Is Olive Oil Dangerous to Cook With?
Plus Mustard Seed Science + Flavor
My NEW COOKBOOK, VEG-TABLE, is now named a Best Cookbook of 2023 and is available worldwide! Please check it out, and thank you for your support. If you have a moment to spare, please leave a review for Veg-Table on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones, or the many indie bookstores where you purchased the book. Thank you!
Hello Friends!
I’m back on the road for the next couple of days. First, I went to Napa to speak and teach at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) for the Global Plant Forward Conference. From there, I'll travel to New York for my book event at The James Beard Foundation Platform with Helen Rosner. The weather in Napa was fantastic; according to the local news channel, the above-average rainfall has made everything green (I can verify this from the views during my flight). The conference was fun; I made several new friends and ate a lot of good food. For all the time I lived in the Bay Area, I somehow missed eating at The Fatted Calf (I even own their book), and I finally fixed that this week. I got the muffuletta, which was splendid on a warm spring afternoon and finished with a white chocolate hazelnut cookie from The Model Bakery next door.
Here’s a list of the places I visited on this trip. A few of these spots are located in the Oxbow Market by The CIA which was nice because I had lots of different and fantastic options right next to where I was staying.
La Taberna and all their adjacent sister restaurants on that street are phenomenal
Have a wonderful week!
Nik
This week for dinner while I’m away from home, I’m craving hearty vegetable dishes like this Kadai Eggplant and this Sambar Masala - Spiced Roast Potatoes with Fennel and White Beans and this Indian Carrot Halwa recipe perfect for spring season.
Why do you always mention black or brown mustard seeds versus yellow mustard seeds in your Indian recipes?
All mustard seeds aren’t the same because they come from different plants. When mustard seeds are crushed, they release an enzyme called myrosinase. In addition, black and brown mustards contain a chemical called sinigrin, while yellow mustard seeds contain a chemical called sinalbin. When crushed mustard seeds or powder are mixed with water, the myrosinase converts sinigrin to a pungent allyl isothiocyanate. In yellow mustard seeds, myrosinase converts sinalbin to a weakly pungent chemical called p-hydroxy benzoyl isothiocyanate. As a result, the flavors are remarkably different. You can use yellow mustard seeds in Indian and South Asian cooking, but remember that the flavors will differ.
Debunking the Myths Around Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
This might be one of the most frequently asked questions I receive at book talks and online. Can you use extra-virgin olive oil to fry? Is it dangerous? I’m always surprised when this question arises because olive oil is a crucial ingredient in the Middle East and the Mediterranean region, where folks have used it for centuries. The diet eaten by people in these regions is famous for being one of the world's healthiest, making it even more puzzling why there is so much confusion around the health effects of olive oil and how to use it. In this short video, I clarify and answer these questions.
You make science fun, Nik! I wish I'd had someone like you as a teacher growing up, I might have ended up in the sciences and not the humanities.
Fascinating chemistry about mustard seeds! Thank you