Tag: frozen

Shopping: better frozen or canned food? – Italian Cuisine

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Let's start from the assumption that fresh (and in season) is better, but when you can't find the product on the market every day and we want a varied and balanced diet, frozen foods and canned foods often come to our aid, helping us also to limit waste at the table and therefore, they do not always represent absolute evil. With the necessary precautions and always keeping an eye on the label, you can buy products in total safety.

Let's start with frozen foods
176146Italians love them very much, buy them and often consume them, especially appreciating the quality and practicality of use, according to the latest "Annual Report on Consumption of Frozen Products in Italy", of theItalian Frozen Food Institute (IIAS), the frozen food market in 2018 tends to remain stable compared to the previous year and to drive sales are "out of home" consumption, while the data for the first four months of 2019 bode well, showing signs of positive development. "Frozen food – he claims Vittorio Gagliardi, President of IIAS – confirmed that they are an integral part of the daily eating habits of Italians, not only at home but also outside the home, confirming that sub-zero products are increasingly becoming an essential element even in the kitchens of our restaurants. In fact – continues Gagliardi – the main prerogatives of the frozen product (that is, the high quality and naturalness of the raw materials, the availability in every period of the year, the high nutritional content, the absolute hygiene and food safety) have now also conquered the chefs and restaurateurs from all over Italy, holding an important place in high quality cuisine ". The product offered by frozen food companies is healthy, safe and traceable and allows chefs to have every type of ingredient available, even out of season.

176152Among the most popular merchandise segments, the photograph taken by the IIAS reveals, the vegetables are confirmed, followed by fish products, while the consumption of frozen potatoes continues to grow and the pizzas are confirmed as a product very appreciated by the consumer, thanks to innovation continues and the constant expansion of the offer. By now the myth that frozen products lose their nutritional properties has been dispelled, thanks to greater information from the consumer who knows that vegetables are frozen a few hours after harvesting, maintaining the organoleptic and nutritional characteristics of the fresh or that the fish caught is frozen directly on the boat or kept at a temperature such as to allow processing immediately after disembarking. The only preservative is cold. Food safety standards exist, verified by checks and analyzes on the supply chain and carried out according to the law.

Some rules to follow
Of course, it is good to follow some important rules during product selection, transport and storage, such as putting it in the shopping cart at the end of the shopping and buying it in highly frequented sales points, guaranteeing a good product rotation, avoiding choosing broken, wet or frosted packages.

Use thermal bags during transport and once at home, if some food is partially defrosted, place it in the fridge and consume it within a day. Important rule: never refreeze a product that has already been thawed.

As for the conservation, our freezer comes to the aid with the stars that indicate the maximum storage times of the different foods. It is always the rule of not opening the freezer (and the fridge) in case of black out.

In addition to being safe, frozen foods also represent accomplices in the fight against food waste. The reasons are many, but among the main reminds us of the IIAS, there is the long duration of storage and optimization of household waste, because basically what you buy frozen is eaten 100%, just because we tend to use only the portion that is needed at the moment.

And the canned foods?
176149Even for canned foods, the tendency is to consider them not genuine, a stock to keep in the pantry for emergencies. They often contain salt, sugar, flavorings and preservatives, so reading the label well is one of the main precautions to follow before purchasing and prefer those "natural" and without salt. Also in this case it will be good to pay attention to the choice of the package, which must not have bulges, dents or breakages. Check the boxing date, which is not too far in time, even if the deadlines are long.

As for the legumes, for example, it is suggested to eliminate the preserving liquids that usually contain salt and rinse the product before using it for cooking preparations.

