[Dawn.]

Originally Posted by Pork Chops

It's a good thing. Too much salt isn't good for us. There again, proper seasoning of food is essential for taste. We mostly use olive oil as it's a mediterranean habit, but for authentic Indian food, ghee is always best, though it's very high in saturated fat!

Ghee cooks very well, but using sunflower oil that is low in saturates does not enhance the quality of taste in Indian food because sunflower oil doesn't make for tasty food. The only other option is to use ghee by aerosol, but it isn't satisfactory when preparing Indian food because a fair amount is needed. Slaking off the ghee would be better for health, but we'd miss that supremely wonderful taste.

At high heat, ghee is more stable than butter because it doesn't have any proteins or sugars that will burn. The majority of ghee's fatty acids are saturated, making it a great choice for sautéing and searing at higher heat, but saturated fat is very bad for one's health. If you have to cook hotter than 350° F, grass-fed ghee is apparently the gold standard in Indian cuisine.

We can't win. Best to use a little ghee than none at all.

As for sugar, we prefer using Demerara in caster form, not granulated unless for coffee. (I drink coffee without sugar, but like a teaspoon of sugar in my tea, unless it's Darjeeling as that tea has an almost pronounced muscat overtone). Demerara is healthier than white refined sugar, and less is used because Demerara has a more pronounced taste. Tell you what is yummy, though - largish fingernail-sized pieces of crystallized Demerara - that is lovely to nibble on! Jaggery is good when used for Asian cuisine, but it's difficult to come by.

Regarding salt. Sea salt has a very pronounced taste, so we always use less during cooking. If I've a plate of food that may need a little salting, I always grab a pinch of sea salt, but place it on the side of the plate. It's good practice. Whereas Maman will habitually scatters salt all over her food without tasting it first. "The woman is scrambled!" Julie remarked.



Healthline: What is Jaggery and What Benefits Does it Have? is an interesting read: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/jaggery

That's fair enough.