I always use unsalted butter. You can always add salt, but you can't take it out. I find that recipes (esp. baked goods) made with salted butter are often too salty for my taste.

Because the amount of salt in salt butter far exceeds the amount you would add. Also, unsalted butter has a fresher, more delicious flavor.

Our Shea Butter is harvested by women's cooperatives in West Africa. The Karite trees (Shea trees) grow wild without the use of herbicides, pesticides or other chemical contaminants. The USDA has not certified Shea Butter as organic according to US regulations. By buying Premium Grade A Shea Butter you are assured of the highest quality Shea Butter available. Our chemical analysis assures you no contaminants are present.

Yes, our shea butter is organic; shea butter derives from the Shea tree that grows wild in Africa, thus maintaining a wild-organic status.

Yes! Nancy's Cultured Soy is now FULLY ORGANIC! Nancy's Cultured Soy was previously made with Organic soy milk, but now it's made not only with Organic soy milk, but with Organic fruits, Organic amazake and Organic sweeteners as well.

To purchase our CV's please visit our ONLINE STORE or place your order by phone by calling (877) 773-9229. You may also e-mail your order to: orders@culturedvegetables.net. Orders by fax, send to: (480) 393-5410. All order inquiries will be answered/addressed within 24 hours.

Yes, Nancy's Soy is now a fully vegan product. Previously our Plain soy was sweetened with honey, but now we have switched to Organic agave, making the entire line fully vegan.

Agave is the "blue cactus" that is well known as the source of tequila. It's actually from the lily family, not a cactus at all. The plant has a starchy core which, when crushed, releases enzymes that convert starch to a simple sugar. The sugar is then boiled to form a syrup (much like the way maple syrup is made). We use this pure organic agave syrup to sweeten some of our soy yogurts. It has a light taste and registers very low on the glycemic index.

The natural flavor is a starter distillate. Starter distillate is a steam distillate of a culture grown on a skim milk medium which has been fortified with .01% citric acid. The culture could be one of the following: Streptococcus lactis, S. cremoris, S. lactis Subsp, Diactylactis, or Lueconostoc. (These are cultures that can also be found in kefir) According to our butter maker, distillate give the butter an old-fashioned tang, without having to sour the cream to achieve it. [back to top]

Organic food production is based on a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers. Organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation to maintain the integrity of the food. Conventional agricultural methods can cause water contamination.

Cultured Pearl is the birthstone for June. Cultured pearls are the beautiful and affordable alternative to scarce natural pearls. Both are organic in nature and derive their beauty from their iridescent aura. In fact, the only sure way to distinguish cultured pearls from natural pearls is to x-ray them. Nearly all cultured pearls are treated to enhance their colors through bleaching, dyeing or safely irradiating them.

MSN Health & Fitness does not provide medical or any other health care advice, diagnosis or treatment.

All dairy products are acceptable on the Candida Diet. One thing to look for is raw, unpasteurized, grass fed dairy. Raw milk is not legal for sale in most states but you can find a farmer near you that has a "cow share" program. Go to Milk.com to find local suppliers.

Shea butter is a thick, moisturizing butter extracted from the pit of the fruit from the karite tree (Butyrospermum parkii) found in West and Central Africa. Similar to cocoa butter in consistency, shea butter is a wonderful emollient that can be used straight on the skin to help heal cracked and damaged skin. Shea butter has been traditionally used by African natives to heal small wounds, burns and skin ulcers, and as a moisturizer for the skin and hair. They even cook with it.

First the raw, shelled peanut is roasted and cooled, then the skins are blanched. The blanched peanut kernels are electronically sorted or hand picked to be sure only good, wholesome kernels are used in peanut butter. The peanuts are ground, usually through two grinding stages, to produce a smooth, even-textured butter. The peanuts are heated during the grinding to about 170 degrees. Once the emulsifiers are added and mixed, the butter is cooled rapidly to 120 degrees or below.

We have performed gene karyotyping on the MLPC clonal cell lines to determine genetic stability. The results have shown that the cells are genetically stable and have no deletions or mutations. This was performed on both early (passage 4) and later passaged (passage 18) clones. We follow the cells from early culturing and throughout observing morphology and growth characteristics. We perform immunophenotype staining throughout the culture at various time points.

Absolutely not. Cultured pearls, like natural pearls, are grown within live oysters. Each begins when a skilled technician surgically implants a host oyster with a shell bead and piece of mantle tissue. To protect itself, the oyster secretes a crystalline substance, called "nacre," over the irritant. Over time, the nacre layers build on one another, creating a surface that glows with a luster unique to true pearls.

Pearls have been bought and sold for thousands of years, but there still is no widely accepted standardized grading system, though individual vendors may use their own. Because no two pearls are ever alike, such a grading system would require hundreds of quality parameters. Also, the fact remains that some gem-quality pearls are so distinctive they defy comparison.