Salt Scrub by Coconut Mama

What is a Salt Scrub

Salt scrubs are an exfoliating product made with various types of salts and usually a carrier oil to moisturize the skin. Salt scrubs tend to be more abrasive than sugar scrubs and are best used for dry, challenging and damaged skin. I prefer to use salt scrubs on my feet, hands, and any areas of my skin that may have a callus (sometimes knees or elbows). 

Salt Scrub vs. Sugar Scrub

A salt scrub is usually more abrasive and should only be used on the body or the feet and hands. However, for some skin types, salt is too rough to be used on the whole body. In this case, a sugar scrub would be a better option since it’s less abrasive. When it comes to using a scrub for your face, salt scrubs are not a good choice. Avoid using this kind of scrub on your face or any sensitive area. 

How To Make Salt Scrub

To get started, you’ll want to check your coconut oil to see if it’s soft (room temperature) or solid. If it’s solid, you’ll need to warm it up on the stovetop gently.

Next, you’re going to mix 1/4 cup of soft coconut oil with 1/2 cup of salt. You can use any salt you like. I like to use Epsom salts because they’re an excellent source of magnesium, and I feel so relaxed when I use them on my feet after a long day. Other good salt choices are Redmond sea salt, dead sea salt, or french grey sea salt. 

Mix the salt scrub well and store it in an air-tight container or glass jar.

How To Use Salt Scrubs

1. Use 1-2 tablespoons of the sea salt body scrub to exfoliate your feet, hands, and skin.
2. Rub gently in a circular motion to massage and rub into your skin.
3. Rinse off thoroughly with warm or hot water in the shower. You may want to use a drain catcher to collect the flower buds from going down the drain.
4. Use 1-2 times a week. 

How To Use Salt Scrubs

1. Use 1-2 tablespoons of the sea salt body scrub to exfoliate your feet, hands, and skin.
2. Rub gently in a circular motion to massage and rub into your skin.
3. Rinse off thoroughly with warm or hot water in the shower. You may want to use a drain catcher to collect the flower buds from going down the drain.
4. Use 1-2 times a week. 

Equipment and Materials:

Salts:

• Dead Sea Salt
• Epsom Salts
• French Grey Salt
• Redmond Sea Salt

Carrier Oils:

• Virgin Coconut Oil
• Refined Coconut Oil (No coconut scent)
• Olive Oil

Dried Herbs And Flowers:

• Lavandin Flower 
• Lavender Flower 
• Calendula Flower
• Chamomile Flower

Organic Essential Oils:

• Rosemary Essential Oil
• Peppermint Essential Oil
• Roman Chamomile Essential Oil
• Lavender Essential Oil

Salt Scrub Add-Ons

This basic recipe is great all on its own, but sometimes I add other oils, herbs, or essential oils. These are some of my favorite add-ons:

• Olive oil: Olive oil is very conditioning and absorbs deep into the skin. I like to add one tablespoon of it to this salt scrub for added moisture. 
• Herbs/Flowers: Dried herbs or flower buds are a great addition to this scrub. They add a lovely scent that isn’t too overpowering and make the scrub look beautiful. But, of course, there are skin benefits to many herbs and flowers too! For example, I used dried lavandin flowers in this recipe. 
• Essential oils: One or two drops of organic essential oils can be a great addition to this scrub. Rosemary and peppermint are my favorites to use on my feet as they leave the skin feeling invigorated and refreshed. 

FAQ

What essential oils can I use in the scrub?

I like lavender but other oils like orange and eucalyptus can be used too.

Can I mix coconut oil with Epsom salt?

Yes, coconut oil will mix with epsom salts to create this scrub.

Can I add color to this scrub?

Yes, natural colorants and dried herb powders can be used to color this scrub.

Yield: 1 six ounce jar

• 1/2 cup epsom salts, dead sea salt, or real salt

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

• 1 tbsp olive oil (optional)

• 1 tsp dried herbs (optional)

• 1–5 drops essential oils (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix the melted coconut oil, epsom salts together in a small bowl.
2. If you’d like to upgrade this scrub with the add on’s, mix them into the scrub after you’ve mixed the coconut oil and salts together. I like to add a few drops of essential oils like lavender, orange, grapefruit and eucalyptus.
3. Store in an air tight container until ready to use.This recipe will fill a 6-ounce jar.

Source:

Coconutmama: Salt Scrub By Tiffany Marie  September 13, 2022

薑姜薑姜薑

早上吃姜，胜喝参汤；晚上吃姜，如食砒霜
Taking ginger at night is like taking arsenic. Take it in the morning, it s almost better than taking ginseng.

