When it comes to cast iron cookware, one name stands out above the rest- Lodge. Designed by Joseph Lodge over a century ago, Lodge cookware remains in as high demand today, as they were then. Revered for its incredible durability, this cookware set has been passed from generation to generation. It is typical to find young cooks using the same Lodge cookware that their grandmothers used. Joseph Lodge was a pioneer in the cast iron cookware field and today, that same level of excellence prevails with every piece of Lodge cookware.
If you've ever used cast iron cookware, you may have heard the term seasoning. To season your cast iron cookware serves two purposes. The first is that you will prevent rust from forming on the iron, and the second is that by seasoning you will be creating a non-stick surface that is permanent. This is remarkable, because over 100 years ago, Teflon and other non-stick surfaces simply didn't exist, so by seasoning the cast iron cookware, earlier generations enjoyed the ease and flexibility of a non stick surface simply by seasoning their cast iron cookware.
When you purchase new Lodge cookware, you will receive instruction on how to properly season your cookware. Seasoning is a process that you will attend to over time. The more you season, it the better it will become.
You should season your cast iron cookware as soon as you purchase it, and before its first use. Here are some instructions on how to season your new Lodge cookware.
First, you will need oil, your cookware, and an oven. You will also need to preheat your oven to 350' F. First, you will need to wash the cast iron cookware with warm sudsy water (using a mild dishwashing liquid) and by scrubbing it with a stiff brush. This will help prepare the cookware to receive the seasoning.
Next, you will need to rinse and dry the cookware completely. You can use a can of spray oil or melted shortening, such as Crisco, to cover the entire cookware inside and out. Don't forget to cover the handles too.
Now you will place them in the oven, by lowering your oven racks to the lowest setting. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom rack so that any grease that falls off during the seasoning process won't end up on your oven.
Bake the cookware on the top rack (place the racks on the two lowest racks) upside down for at least an hour. Then turn the oven off and let the cookware remain in the oven until the oven is cool. You can continue to season your cast iron skillet as much as you like.
While some people will be happy with any cookware set, Lodge Cookware helps separate those who make a meal, and those who create a meal.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Ways to Prep Lobster For Lobster Recipes
Lobsters are fantastic crustaceans, not to mention the most expensive. The costs of lobsters come with a good reason. Lobsters are harvested or sold only after they surpassed a certain weight mark. Sounds easy, but did you know that lobsters take a year to grow a pound? That seven-pound buttered lobster in your plate took seven long years to grow. Something that takes that long to grow is bound to be succulent and delicious. In this regard, lobsters don't disappoint. However, improper cooking destroys lobsters' flavor. It is therefore necessary to follow lobster recipes faithfully to preserve the good flavor.
These succulent crustaceans are generally cooked in three ways: boiling, steaming, and grilling. There are talks about how adrenaline in lobsters alters the meat's flavor, but that is yet to be proven. However, to be sure, some suggest hypnotizing lobsters before boiling to avoid the adrenaline rush. To hypnotize these delicious crustaceans, simply rub or massage their heads or abdomens. You'll notice that their tails will droop and their claws become more relaxed. Take advantage of this moment and add them in a big pot of boiling salted water. To do this, put them in the hot water claws first. Take them out as soon as their color changes to a bright, reddish orange. Serve them immediately with fresh butter or cool them slightly and pick their meat out for your favorite lobster recipes.
Another method to cook lobsters is by steaming. Since this method only uses the heat of the steam, the lobsters remain succulent even when fully cooked because tasty juices are not lost in the water. However, since the lobsters are not immersed in liquid, flavoring them requires correct technique. Kill the lobsters first before steaming to prevent these crustaceans from climbing out of the pot. You can shock them in hot water or freeze them. Take a big pot and a wide rack to place the lobsters on. It's better to steam the crustaceans singly to avoid crowding. Flavor the steaming liquid with salt, pepper, and herbs and bring it to a rolling boil. Put a lobster in and steam. Make sure that the liquid does not reach the rack inside or your crustacean will boil instead of steam. As always, take each crustacean out when red to prevent overcooking.
