I never knew different honeys could taste so unique until about 10 years ago. Prior to that, I had only tasted a generic supermarket honey. At a roadside stand, I had an opportunity to taste over 20 different honeys and each had a very different flavor. When my husband began beekeeping, it was so interesting to taste the honey from year to year and how they differed. Why was this? Today you will also see unusual honeys such as “hot honey”. What is that? Those are the topics that I will discuss in this Cooking Tip. I have written a prior Tip on how to cook with honey and so will not discuss that in this Tip.

Most store-bought honeys are purposely blended to taste the same so the customer knows what to expect each and every time they buy it. Although sweet, it will not have the flavor nuances of natural honey. The latter can be so complex and varied that honey tasters use a Honey Tasting Wheel to help define the flavors. Here is an example of one.

There are really two ways that honey is flavored – natural and infused. In its natural state, honey’s flavor is totally dependent on the flowers on which the bees feast. Bees will forage up to 2-3 miles from their hive. What is in flower in that area is what will influence the flavor and color of the honey. My husband purposely plants abundant wildflowers that are native to Colorado. In season, you can see and hear the bees as they visit these flowers, eat the nectar and gather the pollen. He, therefore, labels his honey as “wildflower” honey. Even though the bees traveled outside of our property and will have visited other flowers, if it is labeled wildflower, the beekeeper believes that the honey was substantially produced from wildflowers.

Common varietals of natural honey include:

• Acacia
• Alfalfa
• Clover
• Orange Blossom
• Wildflower

Other varietals include many more than the following but here are a few,

• Avocado
• Blueberry
• Buckwheat
• Chestnut
• Eucalyptus
• Fireweed
• Sage
• Tupelo

Infused honey is a product where additional flavors have been added to the honey by allowing the particular ingredient to sit in the honey, a process called infusion.

Here is a list of just some of the ingredients used for infusing flavor into honey.

• Chili peppers
• Citrus
• Dried fruit
• Elderflower
• Herbs
• Honeysuckle
• Lavender
• Rose
• Spices – ginger, cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, etc.

Some people will heat the honey, which speeds up the infusion process. Heat is helpful when trying to extract flavors from dense items such as bark and roots. However, most experts say the heat can destroy some of the honey’s beneficial components. If not using heat, the process can take longer, up to a week or two or more but you do preserve all the healthy compounds.

At times, the name of the honey can be confusing. For example, lavender honey might be made naturally because the bees feast on lavender blooms or it might be made by infusing the honey with lavender. If the label says “infused” or “lavender flavored”, you will know it is the latter. If it just says “lavender honey”, you may not know for sure unless you are buying the honey from someone you can ask.

The FDA has published a guidance document that says “If a food consists of honey and a flavor ingredient, such as natural raspberry flavor”, the name should “accurately describe the food with its characterizing flavor, such as “raspberry-flavored honey”. Also, “the labeling must include the common or usual name of each ingredient …. For a food consisting of honey and natural raspberry flavor, the ingredient statement would show “honey” and “natural flavor,” in descending order of predominance.” You would hope that would be true for honeys you see on shelves, but it is not guaranteed. That does not mean that an infused honey is necessarily bad. It is just that you want to know what you are purchasing.

Do you like honey? Have you tried any of the myriad of different varietals? If not, I encourage you to seek out a farmer’s market, a roadside stand, a local beekeeper or a store that specializes in honey.

When you think of Fennel, do you think of the white bulb you can buy in the produce section or do you think of the little seeds that some of us have in our pantries? They are both from the same plant but have different uses. That is the subject of this Cooking Tip.

Native to the Mediterranean region, the fennel plant has a white bulb at the base and feathery fronds at the top. It produces seeds that are dried into a spice. Even the plant’s pollen can be gathered and used as a finishing spice.

Even though all of this is from the same plant, there are different types of fennel. Florence fennel is the one you will see in the store with its large bulb and sold as a vegetable. There is another variety, sweet or common fennel, that is a perennial plant grown for its fronds and seeds. It does not have a bulb. The above-mentioned pollen is normally harvested from the wild variety of this type of fennel. It grows many places but is especially abundant in California.

All parts of the fennel plant are edible. The white bulb of the Florence variety can be eaten raw or cooked. It is often used in ways similar to onions or celery. It can be very fibrous so it is best to slice thinly cross-wise or finely chop. The fronds can be used as a fresh herb and sprinkled on your dish.

