Before we even start eating the hot pot, some people are already arguing over it! Is the foam on the surface the essence or the dirt? Should we skim it off?

The temperature drops sharply, and it is a great pleasure to invite three or five friends to eat hot pot. As various delicious flavors are boiling in the pot, it is not difficult to find that a layer of foam will appear on the surface of the hot pot.

Last weekend, friends at the dinner table had a big fight over the foam. Some kept scooping the foam from the soup with a spoon, thinking it was dirt from the meat, which was neither nutritious nor irritating and must be skimmed off; others thought it was the essence of the food and it was fine to keep it, because skimming it off would lose the original flavor, and they drank a spoonful of soup while talking.

In this regard, netizens are also "taking sides", and some netizens will put aside the foam:

c-abai-sohandsome: They will be fished out, which affects the appearance, appetite and taste, and no one really eats them.

hz_轧梦成风: I'm going to get rid of it anyway, otherwise it will be uncomfortable to look at.

Some netizens also said that "this is the essence of the soup":

User has logged out: If you remove the foam from the tomato pot, the tomato flavor will become lighter.

Haoyue: That’s the essence, it has a very good effect in enhancing the flavor of food.

What is the truth? We interviewed Jin Weiwei, deputy chief nutritionist and head of the Nutrition Department at Zhejiang Provincial Tongde Hospital.

Why does foam appear when cooking hot pot?

Should these bubbles be skimmed off?

Director Jin Weiwei said that the ingredients prepared for hot pot are often richer, often including meat, vegetables, seafood and soy products.

"Most ingredients contain a large amount of organic matter, some of which, such as protein and saponin, are extremely hydrophilic and will produce abundant foam during the stewing and stirring process." Director Jin explained that the floating foam that everyone sees and does not disperse when cooking hot pot is mainly caused by the shabu-shabu meat.

"When raw meat is put into the pot, the first layer of foam that floats up mainly comes from the blood and some impurities left in the meat. This layer of foam has a strong fishy smell and affects the taste and appearance, so it is recommended to skim it off." Director Jin said, "After skimming off the first layer of foam, you may find that a small amount of foam is still floating up in the soup base. In fact, the second layer of foam is mainly composed of protein and fat in the meat, which can be regarded as the essence of the meat. There is no need to skim it off. Keeping it can also enhance the flavor of the soup."

Director Jin said that the same principle applies to daily cooking of meat.

Hot pot soup contains a lot of purine and nitrite

Don’t drink it! People with high uric acid should not touch it

Regarding the behavior of some friends who like to scoop and drink the hot pot soup, Director Jin said "it's best not to drink it."

"The longer the hot pot is cooked, the higher the nitrite, fat and purine content in it, which is not good for health." Director Jin said that purine is found in high levels in red meat such as pork, beef, lamb and seafood. When eating hot pot, a large amount of purine in the ingredients will dissolve in the soup. Purine will be converted into uric acid, so patients with high uric acid must not touch hot pot soup.

Can patients with high uric acid eat hot pot ingredients? Director Jin said that during the acute attack of gout, animal ingredients and soy products cannot be eaten; if gout is stable, you can eat a small amount, but it is best to rinse it with clean water before eating.

"Patients with high uric acid also need to take in protein. According to the Chinese Dietary Reference Intake of Nutrients, the recommended protein intake for adults is based on body weight, with a daily intake of 0.8-1.0 grams per kilogram of body weight. A person weighing 50 kilograms generally needs to take in 50 grams of protein. If there are patients with high uric acid or gout at home, it is recommended to blanch the meat before cooking." Director Jin reminded, "It should be noted that the meat should be blanched in cold water. Boiling water can easily denature the protein on the surface of the meat, resulting in the outer layer being cooked while the blood and impurities in the inner layer cannot be precipitated, and a large amount of purine cannot be dissolved in the water."

"Patients with high uric acid can also get protein from eggs and milk. Eggs and milk are foods low in purine and are suitable for use during acute attacks," suggested Director Jin.

Should I skim off the foam from soy milk and fruit and vegetable juice?

It is good for health and you can eat it

It is not difficult to find that in daily life, in addition to a large amount of foam produced when stewing meat, a large amount of foam will also appear when some plant ingredients are used. Should these foams be skimmed off?

Director Jin said that the more common plant-based foams include soy milk foam and fruit and vegetable juice foam.

"When the soymilk machine grinds soymilk, it will produce honeycomb-shaped foam, which is a bit like soap foam. Its main component is saponin, but it does not affect health and can be eaten." Director Jin reminded that it is important to note that uncooked soymilk contains an ingredient called "antitrypsin", which will affect the absorption of protein in the human body, causing dizziness, nausea, vomiting and other discomfort. Therefore, soymilk must be cooked thoroughly.

In addition, a layer of dense foam will appear on the surface of the squeezed fruit and vegetable juice. This layer of foam is the nutrients in the fruits and vegetables. Although it affects the appearance and taste, it is not harmful to health when consumed.

"A large amount of foam will also be produced during the process of cooking porridge and noodles. This foam is formed when the starch and protein in the flour dissolve into the water as the water boils, and it is also safe," said Director Jin.

What are the precautions when cooking food?

Some vegetables need to be blanched, while others need to be cooked thoroughly.

Director Jin Weiwei said that from a health perspective, when cooking dishes, try to choose steaming instead of frying or deep-frying. If you are stir-frying vegetables, it is recommended to cut and stir-fry quickly to prevent the loss of vitamins.

"Spinach is a vegetable rich in carotene and has high nutritional value, but it also contains a lot of oxalic acid, which will combine with calcium, zinc and other minerals in the human body, increasing the probability of stones. If it is cooked directly, it will have side effects on health. It is recommended to blanch it before cooking." Director Jin said that when the water boils, put the spinach directly in, and when the spinach is slightly soft, you can take it out, and it does not need to be cooked completely. After taking it out of the water, it is best to rinse it with cold water, which can not only preserve the green color of the spinach, but also wash away the oxalic acid remaining on the surface of the spinach.

It should be noted that green beans contain saponins and hemagglutinins. If the toxins are not destroyed during cooking, they will cause poisoning after consumption. They must be cooked thoroughly before eating. Fresh daylily contains colchicine, which can be converted into toxic substances in the body after intestinal absorption, but it is soluble in water. Its content can be reduced by blanching or boiling, which reduces its toxicity. Therefore, fresh daylily should be soaked in water or boiled in boiling water before eating. In addition, broccoli, a "fat-reducing regular", is easy to be mixed with insect eggs because of its dense heads. It is also recommended to blanch it before cooking to reduce harmful substances.

Metropolis Express·Chengshi Interactive·Metropolis Express reporter Zhang Jing

Correspondent Ying Xiaoyan