PrimaFoodie Ingredient Spotlight: Carrageenan

Additives in food are as ubiquitous as they are nebulous. In our PrimaFoodie Ingredients Spotlight, we investigate common food additives to discover their origin, use, and purpose. Because just because something is edible doesn’t mean it’s healthy—or necessary.

What is Carrageenan?

Carrageenan is a gelatinous polysaccharide (a long-chain carbohydrate) from the Irish Moss seaweed, which is a red seaweed plant native to the British Isles. Approximately 50 percent of Irish Moss is made of Carrageenan.

There are two types of Carrageenan: food-grade and degraded. 

What is the purpose of Carrageenan?

From ice cream to nut milk, carrageenan has long been used in foods as a gelling and thickening agent. Carrageenan is also a popular vegan alternative to gelatin, as well as a common additive to personal care items, medications, supplements, and cosmetics. 

Where is Carrageenan found?

Because of its jelly-like texture, carrageen provides cohesiveness, viscosity, and/or thickness to certain formulas and foods. It’s a common additive found in the following items:

• Alternative milk 

• Baby Formula

• Ice cream and sorbet

• Processed meats

• Creamers

• Pudding and creamy desserts

• Cheese

• Packaged soups

Is Carrageenan bad?

Even though Carrageenan has been used in foods for centuries, research over the last two decades points to evidence that the extract may not be the best for us. One study found a direct link between degraded Carrageenan and gastrointestinal ulcers in animals. The scientists behind this study, as well as unrelated researchers, have thus purported that consuming Carrageenan can lead to similar gastrointestinal implications in humans, including digestive inflammation, IBS, and the triggering of colon cancer. Challenging these notions are in-depth studies that claim Carrageenan is of no harm to humans. 

Here's the rub: Concerns around Carrageenan initially pointed to the degraded kind, which is not used in foods. But now, more experts are finding that even food-grade Carrageenan may cause inflammation and other health concerns. 

The PrimaFoodie Take on Carrageenan

Whenever we do a deep dive into an ingredient, we think of three things: Is this ingredient processed? Does it offer any nutritional value? And is it necessary? When it comes to Carrageenan, it is extracted and processed, it offers zero health benefits, and it isn’t necessary. (For instance, copious alternative milk manufacturers are omitting this ingredient.) Therefore, we avoid it as much as we can. 


Further reading: The Primafoodie Ingredient Spotlight on Soy Lecithin.

The PrimaFoodie Guide to Cooking with Fats and Oils

A foundational cooking ingredient, fats have the unparalleled ability to transform and amplify the foods we eat. Depending on what type we use, whether it be olive oil or rendered bacon fat, this ingredient is the means for bringing out the delicious and textured potential of a dish. As chef and author Samin Nosrat writes in Salt, Fat, Acid Heat, “food can only ever be as delicious as the fat with which it’s cooked.”

The nuanced aspect of fat brings up a critical point: Not all fats are created equal. There are various sources, which range from animal fats to oils extracted from nuts and seeds. Each one boasts its own flavor profiles, effect on a dish’s taste, health aspects, and smoke points. Here we outline our top picks for fats to cook with—and the why and how to best use each one.

What Is Fat?

Water, carbohydrates, protein, and fat. These are the four essential building blocks of all foods. Also called lipids, fats are made up of triglycerides, which are collections of molecules. When this collection comes in a liquid form, we normally refer to it as oil. When it comes in a solid form, we normally refer to it as fat. We will use the terms fat and oil interchangeably in this guide. 

Fat is critical to our health and survival. Contrary to what many diets in the 1990s posited, fat is good for us when we choose the healthiest versions. The essential benefits of fats are wide and varied. They aid your body in absorbing vitamins, nourish our cognitive abilities, and support our immune system—among many other things.

(Editor’s note: When in question, always check with a medical professional before consuming different, more, or fewer fats.)

What Are the Types of Fats?

The main building blocks of fat are called fatty acids. In general, a fatty acid consists of a “chain” of carbon and hydrogen atoms. 

There are three basic types of fats: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. What makes these three different depends on the number of carbon atoms on the chain. 

• Saturated fats all have carbon atoms that have bonded with hydrogen atoms. In general, saturated fats are stable fats that are most often solid at room temperature. This makes them a great option for cooking at high heat as their smoke point is often higher than others. 

• Monounsaturated fats have one set of carbon atoms that have bonded, so it’s carbon to carbon rather than carbon to hydrogen. Monounsaturated fats are less stable against high heat, so they’re best to cook at lower temperatures or used in other ways. These are almost always liquid at room temperature. 

