For some new vegans, a mourning period ensues for some of the big, everyday products that feature prominently in our diet, such as cheese, eggs and yoghurt.Ìý

But then there are the more subtle, non-vegan staples with their ‘sleeper’ animal-derived ingredients (ingredients that don’t always seem to feature obviously in the finished foods), such as chocolate, pasta, some breads and mayonnaise.

The loss of mayo can hit hard for anyone who loves to dip their chip in the creamy condiment or who relishes a potato salad and classic coleslaw.Ìý

But it’s never been easier to go eggless and have your mayonnaise, too. We’ve tested plant-based ²õ³Ü±è±ð°ù³¾²¹°ù°ì±ð³ÙÌýmayos to find the best fit for your salad sandwich.

What is plant-based mayonnaise?

Traditional mayonnaise is an emulsification of oil and egg. That fat-on-fat union is partly what gives the sauce its creamy texture.Ìý

But, surprisingly, long before ‘plant-based’ was something to tout on a label, some store-bought mayos were ‘accidentally’ vegan in an effort to cut costs. Mayo products such as Woolworths Essentials Mayonnaise and Praise 99% Fat Free Traditional Mayo are two such ‘accidental’ vegan products that are plant-based but aren’t advertised as such.Ìý

These days, vegan mayo achieves its creamy mouthfeel with soy milk, aquafaba (the liquid byproduct of soaking legumes) or maize thickeners.

What was the best tasting vegan mayo?

Drumroll, please. The top-ranking plant-based mayonnaise was Heinz Vegan Mayo with a ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating of 67%, which is just 12 points off the entire product category winner (which includes egg-based mayos). This vegan condiment uses maize thickener for that classic mayo mouthfeel and has a pleasing, slightly sweet taste.

This squeezy bottle of deliciousness scored 73% for taste, which is 11 points higher than the next vegan mayo. At $5, it’s on the higher end of the price scale, but for those vegans who miss spoonfuls of mayo to dial up their everyday meals, the flavour may easily justify the cost.

That said, at just 20%, Heinz Vegan Mayo’s nutrition score was the lowest of all the plant-based products we tested. But, let’s be honest, nobody who loves mayonnaise is choosing it for its health benefits.

The top four performers

Here’s the spread of the top four vegan mayo products.Ìý

1. Heinz Vegan Mayo

• ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating: 67%
• Taste score: 73%
• Price: $1.85 per 100g
• Country of origin: Made in Australia from at least 90% Australian ingredients.

2. Coles Vegan Mayonnaise

• ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating: 58%
• Taste score: 62%
• Price: 90c per 100g
• Country of origin: Made in Australia from at least 97% Australian ingredients.

3. Praise 99% Fat Free Traditional Mayo

• ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating: 58%
• Taste score: 61%
• Price: 90c per 100g
• Country of origin: Made in Australia from at least 85% Australian ingredients.

4. The Goods Vegan Mayo

• ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating: 57%
• Taste score: 61%
• Price: $1.11 per 100g
• Country of origin: Made in Belgium.

How does it compare with traditional mayo?

When thrown in the ring to compete with the classic egg mayonnaise products, Heinz Vegan Mayo held its own against most.Ìý

Coming in with ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating in the top 10, the lack of egg didn’t hold the performance of this mayo back from being one of the tastiest.Ìý

With a taste score of 73%, there were just seven mayonnaise products out of the 34 that scored higher. It managed to pip big brands, such as Praise, S&W and cult brand Kewpie, at the post.Ìý

In the top 10, it was bested by two whole-egg Heinz products, one of which, Heinz Original Mayonnaise, took the top spot.

How we test plant-based mayonnaise

We test vegan mayonnaise alongside traditional recipes made with egg, so not only were they competing against each other in terms of flavour, but they were also competing against whole-egg versions.Ìý

Of the 34 supermarket-brand mayonnaise products we tested, six were vegan. Ten percent of the ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating was attributed to nutrition, but the remaining 90% was all about taste – and not simply flavour, but also texture and mouthfeel, as well as appearance and aroma.Ìý       

The post What’s the best tasting vegan mayo? appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.

