Tag: recognize

How to recognize a good pizza according to the great pizza chefs – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

On January 17th we have one more reason to eat it: it’s the Pizza Day. But how do you recognize a good pizza? The most popular Italian dish in the world is also the most inflated, and every time it is a different experience. If it’s true that everyone has their own tastesthat for example a true Neapolitan will hardly appreciate a thin or pan pizza like a Roman, and that those who prefer the crunchy one will never admit (or perhaps) to having appreciated a pizza with a soft crust and filling, there are objective parameters to understand if that What are we eating? Is it a well-made pizza or not?

How to recognize a good pizza

The great pizza chefs we consulted have no doubts: appearance can say a lot, because it’s not just the flavor that counts. And above all, the flavor of the first slice doesn’t matter, nor just the taste experience you experience in the moment.

In the gallery below you will discover the details, with advice from six champions of pizza in Italy: the first in the world for the 50 Top Pizza rankingthat is Francesco Martucci; Diego Vitagliano; Giuseppe Staritawhich carries on the tradition of the historic Starita pizzeria in Materdei which has now become synonymous with the best Neapolitan pizza even overseas; Salvatore Lionellowhich is leading the way with its “differently Neapolitan” pizza that has just arrived in Milan. But not only. We also asked for advice Renato Boscowhich with its “contemporary”, “chunch” and gourmet pizza is among the ambassadors of the nouvelle vague of the pizza world, and Gino Sorbilloanother true Neapolitan who deserves the credit of having made the art of pizza known to the general public. Here’s what they told us.

How to recognize a real limoncello – Italian Cuisine

Guide to buying the most loved liquor of the summer. Because the good one is made (really) with I.G.P. Lemons of Sorrento

Dozens of bottles lined up on the shelves, all yellow and all apparently the same: extricating themselves in the world of limoncello it is not easy at all. The limoncello it's a liquor of our tradition, one of the symbols of Italy in the world, a must for a summer table and the worthy conclusion of a Mediterranean dinner. It is thus part of our culture that it is made at home, by macerating lemon zests in ethyl alcohol, to which a syrup of water and sugar is added. Only the peel is used, the outer part, yellow, rich in essential oils, and therefore for an excellent limoncello, lemons with a thick and particularly aromatic zest are needed, as only Campania's lemons can be. Meaty, full of taste, kissed by the sun and the sea breeze that only the enchanting Sorrento peninsula can give.

The true limoncello it is a 100% natural liqueur, without dyes or preservatives that contains all the perfume of the best lemons: not too bitter, not too sugary, without flavors, essential oils, dyes or other ingredients – as instead they are too often indicated on many labels, but not those with real I.G.P. Lemons of Sorrento.

The Sorrento lemon has become one Indication of Protected Origin for its varietal and terroir peculiarity. Also known as Ovale di Sorrento, it stands out from the other lemons for its elliptical shape, medium-large dimensions, the skin rich in essential oils that make it very fragrant. The flesh is straw yellow in color and very succulent and the juice characterized by high acidity is rich in vitamin C and mineral salts. It is cultivated between the municipalities of Massa Lubrense, Sorrento, Vico Equense, as well as on the island of Capri, with a unique cultivation technique that involves the use of the "farfrelle", that is straw mats that cover the foliage of the plants that grow in lemon gardens to protect them from bad weather and to delay ripening. The Sorrento Lemon Consortium I.G.P. promotes not only the origin and quality of the fruits but also the authenticity of the entire production chain faithful to the typical Sorrento processing, also for the production of the liqueur by alcoholic infusion of the peel: all according to tradition!

Limoncetta from Sorrento it is just like that, with peels of fine oval lemons, water, sugar, alcohol and is produced in Vico Equense, a splendid coastal village full of lemon groves. Lemons are harvested in winter, their peels carefully peeled and left to infuse for a whole week. In each bottle of Limoncetta there are 300 grams per liter of I.G.P. Lemons of Sorrento, a good 20% more than requested by the Consortium. And you feel it.

Limoncello can be drunk smooth, iced, or with tonic water, for a refreshing drink – and can be used in many sweet (and savory!) Recipes. Stay tuned….

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Recognize the preservatives you don't want to eat at first sight – Italian Cuisine

Widely used in industrial food, preservatives, but also other types of additives, can be hazardous to health. Here's what to watch out for

L'label of a food is its identity card. Reading it allows us to acquire a lot of information on a specific product and thus guide our purchasing choices. We also know, however, that it is not always easy to interpret a label between names of incomprehensible ingredients and the haste we have when we make the expense. This is why it is useful to be prepared when we go to the supermarket and to know already what we would not like to read on the label of what we buy.