The taste is licorice- or anise-like. Because of this, it is often confused with the anise plant. However, these are two different plants. They may look similar but anise does not have a bulb. Another difference is that the only edible part of the anise plant is its seeds, while the entire fennel plant is edible. In flavor, fennel has a less intense licorice flavor.

Grocery stores may mistakenly label fennel bulbs as anise bulbs. I have even seen it labeled as “Anise Fennel”. However, if it is a large white bulb, it is fennel, not anise.

When shopping for fennel, choose bulbs that are firm and white with no bruising or browning. The bulbs should be large in proportion to the stems and fronds that are attached. If put into a paper or plastic bag and stored in the crisper drawer, it should keep for up to two weeks. If you have cut the fennel, wrap it in plastic before putting in the refrigerator to minimize browning.

The seeds of the fennel plant can be bought in most grocery stores. It is a warm spice that can be used in both sweet & savory dishes. It is especially popular in Italian, Indian and Middle Eastern cooking. One place you will commonly find it is in Italian sausage. It is also often used in spice blends and dry rubs. Many infuse it in hot water as a type of tea. It can be used whole or ground. If whole, crack the seeds slightly before using to release the oils. As with the fresh fennel, it has a sweet and subtle licorice-like taste.

Fennel pollen is very expensive, just below saffron and vanilla. As mentioned earlier, it is harvested from wild-growing fennel. Its appearance is of golden-colored granules. Its flavor is said to be complex. One source describes its flavor as “licorice and citrus and a honeyed, marshmallow-like sweetness”. Due to the flavor profile and the cost, it is best to use as a finishing spice as a garnish over veggies, meat, pasta or added to a dip for bread.

Do you use fennel? I use it occasionally. One of my favorite uses is in this Peach & Fennel Slaw from Food & Wine, perfect for the upcoming summer months. I hope you enjoy it.

When you go to the supermarket to get soy sauce, you will probably only see a handful of brands and not much variety in terms of type of soy sauce. If, on the other hand, you go to an international market, you will see dozens and dozens of different brands and different types. How can there be that many different soy sauces and is it worth it to seek out those rather than the supermarket ones? That is the subject of this Cooking Tip.

Soy sauce, as its name implies, is made from soybeans. There are two methods of making soy sauce. It can be either naturally brewed/fermented or chemically produced.

Naturally brewed

This method involves mixing together soybeans, wheat, salt, water and a mold (koji). This “mash” is then left to ferment. Most will use stainless steel tanks although some will utilize barrels. During fermentation, proteins are broken down into amino acids. One of these, glutamic acid, is primarily responsible for the umami taste for which soy sauce is known. It is fermented for months or longer with the best said to be at least 2 years. This results in a much more complex flavor and aroma.

Chemically made

According to Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking, in this method “defatted soy meal, the residue of soybean oil production, is broken down (hydrolyzed) into amino acids and sugars with concentrated hydrochloric acid. This caustic mixture is then neutralized with alkaline sodium carbonate and flavored with corn syrup, caramel, water and salt.” This allows the production time to be reduced to days. However, it also results in a product that lacks the complex or nuanced flavor of brewed soy sauce. It tends to also be very salty.

I don’t know about you but chemically-made soy sauce doesn’t sound very appetizing. Yes, naturally brewed soy sauce may be more expensive ($3.00 vs $1.50 for a 10 ounce bottle) but it will certainly be worth it. To be able to tell the difference in the store, look for the words “brewed” or “traditionally brewed”. Also, look at the ingredient list. Here is an example:

• Kikkoman traditionally brewed soy sauce – “water, soybeans, wheat, salt”
• Store brand chemically made soy sauce – “water, hydrolyzed soy protein, salt, dextrose, caramel color”

There are different styles of soy sauce including Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, Korean, Thai, Filipino and Peruvian. The main ones you will see in stores are Chinese and Japanese style and these will be the ones I discuss.

The Chinese style traditionally did not use wheat although today this style does contain wheat. It may also contain added sugar. In general, it has a denser and saltier flavor as well as being thicker & darker than Japanese soy sauce.

Japanese soy sauce is brewed with roasted wheat. It is slightly sweeter and has a more rounded flavor than the Chinese style.

Among these two styles there are also variations. The main variation I will discuss is light versus dark soy sauce, which is mostly due to the length of the aging. Light soy sauces are thinner in texture and lighter in color but more intense in flavor. Note that the word “light” does not mean low sodium. There are low sodium soy sauces, which can have 40% less salt. However, you must look on the label for this specifically. Also, you will probably not find a reduced salt version in the higher end soy sauces.

Chinese – the two varieties are known as Sheng Chou (light) and Lao Chou (dark).

