About Soy Lecithin

Before I moved to the US, I was somewhat careless or carefree about what I consumed. Although I ate relatively healthily, I didn’t mind eating things that stated that they could have been genetically modified.

When we moved to the US, J & I developed food allergies. This made me look more into what was in foods. I now cook almost everything from scratch. I am extremely careful with anything I eat or cook with, including anything that is genetically modified. I also check ingredients on all-labeled items.

What is Vanillin?

Vanillin, is one of the constituents that contribute to the distinct flavor and aroma of vanilla.

It's an organic crystal that forms on the outside of the vanilla bean. Although it does occur naturally, a cured vanilla pod only contains about 2% dry weight of vanillin. The extraction of naturally occurring vanillin is not only expensive, but highly inefficient.

What is "All-Natural"?

I hate the phrase “all-natural”. When we moved to the US, we noticed that there was a lot of food marketed as “natural”. It seemed at the time, that they were promting a healthy product. However, on closer inspection, the ingredients contained all sorts of nasties. Let’s just say that “all-natural” isn’t what it’s cut out to be! The phrase “all-natural” could mean anything!

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – “a product containing no artificial ingredient or added color and is only minimally processed (a process which does not fundamentally alter the raw product) may be labeled natural. The label must explain the use of the term natural (such as – no added colorings or artificial ingredients; minimally processed)” [1].

Equipment

Apart from my knives, I don't have any specialized kitchen equipment. I've got the usual stuff you can purchase in any store. I don’t even have the Kitchen-Aid stand-mixer, that every American household seems to own…. I refuse to spend that much money on one of those things.

Ingredients

There are many recipes where I don’t specify certain ingredients. I have however, made a list of what I usually use or have in my pantry.

- I buy organic whenever I can, that is when it’s available. If it’s unavailable, I skip it. This includes ALL produce, cocoa, sugars, flours, meats, nuts, grains, pasta, with the exception of honey. I also buy only wild-caught fish.

- I normally have four cheeses on hand – vintage Gouda & smoked Gouda, imported from The Netherlands, Roquefort and Brie imported from France.