"We're talking about – explains Dr. Annalisa Russo, nutritionist biologist – of foods that retain their organoleptic characteristics, as the treatments suffered to allow their conservation are not particularly aggressive and in the case of vegetables the original taste is not excessively altered. As far as the nutritional aspect is concerned, it should be specified that the food does not maintain the characteristics it has at its origin, especially as regards vitamins and mineral salts". The passage of time and the heat treatment that foods undergo for canning are aspects that contribute to the reduction of vitamins, a process that starts from the moment the product is collected. Even steel packaging is environmentally friendly, cans, large barrels, boxes and closures can be recycled many times, maintaining their characteristics intact.

Keeping the theme, the star chef Moreno Cedroni, during the last edition of Terra Madre at the Salone del Gusto in Turin, he made gourmet creations starting from two products, tomato and anchovy, preserved in steel containers. The chef, fascinated by this preservation process, began to study it to understand how to keep canned perfumes and flavors, starting from his "starred" recipes and relying on research and his creativity.

Mariacristina Coppeto
June 2019

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FROZEN PIZZA: DO YOU KNOW THE BEST? – Italian Cuisine

FROZEN PIZZA: DO YOU KNOW THE BEST?


Comfortable, tasty and tasty, the frozen pizza has become a must in the freezer of Italian companies: between July 2017 and July 2918, in the modern distribution almost 48 million kg were sold for a turnover of nearly 300 million euros (source: IRI). The Italians ne buy more and more and also have a more and more choice wide: whether it is round, in the slice or in the blade; margherita or stuffed, mini or maxi, biological, integral, vegan, gluten-free, now on average in a supermarket if they are around 45 types different. And the prices remain unsurpassed for convenience: according to IRI, they are paid on average 2.30 euros pizza, which fall to 1.72 euros if you take advantage of promotions. But compared to a cost as low as it is quality of these pizzas?

Few ingredients and known
A quality frozen pizza should contain the ingredients of tradition, that is, in order: flour, tomato, mozzarella and olive oil. Better if the tomato is not simple past but also pulp, more valuable. Salt, if any, must be at the bottom of the list
of the ingredients: one warranty of the fact that there is little, since the list is in descending order of weight on the product. sugar in the pizza? It seems strange, yet it can happen find between the ingredients (for example in the form of dextrose) and is added to the mixture to make it more elastic and to promote freezing.

Eye to the pseudo mozzarella
Here is another key ingredient for getting a good pizza. There mozzarella cheese it must be authentic, of quality and present in the right quantity. All aspects that can be to verify checking the list of ingredients. Making a comparison between products different one can discover, for example, that the quantity of mozzarella are very different (ranging from 15 to 28%) or that often is not the only cheese used. Or it is not present, replaced by other cheeses (like theEdam), as happens above all in the pizzas stuffed with salami or tuna.

Oil: often the latita olive
The top is pizza with olive oil and present in just the right amount (just a few grams are not enough). Other acceptable oils include sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, hydrogenated fats or vegetable fats (such as Palm tree) are synonymous with inferior quality.

Additives? No thanks
A good pizza does not need to additives: therefore if the list of ingredients appear flavor enhancers, acidifying, emulsifiers, aromas or colorings (for example added to pummarola) is not a good sign. Much better those in which, for flavor, we only resort to spices and herbs aromatic.

Wood fired: is it better?
The best cooking is the one made up Stone and in a wood oven, which makes the pizza crunchy and golden. But the benefits, for taste and health, disappear if the cooking has been badly conducted and the pizza looks scorched or crusted carbonized.

And the yeast?
Unlike what you think, it is not so much the guy yeast (mother or beer) to make the difference but the duration of the leavened: more takes place slowly, plus the pizza is fragrant, light and digestible. Better to check, therefore, if on the packaging there is the indication "naturally leavened" and if it is indicated the duration leavening (better from 24 hours upwards).