If you're brave enough to kill up lobsters, you can also grill them. This is a method not for the faint of heart. Take your knife and put it on the center of the crustacean's head. Slice through the head to kill the crustacean quickly. Slide the knife from head to tail to expose the sweet meat. Some lobster recipes suggest scooping out the meat and mixing it with other ingredients and stuffing the mixture back in the emptied lobster shells. Wrap them in foil and grill for a couple of minutes. Other recipes suggest giving the meat a crust of good Italian cheese and broiling them in the oven until the cheese melts. Enjoy!
These succulent crustaceans are generally cooked in three ways: boiling, steaming, and grilling. There are talks about how adrenaline in lobsters alters the meat's flavor, but that is yet to be proven. However, to be sure, some suggest hypnotizing lobsters before boiling to avoid the adrenaline rush. To hypnotize these delicious crustaceans, simply rub or massage their heads or abdomens. You'll notice that their tails will droop and their claws become more relaxed. Take advantage of this moment and add them in a big pot of boiling salted water. To do this, put them in the hot water claws first. Take them out as soon as their color changes to a bright, reddish orange. Serve them immediately with fresh butter or cool them slightly and pick their meat out for your favorite lobster recipes.
Another method to cook lobsters is by steaming. Since this method only uses the heat of the steam, the lobsters remain succulent even when fully cooked because tasty juices are not lost in the water. However, since the lobsters are not immersed in liquid, flavoring them requires correct technique. Kill the lobsters first before steaming to prevent these crustaceans from climbing out of the pot. You can shock them in hot water or freeze them. Take a big pot and a wide rack to place the lobsters on. It's better to steam the crustaceans singly to avoid crowding. Flavor the steaming liquid with salt, pepper, and herbs and bring it to a rolling boil. Put a lobster in and steam. Make sure that the liquid does not reach the rack inside or your crustacean will boil instead of steam. As always, take each crustacean out when red to prevent overcooking.
If you're brave enough to kill up lobsters, you can also grill them. This is a method not for the faint of heart. Take your knife and put it on the center of the crustacean's head. Slice through the head to kill the crustacean quickly. Slide the knife from head to tail to expose the sweet meat. Some lobster recipes suggest scooping out the meat and mixing it with other ingredients and stuffing the mixture back in the emptied lobster shells. Wrap them in foil and grill for a couple of minutes. Other recipes suggest giving the meat a crust of good Italian cheese and broiling them in the oven until the cheese melts. Enjoy!
Cookware You Can Depend On
For over one hundred years, Beka cookware has been designing and manufacturing the world’s leading gourmet cooking utensils. Founded during the year 1899 in Betzingen, Germany Daniel Braun and Jakob Kemmler were the originators of Beka cookware. After many successful years in Germany, Beka cookware began to expand globally dominating markets in France, Belgium, and eventually to America.
Today, Beka cookware is categorized in two distinct categories. They are the Beka Classic collection, and the Beka Line. The Beka Classic collection contains the Cook and Fry Stainless Steel, the Cook and Fry Aluminum collection, Tools and Specials, and the Cook and Fry Copper collection. The Beka Line includes the Cook and Fry Stainless Steel collection, the Cook and Fry Aluminum collection, and the Cook and Fry Copper collection.
In the Beka Classic Cook and Fry Stainless Steel collection you will find the Creole, Fortuna, the Gourmet Club, the Juwel, the Krea, the Polo, the Saphir, and the Sully. These stainless steel collections are elegant and will compliment every kitchen. They include glass lids, matt finishes, and decorative handles. Many of the cookware include inside capacity lines to let you cook with precision. Using the Stainless Steel collection offers the cook many advantages. Many have non-stick surfaces, and you should make sure that you always cook with wood or plastic utensils to make sure that you don’t inadvertently damage the surface.
