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Founded in 1941, Barron's Educational Series is a leading publisher of test preparation manuals and school directories. Among the most widely recognized of Barron's many titles in these areas are its SAT and ACT test prep books, its Regents Exams books, and its Profiles of American Colleges. In ...
Thanks to new U. S. labeling laws effective in 1994, understanding food labels is much easier than it once was. The Federal Nutrition Labeling and Education Act regulations not only require that specific information appear on processed food labels, they also implement improvements in four basic areas:
# package claims (which are now federally defined and regulated);
# serving sizes, which must be comparable for similar foods;
# referring to the % Daily Value column quickly tells the consumer the percentage of a particular nutrient in the food;
# by consulting the Daily Values, consumers can determine how much (or how little) of the major nutrients they should eat on a daily basis.
When checking the ingredients on packaged food, remember that most labels list ingredients in descending order by weight, not by amount. For example, a cereal with four ingredients, of which sugar is the third listed, most likely contains a small percentage of sugar. Labels must now include the total amount of fat, saturated fat and unsaturated fat (see fats and oils), although detailing the various types of the latter is optional. Be warned, however, that there's currently a major information gap in this labeling scheme because trans fatty acids (essentially unsaturated fat that's been transformed into saturated fat through hydrogenation), which may be part of the total fat listed, won't be classified as "saturated. " Add the amount of saturated fat and unsaturated fat together — if it doesn't equal the figure for total fat, the difference can most likely be attributed to trans fatty acids, which essentially translates to saturated fat. Following are many terms found on food labels. Low fat means the amount of fat per serving (or per 100 grams of food) is 3 grams or less; the phrase "90 (or other number) percent fat free" may only be used for low fat products. Reduced fat means the product contains 50 percent (or less) of the fat found in the product's regular version; reduced saturated fat is the same, but only in reference to saturated fat. Low in saturated fat means each serving contains 1 gram (or less) of saturated fat, and the number of calories from that source are not more than 15 percent of the total. Fat free indicates the product has less than 1/2 gram of fat per serving, providing there are no added fat or oil ingredients. Reduced cholesterol tells you the product contains 50 percent (or less) of the cholesterol found in the product's regular version. Low in cholesterol means the cholesterol per serving (or per 100 grams of food) is 20 milligrams or less, and that the saturated fat is 2 grams or less. Cholesterol free means the product (per serving) contains less than 2 milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams (or less) of saturated fat. Reduced sodium signals at least 75 percent less sodium; low sodium means 140 milligrams or less per serving; very low sodium — 35 milligrams sodium per serving; sodium free — less than 5 milligrams per serving. Reduced calorie on a label means there are at least one-third fewer calories than in the product's regular form; low calorie indicates 40 calories or less per serving, and less than 0. 4 calories per gram of food. No sugar added means there's no table sugar, but there may be other forms of sugar such as corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, maltose or sucrose. Light (or lite) is a virtually meaningless term used in a variety of ways by individual manufacturers.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the only parameter for this term is that it must contain "less of something," which means that it can refer to reduced calories, a lighter color or flavor (as with some oils), a fluffy (lighter) texture, or reduced fat, sugar, alcohol, etc. According to the FDA, the words natural flavorings refer to those that are "derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, egg, dairy product . . . whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional. " Be aware, however, that those broad parameters include ingredients like hydrolyzed protein and hvp, both of which contain msg.
The FDA has no set definition for the word natural. However, although there's no true consistency among manufacturers, the term generally means that the product has no artificial ingredients or intentional additives (although many "natural" foods are full of sugar, fat and preservatives). When the word "natural" is applied to meat or poultry, it generally means the product is minimally processed and free of artificial ingredients. Organic is another term that is often used without qualification, although in some states it refers to the fact that crops are pesticide free and that animal feed and water is sans chemicals. Enriched products are those that have lost nutrients during processing, then had them approximately replaced by enrichment. White flour, for example, loses 50 to 80 percent of many nutrients during processing, but then has some of them replaced. Fortified on a label (as with a breakfast cereal) tells you that nutrients have been added that weren't in the original ingredients. rda stands for "Recommended Dietary Allowance," the government-recommended daily amounts of protein, vitamins and minerals for healthy adults. Such amounts are ballpark figures and may vary slightly according to gender, conditions such as pregnancy, etc. See also additives.
Industry:Culinary arts
A term used in Great Britain for corned beef, particularly canned versions.
Industry:Culinary arts
1. A small, coin-shaped piece of meat, usually lamb. Also called noisette or medallion. 2. The term poivre mignonnette more commonly refers to coarsely ground white peppercorns. 3. Historically, a mignonnette was a small cloth sachet filled with peppercorns and cloves, used to flavor soups and stews much in the way a bouquet garni is used today.
Industry:Culinary arts
A peppery Japanese condiment made of seven different seasonings including red chile flakes (togarashi), sansho, white sesame seeds, nori (seaweed) flakes, bits of dried mandarin orange peel, black hemp seeds and white poppy seeds. Shichimi togarashi is available in hot, medium and mild strengths in most Asian markets. It's also called hichimi togarashi and seven spice seasoning.
Industry:Culinary arts
A sweet, pliable mixture of almond paste, sugar and sometimes unbeaten egg whites. It's often tinted with food coloring and molded into a variety of forms including fruits, animals and holiday shapes. Some fancy commercial marzipan fruit is colored so convincingly that it can almost be mistaken for the real thing. Marzipan is also rolled into thin sheets and used either to cover cakes or to cut into strips to form ribbons, bows and a variety of other shapes. Marzipan is available in most supermarkets, packaged in cans or plastic-wrapped logs.
Industry:Culinary arts
A fresh cheese made from whole, part-skimmed or skimmed pasteurized cow's milk. "Sweet curd" cottage cheese — by far the most popular — has a rather mild (sometimes bland) flavor because the curds are washed to remove most of the cheese's natural acidity. The texture of cottage cheese is usually quite moist. If the curds are allowed to drain longer, pot cheese is formed; longer yet and the firm farmer's cheese is created. Cottage cheese comes in three forms: small-curd, medium-curd and large-curd (sometimes called "popcorn" cottage cheese). Creamed cottage cheese has had 4 to 8 percent cream added to it, lowfat cottage cheese has from 1 to 2 percent fat (check the label), and nonfat cottage cheese has, of course, zero fat. Cottage cheese is sold plain and flavored, the most popular additions being chives and pineapple (but not together). Because it's more perishable than other cheeses, cartons of cottage cheese are stamped on the bottom with the date they should be pulled from the shelves. Store cottage cheese in the coldest part of the refrigerator for up to 10 days past the stamped date. See also cheese.
Industry:Culinary arts
A Hanukkah tradition, rugalach are bite-size crescent-shaped cookies that can have any of several fillings including raisins (or other fruit) and nuts, poppy-seed paste or jam. They're generally made with a rich cream-cheese dough.
Industry:Culinary arts
A kitchen utensil that uses centrifugal force to dry freshly washed salad greens, herbs, etc. Wet ingredients are placed in an inner basket. The basket is set into an outer container fitted with a lid with a gear-operated handle or pull-cord. As the handle is turned (or cord pulled), the perforated inner container spins rapidly, forcing moisture off the food out through the perforations and into the outer container.
Industry:Culinary arts
A Spanish sherry made from the palomino grape. It's aged longer and is darker and softer than a fino. Amontillado should have a distinctively nutty flavor.
Industry:Culinary arts
Taking its name from the French town of Pithiviers, this classic French "cake" is composed of an almond cream (frangipane) encased between two puff pastry rounds.
Industry:Culinary arts
