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Tamil Nadu bans mayonnaise made from raw eggs for one year

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| Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Tamil Nadu has banned the manufacture, storage, and sale of mayonnaise prepared from raw eggs for a period of one year with effect from April 8. The ban, issued in the interest of public health, is on the basis that mayonnaise made of raw eggs is a “high risk food”, carrying a risk of food poisoning.

According to a notification issued in the Government Gazette by Principal Secretary and Commissioner of Food Safety R. Lalvena, any activities related to any stage of manufacture, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, distribution, food services, catering services and sale of mayonnaise prepared from raw egg is prohibited in the State under Section 30 (2) (a) of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and order of the Commissioner of Food Safety of Tamil Nadu.

Mayonnaise is a semi-solid emulsion generally composed of egg yolk, vegetable oil, vinegar, and other seasonings served along with food items such as shawarma. Mayonnaise made of raw eggs is a high-risk food as it carries a risk of food poisoning, especially from Salmonella bacteria, Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella enteritidis, Escherichia coli, and Listeria Monocytogenes, the notification said.

It has come to notice that a number of food business operators use raw egg for the preparation of mayonnaise, and improper storage facilitates contamination by microorganisms that creates a public health risk, particularly by Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella enteritidis, Escherichia coli, and Listeria Monocytogenes, it said.

In any specific circumstances, on the basis of assessment of available information and if the possibility of harmful effects on health is identified but scientific uncertainty persists, provisional risk management measures to ensure that health is protected can be adopted as per the Act, pending further scientific information for a more comprehensive risk assessment.

The notification said that no food business operator should manufacture, store, sell, or distribute any food which, for the time being, is prohibited by the Food Authority, Central government, or State government in the interest of public health.

Food

Boursin Appetizer with Pistachios and Honey Recipe

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Crackers: I served these with a flat garlic thyme cracker at the last dinner party I had and it was so good! But really, this dip would go with just about any type of crackers.

Chopper: I love this little chopper for crushing or chopping nuts (and sauces, and veggies – I use it all the time)! Just a few pulses and you’re good to go. So quick and easy.

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Easy Pickled Peppers Recipe

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I’m currently obsessed with these pickled peppers and find myself adding them to everything! They take just 20 minutes to prep and then last in your fridge for a month (though to be honest, I bet you’ll finish the jar much sooner!).

Quick Pickled Peppers

I’m convinced these pickled peppers make just about anything taste better. When I’m putting together a dish, I’m always surprised at how much a hint of tanginess (from lemon or vinegar) can take the flavor from simply okay to absolutely excellent. Pickled peppers are my secret for adding crunch and that perfect hint of tanginess to everything from taco recipes and sandwiches to my favorite salad recipes, homemade pizza, and so much more!

For the photos, I’ve made a batch of sweet pickled peppers, but this recipe is easily adaptable to all sorts of peppers (even the hottest you can find). It truly depends on what you’re looking for! Feel free to experiment with different peppers or a combination of them to achieve the spice level you love. Then, when you’re ready to pickle some more, try one of our other quick pickles, like pickled red onions, everyday dill pickles, and these snappy pickled carrots!

Key Ingredients

  • Peppers: I love pickled sweet peppers, but this recipe works with any variety of peppers. It depends on what you are looking for. For sweet peppers, we love using mini peppers (like what I used to make these sweet pepper poppers). They are thinner than regular bell peppers, which makes for a better texture in the end. You can use 100% sweet peppers or mix in some hotter varieties, such as banana peppers, cherry peppers, jalapeños, serrano peppers, or even hotter options like Fresno peppers.
  • Vinegar: We keep the brine for these peppers simple with regular distilled vinegar (5% acidity). It gives the pickles a clean, classic flavor, allowing the sweetness of the peppers and the garlic to come through (it’s also inexpensive!). Feel free to substitute with rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar if you prefer.
  • Salt and Sugar: These are essential for balancing the brine. Without salt or sugar, our brine would taste too intensely like plain vinegar (we take this approach for most of the pickle recipes on Inspired Taste). For salt, I use sea salt or pickling salt (it’s best to avoid table salt here, as the added iodine can interfere with the pickling process). For the sugar, I use plain granulated sugar as my go-to. You can substitute brown sugar or honey, but this may cause your brine to appear slightly cloudy.
  • Garlic and Spices: For a classic flavor, we love adding sliced garlic to the jars (you can mince it, but be prepared for a slightly more intense garlicky flavor in your brine!). Then, for the spices, we keep it simple with an allspice berry (yep, one is enough) and whole peppercorns.
  • Optional Chile Pepper: When I use 100% sweet peppers, I like adding a hint of heat with a small dried chile (chile de Arbol is perfect). This is optional and won’t make the pickles spicy. They taste more warm than anything else. For more heat, increase to 2 or 3, or mix in some fresh hot peppers instead.

