Notes On A Meal

Sugar, part 3

From a culinary perspective, sugar is a very important ingredient so understanding how it reacts while being heated, melted, dissolved, etc is very crucial. One of the most integral parts of this is an understanding of what happens in a simple sugar and water solution. In this case, the sugar molecules have a tendency to bond to each other in orderly arrays and form dense solid masses (crystals). When sugar crystals are dissolved in water, H2O molecules have a tendency to overcome this bond between sugar molecules and form their own bonds. If the sugar molecules become too crowded with the water molecules, they begin pairing off with each other and form crystals once again.

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Sugar, part 2

There are several different types of sugars, all with various qualities and sweetness levels. Different sugars give different impressions of sweetness with sucrose being the longest to be detected on the tongue and the most lingering of the bunch. By comparison, fructose registers quickly and strongly but it also fades very quickly. But before we talk more about the complexities of sugars, lets define all of of them:

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Sugar week, Part 1

I thought it would be neat to explore a new topic every week and learn something new, so this week we’re going to talk about sugar. We’ll get into history, uses, the nature of sugars and its varieties.

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History of the macaron

Their name comes from the Italian word “maccherone” which means to beat or crush, used here in reference to the nut (predominantly almond) flour that these desserts are made with.

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Do not feed the animals.

The food stamp program, part of the Department of Agriculture, is pleased to be distributing the greatest amount of food stamps ever. Meanwhile, the Park Service, also part of the Department of Agriculture, asks us to “please do not feed the animals” because the animals may grow dependent and not learn to take care of themselves.
Thanks to the  LA Times for this one.

Science, making booze boozier.

The good people at Terressentia have come up with a way of using science to make booze taste better by removing impurities left over from the distillation process.  In short, with typical distillation, there are lesser alcohols that are formed that leave a harsh taste in the mouth and contribute to hangovers.  By using their patentend  process, Terressentia can remove these unwanted elements making the refined product taste cleaner and smoother.  The  distillation process has pretty much been the same for the last hundred years or so and after watching the video, I am surprised that no one has thought of this before.  I suppose purists may argue that the real craft of making superb liquors is in the skill of the brewmaster.  That being said, the idea of demystifying the process through science is very appealing to geek in me.

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Yours Truly, Ossington & Dundas, Toronto

Having just opened its doors late last year, Yours Truly Restaurant at Dundas and Ossington has caused quite the stir in the foodie world. The chef, Jeff Claudio is a veteran of fine dining cuisine with an impressive resume that includes Noma in Coppenhagen, Alinea in Chicago and Per Se in New York. Needless to say, this experience really sets the bar high for the dining experience. It’s really too bad that the reality of it all was very far from that.

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Some food fun for the new year.

Its the new year and while everyone struggles to get back into the swing of things, we here at notesonameal.com would like to put a smile on your face.

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Food Pairing Site

Food Pairing

This is a site for pairing foods and drinks – great for chefs and bartenders. Foodpairing shows tasty food pairings based on scientific data – it’s amazing because it takes the worry if “this tastes good with that”. They hold food pairing workshops and also match ingredients to brands.

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New Loblaws – Queen and Portland, Toronto

I must say that, in my opinion, Loblaws really tops all the other grocery stores in Toronto for the quality of products offered and their variety. Although it may be pricier than others, freshness is always guatanteed and the customer service is definitely admirable.

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