A little clarity

The first advice is to not stop at claim of the product or image on the package, but to check if these correspond to the actual content of the product. The image of a hen scratching the grass on one pack of eggs it does not necessarily indicate that those eggs come from hens on the ground: to verify it, it is necessary to read the code on the shell.

Then pay attention to product name which can sometimes create confusion in an inattentive consumer: for example there is a difference between strawberry juice and strawberry-flavored drink: in the first case we know that there is certainly a part of the fruit in the drink, in the second it will have been probably used a flavor, artificial or natural, strawberry.

Finally, one information to always keep in mind is that on a label the ingredients are indicated in decreasing order of quantity: the first on the list is more abundant than the second and so on.

What we find on a label

The indications that must appear on the label are regulated by the EU Regulation 1169/2011 which obliges to specify, among other things, such as vegetable oil or fat it is used in industrial food, the allergen list and the nutritional table with the quantities of salt, sugarsaturated fats that are contained in that food.

In the list of ingredients on the product label we also find the indication of additives that have been used in that food. They can be reported with the letter E followed by a number or with them scientific denomination.

Food additives, whether natural or artificial, have several functions: there are i colorants, marked with the numbers from E100 to E199, i preservatives indicated with in numbers from E200 to E299, antioxidants and acidity correctors (from E300 to E399), the thickeners, stabilizers and emulsifiers (from E400 to E499), acidity regulators and anti-caking agents (from E500 to E599), flavor enhancers (from E600 to E699), other various additives including sweeteners (from E900 to E999).

Additives are not harmful in themselves, but they can become harmful if they undergo chemical transformations or if ingested in high doses, so much so that for many of them EFSA (the European Food Safety Agency) has identified some maximum daily quantities not to be overcome. For this reason it is always better to base the diet on fresh products such as fruit and vegetables and to limit the processed and industrial ones also rich in salts, sugars and fat.

The most risky preservatives

Among the preservatives, WHO has classified as probably carcinogenic, because associated with an increased risk of tumors in the stomach and esophagus, potassium nitrite (E249) and sodium nitrite (E250), sodium nitrate (E251) and potassium nitrate (E252). They are often present, for example, in meat, sausages and cured meats to avoid the formation of bacteria, to preserve them better, but also to maintain their lively color. In themselves they are not carcinogenic, but undergoing some chemical transformations (such as cooking) they convert into N-nitrosamines, compounds that are instead considered carcinogenic. If you want to be on the safe side, know that in Dop products the production disciplinary prohibits using them. You can also be more relaxed when nitrite and nitrate are used in combination with some antioxidants, such as vitamin C (E300) and its derivatives, sodium ascorbate (E301) and potassium ascorbate (E303), which inhibit the formation of nitrosamines.

Attention also to sodium benzoate (E211), which can be present, for example, in fruit-based drinks, which in contact with ascorbic acid (vitamin C) can produce benzene, a carcinogenic compound. L'sulfur dioxide (E220) instead it could cause allergic reactions in predisposed subjects.

Dyes and children

According to EU Regulation 1169/2011 if a food or drink contains one or more of these six dyes, sunset yellow (E110), quinoline yellow (E104), carmoisine yellow (E122), allura red (E129), tartrazine yellow (E102), Ponceau red (E124), the label must bear the words "may adversely affect the activity and attention of children". An epidemiological study carried out in England by the University of Southampton related, in fact, the consumption of foods containing these dyes with disturbances in the sphere of activity and attention in children. The research has not yet had enough confirmations or denials, but the European standard was established in precautionary measure.

The dyes to watch out for are then caramel E150D (used in soft drinks and candies, for example) which contains 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) considered potentially carcinogenic, and lAluminum E173 that if it accumulates in quantity in the body, it can be neurotoxic and harmful for those suffering from kidney diseases.

Are sweeteners and flavor enhancers safe?

The sweeteners they are used as a substitute for sugar because they have fewer calories, but some likeaspartame (E951) and sucralose (E955) they are the subject of controversial studies, some linking them to health risks, others acquitting them.
As for the flavor enhancers we report that EFSA has defined a maximum daily dose of 30 mg per kilo of body weight for sodium glutamate (E621), often used to cover food defects: therefore you need to pay some attention to how many foods that contain it we take in a day.

Watch out for phosphates

THE phosphates they are found in various types of additives such as emulsifiers, thickeners, anti-caking agents, and in various types of products, from drinks to ice cream, from baked goods to cheeses, from ready meals and canned soups. They can inhibit the absorption of calcium and if in a single product they are not harmful, thecocktail effect. Recently, EFSA calculated that additives contribute 6 to 30% of the total intake of phosphates through the diet, identified an acceptable daily dose for these substances and indicated the risk that this new dose could be exceeded more easily by minors and adolescents.