上床蘿蔔，下床薑

“早上三片姜，赛过喝参汤，晚上吃姜，等于吃砒霜。”生姜最好在早晨吃，而到了晚上如果吃生姜则会影响健康。为什么晚上不宜吃生姜？

人在清晨之时，胃中之气有待升发，姜味辛性温，含有姜辣素等活性成分，吃点姜可以健脾温胃，为一天中食物的消化吸收做好“铺垫”，并且姜中的挥发油可加快血液循环、兴奋神经，使全身变得温暖。另外，平时如果得了风寒感冒，喝点姜汤也会减缓感冒症状。

但是，到了晚上，人体应该是阳气收敛、阴气外盛，因此应该多吃清热、下气消食的食物，这样更利于夜间休息，而姜中所含的姜酚会刺激肠道蠕动，白天可以增强脾胃功能，夜晚则可能成了影响睡眠伤及肠道的一大问题；其次，生姜的辛温发散作用会影响人们夜间的正常休息，且晚上进食辛温的生姜还很容易产生内热，日久出现“上火”的症状。说其像“砒霜”有些夸张，但确实对睡眠不利。故早上吃姜对身体的好处多，夜晚不宜大量食用。但是晚上吃少量的姜，比如把姜当成调料炒菜，并不会给健康带来危害。

吃姜还需把握5个"不"

弄清楚了什么时间段吃生姜后，还得注意一些问题，如别吃烂生姜，小心得癌症；吃生姜最好不要去皮。

1、首先是吃生姜不要去皮，有很多人吃生姜都喜欢削皮吃，其实这样子吃不能够完全的发挥出姜整体的功效。一般的鲜姜洗干净后就可以切丝分片。

2、凡属阴虚火旺、目赤内热者，或患有痈肿疮疖、肺炎、肺脓肿、肺结核、胃溃疡、胆囊炎、肾盂肾炎、糖尿病、痔疮者，都不宜长期食用生姜。

3、不能用来治疗中暑。生姜红糖水只适用于风寒感冒或淋雨后有胃寒、发热的患者，不能用于暑热感冒或风热感冒患者，更不能用它来治疗中暑。服用鲜姜汁可治因受寒引起的呕吐，对其他类型的呕吐则不宜使用。

4、不要吃烂了的生姜。腐烂的生姜会产生一种毒性很强的物质，它可使肝细胞变性、坏死，从而诱发肝癌、食道癌等。

5、不宜多吃。天气热时，人们容易口干、烦渴、咽痛、汗多，生姜性辛温，属热性食物，根据“热者寒之”原则，不宜多吃。

酵母都是天然的嗎？

酵母菌（yeast）是指能發酵醣類的單細胞真菌，目前研究發現具有此性質的單細胞真菌，共有56屬，並超過500種，也因為酵母是一種生物，所以不可能由人類合成，也代表所有的酵母都是天然的。

由於酵母菌有非常多種，每一種酵母菌都帶有各自的特性，如：產氣、產酸、產酒精等，在烘焙業會純化適合製作麵包的酵母菌株，並乾燥製成市售的商業酵母，最常見的商業酵母是Saccharomyces cerevisiae的這個菌種。民眾認知的「天然酵母」，其實是口語上與「商業酵母」做區分的說法。由於酵母菌的種類非常多且特性都不同，因此若以不經純化的「天然酵母」製作麵包，雖然會帶有更多元的風味，但產氣性可能不如商業酵母，所製作的麵包蓬鬆度可能會比商業酵母來的少一些。

坊間傳言以「天然酵母」製作的麵包，血糖上升狀況能較為緩和，其中有可能是未純化的「天然酵母」中參雜了乳酸菌，並非「酵母菌」賦予的功效。不過，因為不同業者使用的天然酵母，菌種組成也不相同，所以並不能以此研究代表所有天然酵母麵包都具有健康功效！此外，也是需要注意麵包產品的澱粉含量，不是吃「天然酵母」做的麵包就對血糖有好處。

Source:
Date: 2018/04/02
灃食公益飲食文化教育基金會

Shio Koji: A Fermented Moldy-Rice Marinade That Makes Food Taste Great

The same ingredient that gives us miso, soy sauce, and sake is also the key to this versatile marinade.

Photographs: Vicky Wasik

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It's rare for mold to achieve foodstuff celebrity status in the United States, but koji—the ancient mold responsible for miso, soy sauce, sake, and makgeolli—has done just that in recent years. And yet, while famous chefs and restaurants with dedicated test kitchens and fermentation labs have been espousing the virtues of koji and the delicious products that can be made from it, it hasn't made the leap to most American home kitchens, where "mold" is usually thought of as the enemy and six-month fermentation projects are only taken on by a small number of enthusiasts. But there are plenty of delicious ways to begin cooking and experimenting with koji that don't require earthenware crocks and months of waiting. Shio koji is the way to start down the koji rabbit hole.