Those catchy jingles and snappy catchphrases have stuck in our collective memories and it’s virtually impossible to think about mayonnaise without a particular brand springing to mind.Ìý

But while Praise was the brand du jour of the late 20th century, does it still hold the favourite place in the nation’s hearts? Or should we be looking elsewhere for our mayo fix?

Our expert judges taste tested 33 mayonnaises to see which should take pride of place in your fridge.Ìý

The unlikely hero

Aldi has long been making waves with the quality of its goods. Its grocery products regularly appear at the top of our tests, including milk chocolate, dark chocolate, dishwashing liquids, hummus and dishwashing tablets.Ìý

And its mayonnaise is no exception. Aldi Colway Creamy Squeezy Mayonnaise well and truly outclassed many more expensive (and better known) brands in our test.Ìý

With a ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating of 74%, Aldi’s mayonnaise came in equal second place, streets ahead of Praise mayo products. It shared this spot with Oli & Vine Whole Egg Creamy Mayonnaise, which at $2.17 per 100g costs nearly four times as much as the Aldi product!

How did Praise compare?

Surely a brand as well-known and loved as Praise would receive similarly high scores? 

Not so, unfortunately. Praise Traditional Mayo didn’t even make the podium, scoring just 61% – less than even Woolworths’ and Coles’ own brand mayos.Ìý

The winner: Aldi Colway Creamy Squeezy Mayonnaise

• ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating: 74%
• Price per 100g: $0.55
• Country of origin statement: Made in Australia from at least 98% Australian ingredients
• Ingredients: Vegetable Oil [Contains Antioxidant (304)],Water, White Vinegar, Sugar, Egg, Thickeners (1422, 415), Salt, Spice Extracts, Acidity Regulator (330), Natural Colour (160A), Lemon Oil.

The runner up: Praise Traditional Mayo

• ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating: 61%
• Price per 100g: $1.01
• Country of origin statement: Made in Australia from at least 35% Australian ingredients
• Ingredients: Sunflower Oil [Antioxidant (320)], Water, Sugar, Free Range Whole Egg (4%), White Vinegar, Malt Vinegar (Barley & Wheat), Salt, Vegetable Gums (415 From Soy, 405), Food Acid (330), Natural Colour (Carrot Extract), Flavours.

Cheaper and lower fat

Aldi’s mayo offering is cheaper and lower in fat, both overall and in terms of saturated fat. Both products contain the same amount of sugar: 9g per 100g. (For a product to be considered high in sugar, it needs to contain 15g of sugar or more per 100g of product.)

What’s sugar doing in mayonnaise, you may ask? Well, interestingly, 32 of the 33 products we tested contain sugar – so it seems that while it’s not a traditional mayo ingredient, everyone’s doing it.

“Added salt in mayo is perhaps to be expected, but added sugar is another story,” says ÌÇÐÄVlog food and nutrition expert Rachel Clemons. “Our expert judges were shocked – and disappointed – by how sweet many of the products on test tasted.”

If you want to avoid those extra added sugars, making your own mayo is much easier than you’d think – and the results are delicious. ÌÇÐÄVlog kitchen expert Fiona Mair shares her recipe for perfectly creamy, tangy mayo in our mayonnaise buying guide.

The egg question

Now, egg is a key ingredient in traditional mayonnaise, but there are different schools of thought as to the best way to make mayo: whole egg, whole egg with extra yolk, or egg yolk only.Ìý

So unless you’re buying vegan mayonnaise, you’d expect to see egg in your mayo in one form or another. Praise Traditional Mayo has four percent egg, but its stablemate, Praise Whole Egg Creamy Mayo, offers a more generous 9.4% egg and achieved a higher score of 65% – although at $1.49 per 100g you’ll pay more for it.Ìý

“Aldi doesn’t specify the amount of egg in its mayo – that’s only a requirement if it features as an ingredient in the product name, for example,” says Rachel.Ìý

“But egg is listed as its fifth ingredient after sugar, meaning it contains far less egg than Praise Whole Egg Creamy Mayo.”

Which mayonnaise is Australian owned or made in Australia?

