ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Bamboo Charcoal Cooking

Updated on July 22, 2015

Bamboo charcoal as fuel or food

There seems nothing unusual about using bamboo charcoal as a fuel for cooking. It is a good idea because bamboo charcoal is made from a renewable resource, it is smokeless and it is odorless; and thus, ideal for barbecues. But what might strike many as unusual is using bamboo charcoal in the actual preparation of food. This is exactly what the Japanese do.

Bamboo charcoal has a high porosity that makes it very good for absorbing toxic and unwanted substances. It is rich in metals and minerals such as potassium, calcium, sodium and iron. It is also a 100% natural product.

Bamboo charcoal in rice

Bamboo charcoal in Japanese cuisine

The most common instance of using bamboo charcoal in Japanese cuisine is in the case of white rice. A couple of slices of bamboo charcoal are placed in the rice cooker with water and cleaned white rice. As the rice cooks the bamboo charcoal absorbs the chlorine and other unwanted chemicals in the water. The result is healthier and much better tasting rice.

The Japanese sometimes use bamboo charcoal for making tempura. Tempura is when vegetables and fish are covered in a light batter and then deep fat fried. By putting bamboo charcoal in the hot oil the tempura becomes crispier and the aroma of the food is improved. Moreover, the life of the oil is extended.

Japanese make great pickles. If bamboo charcoal is used in the preparation the resulting pickles are chewier and tastier.

A recent development in Japanese cooking is the use of bamboo powder in the broth of noodles dishes. It helps to improve the taste of the soup in the dish by purifying the water.

Bamboo charcoal in bread

More about bamboo charcoal

In all cases of bamboo charcoal used in cooking there is no taste of charcoal in the final dish because bamboo charcoal is tasteless and odorless. Rather bamboo charcoal helps to bring out the true flavor of the food. As mentioned before bamboo charcoal contains a number of useful minerals that are good for the health. It also contains bamboo vinegar that is a popular natural medicine in the East that is used for detoxifying the blood.

The possibilities for using bamboo charcoal in cooking are not limited to a few Japanese dishes. Bamboo charcoal can also be used for baking bread. There is no reason why it can’t be used for baking other dishes as well. If you cannot buy bamboo charcoal powder in your supermarket you can always buy sticks of bamboo charcoal and crush it into a powder at home.

Bamboo charcoal has other uses in the kitchen besides in the preparation of food. It can be put in the fridge to remove odors. It can also be used to filter tap water. Many people in Japan have bamboo charcoal attachments to their kitchen faucets to filter the water. Alternatively you can put pieces of bamboo charcoal in a jug of tap water and leave it for 4 or 5 hours. The result is water that tastes like mineral water.

Bamboo charcoal can also be placed in the kitchen or other places in the house to regulate humidity. It soaks up extra water from the air during the hot and sweaty summer months and it releases moisture into the air during the cold and dry months of winter.

Environmentally friendly

Finally, bamboo charcoal is an ecologically friendly product. If it is used for deodorizing or controlling humidity it can be put in sunlight and its properties are restored. If the bamboo charcoal has been used for preparing food you can break it up and mix it in with the soil of a garden. It works as a natural fertilizer and pesticide. And of course it biodegrades. It really is no surprise that bamboo charcoal is referred to as the ‘black diamond’ in Asia.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)