These pickled peppers get better over time. Pack your peppers into a jar, then pour the hot brine over them. Then, transfer them to the fridge once they’ve cooled to room temperature. As they sit overnight, they transform into incredibly crunchy, tangy peppers and continue to improve with each passing day, as the garlic has more time to infuse our brine with its flavor. I can’t wait for you to try them! And when you’re ready for more easy pickles, be sure to check out our bread and butter pickles or these colorful pickled beets!

Quick Pickled Peppers

Easy Pickled Peppers

  • PREP
  • TOTAL

These crunchy, quick pickled peppers are a great snack, excellent on meat and cheese boards, added to sandwiches and wraps, scattered over cheese pizza, or used in any recipe where you would typically use bell peppers. They keep their crunch but take on a pickled, bright flavor, adding a nice pop of flavor to just about anything!

Note: Just like other quick pickles (like our pickled carrots), these peppers are ready after a night in the fridge, but they continue to improve as they sit in the brine. They really light up around day 3!

Makes One 1-quart jar, 8 Servings

You Will Need

1 pound mini sweet peppers

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

1 dried chile de arbol, optional

16 ounces (470ml) distilled vinegar, 5% acidity

1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt or pickling salt

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 allspice berry

5 whole peppercorns

Directions

    1Prepare the peppers: Cut the tops off of the peppers and scrape or tap out the seeds and most of the white membrane. Slice into rings. Place the pepper rings into a clean 1-quart jar.

    2Add the chile and garlic: Place the sliced garlic and chile de arbol (optional) around the peppers in the jar.

    3Make the vinegar brine: In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, salt, sugar, allspice berry, and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and cook until the salt and sugar dissolve.

    4Pour the brine into the jar: Pour the vinegar brine over the peppers. Make sure the brine completely covers all the peppers. Secure the lid on the jar until it’s “finger-tight” (meaning snug but not overly cranked).

    5Cool and refrigerate: Set the jar aside on your counter and let it cool completely to room temperature. Once cooled, transfer the jar to your refrigerator. For the best flavor, refrigerate pickled peppers overnight before enjoying them. If you can wait, they get even better after 2 to 3 days! These quick pickled peppers will last, covered in their brine, in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Adam and Joanne’s Tips

  • The jar: We use a 1-quart wide-mouth mason jar (32 ounces or 946ml).
  • Peppers: We developed this recipe for sweet peppers (the mini, colorful peppers often sold in bags). The chile de arbol adds a little heat, but for more, feel free to use 2 to 3 of them or swap a portion of the sweet peppers for hotter peppers, such as jalapeños, Fresno, or serrano peppers.
  • Allspice berries: These taste like a combination of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. We found whole allspice berries less common in the grocery spice aisle, but we recommend buying a “pickling spice blend” instead. McCormick’s “Mixed Pickling Spice” contains allspice berries, which we purchased and picked out 1 berry for this recipe. We also use it for making sauerkraut.
  • Canning: These pickled peppers have been specifically designed for the refrigerator and are meant to be kept in the fridge at all times. However, if you’re experienced in canning, you could adapt them for long-term shelf stability. This would involve using sanitized jars, new lids, and a pressure canner.
  • The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Calculating how much salt is in the peppers is difficult, so we have included all of the brine in the calculations.

Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1/8 of the jar (about 2 ounces)
/
Calories
42
/
Total Fat
0.2g
/
Saturated Fat
0g
/
Cholesterol
0mg
/
Sodium
449.3mg
/
Carbohydrate
7.1g
/
Dietary Fiber
1.4g
/
Total Sugars
5.6g
/
Protein
0.7g


AUTHOR:

Joanne Gallagher


Adam and Joanne of Inspired Taste

We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us

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The Best Homemade Guacamole – Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

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This recipe for the best homemade guacamole gives the perfect ratio of avocados to acidity to salt. Plus, learn the best kitchen tool for making it!

Getting the balance of flavors just right is key to the best guacamole ever. Read on for tons of tips and lots of add-in suggestions!

Top down view of homemade guacamole in tan bowl with chopped cilantro.Top down view of homemade guacamole in tan bowl with chopped cilantro.

Flavor Ratios for Homemade Guacamole

I make homemade guacamole a lot. It’s one of our favorite snacks and is a go-to side dish to break out for year-round meals or summer BBQs. I don’t want to brag, but my homemade guac is really good.