The light variety is the most common. It is reddish brown in color and has a floral or port-like aroma. It is an all-purpose soy sauce and would be what to choose if the recipe doesn’t specify which type of soy sauce.

Good brands are:

• Zhongba
• Pearl River Bridge
• Lee Kum Kee

Dark Chinese soy sauce is aged longer and often is sweeter due to the addition of a sweetener. Its taste is slightly sweet with a roasty and wine-like characteristic. It is darker brown and more viscous as well as being less salty than the light. It is often used to add color to dishes and is typically added towards the end of cooking and used sparingly.

Good brands are:

• Pearl River Bridge
• Lee Kum Kee
• Zhongba
• Kimian

Japanese – light Japanese soy sauces are known as Usukuchi Shoyu and dark is labeled Koikuchi Shoyu.

The Japanese light soy sauce is amber in color, thin in texture and saltier than the dark. It has sharp, acidic, bright, alcohol-like notes. It is used in Japanese dishes where you just want seasoning without changing the dish’s flavor, color or aroma.

Good brands are:

• Kikkoman
• Yamasa
• Suehiro Shoyu

Japanese dark soy sauce is the most common even if the bottle does not say this. It is dark brown in color and sweeter than the light. Its taste is described as bright and bourbon-like with notes of salted caramel. This is the everyday and all-purpose soy sauce for Japanese cuisine. It is also probably what most of us think of when we think of soy sauce. Most major supermarket brands such as Kikkoman’s will not specify this on the label but they are most likely of this type. It is a very good all-purpose choice used in marinades, sauces, gravies, braising, stir fries.

Marudaizu” on the label means it is made only from whole soybeans rather than a combination of whole and defatted soybeans. Whole beans take longer to ferment, which means a more complex flavor.

Good brands are:

• Kikkoman
• Aloha Shoyu

There are some other types of Japanese soy sauce.

Tamari

This is technically not soy sauce but the liquid byproduct formed during miso-making. It is thicker and richer than soy sauce and is made just with fermented soybeans but little or no wheat. Because of that, it is touted as a gluten free soy sauce. However, not all of the brands are totally free of wheat and so, you need to check the label. It is used in dipping sauces, for a finishing seasoning or glazing cooked meats.

Another product that some people use as a gluten free alternative to soy sauce is coconut aminos. See this Tip for more information on this product.

Good brands of tamari are:

• San-J
• Kikkoman
• Yamasa

Shiro Shoyo

This variety is white or very light in color. It is used as a dipping sauce for raw, white fish or seasoning in clear soups. Since it is brewed with more wheat, it is lighter in both color and flavor.

Saishikomi

This is a Japanese sweet soy sauce. It is a high end product and is primarily used for dipping sushi and sashimi.

Soy sauce is a long lasting product as long as you store it properly. Keep it in a dark place away from any heat source. Refrigeration is not necessary but it will extend its flavor and freshness.

If you are in a general supermarket, the best brand you are probably going to find is Kikkoman. I hope you venture out to an international market, though, to see and try some of these other products.

In last week’s Cooking Tip, I explained about how oils are processed and what the labeling means and does not mean. In this Tip, I want to look at specific oils. They are not listed in order of importance or useability, but in alphabetical order.

I also want to note that this discussion is not going to address any health benefits or concerns about any of these oils. If you do an online search, you will find all sorts of opinions. For example, one source might tell you about all the health benefits of coconut oil and the next one will decry it as being very detrimental to your health. I will leave that concern to you and your doctor. For a general discussion of healthy fats, see this Tip.

Before I get into specific oils, you will notice I use the terms “refined” and “unrefined”. To understand this, please see my prior Tip on how oils are processed. Unrefined oils undergo little or no processing other than pressing the oil out of the fruit/nut/seed. This gives you an oil with more flavor, perhaps more nutrients but a lower smoke point. Refined oils often go though the RBD process – refined, bleached & deodorized. These oils are much more neutral in flavor and aroma, are perhaps lower in nutrients but do have a higher smoke point.

Avocado Oil

This oil is made by pressing the pulp of ripe avocados and then using a centrifuge to separate the oil. It has a mild buttery flavor but it is subtle and should not overwhelm the flavor of your dish. Refined avocado oil has a higher smoke point than many oils, 510-520°F. It can, therefore, be used for sauteing, roasting, searing and grilling as well as drizzling and in salad dressings.

Canola oil

Made from the rapeseed plant, it is similar to vegetable oil in terms of flavor, color, smoke point and recommended usages. It was first developed in Canada in the 1970s, but eventually took on a more marketable name, canola. That comes from Canada oil and low acid. It has a smoke point of 400-450°F making it perfect for sautéing.

