Did you know that Maltodextrin and/or Modified Food Starch are ingredients of some spice blends? Yep.
These two ingredients are also found in gelatins, sauces, sometimes beer (not that you're drinking beer) and many, many other packaged, processed foods.
Both maltodextrin and modified food starch are starch-derived food additives. Maltodextrin is a type of modified food starch and is usually made from corn in the USA and wheat in Europe. Modified food starch can be made of any starch, including corn, potato, tapioca, and wheat (although wheat is required to be labeled in the USA due to gluten allergens). Both are commonly used as thickening or filling agents in a range of commercial foods and beverages. They're even added to low-carb foods and because of the small quantity, it may or many not be listed on the carb count, despite the fact that they're very high on the glycemic index (85-105).
To read more about the uses of modified food starch and the prevalence within the food industry, see this journal. Although this article sees it as a positive addition to the food industry, we do not. Read more information here on how food starches are modified.
Maltodextrin in particular, is one of those sneaky ingredients that will spike your blood glucose, so it's important to be extra vigilant, read every label and avoid it at all costs.
Ingredients prepped for Magic Mushroom Powder
For this reason, I choose to make my own spice and seasoning blends. I know exactly what goes into them and (bonus) I can control the ingredients to get the taste I want. It takes just a few minutes, you can put the finished seasoning in decorative jars and keep one to sit on the counter and another jar or two can become gifts to to friends or family.
I've adjusted the ingredients and added a few of my own to make this a perfect savory seasoning for meat, fish, chicken and vegetables (okay, I also use it on eggs, and just about everything I cook).
Magic Mushroom Powder is also a great alternative to bouillon cubes/granules in cooking.
(based on a recipe from NomNomPaleo)
3 oz. Dried mushrooms (I use a mix of dried shitake & dried porcini mushrooms. This will become approximately 2 cups once ground.)
1 cup Sea salt
1 Tbsp. Dried onion
2 Tbsp Dried red pepper flakes (divided)
2 Tbsp Thyme (divided)
2 Tbsp Oregano (divided)
1-1/2 tsp Fresh ground black pepper
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Process the dried mushrooms in a coffee grinder (in batches), high-powered blender or food processor until it becomes a fine powder. Be careful to let the dust settle after grinding before opening the machine!
Pick out any large pieces of dried mushroom that may not have been ground and set aside, then re-grind with the next batch or with the spices to follow).
Place the ground mushroom powder in a medium sized bowl, add the salt, and mix together gently.
Place 1 Tbsp each of crushed red pepper, thyme, oregano and dried onion in the grinder/food processor and process for just a few seconds until it’s a uniform powder.
Add this ground spice mix to the bowl containing the salt/mushroom powder mix.
Then add the remaining 1 Tbsp crushed red pepper, oregano, thyme and black pepper, without grinding, directly to the bowl with the other ingredients and stir gently to mix until the whole spices are uniformly distributed in the powder mixture.
Spoon or pour the powder blend into a decorative jar (or jars) and sprinkle liberally on your favorite foods before cooking to add incredible umami flavor. Yum!