What Is Koji?

To quote from Sho's Obsessed profile of koji apostle Rich Shih:

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"Even if you've never heard of koji, you've put it in your mouth in one form or another. 'Koji' refers to any grain that has been inoculated with the mold Aspergillus oryzae, although it can, confusingly, also refer to the mold itself. In Japanese, the mold spores are referred to more specifically as koji-kin. Grains inoculated with koji-kin can produce a range of flavors and products with which you're likely very familiar, from slightly sweet sake to nutty miso to intensely savory soy sauce."

One of the simplest ways to tap into the flavor potential of koji is to combine it with water and salt to make shio koji.

What Is Shio Koji?

Shio koji is primarily used as a marinade for poultry, meat, and seafood. It's made by fermenting a mixture of grain koji (cooked grain, most commonly rice, that has been inoculated with Aspergillus Oryzae and then dried), salt, and water to create a porridge-textured product with a sweet, funky aroma.

As with other koji kin-derived ingredients like soy sauce and miso, shio koji lends savory depth to foods it comes into contact with, thanks to protease enzymes that break down proteins into amino acids, which we perceive as umami. It's also rich in amylase enzymes, which break down starches, making it equally effective for marinating vegetables. This enzymatic activity not only boosts flavor but also has a textural effect on ingredients, making meat and poultry incredibly juicy and tender and firming up fish in a short amount of time. But shio koji isn't just a marinade; it can be used to boost the flavor of sauces, dressings, pickles, baked goods, and even ice cream bases.

How to Make Shio Koji

To make shio koji, you will need some form of grain koji. As mentioned earlier, grain koji is made by inoculating some form of cooked grain (most commonly rice) with koji kin and then drying it. If moldy long-term science projects are your bag, you can pick up a copy of The Noma Guide to Fermentation to learn how to make grain koji for yourself. Or you can purchase ready-to-use, granular rice koji—dried, koji kin-inoculated rice—online or in Japanese markets and even in some high-end supermarkets (look for it in the same refrigerated section where you'd find miso).

Once you have some rice koji on your hands, the process for turning it into shio koji couldn't be simpler, but it does take at least a week to ferment. Combine rice koji with kosher salt in a lidded container and then stir in water until the salt has dissolved. The general ratio for shio koji is 5:4:1 by weight of water to grain koji to salt (the ratio is adjusted slightly in the attached recipe to accommodate volumetric measurements).

Once the mixture is well-combined and the salt is dissolved, pop the lid on your container of shio koji in the making and find an out-of-the-way spot in your home to ferment it at room temperature. The only hands-on work you have to do during the fermentation process is to stir the mixture once per day. This ensures that the rice grains are being evenly coated with the liquid, which will take on an increasingly milky color as well as a sweet and funky aroma.

After a week, the shio koji will thicken to a porridge-like consistency and will smell fruity and pleasantly fermented. Depending on the time of year and the temperature in your home, this fermentation process might take a day or two longer, but it will be good to go between seven and ten days. At this point, pop the shio koji in the fridge and store it there until you'r ready to use it.

How Long Will Shio Koji Keep?

Like miso and soy sauce, shio koji will keep for a long time in the fridge in an airtight container; in the above photo, you can see that the batch on the left was 10 months old when I started the one on the right. For this reason, I like making big batches of shio koji that I can dip into whenever I want to give a protein the shio-koji marinade treatment or add some funky sweetness to a sauce or dressing.

Most recipes for shio koji claim that it can be refrigerated for up to six months, but the 10-month-old batch I had was still perfectly good and showed no signs of degradation in quality. It's hard to imagine a batch of shio koji going bad before you use it up (provided you store it properly).

Should You Buy Prepared Shio Koji?

Prepared shio koji is available for purchase, but I don't recommend using it. When we were experimenting with shio koji at Cook's Science, we tested a lot of store-bought shio koji and found that most commercial versions were overly sweet and often had alcohol added to prolong their shelf-life. The added sugars in these versions of prepared shio koji change their flavor and make them harder to cook with, causing foods to brown and burn much too quickly. While making it yourself requires some advance planning, it's worth it and doesn't require any significant effort.

How to Use Shio Koji

So you've made a batch of shio koji, and it's now sitting in the back of your fridge waiting for you to unleash its potential. So how should you go about using it? First and foremost, it's one of the easiest and most effective marinades around. But shio koji has other uses as well! Add it to sauces, dressings, baked goods, lacto-fermented vegetables, and more! Here are some of our favorite uses for shio koji, which I will continue to add to as we experiment more and more with it in the test kitchen.

