On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 968

should feel heavy and contain enough liquid to slosh audibly If coconut meat is pounded in a mortar or ground finely in a blender, it forms a thick paste consisting of microscopic oil droplets and cell debris suspended in water, which makes up about half the volume Coconut milk is made by mixing the paste with some additional water and straining to remove the solid particles Left to stand for an hour, this milk separates into a fat-rich cream layer and a thin “skim” layer Coconut milk can also be made from dried shredded coconut, and is readily available canned Coconut Oil For part of the 20th century, coconut oil was the most important vegetable oil in the world It can be produced in large quantities, is very stable, and has a melting point similar to that of milk fat But the very quality that makes it stable and versatile also made it appear to be nutritionally undesirable The fats that make up coconut oil are nearly 90% saturated (15% caprylic and capric, 45% lauric, 18% myristic, 10% palmitic, and just 8% monounsaturated oleic), which means that they raise blood cholesterol levels During the 1970s and ’80s, manufacturers of processed foods therefore replaced coconut oil with less saturated, partly hydrogenated seed oils — which now turn out to contain undesirable trans fatty acids (p 38) Given our current and broader understanding of other dietary influences on heart disease (p 255), there’s no reason not to enjoy the coconut’s riches as part of a balanced diet that includes plenty of protective fruits, vegetables, and other seeds Ginkgo Nuts Gingko nuts are the starchy kernels of Ginkgo biloba, the last survivor of a tree family that was prominent during the age of the dinosaurs The nuts are borne inside fleshy fruits that develop a strong rancid smell when ripe In Asia, the tree’s home, the ... Given our current and broader understanding of other dietary influences on heart disease (p 255), there’s no reason not to enjoy the coconut’s riches as part of a balanced diet that includes plenty of protective fruits, vegetables, and other seeds... protective fruits, vegetables, and other seeds Ginkgo Nuts Gingko nuts are the starchy kernels of Ginkgo biloba, the last survivor of a tree family that was prominent during the age of the dinosaurs The nuts are borne inside...90% saturated (1 5% caprylic and capric, 45% lauric, 18% myristic, 10% palmitic, and just 8% monounsaturated oleic), which means that they raise blood cholesterol levels During the 1970s and ’80s,