New foods for 2016

Teetime - for Christmas DD was given a rack with half a dozen different salts, we had Danish on some baked potatoes and all liked the look of the pink Himalayan salt. I can't remember the rest, or whether she knew wher it came from, I'll ask her.

Rapeseed oil is supposed to be more nutritious (or less artery clogging) but If I am making a cake with an oil batter recipe I find the flavour of sunflower oil is better. Rapeseed oil seems to have a more savoury taste.

I do tend to use an awful lot more butter than I used to. There is nothing to compare with the improvement in flavour it gives.

thats 'good' not goo LOL

My Diabetic nurse recommended Rapeseed oil for its 'goo' fats qualities but then the doctor said no frying or roasting because heating it actually increases the 'bad' fats in it . He said the thinking currently is that the BEST thing for frying ( if you must ) is lard or butter.

So thats full circle for me. We don't fry much and previously to the rapeseed we had used olive oil but now I use a tiny knob of lard or don't fry.

Talk about confuse you !!

Rapesed oil user here too. lower in ermm something bad, higher in ermm... somethign good... can you see I was really paying attention...

Most supermarket 'vegetable oil' is rapeseed oil. I have no idea what, if any, is the difference between that and all the fancy rapeseed oils, apart from the fact that it is as tasteless as most vegetable oils. And it is miles cheaper.

My DD, who has a Masters in Human Nutrition, says that it is a 'good' oil. Like most things, I'm sure it is fine in moderation.

Any oils can be used to run motors; that doesn't make them unfit for human consumption. Aren't there numbers of cars around being run on old fish & chip shop oil?

Round and round we go. A few years ago coconut oil was supposed to cause heart attacks along with butter. We use butter now., so tasty and coconut cream in Thai food.

ps correction - I think the article said oil from nuts was ok.

Don't use rapeseed oil for frying it's used for fuel oil here, husband uses it in his chainsaw for cutting the logs.
I read an article at the weekend that said that no veg. oils are "healthy", even olive oil.
So best to go back to butter.

I bought some cold pressed rape seed oil. It looks like extra virgin olive oil - sort of green - and smells quite, well, green, as well. Can't describe the smell really. Is that what it is supposed to be like? I wouldn't like to fry an egg in it - it would end up like something out of Dr Seuss!

TriciaF, I bought the coconut oil in Asda. It comes in a jar and was on the shelf with all the cooking oils. I usually use their organic rapeseed oil, which is light in colour and flavour, it makes lovely roasties!

I don't like any of the 'synthetic' milks.....can't take cow milk...but goat milk just tastes like - milk!

When we went to stay with DD2 we were were offered Almond milk or Oat milk.
I opted for oat milk so my tea tasted like porridge.
We trekked across the fields in the dark to buy some ordinary milk

Himalayan salt comes in a grinder (in Lidl it does anyway)

Does rock salt come as little granular bits? I think you use more of that because it doesn't sprinkle as well as ordinary table salt.

You can get unsweetened Alpro (almond milk) They add calcium. Suppose it's mainly for the lactose intolerant.

Has rapeseed oil got a taste? mine hasn't.

I once bought almond milk by mistake - I love most nutty things and quite liked the taste but it was very sweet; no doubt lots of added sugar.

Commercially-made it contains certain supplements but I doubt if it has any serious health benefits that a handful of almonds wouldn't provide.

I am interested in Almond Milk - has anyone used that - what are the benefits please.
There seems to be a lot of coconut oil about but DH hates the taste and flavour of coconut and is concerned that it has a high cholesterol count.
I always use olive oil - are there others which are better - we did try rapeseed and I thought it smelt odd.

I use sea salt as I think it has more flavour and you don't need as much.

We bought some Himalayan rock salt (not because it was a 'super-food' - we didn't know that it was). DD uses it, DH likes it because he says it is tastier and you don't need to use so much.
We found it in Lidl.

The description above of Himalayan rock salt says it is contaminated with 2–3% polyhalite

Polyhalite is Polyhalite is a naturally occurring evaporite mineral comprising hydrated sulphates of potassium, calcium and magnesium, with the chemical formula K2SO4.MgSO4.2CaSO4.2H2O.
(Minerals which are in many vitamin/mineral supplements.)

Blueberries were supposed to be a super-food - we have a freezer full of blackcurrants which are just as good I think (can't use them up quickly enough .....)

Shysal - the last time I stayed with Son no.1 and his wife she fried sliced courgettes in coconut oil - they were delicious, the flavours went well together.
Where did you get yours from?

Amaranth is eaten in breakfast cereal in Germany and I have been buying what they call "Frühstücksbrei", which is essentially a kind of porridge made from various cereal types, online from there for a few months now.

As a live-long Crohn's sufferer who does not tolerate seeds gladly, but nevertheless keen to have some fibre in my dient, I can honestly say I have no problem with this and feel very well on it, so shall continue eating it.

Yes I watched a very good programme on 'super foods' and I think the conclusion was that there is no such thing. I am really thinking about introducing new things more for variety and taste. I read that amaranth is similar to quinoa which we do have and nigella as you say has been on nan breads and in Asian cooking for a very long time. I would be interested in what new things people have tried and how they are cooked/served.

I thought so! Amaranth is the garden plant aka "Love lies bleeding!" you could easily grow your own. Seeds are available from most garden seed companies. Plant the seeds and harvest them later. Summer flowers and a food source.
search.thompson-morgan.com/search?w=amaranthus+seeds

Grow them alongside the Nigella "Love in a mist" and harvest those seeds as "kalonji." Which you could probably buy in asian food shops. These are the little black tear shaped seeds you often get stuck on naan bread.

"Himalayan salt is predominantly sodium chloride (95-98%), contaminated with 2–3% polyhalite and small amounts of ten other minerals.[2][3] The pink color is due to the presence of iron oxide.[3]"

The stuff they dig out of the salt mines in Northwich Cheshire is pink in colour and they spread that over the icy roads. Do be wary of proclaimed superfoods.

Thanks to Gransnet, I have bought some coconut oil for myself as well as presents for upcoming birthdays. I have yet to try it though!
www.gransnet.com/life-and-style/10-of-the-best-ways-to-use-coconut-oil