Some criticise Aldi for not being Australian owned – but many of its products are made in Australia, and often from Australian ingredients.Ìý

In the case of its mayonnaise, it’s made in Australia from at least 98% Australian ingredients.ÌýThat’s far ahead of Praise, which is also made in Australia, but from only 35% Australian ingredients.Ìý

And while Aldi as a company is clearly not Australian owned, don’t be fooled into thinking that Praise is an Australian brand – it’s actually owned by Goodman Fielder, which in turn is owned by Wilmar International, which is headquartered in Singapore.Ìý

Sustainability

Low prices aren’t the only factor in deciding which product to buy – it’s also important to consider the environmental impact of your purchase (if you can afford to).Ìý

A product made in Australia from Australian ingredients is going to have fewer food miles than a product made overseas, or from imported ingredients – but that’s not the whole picture either.Ìý

Recyclable packaging

Mayonnaise bottles and jars are generally recyclable, but Praise takes that a step further by making its mayo bottles from 100% recycled materials, which is certainly something to consider when you’re shopping.Ìý

Unfortunately, there’s rarely a simple formula to work out the most sustainable way to shop – especially when it can be difficult to find information about every product – but the more information you have, the better a choice you can make.Ìý

How we score

Our four expert foodies tasted 33 mayonnaise products ‘blind’ – meaning they didn’t know which was which.Ìý

The ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating is made up of 90% taste and 10% nutrition. The taste score is made up of:

• 50% flavour/taste and eating quality
• 30% texture/mouthfeel
• 15% appearance and aroma
• 5% true to name.

We recommend mayonnaise with a ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating of 70% or more. Just seven products out of 33 were recommended by our experts.Ìý

The post Aldi vs Praise: which came out on top in our mayonnaise test? appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.

Be it homemade whole egg or supermarket brands such as Hellman’s, Praise and Kewpie, we’re finding more and more reasons to put the squeeze on sauce and instead opt for the sweet tang and luscious mouthfeel of mayo, which can go places tomato cannot. Oh, the places mayo can go…

Dip your chip

Sure, you may never slather a pie with mayonnaise, but might you consider dipping your hot chip in it? There’s definitely precedence for such a pairing – people in Europe have been doing it for years.Ìý

And while the weekend Bunnings sausage sizzle might not offer a squeeze of Kewpie, we’re finding a taste for mayo on our fancier snag sandwiches. A creamy squiggle seems to go just-so with bratwurst, onion and sauerkraut on a crunchy bun.

Banh mi

Speaking of crunchy buns, that French-Vietnamese mash-up, the banh mi, has just about been adopted as Australia’s favourite sandwich, far outpacing the old Devon-cheese-and-tomato-sauce lunchbox staple of the 1970s.Ìý

Yet there’s no tomato sauce on a banh mi: its lubrication relies on paté and, yes, mayo. Some even say salad sandwiches, too, need the fat from mayonnaise to elevate unadorned vegetables from rabbit fodder to desirable tucker.

The salad question

While burgers benefit from a slathering of both red and white, what about salads? Most Aussie barbecues feature mum’s potato salad, and most mums’ potato salads feature mayonnaise. No self-respecting Aussie mum ever added tomato sauce to a potato salad. (Bolognese, on the other hand…)

Still, mayo finds its way into green salads, is essential to coleslaw, and – love the genre or hate it – mayo is a requisite ingredient in most pasta salads.

In fact, mayonnaise easily pairs with food genres that tomato sauce can only dream of meeting.

Cue… Kewpie

The Japanese iteration, Kewpie, has been wholly adopted in Australia and is just as at home on a schnitzel and wedges as it is atop sushi, karaage (fried) chicken, okonomiyaki (Japanese-style pizza) and any number of plant-based foods, such as mushroom burgers. It even lands, if controversially, on tacos.

Mayonnaise bridges cultural divides – it’s just as well blended with chipotle sauce for a spicy dipping condiment as it is being spread over bread with cheese and kimchi for a late-night toastie.

Balance of power

Now, we’re in no way suggesting tomato sauce is in danger of losing its King of the Condiments status in Australia. As long as there’s tucker sizzling on a barbie, there’ll be a squeeze bottle of tomato sauce within cooee. Its status in our collective hearts remains unchallenged.

