Smoke Point of Cooking Oils

Did you know that when some oils reach a certain temperature during cooking they become to degenerate and smoke? 
The bluish smoke that can then be seen means the oil is close to burning and is the temperature at which fats and oils begin to break down. 
Nutrition and flavor degradation occur at these temperatures. The chemical composition of the oil changes, sometimes with effects that are harmful to health.
A low smoke point means the oil should not be cooked with at all, or only slightly.
A high smoke point oil should be used for cooking at higher temperatures, for example pan frying.



Here is the smoke point of a few of the more common refined cooking oils,
Canola 400 degrees
Cottonseed 420 degrees
Sunflower 440 degrees
Corn 450 degrees
Peanut 450 degrees
Olive pomace 460 degrees
Soy 460 degrees
Extra-light olive 468 degrees
Safflower 510 degrees

Day 2: Mango, Prawn and Avocado Salad

Serves: 4 

Preparation: 20 minutes

Ingredients: 

500g Cooked Prawns

2 Mangoes

2 Avocados 

2 Limes 

Baby Spinach Leaves

Finely Chopped Coriander 

1 Red Chilli finely chopped (Seeds Removed)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method:

1. Peel and devein the prawns and place in a bowl and cover. 

2. Peel and slice mangoes and avocados. 

3. Wash baby spinach leaves and sprinkle into the base of a salad bowl. 

4. Add mixture of the mango and avocado on top. 

5. Add the peeled and deveined prawns. 

6. In a seperate dish add extra virgin olive oil, finely chopped coriander and finely chopped chilli. 

7. Pour this dressing over the top of the mix, and add some lime slices to serve. 

Enjoy, 

A :)

Day 1: 3 P's Salad - Pumpkin, Pasta and Prosciutto

Serves: 4

Preparation: 20mins 

Cooking 20mins

Ingredients: 

400g Spiral Pasta

1 tbsp Olive Oil 

100g Prosciutto 

300ml Low Fat Cream 

3 cups baked Pumpkin cubed

1/2 cup grated Parmesan 

1/2 cup of unsalted cashews

150g Baby Spinach leaves

1/2 cup chopped Parsley 

Methods: 

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot in boiling, salted water (following packet instructions)

2. Remove pasta from the pot and add to a metal mixing bowl, cover with foil and keep warm. 

3. Place prosciutto under the grill and grill until crispy, remove and cover. 

4. Add cream and water to a saucepan. Bring to the boil and stir, reduce the heat and stir through the pasta,  pumpkin and cashews. 

5. Crumble the prosciutto and mix through, then add the finely grated parmesan to the mix. Leave on the heat for 1 minute. 

6. Remove from the heat and stir through spinach and parsley. 

Add additional parsley & parmesan to serve. 

Enjoy :) 

A

Lets Begin! The Recipe a Day

During 2013 i will be posting a recipe a day to the blog page, feel free to email me any of your ideas or favourite family recipes!! 

A 

Exercise Time!

Who's New Years resolution involved exercising more and eating healthier foods?
(I know that mine did!!)

Throughout the year i find it hard to stick to one type of exercise and i lose interest in particular activities quiet quickly!! I have thought that maybe it is my motivation and commitment that might be the issue, however i really think it comes down to overdoing it. 

My aim for this year is to find an activity that i enjoy doing in moderation, and then mixing it in with other things!! To keep it enjoyable, flexible and consistent. 

Make a plan to do some form of physical activity everyday, doesn't matter how long, how far or what type, but as long as you are up and about you will be burning calories!! Dont place rules and expectations on yourself, just do what you can do and see how you go :) 

Get up and make a difference for your own health!

Welcome Back!

Hi Everyone, 

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!!
The blog will be back up and running as of this week so stay tuned for some great ideas and stories.

Also check out my New Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Food-4-Thought-Nutrition-4-Life/318171831544716

Stay healthy, keep smiling and enjoy life. 



A

#1 Tip to keep you trim and terrific through the Festive Season!

Tips to keep you trim and terrific over Christmas! 

The countdown is on and in little under 16 days Christmas will be here!
Over the festive season one of the main causes of weight gain is not in fact what you are eating, but what you are drinking. Yes, that's right, a few drinks is equal to having a second dinner!!

I have attached a list describing the amount of energy found in some of the more common drinks purchased at bars or prepared at home. From reading and researching this, it is evident that there is a significantly higher amount of sugars and energy in the pre-mix varieties such as UDL, Cruisers, and Ruski.
*However, this should not be taken as a direction to go out and start mixing your own drinks, if you are not experienced in serving alcohol it is definitely recommended that you stick to standardised pre-mixed drinks, that way you can keep a good count of how many you've had!

I have also put down the kJ found in a few food items so you can comparatively get an idea of how much hidden kJ there are in these drinks...

Quarter Pounder Burger (no fries or drink) = 2,300kJ
Grilled Pita Veggie Pizza = 1325kJ
2 x Teriyaki Chicken Sushi Rolls (Go Sushi) = 1040kJ


These values are all averages, and are based on 1 drink, if you are going out and around 6 drinks you should then multiply this value by 6.

If you have any questions feel free to message me via the facebook page or just post them onto the wall.

Type	Serving size	kJ
Beer, full strength (4.9%)	Pint	863
Beer, mid-strength (3.5%)	Pint	568
Beer, low-carb (4%)	Pint	682
Beer, light (2.7%)	Pint	585
Beer, Guinness draught (4.2%)	Pint	914
Cider, original (5%)	Pint	1,210
Wine, red, dry (12%)	160ml	456
Wine, white, dry (12%)	160ml	469
Wine, rosé (8.6%)	160ml	456
Champagne (11.5%)	160ml	473
Vodka soda	230ml	266
Jack Daniel’s and Coke	230ml	660
Gin tonic	230ml	552
Dry martini	90ml	520
Jim Beam & Cola can (7%)	375ml	938
UDL Vodka, lemon, lime & soda can (5%)	375ml	949
Baileys Irish Cream, original (17%)	37ml	504