How to tell good spearmint essential oil from bad, and how to eat spearmint

Do you know how to tell good spearmint essential oil from bad? Do you know how to eat spearmint? Let us take a look together.

How to tell good spearmint essential oil from bad

1. Look at the packaging 
Essential oils are usually kept in dark, sealed small glass bottles, with special caps resistant to strong acids and strong alkalis, to prevent sunlight and oxygen from seeping in, so that the essential oil does not easily evaporate or deteriorate. Under good storage conditions (kept at room temperature), they can usually be kept for two years, and good-quality essential oils can be kept for 4-5 years. Citrus essential oils can also be kept for 1-2 years. Products packaged in bottles fitted with a dropper are generally diluted essential oils between 3%-10%, not pure essential oils. The label of a pure plant essential oil should state its purity. 

2. Look at the specific gravity 
Generally speaking, herb essential oils have the lightest specific gravity; when dropped into a glass of water they disperse quickly, and the water surface shows a floating oil state. Resin essential oils have the heaviest molecules; when dropped into a glass of water, a whole drop can fall intact to the bottom of the glass and does not readily dissolve in water. But both of these will, below the water surface, distribute essential oil molecules of two specific gravities; although they do not dissolve, they have not yet diffused through the whole glass of water. Among flower essential oils, the rather special German chamomile is also heavier than water and does not dissolve in water; similar to resin essential oils, it falls in a whole drop straight to the bottom of the water, and you can see crystal-clear dark green beads of essential oil. 

3. Look at the texture 
The purer the quality of the essential oil, the stronger its penetrating power. Lightly rub the essential oil being tested on the back of your hand or the inner side of your wrist, then gently massage it a few times with your fingertips. A good-quality essential oil will be absorbed instantly and will not leave a shiny, greasy component on the skin. You can also observe whether the essential oil contains impurities. For example, essential oils pressed from fruit peel by the traditional cold-press method will leave a little residue behind, which makes the product quality poor. Because of their molecular structure, essential oils evaporate relatively quickly; evaporating within 5-10 minutes indicates it is fairly pure. Evaporating very slowly does not necessarily mean it is a pure essential oil either.

How to eat spearmint

1. Spicy green mint lamb
Cut the prepared lamb into thin slices and set aside. Rinse the prepared spearmint clean with water, then tear the spearmint into pieces by hand; slice the garlic, and cut off the heads and roots of the dried chilies and set aside. Mix soy sauce, white sugar and Sichuan peppercorn oil evenly to make a sauce. Pour cooking oil into the pan and heat until the oil is hot; put the prepared garlic slices into the pan and fry until fragrant, then add the lamb and stir-fry quickly until cooked, rendering out the fat from the lamb; pour in the dried chilies and the prepared sauce, stir-fry, then add the Sichuan peppercorn oil. Once cooked, add the spearmint leaves, stir-fry until fragrant, then take out of the pan and serve.
2. Lime green mint shredded chicken
Rinse the prepared chicken breast clean, and use a knife to remove the thin membrane on the surface of the chicken breast. Add an appropriate amount of water to the pan, put a few slices of ginger into the water, put the chicken breast into the pan, heat over high heat, and after it comes to a boil, skim off the foam, then cover with the lid and continue to simmer for about ten minutes. Rinse the green mint clean with salt water, then drain well and set aside. Shred the onion, mince a small amount into dice, and shred the carrot. Mix fish sauce, water and white sugar evenly, then add chopped chili. Tear the simmered chicken breast evenly into shreds, and mix the prepared mint, shredded onion and shredded carrot into the prepared sauce. Stir evenly and it is ready to eat.
3. Plum green mint duck
Remove the skin and innards of the duck, rinse clean, and cut into small pieces with a knife and set aside. Cut the ginger into large slices and put them into the oil pan to fry until fragrant; after the fragrance comes out, put the duck pieces into the pan; after stir-frying the duck pieces, pour an appropriate amount of rice wine into the pan, and stir-fry the duck pieces until golden brown; then add dark soy sauce and light soy sauce to color all the duck pieces. After coloring, add white sugar, preserved plums, ice plum sauce, star anise and an appropriate amount of cola into the pan, stir evenly, then cover the pan and simmer over low heat for a while. Rinse the fresh mint leaves clean with salt water and chop them up, set aside. When half of the broth in the pan remains, add the chopped mint, stir evenly, then simmer again for a while; when the fresh fragrance of the mint comes out, dish it out and serve.