The benefits and uses of tea are never ending! In fact, tea is so much more than a beverage. One example of the many uses for tea would be in cooking. There are a variety of recipes that include tea as a crucial ingredient. The resulting tea-infused dishes are not only delicious, but they provide many benefits to the consumer. Let’s take a look at a few common creations!
Tea-Brined Chicken
One of the most common ways tea is used in cooking is in relation to chicken. Grilled or fried, some recipes suggest the brining (aka soaking) of the meat in tea to increase its flavor. Common teas used for this purpose include: black tea, green tea, sweet tea, and lemon tea (among others). In southern states, it is very common to find a restaurant advertising their delicious Sweet Tea-Brined BBQ Chicken. Recipes of this kind will usually require one to brew tea in a pot and then soak the raw chicken for a couple of hours before actually cooking it.
Tea-Infused Ice Cream
If you’re looking for a sweet treat, tea can also be used in ice cream creation. Common tea-infused ice cream flavors include: Earl Grey, Matcha, Chai, Black, and even English Breakfast Tea. In simple terms, most recipes for tea-infused ice cream require one to mix brewed tea with heavy cream and then, eventually, add sweetened condensed milk to that mixture. There are a variety of recipes online that can be accessed with just a click and there are also a variety of ice cream shops in the Los Angeles area offering these delicious ice cream creations! The flavors of these desserts range from Peach Oolong to Jasmine Green Tea and there are many more to be discovered.
Tea-Infused Pasta
There are so many tasty tea-infused pasta recipes ready to be used to add extra flavor to your traditional, go-to pasta dishes. Teas commonly used in pasta recipes include: green tea, specifically matcha, and lemon tea. Another interesting aspect to these yummy creations is that they are not always served hot, as most pastas typically are. About half of the time, tea-infused pasta is served cold and is sometimes referred to as “pasta salad.” To make tea-infused pasta, it is quite simple. All you have to do is is boil your pasta noodles in tea instead of plain water to achieve the unique taste.
Tea-Infused Baked Goods
Baking things like muffins, bread, and cakes with tea as an ingredient adds a unique flavor. A common way that many bakers go about infusing their baked goods with tea is to create tea-infused butter. This is very simple! All you have to do is melt your butter into a liquid, add the tea leaves, let the mixture sit until the leaves have clearly tinted the butter, strain the mixture, and you’re done! Then, just cook with your normal recipe but using your infused butter, and your creation will be full of a magnificent tea flavor.
Tea-Infused Dressings
Tea-infused salad dressings are actually more common than you might think! Teas that are regularly used for this purpose include: green tea, specifically matcha, jasmine tea, and black tea, among others. Recipes for these dressings are fairly straight forward as they just require the mixing or blending of ingredients into one, but it is what you add into your concoction that makes all the difference. Some common ingredients that are added into tea-infused dressings include: onions, parsley, basil, milk, avocado, lemon juice, salt/pepper, and even yogurt.
Benefits
The obvious benefit of cooking with tea is the immaculate flavor that results. In addition to this flavor enhancement, the antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals present in teas will be infused into your dishes allowing them to provide you with ample health benefits, such as cancer prevention, weight loss, and lower blood pressure. Instead of drinking several glasses of tea a day, infusing food with tea allows you to ingest these elements in different ways; thus, providing you with increased benefits! The possibilities are endless, discover your favorite tea-infused dish today!
