As I heard the familiar sound this week of another heat warning coming across my phone, it seemed a good time to examine the foods and drinks of summer.

Sizzling spice blends

It seems contradictory to eat spicy foods to cool off. But it works by triggering sweat, which draws heat out of the body through evaporation. We can thank the chemical compound capsaicin for that:
In[]:=
MoleculePlot3D
capsaicin
CHEMICAL
,ImageSize->Small
Out[]=
The BlendSpices resource function is a fun way to experiment with making your own fiery (or mild) spice blend. Spices generally are classified into five categories: grounding, warming, herbal, sour and spicy.
A popular method for making a custom blend is to select two spices from one category and one spice from a different category for contrast.

Grilled meats

First, I created a spicy blend with a warm undertone for grilled chicken and ribs:
In[]:=
ResourceFunction["BlendSpices"][]
I clicked “Create recipe” to request a recipe from the Wolfram LLM featuring my custom blend:

Grilled veggies

For my zucchini and peppers, I wanted herbal freshness with a hint of citrus:
In[]:=
ResourceFunction["BlendSpices"][]

Grilled dessert

For my caramelized, grilled pineapple, I chose sharp and tangy with a spicy warmth underneath:
In[]:=
ResourceFunction["BlendSpices"][]
I clicked “Print spice list” and copied my custom spice list into the LLMResourceFunction “RecipeSuggest”:
In[]:=
LLMResourceFunction["RecipeSuggest"]["Grilled pineapple",{},{"Amchoor","Sumac","Ground ginger"},"Use canned pineapple rings"]
Out[]=

Summer food safety

High temperatures and outdoor cooking can lead to food safety risks. Two important food safety tips for summer are:
◼
  • Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot.
    • ◼
  • When in doubt, throw it out.
    • I used the FoodSafetyExplorer resource function to review the safety profiles of popular summertime foods:
    For more summer food safety tips:
    ◼
  • Handling Food Safely While Eating Outdoors
    ​https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/handling-food-safely-while-eating-outdoors
    • ◼
  • Keep Food “Cool for the Summer” to Avoid Foodborne Illness
    ​https://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/keep-food-cool-summer-avoid-foodborne-illness

    • Wine-food pairing

    I used the WineFoodPairing resource function to discover wines that pair well with the flavors of a summer barbecue:
    But wine can’t be relied on for hydration during hot weather. Here’s why.

    Osmolality and hydration

    Osmolality is an important value to consider for adequate hydration. Isotonic and hypotonic drinks promote water absorption to help maintain hydration, especially during sports and exercise. A beverage is considered isotonic if it contains particle concentrations that are roughly equivalent to bodily fluids. The European Food Safety Authority states that beverages should have an osmolality between 270 and 330 mOsm/kg to be designated as isotonic. Beverages with osmolality greater than ~330 are hypertonic and below ~270 are hypotonic.
    Using the BeverageOsmolality resource function, it’s clear that wine is extremely hypertonic and that, as expected, water is your best source of hydration:

    Juicy fruits

    Another way to stay hydrated in summer heat is with fruit, which is composed mostly of water. At 92% water, it’s not surprising how watermelon got its name:

    The week ahead

    Checking the week ahead with WeatherForecastData, it’s clear I need to keep my water bottle filled and eat plenty of fruit:
    Enjoy your summer and stay hydrated!

    CITE THIS NOTEBOOK

    Spicy foods and hydrating fruits for summer​
    by Gay Wilson​
    Wolfram Community, STAFF PICKS, DATE
    ​https://community.wolfram.com/groups/-/m/t/3519119