Coconut oil

There are two types of coconut oil – unrefined and refined. The former is also known as virgin coconut oil and has robust coconut flavor/aroma with a smoke point of only 350-385°F. The refined variety has a neutral flavor, is odorless and has a higher smoke point of 400°F. It can be used in sautéing and baking.

Corn oil

This is a refined oil that has a neutral flavor and a higher smoke point of 410-450F°. It is often used in commercial kitchens because of its low price point. It is good for high heat applications such as frying. It is not recommended for making dressings or dips as it is said to have an unpleasant flavor when used in unheated dishes.

Grapeseed oil

This oil is slightly less common but does have its supporters. It a byproduct of wine making. It is light green in color with a high smoke point of 390-420F° and a clean taste. It is often used in vinaigrettes as it is less expensive than EVOO and allows the other ingredients to shine through.

Olive Oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is the most expensive of the olive oil types. Only oil from the first cold pressing of olives can be called extra-virgin olive oil. It is graded by the amount of oleic acid it contains, sometimes referred to as its acidity. More oleic acid means that more of the oil has broken down into fatty acids as a result of the processing methods. EVOO should have less than 1% oleic acid. It has a robust flavor that is often described as buttery, spicy, fruity and/or grassy depending on the type of olive used to make the oil. It is not good for high heat cooking as its smoke point is only around 350°F. It is best for drizzling and vinaigrettes but can also be used for sauteing. Because of its price, though, many of us opt for a less expensive oil for this purpose.

Virgin olive oil is also made from the first pressing but can have up to 3% oleic acid.

Regular olive oil is also known as pure or light olive oil. It comes from the 2^nd pressing and its oleic acid content may be up to 4%. After extracting EVOO with the first press, producers apply heat or chemicals as they press the olives to extract more oil, yielding olive oils with progressively less olive flavor. (“Light” olive oil refers to its light flavor/color, rather than to lower levels of fat or calories.) It is the lowest quality of olive oil and may even be mixed with other vegetable oils. As compared to EVOO, it has a more neutral flavor and higher smoke point of 465-470F°. Because of this along with its lower price, it is suitable for high heat cooking. It can be used for general cooking purposes as well as making vinaigrettes or dips where you do not want the strong flavor you might get from EVOO.

Peanut oil

If unrefined, peanut oil has a strong scent/flavor & smoke point of 350°F. This kind is used in marinades and Asian dishes where the peanut flavor is a positive. If refined, the flavor is more subtle and smoke point increases to 450°F. It is often used for deep fat frying.

Safflower oil

Made from the safflower plant and has a neutral flavor and a very high smoke point of ~510°F. It is used in marinades, sauces, dips as well as frying.

Sesame oil

If of the refined variety, sesame oil has a neutral flavor and a smoke point of 410°F. There is also a toasted variety, which has a nice nutty flavor. This variety should be reserved for uncooked applications such as dressings and for finishing stir-fries.

Sunflower oil

Because if its mild flavor and smoke point of 450°F, this oil is good for searing and sautéing.

Toasted nut oils

These oils are made by pressing raw or roasted nuts such as walnut, pistachio, macadamia and hazelnuts. This produces a delicate oil with a low smoke point and a nutty flavor. They are best used in dressings or as a finishing drizzle. The oils tend to go rancid quickly, so store them in the refrigerator.

Vegetable oil

Oils called “vegetable” are sometimes blends of many different refined oils but in our supermarkets, they usually just contain soybean oil. These vegetable oils have a neutral flavor and a smoke point of 400°F. This makes them good for high heat cooking and frying. They are also inexpensive.

There are other culinary oils but these are the ones you will most commonly find. My pantry contains EVOO, regular olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil and sesame oil. How about yours?

What oil do you use for your cooking? How many different oils do you have in your pantry? How many do you need? Explaining the myriad of oils and how to use them is the subject of this and the following Cooking Tip.

There is really no one all-purpose oil for culinary purposes. It depends on how you are going to use the oil. Although it is fun to try many different varieties of oil, you don’t need multiple kinds on a day-to-day basis. In this Tip, I will discuss the processing and terminology associated with culinary oils. In the next Tip, we will delve into some of the oils that you can buy.

There are a myriad of differences among culinary oils.