Caring for your Beka cookware involves a few simple preventive methods as well as making sure that you take care of any trouble spots or problems immediately. By taking care of these problems immediately, you will ensure the longevity of your cookware.
You should always wash your cookware in hot soapy water and allow them to dry thoroughly. When using your Beka cookware on a range make sure that only the base of your cookware is receiving direct heat. If the heat is higher than the base of the pan, it could cause permanent damage to the handles.
Taking care of your copper cookware is just as important. Your Beka copper cookware will have a protective film over it. You will need to remove this layer before using it for the first time. You can remove it by rubbing it off with Acetone, be sure to wash the pots thoroughly in hot soapy water to remove all traces of the Acetone. It is best to avoid dishwashers when cleaning your copper cookware. You can however use copper polishing products to maintain the luster and beauty of your Beka copper cookware.
Today, Beka cookware is categorized in two distinct categories. They are the Beka Classic collection, and the Beka Line. The Beka Classic collection contains the Cook and Fry Stainless Steel, the Cook and Fry Aluminum collection, Tools and Specials, and the Cook and Fry Copper collection. The Beka Line includes the Cook and Fry Stainless Steel collection, the Cook and Fry Aluminum collection, and the Cook and Fry Copper collection.
In the Beka Classic Cook and Fry Stainless Steel collection you will find the Creole, Fortuna, the Gourmet Club, the Juwel, the Krea, the Polo, the Saphir, and the Sully. These stainless steel collections are elegant and will compliment every kitchen. They include glass lids, matt finishes, and decorative handles. Many of the cookware include inside capacity lines to let you cook with precision. Using the Stainless Steel collection offers the cook many advantages. Many have non-stick surfaces, and you should make sure that you always cook with wood or plastic utensils to make sure that you don’t inadvertently damage the surface.
Caring for your Beka cookware involves a few simple preventive methods as well as making sure that you take care of any trouble spots or problems immediately. By taking care of these problems immediately, you will ensure the longevity of your cookware.
You should always wash your cookware in hot soapy water and allow them to dry thoroughly. When using your Beka cookware on a range make sure that only the base of your cookware is receiving direct heat. If the heat is higher than the base of the pan, it could cause permanent damage to the handles.
Taking care of your copper cookware is just as important. Your Beka copper cookware will have a protective film over it. You will need to remove this layer before using it for the first time. You can remove it by rubbing it off with Acetone, be sure to wash the pots thoroughly in hot soapy water to remove all traces of the Acetone. It is best to avoid dishwashers when cleaning your copper cookware. You can however use copper polishing products to maintain the luster and beauty of your Beka copper cookware.
3 Common Cake Decorating Mistakes And Their Easy Solutions
How To Manage Crumbs When Cake Decorating
Have you ever been decorating a cake and everything was going smoothly, then all of a sudden you notice crumbs in your beautiful icing mixture? When this happens you can ruin the whole effect of your cake. There is a way to combat the dreaded crumb problem when decorating your cake; the method is called a ‘crumb coat.’
A crumb coat is a thinner mixture of the exact same icing that you use on your cake. You can thin the mixture down with whatever liquid you have used to make your icing, for example water or milk. The icing has to be thinned down just enough to cover the surface of the cake with a thin layer.
Once you have applied a crumb coat to the surface of your cake you will then need to let it set awhile. Place your cake in the refrigerator and let it set overnight, or for at least an hour or two. Don’t be overly concerned if crumbs get into your crumb coat, as the crumbs will become "glued" into the surface of the cake. Once set the surface will be ready to decorate.
By following these instructions you will win the war on crumbs!
Beating Bulging Cakes
Often people who decorate cakes are faced with the problem of their fillings bulging out of the sides of their cake. Luckily there is a remedy for this little cake decorating disaster. Below are some helpful tips to stop the dreaded cake bulge.