Marinade for Poultry, Meat, and Fish

The most common use for shio koji is as a marinade or cure for poultry, meat, seafood, and even vegetables. For proteins, slather them up with shio koji and let them hang out for as little as 30 minutes and up to 24 hours, depending on the size and type of ingredient you are working with. Generally speaking, the larger the piece of food, the longer you should marinate it. Over time, shio koji will begin to cure the ingredient it's in contact with, so delicate foods, like fish, should be marinated for a shorter amount of time.

You can decide whether to leave the texture of the shio koji as-is, in its porridge-like state, or buzz it up with a blender to make a smooth, creamy marinade. It will be effective either way. I usually blend it when I am looking to get a smooth, burnished surface on the end product (I have a recipe for koji roast duck dropping soon), and leave it coarse when marinating something that will have a crust-like exterior (such as a beef roast).

When you're ready to cook, wipe off excess shio koji from the surface of your food to prevent it from scorching and then cook as you normally would, although you do have to keep an eye on things since koji-treated ingredients do take on color much faster (as is the case with most marinades that usually contain some form of sugar).

Individual fish fillets, scallops, and shrimp can be marinated for as little as 30 minutes with shio koji, which will firm them up, keep them succulent, and season them with a perfect balance of savory and sweet flavor.

Steaks, chops, chicken breasts, and the like should be marinated for at least an hour and up to a few hours.

Larger cuts, especially bone-in pieces of meat or poultry, are best marinated overnight (at least 12 hours), giving the protease enzymes time to do their magic, breaking down proteins and seasoning the meat. Treat large roasts as if you are dry-brining them: set them on a wire rack-lined baking sheet after slathering them with shio koji. As with regular kosher salt, the salinity in shio koji will work its way into the meat and dry out the surface of the roast at the same time.

For smaller items that you aren't searing or roasting (like the koji duck confit recipe that I will be publishing soon), you can marinate them in sealed zipper-lock bags.

Flavor Booster for Sauces

Shio koji can also be used to bump up the flavor of sauces and dressings. Add savory depth to a gravy or jus by stirring in a little blended shio koji. Try it in salad dressings—koji Caesar salad is killer, I promise you—or whisked into your favorite pan sauce. Shio koji has a can't-quite-put-your-finger-on-it magic flavor that toes the line between savory and sweet in the best way, and there is so much room for exploration with it. So go make yourself a batch, and start koji-cooking!

Shio Koji (Koji Marinade) Recipe

• Allowing the mixture of rice koji, water, and salt to ferment at room temperature tempers the salinity of shio koji and produces its characteristic fruity, sweet, and funky aroma.
• Shio koji is a simple and versatile cure/marinade for poultry, meat, seafood, and even vegetables that imparts savory and subtle sweet notes to foods, while also tenderizing them thanks to enzymes that break down both proteins and starches.
• As with other koji-derived products, such as soy sauce and miso, shio koji will keep for a long time when refrigerated, making it a great addition to your arsenal of flavor-boosting ingredients for sprucing up your everyday cooking.

Shio koji is a Japanese cure/marinade made by fermenting grain koji (cooked grain, traditionally rice, that has been inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae, the mold that gives us miso, soy sauce, and sake), water, and salt until the mixture thickens to a porridge-like consistency and takes on a sweet, funky aroma.

Rich in protease and amylase enzymes that can break down proteins and starches, respectively, shio koji can be used as a marinade for meats, fish, and vegetables. It imparts savory and subtle sweet notes to foods while also tenderizing them. Along with its use as a versatile, flavor-boosting marinade, shio koji can be blended and added to sauces to provide them with an extra umami boost.

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Recipe Facts
Active:5 mins      Serves:32 servings
Total:168 hrs        Makes:1 quart

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups (300g) firm granular rice koji (see note)
• 7 tablespoons (75g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt

• 1 2/3 cups (400g; 400ml) water

Directions

• In a lidded container, combine koji and salt, breaking up any clumps of koji either with clean hands or a spoon. Add water and stir until mixture is well-combined and salt is dissolved, about 30 seconds.
  
  
• Cover container with lid and set aside to ferment at room temperature until koji mixture is thickened and smells sweet and funky, at least 7 days or up to 10; stir mixture once per day throughout this fermentation process. Once shio koji is fermented, transfer to refrigerator until ready to use. Shio koji can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 10 months.

Notes

Rice koji can be found in some well-stocked supermarkets as well as Japanese markets or online. Our favorite brand is Cold Mountain, which can be purchased online here. Prepared shio koji is also available for purchase, but it is often overly sweet and treated with alcohol to lengthen its shelf-life.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Once fermented, shio koji can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 10 months.

Source:
by Sasha Marx | Published Dec. 10, 2019 | Serious Eats