But in terms of breadth of use, mayo might just have it over the red stuff. Maybe that’s down to its union of three key elements – fat, acid and salt – rather than simply the sugar-edged sharpness of tomato sauce. But we’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

For those of you unwilling to take sides, allow us to break your brains momentarily… combine mayonnaise and tomato sauce, and you may find you have the greatest condiment ever known to humankind. What ‘saucery’ is this?

The post Mayonnaise vs tomato sauce: which is the greatest Australian condiment? appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.

Rich in plant protein and full of good fats, vitamins and minerals, this blend of chickpeas and tahini has spread well beyond its Middle Eastern origins to become a staple on Western grocery lists. There are many varieties of hummus available at supermarkets today, from the classic recipe to those embellished with vegetables and nuts.Ìý

If you’re guilty of relegating this snackable favourite to the chips-and-dips platter, it’s time to lift your game and try these delicious hummus hacks.

Party-starter hummus

Do better than simply decanting your hummus and tossing some crackers around. A little effort can jazz things up for a next-level snack.

Green goddess hummus

Delicious served with vegetable sticks or flatbread. Blend store-bought hummus with your favourite herbs, such as basil, chives, green onion, parsley or tarragon, and avocado. A little extra garlic won’t go astray, either. You could even use it as a salad dressing.

Nuts, seeds, spices

Top up your hummus with delicious spices and nuts that not only look beautiful, but also add another depth of flavour. Try sprinkling with spices such as sumac, baharat blend or paprika, and with toasted pine nuts, pumpkin seeds or roasted chickpeas.

Devilled hummus eggs 

A healthy and tasty way to elevate this classic entertaining snack. Simply mix the egg yolk with hummus before piping it back into the whites. Try store-bought pumpkin hummus and beetroot hummus for a colourful platter.

Spread it around

Of course, hummus partners perfectly with crackers, but as a spread it’s capable of so much more.

• Pizza bases spread with hummus make a lovely alternative to tomato passata and are particularly suited to vegetarian or vegan pizzas.
• Sandwiches can benefit from an extra layer of goodness and nutrition with a thick slathering of hummus instead of mayonnaise.
• Quesadillas make popular and quick lunches, especially for kids. Try adding a slick of hummus instead of (or as well as!) cheese for a healthy treat.

Hummus for dinner

In parts of the Middle East (or the Levant), hummus is often eaten as a main meal, not simply a snack. Hummus lends itself to a variety of savoury flavours – think outside the tub for a whole repertoire of hummus-hued meals.Ìý

• Hummus topped with spiced mince is a traditional dish in the Levant. Fry up lamb mince with onion, spices and pine nuts, and spoon over bowls of hummus for a warming, satisfying dinner.
• Hummus with honey-roasted carrots could be served as either a side or tasty vegetarian dinner. The sweetness of the honey-roasted carrots is perfectly matched with the nutty hummus. Top with a runny egg for an extra protein boost.
• Hummus noodles make for a delicious, last-minute pantry meal. Simply toss cooked spaghetti with hummus, sesame oil and seeds, and fried shallots. You can easily throw in any leftovers or a tin of tuna, too.

Hummus for kids

Hummus is a fantastically healthy snack for children and babies. Not only is it a great alternative to salty spreads, but it also lets them explore new flavours. We all know small humans can be fussy, so keep it interesting with these kid-approved ideas:

• Hummus veggie sticks offer plenty of opportunities to make things colourful – and more likely to be eaten. Arrange an array of veggie sticks with colourful, store-bought beetroot hummus or pumpkin hummus.
• Sweet potato chips with hummus are a great way to double up on goodness. Roast chipped sweet potato and serve alongside a hummus dipping ‘sauce’.
• Hummus faces are fun to eat and healthy too (shhh!). Spread crackers or bread with hummus and use vegies, olives and cheese to make little edible faces.

How to store hummus

The recipe ideas above will ensure there’s no excuse to leave that half-eaten tub of hummus lingering in the fridge. Hummus will keep in the fridge for no more than a week once opened. But if it’s not quickly devoured, you’ll be pleased to know you can also freeze it for another time. Here are some tips to follow:

• You can freeze hummus for up to three months.
• Top hummus with a thin layer of olive oil to keep it moist while frozen. Once thawed, mix it together well.
• Transfer into freezer-safe containers and avoid freezing in large batches so you can defrost only what you need.
• Freeze mini portions for kids’ lunchboxes or after-school snacks.

