Wondering which cooking oil is good for you? Here are the pros and cons of canola oil

Even as a recent canola oil study linking its consumption with worsening memories in mice triggered fear among consumers, a lot of research conducted over the past decade have underlined many health benefits of this dietary oil derived from rapeseed. High in monounsaturated fatty acids, canola oil was shown to have beneficial effects in people with obesity and diabetes. Some studies also linked consumption of this oil with reduced cancer risk and enhanced intelligence in children. A study published in the journal Obesity towards the end of 2016 showed that including…

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5 Easy Tips and Quick Fixes To Save Cooking Disasters

Love cooking? But has your last experience of a super salty curry or a burnt cake made you doubtful of donning the apron again? Let us tell you a secret. Even the most celebrated chefs make mistakes except that they know how to save their dish too. There will be days when an extra teaspoon of red chilly can ruin your dish but a good cook is one who has some smart hacks up his sleeves. It is easy to rectify a mistake, if you know what to do. Keep…

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Cooking Up Masoor Dal: From Masoor Musallam to Sabut Masoor Khichdi

“Can you tell me the origin of, Yeh mooh aur masoor ki dal?” pings my friend Gautam Babbar from Vienna, one fine evening. It’s a muhavra that has been bothering him for a while. Now, it’s bothering me as well. Hence, this piece. The idiom obviously suggests that “Masoor ki Dal” must have been held in rather high esteem at some point so that a lowly creature aspiring to the lentil could be derided thus. Some accounts suggest that it was once dubbed “mallika masoor”, the queen of lentils, because it was favoured by…

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Use This Cooking Hack to Reduce Arsenic Levels in Your Rice

Worried about arsenic in your rice? Try this simple kitchen hack: According to an experiment that aired this week on the BBC show Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, soaking rice overnight and cooking it with extra water can reduce levels of the carcinogen by up to 82%. Experts say this cooking method is a simple way to limit exposure to arsenic, which may be especially dangerous for pregnant women, children, and anyone who eats a lot of rice. Arsenic is a naturally occurring element that’s present in soil and can make its…

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Toxic Rice: How Soaking it Overnight Before Cooking Can Prevent Cancer

Love eating rice? Can’t imagine life without a bowl of fish curry and rice or rajma-chawal? Well, here’s some news for rice eaters. The humble ingredient may not be as good for your health as you may think it to be. We are living in a chemical age, there’s no denying that fact. And these chemicals seem to be creeping into our food by all sorts of means. During agriculture, there are various factors that contribute to the proper growth of the crops. Excessive pesticides or contaminated water can seep…

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Stop Cooking in Aluminium Pots: It Can Harm Your Child’s IQ

Want your kid to perform well at school? Ensure cooking meals in non-aluminium vessels. A recent report published in Total Environment’s journal studies the ill-effects of consuming meals cooked in aluminium vessels on kids. According to the study, when food gets in contact with aluminium, harmful agents find their way inside the body. This can harm children’s mental health as well as their Intelligence Quotient. Traces of cadmium and lead, when consumed through food, can damage kidney, harm brain and may lead to various cardiovascular and mental ailments besides other…

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