Uncategorized
Don’t be intimidated by ingredient labels
Published
9 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersBy Scott Mechura EBS Food Columnist
For years, we’ve been taught to avoid ingredients on labels that we don’t recognize, can’t pronounce, or aren’t whole foods. However, for some chefs, a few of these ingredients are modern day links between wholesome foods and flawless presentation.
Chefs, at heart, are purists. Often times, their goals are to hone their craft naturally and organically. To paraphrase an old French saying: “Seek out the highest quality ingredients, and don’t screw them up.”
We want to keep the essence of flavors honest and unadulterated. After all, we chefs are the gatekeepers with regards to how we think Americans should eat.
Starting in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, packaging began including words we had not seen before: guar gum, dextrin and xanthan gum to name a few. Chefs and nutritionists led the charge, telling us these were ingredients to avoid. We shouldn’t be incorporating these ingredients into our foods. After all, what was guar? And why was gum in my salad dressing?
But then chefs like Spaniard Ferran Adrià, the widely regarded father of avant-garde cuisine, came along and turned our view of food and cooking on its head. He made paper out of asparagus, puffy clouds out of mushrooms, and numerous other creations most chefs still marvel at today. He made waves in the culinary field and the world took notice.
In Adrià’s wake, chefs began experimenting with gum, for example, years ago; the public just didn’t know it. The Spanish were early pioneers in these new directions. The French weren’t far behind. And not to be outdone, American chefs were collectively on the heels of these culinary pioneers, creating such interesting trends as “tongue-in-cheek” dishes like Wylie Dufresne’s “hollandaise sauce” – egg yolks and xanthan gum cooked in a cylinder at a perfect temperature.
Fast forward: You’re at a restaurant and you just tasted the most amazing sauce. You ask what’s in it, you go shopping, and you set out to recreate your memory.
You arrive at the moment of truth: Your sauce is good, but not quite the same. Or, maybe the texture doesn’t have that silkiness that was as much a part of the experience as was the flavor. Chances are you’re missing a bit of dextrin to add an “umami” component for a tingle in the mouth, or a small pinch of xanthan gum to create a certain texture.
Additives and emulsifying aids that we shunned for years are now the focal point of some modern day chefs. More importantly, learning the potential of these components has catapulted chefs into a world where flavorists and scientists have been living for years. After all, these products are derived from simple, familiar foods such as sugar, starch, beans, and corn.
While some ingredients on labels can intimidate even a chef, many are actually fun, useful, and harmless. It just takes a bit of curiosity and creativity to utilize them successfully.
Scott Mechura has spent a life in the hospitality industry. He is a former certified beer judge and currently the Executive Chef at Buck’s T-4 Lodge in Big Sky.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
Upcoming Events
april, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
Time
14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
Event Details
Come join us at Cowboy Coffee as we celebrate a fun night of drinks, games, and meeting others within the community. This event is from 6-8 and all are welcome
Event Details
Come join us at Cowboy Coffee as we celebrate a fun night of drinks, games, and meeting others within the community. This event is from 6-8 and all are welcome to come, if you don’t know who to bring come alone this is a great mixer event! This is an event hosted by Big Sky OUT as we work to provide queer safe spaces throughout the community.
Time
(Sunday) 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location
Cowboy Coffee
25 Town Center Ave. Big Sky, MT 59716