• Source – what is used to make the oil such as olives, nuts, corn or other plants.
• Flavor – some oils are very neutral in flavor while others carry a flavor from their source. Do a side-by-side taste testing of extra virgin olive oil and canola oil for an example. Deciding whether or not you want the flavor of the oil in your dish will help you decide which oil to use.
• Smoke point – this is the temperature at which an oil starts to break down. As this happens, toxic fumes and harmful chemicals can be released. If you are cooking something that requires a high heat, you will want to use an oil with a higher smoke point. If on the other hand, you are using the oil to make a vinaigrette, smoke point is irrelevant. Here is a chart compiled from information on Serious Eats that shows the smoke points for different oils.
• Processing – is the oil obtained with a chemical process or expeller processed?
  • Extraction
    • According to Centra Foods (a supplier of bulk oils), the fruit/nut/seeds are first ground into a paste. Next, this is washed with a solvent, commonly hexane, to release the fat. The solvent is then removed by heating it in a sealed chamber. Centra Food states the oil is left with “virtually no detectable levels in the oil (if the proper techniques have been applied). Microscopic proportions of up to 25 parts per million of hexane can theoretically remain in the meal, which is a very high debate point in the natural food industry.”
      
      At this point, the oil is considered “unrefined”. This is then subjected to further processing known as “RBD” – refined, bleached & deodorized. (These oils are sometimes known as RBD oils). This produces an oil that is light in color and flavor. This extraction method is very efficient, getting 97-99% of the oil out of the fruit/nut/seed. This is one reason why oil produced by this method is less expensive.
• Expeller pressed
  • With the expeller method, oil is physically squeezed out under high pressure using a screw press. It can be termed either hot- or cold-pressed. Expeller pressing is not as efficient and thus, the oil is higher priced. Since it undergoes fewer chemical changes, manufacturers claim it has a more natural flavor with less damage to the nutrients. Hot pressed – with this method, heat is added prior to extraction. This makes it easier to extract the oil by cooking and drying the fruit/nut/seeds. Typically, this method can extract 87-95% of the oil. It can be used in sauteing, baking or in salad dressings where you are not looking to taste the oil. Cold pressed – there is no heat applied before extraction. Without the heat, the screw press must work harder and apply more torque. This causes friction, which can generate some heat although it has not been applied before the pressing process. To compensate for this heat production, a water cooled shaft is used to keep the press as cool as possible. It must be kept below 120°F at all times. The manufacturer may also use heat to dry the fruit/nut/seeds for storage. Centra Foods states that an oil should only be termed “cold pressed” if it is fully unrefined and heat is not applied at any part of the process. This removes the least amount of oil, making it the most expensive type of oil. It will also have the lowest smoke point.
    
    Although it is possible to cold press any fruit/nut/seed, this is most commonly done with certain types of olive oil and coconut oil. Chefs recommend saving this oil for uses where you want to taste the distinctive flavor of the oil and with foods that will not be cooked. Examples are vinaigrettes, marinades, dipping oils and frozen treats.
  • Most common to find in the supermarkets are oils made by the chemical extraction process. If the label does not list “expeller pressed” or something similar, it will be extraction oil.
    
• Virgin vs Extra Virgin
  • Both of these terms apply to cold-pressed oils. Extra virgin means it is oil collected from the very first pressing. Virgin oils are from the second pressing, resulting in less flavor and aroma. These terms are mostly used with olive and coconut oil.
    
    In 2010, the USDA issued the “United States Standards for Grades of Olive Oil and Olive-Pomace Oil.” However, these standards are voluntary. So, producers may choose to seek certification by the USDA as “US Extra Virgin Olive Oil” if they wish, but that it is not mandatory. See this Cooking Tip on Extra Virgin Olive Oil for more information and why you may not be able to rely on these terms in the supermarket.
    
    These USDA standards do not apply to coconut oil. Since there is no legal standard for the terms “virgin” and “extra virgin” as applied to coconut oil, there is no consistency among the usage of these terms by manufacturers. In fact, one manufacturer, Carrington Farms, has dropped the use of the term “extra virgin” and opted for “Virgin, Unrefined”. You will, though, see certain brands still use the term “extra virgin”, probably attempting to piggyback off the popularity of extra virgin olive oil.

A final comment about storage. Oil does not last indefinitely and must be stored properly. Since heat and light can damage oil, store it in a cool, dark place. In that case, most oils can last up to a year. There are specific oils, though, that require refrigeration. Check the label but examples are grapeseed and nut oils. Some culinary experts recommend storing all your oils in the refrigerator. If you did that, some may thicken and you will need to let them sit out on your counter a few minutes to come to room temperature. Stay tuned for next week’s Tip as we look at individual oils that you might to use.