It’s not rocket science! But I have learned the ratios for the perfect guacamole. This is how I make it. ⤵️

For every two medium, ripe avocados, I add:

  • 1 tablespoon lime juice (I like a prominent lime flavor, if you want it more mild, dial it back to 2 teaspoons)
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • 1 small clove garlic (you can leave this out, but I like the hint of garlic in homemade guac)

With this basic recipe, you can increase or decrease the recipe to your heart’s content! And if you’re like, “where the heck is all the good stuff??” – don’t worry, I have tons of add-in suggestions below.

Four halved avocados with salt, lime juice and pepper in glass bowl.Four halved avocados with salt, lime juice and pepper in glass bowl.

I’ve had really delicious guacamole in Mexico and in some Mexican-American restaurants made with a mortar and pestle (molcajete), which is a very traditional way to make guacamole.

But at home, in the absence of a mortar and pestle, my favorite tool for making homemade guacamole is a pastry blender.

It may sound a bit unusual, but this handy pie-making tool is perfect for achieving the perfect consistency of homemade guacamole! The tines of the pastry blender mash the avocados without obliterating them into mush. You can decide how chunky or smooth you want the guac!

If you don’t have a pastry blender or a molcajete, two forks can do the trick.

Homemade Guacamole Add-ins

If you love guacamole with a lot going on, here are some add-in suggestions:

  • Finely diced red onion, yellow onion, or green onions
  • Diced tomatoes
  • Chopped fresh cilantro
  • Finely chopped jalapeños
  • Cumin, chili powder or other seasonings

Add these ingredients to the guacamole toward the middle or end of mashing up the avocados so the flavors and juices of these ingredients can incorporate more fully into the guacamole (rather than just stirring them in at the end).

Top down view of homemade guacamole in tan bowl with chopped cilantro and tortilla chips.Top down view of homemade guacamole in tan bowl with chopped cilantro and tortilla chips.

How to Keep Guacamole From Turning Brown

There are a lot of internet suggestions for how to keep guacamole from turning brown. I think I’ve tried them all.

I don’t personally suggest covering the guacamole with water (when I’ve done that, it definitely affects the texture of the guac even after pouring off the water) or putting an avocado pit into the center of the guac (the guac will still turn brown- this seems to be an old wive’s tale type of tip).

The best way to keep guacamole from turning brown is to:

  • spread the guacamole very evenly into a dish
  • take plastic wrap and press it to every surface of the exposed guacamole – like, really press it into the top of the guacamole so there are no areas exposed to air (or pockets of air bubbles)
  • cover the container with a lid

If there are small brown spots after uncovering the guac, lightly scrap them off or stir them into the guacamole – the brown bits don’t affect the flavor.

Blue tortilla chip scooping up homemade guacamole in tan bowl.Blue tortilla chip scooping up homemade guacamole in tan bowl.

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Top down view of homemade guacamole in tan bowl with chopped cilantro and tortilla chips.Top down view of homemade guacamole in tan bowl with chopped cilantro and tortilla chips.

The Best Homemade Guacamole

Guacamole:

  • 2 medium ripe avocados
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lime juice (about 1/2 of a small lime)
  • ¼ teaspoon table salt
  • Pinch black pepper
  • 1 small clove garlic, finely minced or a scant 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Add-In Ideas:

  • Finely diced red onion, yellow onion, or green onions (or chives)
  • Diced tomatoes (I like them diced small)
  • Chopped fresh cilantro
  • Finely chopped jalapeños
  • Seasonings like cumin, chili powder, etc.
  • Halve the avocados and remove the pits (see note). Scoop the flesh into a medium bowl.

  • Add the lime juice (add the lesser amount if you want a mild lime flavor and add the additional teaspoon if you like a stronger lime flavor), salt, pepper, and garlic (if using).

  • Use a pastry blender or two forks to mash the avocados to desired consistency.

  • If adding additional add-in ingredients, add them in toward the middle or end of mashing up the avocados so the flavors and juices of the ingredients can fully incorporate into the guacamole.

  • Taste and add additional salt, pepper and lime juice, if needed (important)!!

  • Serve immediately (see note for storing).

This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled (or expanded exponentially). 
Removing Avocado Pits: turn over the avocado so the pit is facing down and pop the pit out by pressing on the back of the avocado skin with your thumbs and easing the pit out on the underside with the rest of your fingers. 
Storing: if refrigerating to serve later, spread the guacamole in a very even layer in a container and press plastic wrap directly across the entire surface. Upon serving, if some of the guacamole has turned brown, either lightly scrape off the brown spots or stir it into the rest of the mixture (it doesn’t affect the taste). 

Serving: 1 serving (1/8th of the recipe), Calories: 81kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 76mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 0.4g

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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