaceful environment Now that we’re in the right state of mind, let’s create an environment that complements the mood. To really enjoy and take in the experience, it is helpful to create a calm space free of distraction and clutter. When we are relaxed and present, embracing the flavors, textures, and aroma in each bite is what truly gives us the experience of pleasure.

Learning to not force foods that we really dislike Why go through all this trouble only to force something down that our body doesn’t take well to. Eating should be a pleasurable experience, not something we have to force upon ourselves. Ideally we should create a balance between eating foods that are healthy for us and those that pleasure our taste buds. Try combining different flavors to achieve a desired taste.

Taking the time to really enjoy and savor each meal is a beautiful practice. Make it an intention to experience ecstasy in each and every healthy bite!

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Coconut Almond, Vanilla Hazelnut, and Cashew Goji Berry are three of the yummy flavors I have tried from

and I have indulged in more than a few silky smooth heart-shaped chocolates sweetly wrapped by

both companies offer a wonderful line of chocolate flavors.

I can barely wait to try the chocolate products like truffles, brownies, and other yummy chocolate creations from one of these amazing companies:

I discovered two more raw chocolate makers with the help of

Kate Quinn, editor of Living Raw Magazine, she introduced me to

Christine, a Raw Epicurean reader, introduced me to

Thanks to Sue, we have another chocolate maker to add here. Sue discovered

on The Martha Blog [click to page 10 & 11 on Martha's blog to see pictures].

Thanks ladies!

Click on any of the above banners to transport to their site.

* You can find cacao nibs, powder, and butter online at Mountain Rose Herbs and Natural Zing, or at Whole Foods Markets, Trader Joe’s, and health food and speciality shops.

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What is the cardinal rule regarding everyday food safety?

September is National Food Safety Month and this is a great time to highlight and recap some common food safety practices. Here are some general tips and suggestions to help keep it clean and safe.

Buying Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Buy fresh looking fruits and vegetables, avoiding any that are bruised, shriveled, and obviously stay away from anything that appears moldy or slimy. Reject anything that smells bad or looks old.

Have you ever got home from produce shopping to find something was rotten or moldy? It has happened to me. I thoroughly check the produce before I buy it, but every now and then one might slight through. While shopping if I find any fruits or vegetables that look questionable or is clearly on its way out, I find someone from the produce department and point it out. I do the same a farmer’s markets. They get rid of it immediately and this way someone out there might have been spared an unintentioned surprise.

Storing Your Fresh Produce

Once you bring all the lovely fresh produce home, be sure to put it away promptly and stored properly in the refrigerator and elsewhere until ready to serve.

Fresh produce doesn’t stay around for long in our house. We go through it quickly. Still there are occasions when one or two things might not get used as quickly. Check your fruits and veggies often, and discard any old produce [try composting what you discard].

Keep It Clean :: Wash, Wash, Wash

I know I am stating the obvious here but these are practices that should be habit to help us prevent foodborne illness.

Thoroughly wash your hands and ask others who will handle food to do the same before preparing food.

Always wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating or preparing them. This way you are less likely to ingest harmful bacteria or contaminates that may have come from any number of places – the soil, water, storage, etc.

Make sure countertops and utensils are clean before use, and thoroughly wash them after handling food.

For those of us raw vegans who share a kitchen with meat eaters, like I do, here are some things to seriously consider when uncooked meat is involved.

Keep Fruits and Vegetables Separate From Meats

My husband and I love to shop together. I spend most of my time in the produce section as does he, but he also spends some time in the meat section. We are both careful to separate the meat from the fruits and vegetables in the shopping cart.

When I took a food handlers class, avoiding the possibility of cross-contamination was stressed in a big way. One very important rule of thumb, never let meat leak onto other food. Peter keeps any meat items separate from the produce in the refrigerator, and even when stored in the freezer.

Also keep utensils and cutting boards separate for meats and vegetables. The best thing to do is have two separate cutting boards, one designated for produce; the other for meat.

Thoroughly clean any surface that has come in contact with raw meat before any other item is placed on that surface.

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Text by Jim Hicock

Once you’ve purchased knifes for your kitchen, you will need to consider their maintenance. Properly honing and sharpening the blade, along with using the appropriate cutting surface and storage methods, will ensure years of excellent service.

You should hone your knife before each use. This is done with a steel rod. A long (usually) metal rod, it straightens the dents, burrs and ripples in the blade caused by cutting.

There are several different types of steels available but it’s best to start with a smooth steel. This type is the least abrasive, so it will take a few more strokes to hone the blade. However, it is also more forgiving of mistakes, which may damage the cutting edge.

As for the length of the steel, select one, which is as long as the largest knife you own.

To hone the knife, first hold the steel vertically in the hand you do not cut with. Next, take the knife and place the bolster against the top of the steel, holding the edge of the blade at a 20 degree angle. Then, apply gentle pressure and stroke the knife downward along the length of the steel while maintaining the 20 degree angle. Bring the tip of the blade to rest near the handle of the steel and the action is complete. Repeat this operation on both sides of the knife from five to eight times.

A knife which is honed before each use will keep it’s edge for quite some time but eventually, you will have to sharpen it. While there is nothing wrong with bringing your knife to a professional to have this done, many people prefer to do it themselves.

The most effective way to sharpen your knife is with sharpening stones. They are divided into two categories based on the kind of lubricant required. Water stones sharpen quickly and produce a very fine edge however, they are soft and prone to dishing. Oil stones work more slowly but last a long time and don‘t need resurfacing.

The mechanical action for sharpening a knife is similar to that of honing. With the stone lying flat on the table, use your free hand to apply gentle pressure to the blade and maintain uniform contact between the stone and the cutting edge.

The surface you cut on also plays a large roll in determining how long your knife keeps its edge. The preferred cutting surface for most professional chefs is wood. A variety of types are available. Look for one that is semi soft such as bamboo. Aside from being sustainable, it absorbs less moisture than a softer wood but won’t dull your knife like harder surfaces.

Storage is a factor in knife maintenance as well. Keeping your knife unprotected in a drawer where it will bang into other utensils is to be avoided. A simple wooden or plastic sheath will protect the knife.

If you have several knives a roll up canvas knife kit is recommended.

Other articles by Jim Hicock
The Fundamentals of Choosing a Chef’s Knife

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