• Polyunsaturated fats have two (or more) carbon sets that have bonded together, so it’s carbon to carbon and carbon to carbon, rather than carbon to a hydrogen atom. Because these oils tend to be unstable, they’re best to not cook with and rather to use as dressings, etc. These are liquid at room temperature.  

Why Is Fat Used in Cooking?

Fats (this includes fats and oils) serve two main purposes in cooking: as a topping or seasoning (think olive oil drizzled over fresh fruit) and as a cooking medium. Fat is less often the main star of a dish, like in ice cream. 

For this guide, we’ll be focusing on fats used as a cooking medium. When heated, fat becomes an incredible source to crisp up proteins and cook fresh vegetables. 

What Is a Smoke Point?

The actual molecular makeup of a fat or oil varies with each type. For this reason, every fat responds differently to heat. The term “smoke point” (also called “burn point”) is the literal temperature at which a certain fat or oil starts to break down and smoke. When cooking with olive oil, for instance, you’ll notice the oil will shimmer when getting hot, then smoke will start to appear. That moment and temperature is the smoke point.

Smoke points vary, typically ranging from around 300°F to 500°F. When fat or oil starts to smoke, the flavor and health value can decline. Therefore, it’s important to use an oil with a higher smoke point (keep reading) when sautéing, frying, and doing other forms of very high-heat cooking. Saturated fats tend to have the highest smoke points.

What Are the Best Fats to Cook In?

The best oils to cook with are those that are saturated and have a higher smoke point. What you’re cooking will mandate which oil best complements the dish and your needs. Here are our favorite fats and oils to cook with at PrimaFoodie:

Clean Animal Fats, such as Duck Fat

Type: Saturated

Animal fats are Nichole’s go-to for cooking. That’s because they are shelf stable (solid at room temperature) and thus won’t turn rancid quickly, have a higher smoke point, and lend a rich distinct flavor to a dish. Animal fats are incredible for frying up vegetables and potatoes. After cooking bacon on the weekends, Nichole saves the grease and “bits and pieces” to store in the fridge for later use. Duck fat in particular lends incredible flavor.

Smoke Point: Ranges from 375 °F to 390 °F

Ghee

Type: Saturated

Also known as clarified butter, ghee is an excellent fat to cook in at higher temperatures. It’s also a baking hero. 

Smoke Point: Around 485 °F

Olive Oil

Type: Monounsaturated

An Italian staple, olive oil has a rich, nutty flavor profile. It’s a monounsaturated fat with a lower smoke point, which makes it a better oil to cook with on lower heats (no frying) to avoid any smoking. 

Smoke Point: Around 325 °F to 350 °F

Butter

Type: Saturated

Butter lends a coveted flavor, which is why it’s still a favorite in the kitchen—including one of ours. Plus, the animal fat means it’s more shelf-stable and great for higher heats and the water content adds an additional cooking benefit.

Smoke Point: 350 °F

Avocado Oil

Type: Monounsaturated

A light multi-use cooking oil, avocado oil is nutritious with a higher smoke point. Great for cooking vegetables and potatoes quickly in high heat.

Smoke Point: Around 500 °F to 520 °F

Coconut Oil:

Type: Saturated

Another PrimaFoodie favorite (and a mainstay in Nichole’s kitchen) for its shelf stability. The only potential downside of coconut oil is that it has a very distinct flavor that isn't for everyone or for every dish.

Smoke Point: Around 350 °F for unrefined; 400 °F for refined

Buying Fats and Oils: What to Look for

Fats are one of the most critical staples to invest in—so be sure to focus on quality. This means buying fats and oils from purveyors who focus on sustainable and organic practices. Because toxins are stored in fats, you want to aim for them to come from animals and plants that haven’t been sprayed with pesticides, and haven’t been fed or injected with antibiotics. 

The PrimaFoodie Guide to Heirloom Foods

People line up for these tomatoes at the farmers’ market. Devotees follow a purveyor of these beans on Instagram. Heads turn for these radishes in the produce aisle. What’s the commonality of these foods? They’re heirlooms.

Heirloom foods have been around for centuries, but they seemed to have captured more widespread attention in more recent years. One reason is that heirloom varieties are the antidote to all that’s commercial, genetically modified, and mass-produced (more on that below). Another is that there’s an enigmatic quality to heirloom foods—which has us compelled to demystify what they are. 