• By baking your cake in advance, for example the day before, you will firm the cake up, and give it time to settle down. Freshly baked cakes tend to be unstable and won’t hold fillings as well as settled cakes.
• Another procedure that can be used to stop fillings from overflowing or bulging is to use piped icing to create a dam. This will act as a barrier and keep your fillings from bulging out the sides of the cake.
• After you have created your icing dam, you can then cover the whole cake with a crumb coating; a thinned down version of the icing that you intend to use to decorate your cake with.
• Once you have done a crumb coating of the cake you will find that refrigerating the cake overnight, or for at least 2-3 hours will help the icing to firm up. This will reduce the likelihood of bulging also.
• Once the cake has had time to firm up in the fridge, the dams that you put in place and the crumb coat will stop the cake from bulging.
Follow these steps and you'll be well on your way to having beautiful bulge-free cakes!
Freezing Cakes To Save Time
Finding the free time to prepare a specialty cake can be a frustrating task. Thankfully, the practice of freezing cakes has become an invaluable tool for the novice and professional alike. Just think, you can have a cake baked and ready for decoration weeks before the special occasion.
Some cake makers shy away from freezing cakes due to the fear that their creation might dry out. If the proper method is not utilized, that fear will be justified. The key lies in how you wrap the cake. It’s also important to postpone the decorating process until the cake has fully defrosted. Icing tends to “sweat” and become gooey when a cake is left out to defrost.
Air and moisture will eventually ruin a cake. To keep the air out, wrap three layers of sturdy cling wrap around the cake. Then just prior to freezing, wrap one layer of aluminum foil over the cling wrap. This storage method helps keep the moisture and flavor from escaping.
Allow the cake to slowly defrost at room temperature for 1-2 days before the event. Do not decorate the cake until it has completely thawed. By following this method cake decorating should be easier and quicker, especially if you are put on the spot to make and decorate a cake at the last minute.
Have you ever been decorating a cake and everything was going smoothly, then all of a sudden you notice crumbs in your beautiful icing mixture? When this happens you can ruin the whole effect of your cake. There is a way to combat the dreaded crumb problem when decorating your cake; the method is called a ‘crumb coat.’
A crumb coat is a thinner mixture of the exact same icing that you use on your cake. You can thin the mixture down with whatever liquid you have used to make your icing, for example water or milk. The icing has to be thinned down just enough to cover the surface of the cake with a thin layer.
Once you have applied a crumb coat to the surface of your cake you will then need to let it set awhile. Place your cake in the refrigerator and let it set overnight, or for at least an hour or two. Don’t be overly concerned if crumbs get into your crumb coat, as the crumbs will become "glued" into the surface of the cake. Once set the surface will be ready to decorate.
By following these instructions you will win the war on crumbs!
Beating Bulging Cakes
Often people who decorate cakes are faced with the problem of their fillings bulging out of the sides of their cake. Luckily there is a remedy for this little cake decorating disaster. Below are some helpful tips to stop the dreaded cake bulge.
• By baking your cake in advance, for example the day before, you will firm the cake up, and give it time to settle down. Freshly baked cakes tend to be unstable and won’t hold fillings as well as settled cakes.
• Another procedure that can be used to stop fillings from overflowing or bulging is to use piped icing to create a dam. This will act as a barrier and keep your fillings from bulging out the sides of the cake.
• After you have created your icing dam, you can then cover the whole cake with a crumb coating; a thinned down version of the icing that you intend to use to decorate your cake with.
• Once you have done a crumb coating of the cake you will find that refrigerating the cake overnight, or for at least 2-3 hours will help the icing to firm up. This will reduce the likelihood of bulging also.
• Once the cake has had time to firm up in the fridge, the dams that you put in place and the crumb coat will stop the cake from bulging.
Follow these steps and you'll be well on your way to having beautiful bulge-free cakes!