Stuffing yes, but ..
They give that swing to pizza that makes it even tastier and irresistible. Yet the fillings can also be one boomerang: for the line, if they are too abundant, or for the health, if they are made with low quality ingredients and which also serve to overcoat a paste of not excellent quality. First rule for a good purchase: prefer pizza stuffed with raw material choices, from Taggiasca olives to Pachino tomatoes PGI, from the Gorgonzola Dop to the red onion of Tropea Igp. And then check also the weight on ingredients, because it can happen that some ingredients particularly fine they are present in negligible quantities. If it is written on the package "Hand-stuffed" it's a good thing: in fact, the most delicate and precious ingredients (from artichokes cooked ham) need special care when they are added to the pizza.

Optional but welcome
On the label of frozen pizza, in addition to directions compulsory, others can be compared decided by the producer and which are an indication of transparency and attention to the service. The first is the production plant (soon obligatory), which allows you to know where it was made. And in this sense, by skill and tradition, Italy is one warranty. Another useful indication is that which provides advice on how to cook pizza to taste it best.

Let's talk about prices
It is not so immediate to understand how much it costs really a frozen pizza. It is true, in fact, that the price of each package is highlighted on the shelf but it is equally true that there is such a variety of formats (and therefore of weight) that does not help to understand how much the various products. Suffice it to say that in the cartoons of the brands most sold ranges from pizzas weighing 300 grams to those that do weigh 380 grams up to 425 grams. Solution: do not stop for the price of one package but look for the price per kg on the shelf (mandatory). It turns out so, that the price range is very wide: from less than 3 euros to over 11 euros per kg for one Daisy.

Manuela Soressi
February 2019

How to turn frozen pizza into deluxe pizza – Italian Cuisine

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It's always good, comfortable and everyone likes it. Pizza for dinner: a large, timeless classic that often also passes through the freezer. Defrosted and away. Well no! With a few, little tricks this popular and fast dinner can also become gourmand.

167268Number one: choose well frozen pizza to buy. It does not have to be rich in condiments – the "topping", ie the ingredients that enrich the base – we can always add them. It must however be rich in quality. That is good the base: organic flour and not necessarily white wheat – try alternatives now available on the market, for example spelled or wholemeal pasta.

Second: not necessarily the pizza must be heated in the oven, especially if this is ventilated or if you have a valid alternative. If you use a normal oven, heat it well before putting it – as you would do for the pizza to be cooked, raising the temperature at most but without grill. The alternatives are above all the barbecue: those with lids become similar to pizza ovens, with that nice smoky snack as if it were freshly baked from a wood-burning oven. And then also the stove, always covering the pizza that has been placed in a pan.

Third: we add them extra ingredients (Buy then a simple and cheap Margherita or, even better, a Marinara). You are spoiled for choice: your refrigerator, your pantry and your imagination have wider possibilities and more in line with your tastes than any pre-packaged commercial proposal. And the quality of the individual ingredients will also be under your control. And it's also a great method for take out leftovers, starting from the famous "piccichini" of cheese, to the half portion of vegetables, to the pesto fondue with two slices of salami cross (true or vegan).

167271We also pay attention to the "When" add our ingredients. There are ingredients that are best to put before putting the pizza in the oven, for example all that has to merge (or even what is good – speaking of leftovers – that receives another heat stroke before being consumed). There are others that make more put cold, at the last before serving it, for example fresh herbs such as basil or dried as freshly rubbed oregano, salads naturally but also salted anchovies and so on. And then, taking advantage of the fact that the pizza is not cooking, but only by recovering (and therefore we can open the oven without risking inhibiting leavening), there are ingredients that we can add halfway, so they are not cold from the fridge but do not cook – for example pesto or ham (if you want to put the latter from the beginning, however, remember to put the cheese on it, so do not dry.

Finally, two basic tricks before and after defrosting the crust. Before putting the pizza to heat, wet your hands with water and pass them on the crust. As soon as the pizza is ready and steaming, sprinkle it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, which will then be healthy and raw but will absorb the same perfectly to the freshly picked pasta. And maybe a few drops here and there even on the condiment, fresh and dried herbs for the final touch.

Carra Traverso Saibante
November 2017
updated October 2018

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