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Open and ready. The preserves they make life easier for us. They allow food to be stored for a long period of time and without the need for cold, they are economic and, if we know how to choose them, also healthy. Although, as with almost all food, they have also suffered from some urban legends. Like the one that questions the cover liquid safety they carry, which is usually disposed of down the sink. There are even those who wash the vegetables to remove any remains. “Coverage liquids are absolutely safe. They are not going to cause gastroenteritis or long-term chronic poisoning,” says Beatriz Robles, food technologist, dietician-nutritionist and specialist in food safety.
What we do have to look at, from a nutritional point of view, is “two fundamental parameters” of the broth: the amount of salt and the quality of the ingredients (for example, if the oil they use is extra virgin olive oil or another refined one).
As for salt, in any food, it is considered high from 1.2 grams per 100 grams of product. “We are going to look below that amount. The lower the better. In preserves, about 0.6-0.8 grams is a reasonable and acceptable figure,” says Robles. In the most elaborate preserves, you have to read the list of ingredients carefully. “In a dish prepared with sauce, such as squid in its ink, we should pay attention to whether it has starches, sugars, if it has ink or if it is a colorant with flavor enhancer…”, explains Robles. If we are going to eat the liquid that surrounds the product, we choose the one with the best nutritional quality.
In the case of vegetablesAlthough some have the habit no need to rinse them under the tap before consuming them. “That liquid is perfectly edible. It is the cooking water in which we find some legume proteins. It is nutritious and can be added directly to the stew that we are preparing”, explains the expert. The aquafabaas this broth is also known, also has some technological properties that allow it to be beaten and prepare meringues or mayonnaise. In a pot it is more concentrated, but it is also possible to prepare it at home. “We can obtain it by cooking chickpeas or beans with little water,” explains the doctor in food science and technology, Miguel Ángel Lurueña. The author of the blog «Jelly Beans» remembers that he was a boy in the US who discovered the technological properties of this broth years ago when he was looking for a substitute for eggs. One tablespoon of aquafaba is equivalent to one egg white. “The egg wins nutritionally. Aquafaba is an option for people with allergies or vegans,” says Lurueña.
can or crystal
From the point of view of food safety, Robles affirms that both cans and glass containers are “equally” safe “because all materials that come into contact with food in the EU are absolutely controlled.” «The glass is heavier to transport for the industry, it is more expensive, but on the other hand it gives us a seal of quality because it allows us to see the product: if the beans are more or less large or if the ventresca loin is whole or in crumbs,” he explains. What he does warn is that, if the food comes in a can, and we are not going to consume all of it at that moment, once opened, the recommendation is to transfer the content to a Tupperware: “If we keep the open can in the fridgeon contact with oxygen, there may be some aluminum transfer from can to food. Also, the can is likely to get spilled or contaminate other foods if any of the oil or contents spill out. Never keep containers with leftovers unclosed in the refrigerator.
In Robles’ opinion, preserves can be “a perfect pantry staple”, but you have to choose the healthiest ones. “What we should always have are Cooked vegetables (artichokes, green beans, chickpeas, Swiss chard). Much better than ready-made dishes. We can also have canned fish and seafood, the less transformed the better. Some natural mussels will give us more play in the kitchen than some squid in American sauce, “recommends the expert. Along the same lines, she assures that the cans of peye or cooked hake that can now be found in supermarkets would also serve as a background, as well as the crushed tomato, not friedto make our own tomato sauce.
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