The post 12 ways you can use store-bought hummus appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.

To celebrate our strawberry jam taste test winners, here’s 10 sweet ideas to pump up the jam next time you hit the kitchen, from sticky glazes to tempting toasties to cheese platters, and more.

1. Add some to yoghurt or porridge

Give that slightly sour natural yoghurt a little sugar hit with the addition of a spoonful of the sweet stuff. Stir in your favourite jam and you have instant flavoured yoghurt.

Or mix some jam through your morning porridge and top with flaked almonds for a satisfying start to the day.

2. Glaze everything!

Create finger-licking and deliciously sticky dinners that are guaranteed to bring the fussiest of eaters to the table by melting jam with a little hot water to make a glaze for meats.

Use to brush over rib racks, chicken drumsticks or pork fillets. As a starting point, apricot jam is a classic pairing with chicken, while marmalade works beautifully with a leg of ham, and red meats can stand up to the sweeter flavour of strawberry or raspberry jam.

You can also sweeten gravy too. Just add one tablespoon of jam with one tablespoon of mustard and one cup of stock to your pan juices. Then reduce the sauce and serve alongside roasted meats.

3. Flavour your own ice cream

It’s always vanilla that’s left behind in the Neapolitan ice cream tub. Turn to your jam stocks to transform a plain dessert into an all-out spoon fight.Ìý

Soften the vanilla ice cream a little, then mix through a jam of your choice for an immediately redeemed creamy treat. You could even mix your jammy ice cream in a food processor until very soft, then pour into ice block moulds for delightful homemade popsicles.

4. Turbocharge that toastie

Stop! Before you go to make another ham, cheese and tomato toastie with a boring, old slice of tomato, why not jazz up the humble jaffle with a little jam?

Sweet fruit and melted cheese is a match made in flavour heaven, so spread your bread with a slick of marmalade or apricot jam and stand-by for a toastie that takes lunch to the next level.Ìý 

5.  Pop it on a cheese platter

Fruit has long been a fixture on the entertainer’s cheese platter, providing a sweet foil to a bitey cheddar or lusciously creamy camembert.

For a cheese plate thrown together quickly for last-minute guests, jam does a wonderful job of standing in for fresh fruit or quince paste. Actually, it’s so good you’re likely to make it a mainstay on all future party platters.

6. Voila vinaigrette!

Can’t endure another unexciting garden salad? Fear not, you can liven up any salad with a vinaigrette featuring a sweet and fruity jam.Ìý

Whisk up a spoonful of jam with a little oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and drizzle over everything from a leafy green salad to a warm roast vegetable dish and expect requests for seconds.

7. Elevate your cakes

There’s a reason Devonshire teas are eternally popular. It’s because jam, cream and cake make for the most irresistible union.

Spread jam on your scones, sure, but take it further and sandwich your sponge cakes with jam and cream, fill doughnuts with a squeeze of jam (you can even use store-bought doughnut puffs for this), and even mix a tablespoon or two through your cake batter before you bake.

8. Make a sweet syrup

Jam is just a boil away from becoming a lovely, versatile syrup for sweets and treats. Simply heat with a little hot water until the jam melts into a syrup and use to drizzle over everything from cakes to pancakes, crepes and even a wheel of melted brie for a decadent party snack.

This syrup also makes a great addition to creative cocktails – think gin with blueberry syrup or spiced rum with marmalade syrup.

9. Cheat at dessert

A humble jar of jam is the key element to an easy, thrown together dessert you can make with pantry staples.

Spread a frozen puff pastry sheet with jam, top with sliced banana, peaches or apple, glaze with more jam, and sprinkle with spices and nuts. Throw in the oven until puffed and golden and you have a cheat’s treat you can dollop with cream or yoghurt. It’s a safe bet to satisfy a ravenous brood.

10. Make better biscuits 

Almost any biscuit can be improved by being sandwiched with a slick of glossy jam. Of course, you can do this with plain, store-bought biscuits to accompany an afternoon cuppa, but try making your own shortbread and filling with jam for a more special occasion.

Better yet, give ÌÇÐÄVlog food expert Fiona Mair’s delicious jam drop recipe a go – see below.

