Contrary to popular belief, sultanas and raisins are both made from green grapes. The difference between the two is simply the length of time they are dried in the sun.
The grapes used to make sultanas are dipped in order to split the skins before drying. This allows them to dry in around 10 days. Raisins are not dipped and take up to 20 days to dry in the sun, which means that they lose more moisture.
The sun causes natural sugar in the grapes to caramelise, causing raisins to turn a darker colour and have a stronger flavour. Conversely, sultanas are lighter in colour, as well as slightly juicier and sweeter than raisins.
All beans and pulses must be fully cooked before use. This could take several hours if they were cooked from a dried state. Soaking shortens the time required to ensure that they are fully cooked.
Historically red kidney beans have been associated with incidents of food poisoning due to their being consumed raw or uncooked. This is due to a naturally occurring toxin which is destroyed when the beans are correctly soaked and cooked, making them completely safe to eat.
Whitworths recommend placing red kidney beans in enough cold water to keep them covered during a soaking period of 8-12 hours. After soaking, drain and discard the soaking water and rinse thoroughly. Place in a pan with enough cold water to cover the surface, bring to the boil and continue to boil for 10 minutes to destroy the toxin. After 10 minutes, reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 45-60 minutes, or until they have an even, creamy texture throughout. If the centre is still hard and white, they require more cooking time.
Most dried beans and pulses need soaking for 4-12 hours before cooking, depending on their size. Soaking can take place overnight, or while you are busy during the day. Exceptions can be all lentils, green and yellow split peas, blackeye beans and mung beans.
Always discard the soaking water and rinse the beans thoroughly. Then, cook in fresh water without any salt. (Salt toughens the skins and makes for longer cooking).
Changing the water will help to reduce the flatulence some people suffer when eating pulses!
It is important to always follow the on pack instructions.
Although both products are similar, rice flour is more finely milled. If you have a recipe that calls for rice flour, you may get disappointing results if you substitute this with ground rice.
It is recommended that we eat five different portions of fruit and vegetables a day. A recommended portion is the equivalent of 80g of fresh fruit or vegetables.
As fresh fruit contains a lot of water, the amount of dried fruit per portion is a lot less than 80g. For example one heaped teaspoon (approximately 30g) of raisins or sultanas, or three whole dried apricots, are all equal to one of your five-a-day requirements. To understand more detailed portion sizes, see our “Guide to smart snacking. 5-a-day portion chart”.
We do not use hydrogenated vegetable oil in any of our products.
'Best Before End' dates are used on foods with a long shelf life, such as dried, frozen or canned foods. Unlike the ‘Use By’ dates on short shelf life foods, it is safe to eat food after the 'Best Before End' date. However, after this date, the food will no longer be at its best and may have lost some flavour and texture.
Our traditional desserts, which include ground rice, tapioca and semolina, can be cooked in the oven as the pack instructs. If you have less time, they can also be cooked on the hob by placing all of the ingredients into a saucepan, bringing gently to the boil and simmering slowly until thickened.
Ground rice, tapioca and semolina may also be frozen into smaller portions, which is especially convenient for weaning small babies.
Our aim is to reduce the amount of packaging we use by 15% by the end of 2010.
Over the past 12 months, we have managed to save almost 26 tonnes of packaging across the Whitworths’ brand and the retailers that we pack for. We have already changed the packaging material specifications on almost a thousand products in our progress towards this goal. In the last 12 months we achieved a 10% overall reduction in packaging.
Please see the “Our Environment” section for more information.
Sulphur dioxide is a widely used food preservative. Its principle use is to preserve the natural colour of our products. For example, apricots develop a very dark brown colour without the use of sulphur dioxide.
Vegetable oil is used to glaze raisins; currants and sultanas because it reduces moisture loss and helps maintain product quality.
As ‘natural’ products there are always likely to be variations in taste and texture.
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