Fresh, Frozen, and Preserved!

Convenience has become a way of life in American cuisine and culture. From fast food to homemade, shortcuts have been the way to go for years now. As I stated in my introduction, I am a culinary student, and I get to bring home lots of free fresh food. From fresh herbs, to fresh quality meats, and vegetables. My Master Chef does not like to waste anything, so to my refrigerator it all goes, then ceremoniously prepared, and in my mouth. LOL!


Prior to attending culinary school, my mindset was "how can I get this done in the quickest, cheapest way, and it still taste good; clearly that meant, at that time, that everything was frozen - and microwaveable- or preserved for quick preparation. Now-a-days I think more along the lines of nutrition facts - sodium intake, carbs, protein etc. Frozen foods are OK sometimes, but I much prefer to get fresh items as I need them; not only does it prevent waste, but fresh wholesome foods just taste so much better. In freezing you have to be concerned about freezer burn, and don't think just because the food is not sitting in the freezer for eons that it wont freezer burn, because it can. I must confess, I do at times find myself cheating on my love affair with fresh foods with the new steam-able vegetable packs. YES I do cheat LOL, but only when I'm short of time. I am not saying that all frozen foods are bad, but buying meat in bulk and freezing it is not the way to go. Just think how old the meat already is once you put it in your cart. Then count the time that its going to sit in your freezer before you cook it. That goes for fruits and vegetables. Apples for instance, are they fresh? Research proves NOPE they aren't. We are actually eating last years apples this year. How ironic. Fresh apples a year later.


Almost everything that we eat is pumped with preservatives to make them last longer, and  crazy chemicals to make them grow larger. Now natural preservatives, are one thing, but these chemical additives that keep food looking the same exact way they look when purchased FIVE YEARS LATER is a bit insane to me. Sad thing is, the FDA approves all of these harmful things that we ingest, knowing good and well that they are not good for us. "Go Organic," is what some may say, though in The United States, there is no full 100% organic product. You can let the cows graze on grass, but what about the water they drink? I'm rambling... (Something that you will get use to :) ) All in all, Fresh is best in my opinion.