How to make jam drops

Ingredients

• 150g butter, softened
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• 1 egg
• 1 cup desiccated coconut 
• 1¼ cup self-raising flour

Makes approximately 20 

Method

1. Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl and, using a hand mixer on medium speed, mix until creamed.
2. Add the egg, coconut and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Roll tablespoonfuls into balls and place, 5cm apart, on a lined baking sheet. Press a thumb print into the centre of each ball and spoon a teaspoon of your favourite jam into the indent.Ìý
3. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to allow the dough to firm so it won’t spread too much when baking.Ìý
4. Preheat oven to 170°C (fan-forced). Bake for 12–15 minutes or until golden.Ìý

Allow to cool slightly on the tray to firm up, biscuits will be soft when they come out of the oven. Transfer to a cooling rack when firm and dust with icing sugar.

The post 10 things you didn’t know you could do with jam appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.

While you may not be able to lure those who, sadly, grew up without this dark and salty condiment, most Australians have a deep connection to the oil-slick-like spread.Ìý

But although most people still believe Vegemite is just a spread for toast or crackers, the time has come to upgrade the iconic spread to a certified pantry staple that you can add to many recipes.

Pump up the umami in braises and stews

Vegemite has a powerful gift to offer your slow-cooked casseroles. Have you ever heard someone say that soy sauce is the secret ingredient to their Bolognese?

Well, they’re not some kind of mad alchemist, they’re using the soy for its boost of umami – that unique savoury flavour profile that comes after salt, sweet, sour and bitter – to add depth to the sauce. Vegemite can be used in exactly the same way, whether it’s a mince-based sauce or a slow-cooked brisket. The end result won’t taste like Vegemite, but will have a richer, more layered flavour.Ìý

Aussie chef Adam Liaw is a fan of adding a tablespoon of the spread here and there, saying: “A good savoury stew should incorporate ingredients and processes that boost its umami taste. Look for umami-rich ingredients like tomato paste, Vegemite, soy sauce and stock.” Next time you’re braising, stewing or making chilli con carne, experiment with a spoonful of Vegemite.

Add robust flavour to vegan and vegetarian dishes

Vegans rejoice, for your heavy reliance on mushrooms can be offset with a spoonful of Vegemite, which was vegan before vegan was a thing. The spread can make a great vegan or vegetarian gravy, give a well-rounded flavour to soups, especially creamy vegetable soups, and can be spread over pastry and dough for a rich kick of flavour when making vegetable pies or pizza. You can even add it to your mac and (vegan) cheese or make a Vegemite sauce for pasta by mixing with butter (or oil and tahini).

Enhance marinades

Think about the ways soy sauce, fish sauce or miso paste are used to give a punch to marinated meats. Vegemite can do the same.Ìý

Start experimenting by adding a little to a marinade with similar flavour profiles. Try balancing Vegemite’s salty-umami flavour with tomato paste, garlic and other aromatics, or butter and pepper.

You could even add a little Vegemite to the pan juices of cooked meat to make a jus or sauce. Just as the butter on your Vegemite toast balances the intense flavour, the fat from meat will have a similarly neutralising effect. Vegemite should play a supporting role, not upstage the main ingredients.

Using Vegemite in your baking

The idea of adding salt to sugary treats is not breaking news. We’ve all been swooning over salted caramel and chocolate for a while now. There’s something about the combination of the two that fires up our tastebuds. But how do you do that with Vegemite?

Like miso paste, which is often added to baked treats and cake frosting, the trick is not to overdo it. Add the Vegemite to sweet treats in small portions and taste-test as you go.Ìý

For starters, try mixing a teaspoonful with chocolate pudding and mousse. The fat from the cream will mellow the strong, salty flavour. And, instead of adding salt to your salted caramel, switch it for Vegemite. You can even add some to your brownie batter, choc-chip cookie dough, or buttercream frosting for a wildly creative topping to a cake that will have the ladies of the CWA loudly tut-tutting.

What’s the history of Vegemite?

