Tea-rific Tea

The tea craze has taken hold of America. Asian cultures have known about the benefits of tea for centuries. In recent years, American doctors have come to realize that there are reasons the Asians hold fast to their beliefs. Tea has been said to aid in various health conditions, including cancer (green tea) and high blood pressure (black tea).

A medicinal purpose is not the only use of tea, though. Many have discovered uses for tea in various beauty and household applications, as well as incorporating tea into various recipes. Of course, tea connoisseurs insist that the only way to use tea is to drink it, but you would be surprised at the many other uses this camellia sinensis provides.

Although tea is traditionally a beverage, Happy Skye gives readers 101 alternative uses for tea. For example, did you know that tea is used as a meat tenderizer and to ease a toothache?

Reader's Digest also offers other uses for tea. It suggests, "Freshly brewed tea is great for cleaning wood furniture and floors." Another recommendation is to use tea to shine your mirrors. Talk about green cleaning products!

If you are a traditionalist and just cannot bring yourself to use tea for beauty or household tasks, fear not. In keeping with tea's conventional consumption, you can experiment with recipes using tea as an ingredient.

Diana Rosen writes on her page, "Cooking with Tea," that tea is commonly used in Chinese cooking in both dry and liquid form. She notes that when using liquid tea in baking or cooking, the brewing method differs from the one used for preparing tea to drink.

Teachef.com is a great site where you can learn more about cooking, or baking, with tea. The recipe collections are sorted by tea type, so you can choose your favorite variety. There is also a link to request samples of the "tea of the month."

This recipe for "Gunpower Baked Beans," submitted to teachef.com by Cyndy Juergens, would make a tasty side dish for your summer cookouts:

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Gunpowder tea seeped in 2 cups boiling water
1 pound dry Great northern beans
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 lb salt pork, diced
1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:
Rinse beans well. Cover with cold water and soak overnight. In the morning drain beans and put in crock-pot. Add all other ingredients including the strained Gunpowder tea. Add enough water to cover. Cook on low all day. Stir well before serving.

The next time your favorite grocer has quality tea on sale, stock up! You may just find that you, and your house, look and feel much better.

Sources:
Happy Skye, "101 Uses for Tea" URL: http://www.happyskye.com/default.asp?id=5 Accessed June 28, 2007

The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., "Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things" URL: http://www.rd.com/content/extraordinaryuses/extraordinary-uses-for-tea/ Accessed June 28, 2007

Diana Rosen, "Cooking with Tea" URL: http://www.teamuse.com/article_001103.html Accessed June 28, 2007

www.teachef.com Accessed June 28, 2007