Cook’s Secret Ingredient: Sparkling Mineral Water
Five ways to make your foods better with sparkling mineral water.
1. Make brighter, better vegetables.
For brilliant, colorful veggies, from strikingly green broccoli to vividly orange carrots, cook them in sparkling mineral water. “Boiling vegetables in sparkling water preserves color, and even more importantly, vitamins. Mineral water decreases oxidation and the loss of chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments, keeping vegetable’s bright colors,” explains Rino Mini, CEO of Galvanina natural spring water, renowned since ancient Roman times. Sparkling mineral water also softens vegetables so you can reduce cooking time, another way to better protect vegetable’s vitamins and nutrients. It lets you skip the step of plunging cooked vegetables in ice-cold water to retain their color.
2. Bake fluffier cake, waffles, crepes and pancakes.
Use sparkling mineral water when making cake, waffles, pancakes, and more. The sparkling water causes cakes to rise better and results in a fluffier texture. It’s great in waffle batter, too: substitute one part of the milk with sparkling water and follow the recipe as you normally would. Try it too in your favorite crepe and pancake recipes. Replace half of the milk in the recipe for fizzy spring water for a improved texture. You’ll be thrilled with the delicious light and airy crunch.
Want to easily add extra flavor? Add naturally flavored sparkling waters to increase zing without any added sugar, colorings, or chemicals. Add lime sparkling mineral water to batter for an incredible tang to pancakes, crepes and waffles. Substitute orange, lemon, or grapefruit water for the liquid in your favorite cake mix, for an unbeatable treat with sensational citrus flavor.
3. Add it to make tempura batter and better fritters.
Use sparkling water for better batter. Simply mix flour with sparkling water, dip your favorite vegetables, seafood, or fish in the batter and then lightly fry. The sparkling water will make anything you fry extra crunchy.
4. Make your own sparkling iced drinks.
Instead of buying sodas, make your own. Sparkling water creates festive thirst-quenchers but without the added calories of bottled drinks. Combine sparkling water with fruit slices or juice for your own homemade natural fruit drinks. Stir in cucumber slices and fresh mint for a post-workout refresher.
5. Use sparkling water in your coffee brewing machine.
Not only will it make chemical-free espresso or coffee, but it has the delightful added advantage of keeping your machine from building unpleasant residue. Add it to your favorite brewed beverages for natural sparkling iced tea or coffee.