Made with brewer’s yeast, salt and malt extract, the original brief for Vegemite was essentially to make a nutrient-dense rip-off of Britain’s Marmite. Initially slow to take hold, Vegemite became increasingly popular when supplies of Marmite dwindled Down Under during the Second World War, which is when Vegemite graduated to Australian icon.Ìý

Essentially, Vegemite is umami goodness. Just about every culture has an umami-rich ingredient that defines their cuisine in one way or another.Ìý

Many Asian countries use soy sauce, the Japanese have miso, South-East Asian cultures love their fish sauce. Italians make use of the depth of flavour encouraged by anchovies and parmesan. The Brits have their Marmite and Worcestershire sauce at the ready. Even the ancient Romans doused their dishes with a fermented fish sauce called garum.

It might not yet be Australia’s Kikkoman but, given a chance, Australia’s own yeasty treat could become just as welcome at dinner as it is at breakfast.

The post How to use Vegemite in your cooking appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.

Whether it’s zig-zagged across a sausage sanga or squirted on a meat pie, tomato sauce is the perfect accompaniment to many a great Australian culinary staple.Ìý

But once you’ve finished dousing your food in its sweet-savoury goodness, where should you put it – in the fridge, or the cupboard? We investigated this vital question to help you get a fair shake of the sauce bottle.

What the experts say

We asked two ÌÇÐÄVlog experts for their opinion on the best place to keep tomato sauce, and they came back with quite different answers.

Fiona Mair, our kitchen expert, is all about the fridge (despite being raised in a cupboard-storing family).

“I grew up with the tomato sauce in the cupboard. But I now keep it in the fridge once opened, especially if I don’t use it often,” she says.

“In my opinion it’s less runny in the fridge. If the weather is hot the sauce becomes runny when stored in the cupboard.”

But Ashley Iredale, our fridge expert, disagrees (and has a conspiracy theory to share).

“There’s a rumour that the ‘refrigerate after opening’ is more about marketing than food safety – if it’s in the door of your fridge it’s in your face all the time, but in the cupboard it’s hidden away,” he says.

“Tomato sauce is high enough in sugar and salt (preserving agents) that it’s shelf stable, even when opened, provided you don’t introduce contaminants.”

Contaminants are one thing our experts do agree on.

“Don’t forget to clean the nozzle or top of the bottle after use as the exposed sauce can grow bacteria and contaminate the sauce,” says Fiona.

ÌÇÐÄVlog staff vote

We asked ÌÇÐÄVlog tomato sauce lovers where they keep their favourite condiment, and the majority of respondents were firmly in the fridge camp. All up, 71.64% of respondents said that tomato sauce definitely goes in the fridge, while 22.39% said it belongs in the cupboard. (And 4.48% said they don’t use the stuff.)

Team Fridge

Those in Team Fridge had put quite some thought into their decision:

• “When we were growing up, my brother believed that an additional function of tomato sauce was to cool down too-hot food for safe consumption. So the fridge was obviously the place to keep it.”
• It looks like we have a lot of rule-followers here at ÌÇÐÄVlog: we received many responses along the lines of, “It says to refrigerate after opening on the bottle”.
• Food safety tends to be the most common concern among fridge-storers: “Common sense (and having worked in a microscopy research facility) tells me that microorganisms on food grow faster in warmer environments,” wrote one staff member.Ìý
• Another said: “Grew up with sauce in the pantry no problems, but the cooler temp in the fridge should theoretically slow down bacteria growth… plus, it’s what the label says!”

Team Cupboard

Only two Team Cupboard members shared their reasoning for not storing their sauce in the fridge, but like those from Team Fridge, their decisions were clearly made after considerable thought.

“I don’t want the temperature to interfere with the flavour of my pie. Unless the pie is too hot and the sauce can cool it down. It’s just sugar and salt and vinegar; surely that can’t go bad,” said the first respondent.

The second shared just one reason, and it’s a good one: “Cold sauce is a crime.”

Squeeze or shake?

We also polled ÌÇÐÄVlog staff on what kind of vessel they prefer for their tomato sauce, and once again there was a clear winner: more than three-quarters of people said they prefer the humble plastic squeezy bottle rather than glass.Ìý

The germophobes were well represented in the squeezy bottle camp, with one respondent saying, “The smaller opening and not sticking tools into a jar hopefully keeps the above-mentioned microorganisms to a minimum.”

But others had purely hedonistic reasons for going squeezy: “Easier to get that last drop of tomatoey goodness.”

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