Industrial products, which are practically ready for their use in food, are called semi-finished products. These products require very little: the simplest heat treatment( quenching, baking, frying, etc.), which takes no more than 20-30 minutes. In our country the most common semi-finished products are pelmeni, manti, khinkali, vareniki with different fillings and pancakes with a variety of tastes, as well as meat products such as cutlets, zrazes, steaks, schnitzels and the like.
Benefits and benefits of semi-finished products
The most harmless types of semi-finished products can be called frozen vegetables, fruits and berries. Useful properties, vitamins and other valuable substances during the freezing are stored in these products almost completely. And harmful and dangerous frozen vegetables and fruits can only become if the terms or storage rules are violated, for example, if the product has been thawed and then frozen again.
Frozen semi-finished products are stored for at least three to four months, and the flavoring properties of these products do not change and do not deteriorate, as well as their shape.
The acquisition of ready-made semi-finished products undoubtedly brings certain benefits to a person, namely, the woman's discharge from her economic debts and duties. After all, the process of cooking is reduced to a minimum and is only a short time, and the hostess has a free period, which she can spend on the family, children and herself.
The assortment of ready-made products is so varied that you can cook soups, second courses, and even delicious desserts with them. If we compare other types of light and fast food( sandwiches, hamburgers) with ready-made half-finished products, then the latter undoubtedly win and exceed sandwiches, since they are a full-fledged food for the person, and not a dry food, eaten in a hurry.
Harm to semi-finished products
But semi-finished products have a large list of disadvantages and harmful properties that harm the health of the body.
The first place among the shortcomings of such products is the very high caloric value of such food. The lion's share of semi-finished products contains a huge amount of carbohydrates and fats. This is due to the fact that producers rarely use benign meat in their products, most often they add fat, offal, scraps and skin. The use of such food can not but negatively affect the health and the figure of a person.
Also very frequent in the production of semi-finished products is the addition to meat raw vegetable proteins. That is why very often, buying ready-made cutlets, for example, you can buy soy.
The next drawback is an impressive amount of flavor additives and flavors, spices. If there is a very high content of spices in the finished product, this may indicate that the manufacturer tries to disguise the true taste of the product with seasonings, and it may be overdue.
The most harmful semi-finished products are fast food products: mashed potatoes, soups, noodles, which must be poured with boiling water for their full readiness for consumption. Such food does not contain any vitamins or nutrients, but fats, carbohydrates, flavors and other additives in them a huge amount.
If in everyday life you still can not do without the use of ready-made semi-finished products in cooking, you must carefully approach the choice of products and do not forget about the quality. A high-quality product can not be very cheap.
The most important factor affecting the quality of the product is considered to be its freezing method. Usually, manufacturers use the classic method and the so-called "shock" way of freezing. The second type of freezing, according to the opinion of scientists and experts, preserves the useful qualities of the ingredients of the products and the high value of the product.
However, even getting quality products to your table, you should not abuse and include them in your daily diet. Such food is acceptable without harm to health once or twice a month, but the more frequent use of such products can be detrimental to the body. Homemade food is tastier, nutritious and healthier.