Heirloom Foods 101

In the simplest terms, an heirloom variety is a type of food—be it a vegetable, fruit, legume, flower, or grain—from seeds that have been repeatedly openly pollinated for a period of time and never crossbred nor modified. “Open pollination” means the natural occurrence of pollination that happens by wind, insect, bird, or another totally organic means. As for the “period of time,” experts vary over this with some stating that heirloom seeds need be at least five decades old and others claiming the seeds should be from years prior to World War II.

The descriptor “heirloom” pulls from the fact that these seeds have been honored and shared throughout time, often being passed from generation to generation within communities or families. This explains the often nostalgic, protected, proud aura that surrounds these varieties.

The Definition Debate

While the above all stands true, a uniform, legal definition for what makes a food heirloom does not exist—which makes these foods subject to debate. Unlike the specific guidelines that mandate what constitutes “organic,” heirloom foods are subject to the producer from which they’re offered. The word is used casually and often interchangeably with “heritage,” which more so describes poultry and meats that come from an original breed of animal with a long history. 

Benefits and Appeal 

To eat an heirloom tomato is to know, at first bite, the reasons for its appeal. The vibrant, juicy, robust flavor is electric compared to widespread varieties—conventional and organic. The same for a batch of heirloom cranberry beans: Creamy and velvety, they’re in a different league than their canned peers. Flavor is the power and appeal of heirloom varieties. They’re unparalleled.

While research is limited, some farmers and food experts believe heritage foods have greater nutrient densities due to their purity. This belief is bolstered by studies that the nutritional values of many crops today—conventional and organic—are significantly declining due to the effects of mass production and toxic chemical use.

Heirloom varieties also present a beacon of truth in a food system that puts profits over purpose and health. They tend to come from independent farms, (it’s rarer to find mass-scale farms growing heirlooms), which means purchasing them is an act of supporting small and local food businesses. 

And we have to say, there’s a romance to heirloom foods. Maintaining the integrity of an heirloom variety requires a specific set of attention that often leads to yields that are much smaller than those of other varieties. This evokes a greater appreciation and invitation to slow down: When you’re eating an heirloom tomato, for example, you’re eating a story and it needs to be savored.

Sourcing Tips

Not all heirloom varieties are certified organic. This is why when sourcing heirloom varieties, it’s important to get to know your farmer or purveyor to ask them questions about the conditions in which they grow their foods. You’re likely to find the widest variety of local heirloom varieties of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and legumes at your local farmers’ market. Scope them out and ask about the heritage of the seed, the growing conditions, and what makes that particular heirloom variety special. You’ll likely end up learning a ton about nutrients, flavors, and farming history.  

A few excellent resources on heirloom foods include:

Edible Memory by Jennifer A. Jordan

Sustainable America

Rare Seeds

Rancho Gordo

Seed Savers

Heirloom Seeds by Amna Fadel

The PrimaFoodie Guide to Honey

Honey is one of the ingredients I value most in my pantry. Its layered natural flavor, which can vary from floral to earthy to nutty, adds a sweetness to dishes. It’s an essential ingredient in my Sumactail and Basilberry Mocktail recipe. I also love adding it to dessert dishes like Baked Apple Jack to enhance the fruit. 

This sweet golden liquid is as good drizzled on roasted carrots as it is swirled into a glass of hot tea. But there’s so much more to it—and a lot that’s misunderstood. Here, we break it down.

xPrimaFoodie

Honey 101

A thick, rich, golden liquid, honey comes from the orchestrated teamwork of honeybees living in a colony. They work in harmony to extract nectar from flowers and other vegetal sources (hence the varying flavors), then engage in a detailed process of digesting and regurgitating the nectar so it mixes with their natural enzymes. Eventually this process causes the nectar to thicken into the golden, sweet goo that is honey.

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties

For centuries, cultures across the globe have been using honey for its nutritional elements and healing benefits. Research shows that honey, deemed a “flavorful liquid food of high nutritional value,” boasts numerous flavonoid antioxidants, as well as small amounts of various minerals including calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. It also has a lower glycemic index than sugar.

In addition to being a nutrient-dense alternative to sugar and other conventional sweeteners, honey has many medicinal benefits— which is why ancient cultures have long used it as a cure for ailments. It naturally has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, making it a protective salve. And studies have shown it to boast anti-inflammatory capabilities, to stimulate immune responses within a wound, and to provide allergy relief.  

