"heating" raw food without harming enzymes

[Johlysid]

Hi,

I am somewhat new to raw food. I've heard that it is ok to low heat some raw food seeing as only beyond 105 or something like that kills enzymes. The reason I care is because I don't like cold soup or totally raw sprouts.

Does anyone have any comment on this?

Is time a factor (ie will leaving the food in at 105 for too long actually kill enzymes)?

Does the temperature actually have to be over 105 because the food will usually be a lower temp as the oven or whatever?

Also is there a way to cook rice and other sprouts in the oven at low heat over a long time specifically to soften them up(how about a change in water ratios?)?

I'm getting a little frustrated with this because my old oven only tracks times above 200 so I guess I have to do some temp taking etc. I just made some soup and after stirring the temp was 101 something and it tasted fine.

Thanks!

[MysticTree]

You need a dehydrator. Check out some of the recipe threads here and google generally on dehydrators.

[Johlysid]

You need a dehydrator. Check out some of the recipe threads here and google generally on dehydrators.

Thanks for the reply!

My oven can go around 100, do you know of anyways this can work and with what water ratios?

[MysticTree]

Sorry I don't. We work in centigrade over here as well which doesn't help either.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Typical oven the minimum heat is 200F. I would use a temperature monitor that can cover this range of temperature and simply check.

Someone gave me a dehydrator once, there were not temperature control. I was able to monitor it with a digital temperature monitor and when i download the data, sadly the average temperature was 175F.

I guess, you will have to do what you can during your transition, until you can get a dehydrator (make sure to have a variable temperature control). If you can determine that your oven is as low as you said, then this is great, but make sure, it doesn't go beyond by simply measuring it.

All the best!

[Aleesha Sattva]

If your temps are too low - you will have fermentation which is not good. If they go too high you kill the enzymes. That's why, if you really care about the health of your food you need to get a dehydrator. Good news is that they last a lifetime (in most cases) so you only spend the $200 once.

You sent me an email about wild rice.

Hi,

I noticed you said, "

wild rice is soooo easy to sprout.

get a small jar. put in a little wild rice. and at least double the water of rice ratio. place it in your dehydrator on 105 degrees overnight. in the morning... you have sprouted rice! place it in your fridge and use it up over the next 3-4 days. :) "

Do you think this would work in an oven with the approximate temperature and on other types of rice?

Should it soften it to the point where it would seem like it was traditionally cooked?

Wild rice is raw, so it will sprout. It does not soften... it sprouts!

[Dirkg]

I add hot water to soups and when making smoothies, it is a nice change from drinking cold stuff all the time esp in cold weather nowdays. I also drink a nice cup of hot green tea with my meal to warm me up.

[PassionFlower]

Wild rice is raw, so it will sprout. It does not soften... it sprouts!

I have actually never found any commercially sold wild rice that is sproutable. I'm not saying that it doesn't exist but none of the six different ones I've tried has sprouted.

Wild rice is usually heat treated before it's sold so it's not sproutable. It does break open however.
Brown rice is more likely to be found in a sproutable condition.

[TangerineCat]

hm. guys, I thought the critical temperature was ~ 119 degrees. So it's lower?? Can someone direct me to a source of some sort that talks about a specific temperature, at which enzymes die? THANKS!

[Dirkg]

No expert, but I've always read the max temp is either 106 or 104F. I will try to look for why that's the max.

[MysticTree]

You need to know the temperature that plant enzymes denature. I expect it's slightly different depending on the enzyme but broadly in the same ball-park.

[holistica]

hm. guys, I thought the critical temperature was ~ 119 degrees. So it's lower?? Can someone direct me to a source of some sort that talks about a specific temperature, at which enzymes die? THANKS!

Doesn't Ani Phyo's book say 118? I know we really don't discuss other authors on here, but by chance is that where you might have heard it?

[TangerineCat]

Doesn't Ani Phyo's book say 118? I know we really don't discuss other authors on here, but by chance is that where you might have heard it?

118 or 119, it's pretty much the same and i'm sure I got it from one of my books (probably Ani's ;) So i wondered where 104 came from

[MysticTree]

over here we operate in degrees centigrade and I don't understand degrees F.

[Shona]

Doesn't Ani Phyo's book say 118? I know we really don't discuss other authors on here, but by chance is that where you might have heard it?

I have three of Ani Phyo's books and I don't think she has ever recommended heating anything at such a high temperature.

In my world, live foods are not heated above 104F.
Ani's Raw Food Essentials p. 20