Many people are functional coffee addicts who can’t do without a cup of coffee every day. In recent times, lots of coffee varieties have been tried and perfected. Coffee is now an art form with a culture and a cult-like following of at least a billion drinkers all over the world. It is safe to say that coffee is the most popular beverage on the planet right now. But that is just half of it.
Did you know that coffee is fast becoming the cooking ingredient of choice these days? Well, in case you didn’t know, more chefs are adding coffee to their cooking recipes. They are merely taking advantage of the unique flavors and scents that coffee possesses.
Why Cooking With Coffee Is So Good
People are so caught up on coffee as a drink that almost no one is looking at the potential of coffee as food. Some chefs and foodies have discovered that coffee’s bittersweet flavor can make food taste better when it is added in the right quantity. Beyond the flavor that it brings to your dishes, cooking with coffee has several health benefits. Here are a few reasons why coffee is used as a cooking ingredient.
Helps Improve Symptoms of Asthma
Coffee contains large amounts of caffeine. Caffeine has been found to have the same effect of Theophylline. This is a chemical compound that reduces the inflammation of the airways. So it is excellent for relieving coughing, breathlessness, and wheezing. This means that when you take coffee, the caffeine in the drink as a bronchodilator that makes breathing easier.
It enhances chocolate flavors
When you add coffee to your chocolate recipes, the chocolate flavor is enhanced, and it becomes less sweet at the same time. This allows you to make rich chocolate desserts that aren’t too sweet.
Coffee prevents diseases
Coffee is believed to have properties that allow it to combat type 2 diabetes, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. People who consume coffee are less likely to have cardiovascular issues and stroke. Coffee also contains hordes of antioxidants. These antioxidants are great at combating cancer-causing compounds in the body. So moderate consumption can help combat cancer too and extend your life.
Coffee benefits liver function
The liver is one of the most critical organs in the body. This is because it plays a vital role in the body’s digestive and metabolic processes. The liver is prone to lots of diseases that will reduce the effectiveness of the liver. Consuming coffee regularly yet moderately reduces the risks of liver diseases.
It adds variety and depth of flavor
Most taste buds are accustomed to sweet or salty tastes. Variety can be a good thing, and that is what coffee brings to the food. When you add coffee to the mix of tastes, you create a variety of tastes in one dish. Try using coffee as a spice in soups, stews, and marinades. If you are observant, you will notice that coffee blends well with other flavor profiles in the food. This variety will make the meal even more delicious to the tongue.
It works well with meat
Did you know that coffee works well with pork, beef, and fish?
Most chefs that use coffee in their cooking believe that coffee gives food an earthy taste that’s why you will find that coffee is being added to steak now. Coffee grounds can be great dry rubs for meat.
In some instances, coffee is added as a dry spice rub that adds more flavor to the meat. The coffee grounds keep the meat’s juices in and results in a tastier piece of meat that is also attractive. In addition to the flavor it offers, coffee softens the meat.
This means that when you eat meat that has been cured with coffee, the meat has great taste and is soft enough for you to enjoy. Cooking with coffee adds more depth to your recipes. Any chef that knows his onions will tell you that. Coffee appears to have an affinity for flavors like citrus, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, garlic, and salt.
Coffee has several culinary and health benefits that could be made the most of when it is consumed. Accessing these benefits makes cooking with coffee a great choice. That way, you will be providing your body with great nutrition while giving your taste buds a tasty experience.
How to use coffee in cooking
Coffee complements rich flavors like beef, pork, or chicken. Combine both flavors and observe how coffee enhances the flavor of the food being cooked.
Try adding a coating of coffee and other spices to meat. Beyond tenderizing the meat, the meat becomes more tasty and tender. You could add some coffee when you are cooking beef short ribs or in your barbecue sauce.
Eat it at breakfast
There are other exciting ways to enjoy coffee at breakfast besides drinking it in a cup.
You could actually eat some coffee with your food.
You could mix it with the butter that goes into your pancakes.
You could use it in your gravy or as a sauce for fried eggs. The choice is yours.
As a spice
Rubs, marinades, and sauces serve to add a delicious variety while keeping them tasty. When coffee is added as a spice, it adds a distinctive taste to whatever is being cooked: soups, stews, and tomato sauce.
You want to continue playing with the measurements until you arrive at the right amount of coffee in the dish.
Add some coffee to your desserts.
You might want to try this if you have no issues with the taste of the coffee flavor in desserts. Use a bottle of instant espresso powder because it will dissolve completely in hot water. So you won’t have to taste coarse substances in your dessert.
Remember that the aim is to make the coffee something of an undertone. Since it is strong, you might want to use it sparingly.
Use in both ground and brewed forms
Ground coffee adds variety to your rubs and marinade, and it helps with the flavors. Did you know that brewed coffee is the perfect addition to stews or sauces?
Heck, some cooks now substitute brewed coffee for stock or water in stews, sauces, and even baked beans. It appears more natural to add brewed coffee to a sauce: no more coarse sauces or marinades.
Use coffee creatively do not be afraid
your favorite flavor of coffee in your recipes. Experimenting with new flavors deepens your recipe. Since it is a matter of taste, there are no hard and fast rules for cooking with coffee. Bear in mind that regular black coffees often combine well with citrus, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, salt, garlic, ginger, and pepper.
Flavored coffees blend better with foods that contain similar flavors. As noted earlier, there are no hard and fast rules for applying the right amount of coffee to your meal. However, you must bear in mind that coffee works best as the supporting cast in a dish; it is never meant to be the lead ingredient.
Some Dishes That Were Made With Coffee
Granola
Granola is one of the cheapest and most exciting foods out there. But have you eaten or even seen granola with coffee flavor? It is simple to make. You simply add some ground coffee to oats before you bake the oats. You could even add some cocoa powder for taste. The result will be a portion of tasty food with extra coffee flavor.
Burger Rub
Coffee is one excellent ingredient that you must have in your steak rub. Guess what? It works well with burgers too. Coffee has specific tastes and scents that blend well with fresh tomatoes, lettuce, and onions on a burger. Coffee grounds blend well with any burger you are looking to make. Foodies now make veggies, chicken, and turkey burgers using coffee rubs.
Chocolate Based Foods
Coffee and chocolate go well because coffee can strengthen the taste of chocolate while toning down the sweetness. So chocolate puddings, chocolate cakes, chocolate sauces, and brownies are being made with the addition of coffee.
Takeaway
Once upon a time, the realm of coffee cuisine was reserved to gourmet chefs that were employed by exclusive restaurants and resorts. Times have changed as more chefs are applying coffee to their cooking. These days we find that lots of celebrity chefs now choose to use coffee in their cooking. This has brought the use of coffee in cooking food to the mainstream.
It gets even more exciting still. Coffee experts believe that there are more than 900 unique flavors that are present in coffee. Chefs love the variety that it adds to their cooking so you can be sure that shortly, coffee might just replace some staple ingredients on many recipes.
The only caveat is that if you want to join the coffee cooks’ train, then you must make sure that you use specialty coffee rather than regular coffee. Cooking with coffee is excellent for you!
