Honey is a unique product that requires a special approach. It is often used in cooking. Honey cake, biscuits, rolls, cakes and other similar pastries get extraordinary splendor and aroma. The meat becomes tender and soft, filled with taste. But only if you use honey according to all the rules.
Vitamins, ay ...
Honey and wines are among the most falsified products in the world. This is due to the complexity of production, high costs, limited output. Therefore, the risk of acquiring sugar syrup is great.
Manufacturers have learned to do it in such a way that it is almost impossible to determine a fake by organoleptic indicators.
If sugar syrup is purchased, then it does not have any beneficial properties. Also, it will not affect the splendor and softness of the dough, do not slow down the hardening of pastries, it is impossible to make a cold drink or meat marinade with such a product. All culinary secrets and tricks, which are described below, apply only to natural bee honey.
What you need to know about honey
Honey can not be introduced into hot tea or water, it has a low boiling point, when the temperature rises above 40 degrees, vitamins begin to die. If cold dishes and snacks are prepared, then everything is clear. But what to do with baking? Think less about the benefits! In cooking, honey is considered a valuable ingredient, in terms of the composition of vitamins and minerals, it is rarely considered. If you want to improve your health or heal, then you need to use it separately.
Another point is crystallization. It can take from one month to six months, it all depends on the type of honey. But it is the old and candied product that can be put into baked goods or other dishes, it will not disappear. If the product stood for a year and did not change the consistency, then this is a fake or this honey was boiling.
How to heat honey:
- Put the jar in hot water or in a water bath, wait.
- Hold the honey near the radiator.
- Microwave.
- Dip a spoon in boiling water, then collect the desired amount, add to the warm mass.
By the way, honey can sour, mold and deteriorate, although it is itself a preservative. This is an immature product with high humidity. It can also be mistakenly purchased. Unlike candied honey, this can ruin the taste and quality of the dish.
What dishes use honey
The most popular and frequent use of bee products is baking. There are desserts and some types of dough that simply cannot be obtained without honey. But the scope of the wonderful product is not limited to this.
Honey Drinks
This is not about tea. There is a category of drinks in which honey can not be replaced with anything: sbitni, punches, cocktails, mead, pure, wine and even honey beer. Many species are no longer popular. They were replaced by cheaper and more affordable counterparts. Their main disadvantage is not always a safe composition. If you want to surprise friends and family, then you can look for interesting recipes, make old drinks yourself.
Honey Syrups
In cooking, syrups are often prepared from honey for soaking biscuits or other porous pastries. Also, some elements of jewelry can be glued together with syrup, they are lubricated with mastic figures for shine. It is added to the chuck-chak, anthill cake. For syrup, you can boil honey with water or another liquid, but it is possible to preserve vitamins.
How to make healthy syrup:
- Boil the liquid with sugar and other prescription additives.
- Cool to 45 degrees.
- Add honey, stir until dissolved or beat.
If the honey is of high quality, and the remaining ingredients boil well, then such a syrup will be no worse than the boiled analogue. It is perfectly preserved in the refrigerator.
Marinades for meat and poultry
Another very popular use of honey. The product softens the meat fibers, covers with a golden crust, improves the taste. But it’s important to mix it with something. Just pour honey on a bird or a piece of pork will not work. It will not be soaked, but in the process of cooking it will simply burn. The honey content in the marinade is not more than 20%.
What usually add:
- lemon;
- soy sauce;
- mustard;
- spice;
- ketchup, adjika.
Honey goes well with garlic, ginger, all kinds of pepper, it can be safely salted and mixed with vegetable oils, any fats.
What else you need to know about honey
An important feature of the product is weight. A glass of water is by no means equal to a glass of honey. He is much harder. Therefore, if 200 g of honey is indicated in the recipe, you do not need to measure with a cup of the appropriate volume. In a glass will be at least 300 grams. Such a large deviation from the recipe will simply ruin the dish.
Other points:
- Honey can replace sugar in any bakery, in whole or in part. But in this case, you will have to reduce the amount of water, milk or other liquid ingredients. Or add more flour, achieving the necessary consistency.
- If you need to make cupcakes or cookies for future use, then be sure to add a couple of spoons of honey to the dough. It will increase the shelf life by several days, prevent baking from getting stained.
- Despite the sweet taste, honey has a high acidity. This product can cause heartburn and other unpleasant sensations in the stomach. That is why it is often neutralized with alkaline products. Usually it is baking soda, baking powder.
- Baking with honey is much darker than without it, it quickly burns.. Therefore, during cooking, you need to carefully monitor it. If the cake is browned, and inside is raw, then we lower the temperature, cover the top with wet paper and bring to readiness.
- Meat or poultry with honey can also brown faster than time.. In this case, you need to remove the product, generously grease with sour cream or mayonnaise, you can cover with foil, lower the temperature in the oven, bring the dish to readiness.
Honey is a valuable product, it will help in creating culinary masterpieces, will open up new opportunities, but only with proper use. A lot does not mean good. The product has a high degree of allergenicity. If desserts or dishes are prepared for children, pregnant women with asthma or just unfamiliar people, then we use honey very carefully or exclude it, and it is even better to consult with guests.