Types of Honey 

Honey is as complex as it is delicious. This is because the busy bees that make it live in different regions across the globe and extract nectar from various sources of local vegetation. For example, when a honey is called ‘Orange Blossom Honey, this means that the bees mainly frequented orange blossoms for their nectar. The same goes for ‘Buckwheat Honey,’ ‘Lavender Honey,' ’Wildflower Honey,’ and countless other varieties. The flavor profiles and nutritional values will vary depending on where the bees have sourced their nectar.  

The Plight of the Bees

While it may seem easy enough to grab a jar of honey off the shelves, the complex world of honey's natural makers is in danger. ‘The plight of the honeybee,’ as stated by the advocacy group Friends of the Earth, is a serious issue. The globe’s honeybee population is rapidly declining due to use of fertilizers and pesticides, disease, habitat loss, and other unsustainable human-made practices. This presents dire consequences for essentially every ecosystem on earth, as bees’ pollination impacts the flourishing of countless vegetal species. Losing bees would create a great danger to our existing global food systems.

Growing Demand

Trend analysis shows a growing demand for honey—which, of course, fuels a need for its supply. As a result, honey has become greatly commercialized and industrialized to accommodate this growing need. Many commercial sourcing methods include forced, exploitative, and extractive measures and thus treat the bees with little to no consideration or care. In some industrial or commercial hives, human workers employ smoke techniques to extract bees. Others cut the queen bee’s wings to prevent her from leaving the colony to go to a new hive (thus impeding her ability to mate).  Some honeybees are fed artificial sweeteners, such as sugar water or high fructose corn syrup. This lacks nutrition leaving their immunity compromised.

Sustainable Sourcing

While all pure and natural honey is nature’s gold, not all honey on the shelves is equal. Unsustainable practices, cruel measures, and other cryptic means can often lead to adulterated, pesticide-laden, or even artificial honey. To ensure you get the highest product with the most concentrated nutrients, it’s important to look out for several things:

• Local: The best honey to get is local honey. This ensures it’s fresh and derives from nectar from the region you live in (which can be great for combating allergies). You can source good quality, real raw honey from your local farmers market. As always, be sure to ask questions about harvesting and bee treatment—and get to know your farmers.  

• Raw and Unfiltered: Raw honey is the densest in nutrients and healthy enzymes. That is because it has undergone limited to no processing from the hive to the jar, so it’s in its purest form. There may be some trace impurities in raw honey. Unfiltered honey may undergo a mild straining to remove some impurities, but it is done so in a way that honors the honey’s integrity. 

  Honey that is not marked pure raw or unfiltered means that it has likely been processed, blended with carrier ingredients (like corn syrup), or heated in a way that will jeopardize its natural purity. High amounts of heating and/or filtering often robs the liquid of its beneficial natural enzymes, chemical compounds, and antioxidant properties.

• Humane Sourcing: As previously mentioned, honoring the integrity of the bees is critical. Aim to source from local farmers who humanely care for their bees or brands who put transparency and ethics first. 

What to Look for in the Market

Like shopping for eggs, sourcing a good quality honey in the market requires a bit of a dance. The first marker: Look on the jar to find the honey’s location of origin. Again, it’s always best to purchase honey that is harvested in the region you live in.

Some markets offer honey that is labeled organic, which would ideally mean that the bees are humanely treated and allowed to pull nectar from vegetation that hasn’t been treated with pesticides. This is ideal, but nearly impossible to fully guarantee. When ethical beekeepers bring their bees to source their nectar, it’s impossible to know if the bees are always pulling from vegetation that is, in fact, organic.  Therefore, when it comes to honey in the US, the organic marker is still nebulous. Most labeled organic are a blend of honeys from other countries, usually Mexico and Brazil. 

Rather than being lured in by the ‘organic label’ in this case, look for other markers that communicate that the honey has been ethically and locally produced in your region. True Source Certified, an independent third-party verification system, is an excellent marker as it verifies authenticity, purity, and traceability of ethically produced honey.

PrimaFoodie-Approved Brands

Here are some of our favorite honey brands at PrimaFoodie. Each follows ethical beekeeping and harvesting practices:

• Honey Pacifica: With apiaries in southern California, Honey Pacifica has partnerships with local farmers to provide ample space, crops, and water for their honeybees.

• Bloom Honey: Bloom Honey is unfiltered and unpasteurized. It’s also True Source Certified.

• Blue Ridge Honey: Ethically produced, family owned, and local to California.

• White Gold Honey: White Gold is based out of Canada. Although all of us at PrimaFoodie aim to source local honey in California, this company boasts excellent standards. They produce unheated, unfiltered, untreated, unprocessed pure raw honey.