Freezing Cakes To Save Time
Finding the free time to prepare a specialty cake can be a frustrating task. Thankfully, the practice of freezing cakes has become an invaluable tool for the novice and professional alike. Just think, you can have a cake baked and ready for decoration weeks before the special occasion.
Some cake makers shy away from freezing cakes due to the fear that their creation might dry out. If the proper method is not utilized, that fear will be justified. The key lies in how you wrap the cake. It’s also important to postpone the decorating process until the cake has fully defrosted. Icing tends to “sweat” and become gooey when a cake is left out to defrost.
Air and moisture will eventually ruin a cake. To keep the air out, wrap three layers of sturdy cling wrap around the cake. Then just prior to freezing, wrap one layer of aluminum foil over the cling wrap. This storage method helps keep the moisture and flavor from escaping.
Allow the cake to slowly defrost at room temperature for 1-2 days before the event. Do not decorate the cake until it has completely thawed. By following this method cake decorating should be easier and quicker, especially if you are put on the spot to make and decorate a cake at the last minute.
Small Kitchen Appliances As Seen On TV
There are many small kitchen appliances to help create delicious meals, snacks, and desserts in the kitchen. We see many of these handy items advertised on television on commercials and infomercials.
A few that come to mind are the Ultimate Chopper, George Foreman Grill, Ronco Rotisserie Grill, Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer, GT Express 101, and the Pasta Express. Watching the infomercials on these As Seen On TV Products makes your mouth water watching the awesome foods they create.
The Ultimate Chopper is a compact food processor that slices dices and chops. What can you do with the Ultimate Chopper? Puree carrots to make your own baby food. Pulverize peanuts into creamy homemade peanut butter. Grate hard cheese, chop onions and other vegetables for salads. Grind your own meats. Turn regular table sugar into powered sugar. Create quick snacks like salsa and other dips. Crush ice. With the blender attachment you can create exotic drinks and smoothies. These are just a few things you can do with the ultimate chopper.
The George Foreman Grill is an awesome product for making quick meals. It is reasonable priced and helps to remove fat when grilling. It is great for cooking bacon, hot dogs, hamburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Here is an easy grilled chicken breast recipe. Marinate skinless, boneless chicken breast in italian dressing for at least 3 hours preferably over night. Grill on the George Foreman Grill for 4 to 5 minutes. The color of cooked chicken is not a sign of its safety to eat. Use a food thermometer to determine that chicken has reached a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F throughout.
The Ronco Rotisserie Grill is great for cooking beef, chicken and pork roasts. It is known for the slogans “set it and forget it”.
With the Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer you can create very tasty healthy juices. What will be your favorite grapefruit delight, kiwi surprise, papaya magic or the very simple orange juice?
The GT Express 101 can cook meals in just 7 minutes. The GT Xpress 101 has non stick cooking chambers both top and bottom so no need for turning. Cool meals, snacks, desserts and delicious low carb food in less time.
The Pasta Express is a very basic kitchen tool for making boiled hot dogs and pasta dishes. It can also be used for storage.
A few that come to mind are the Ultimate Chopper, George Foreman Grill, Ronco Rotisserie Grill, Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer, GT Express 101, and the Pasta Express. Watching the infomercials on these As Seen On TV Products makes your mouth water watching the awesome foods they create.
The Ultimate Chopper is a compact food processor that slices dices and chops. What can you do with the Ultimate Chopper? Puree carrots to make your own baby food. Pulverize peanuts into creamy homemade peanut butter. Grate hard cheese, chop onions and other vegetables for salads. Grind your own meats. Turn regular table sugar into powered sugar. Create quick snacks like salsa and other dips. Crush ice. With the blender attachment you can create exotic drinks and smoothies. These are just a few things you can do with the ultimate chopper.
The George Foreman Grill is an awesome product for making quick meals. It is reasonable priced and helps to remove fat when grilling. It is great for cooking bacon, hot dogs, hamburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Here is an easy grilled chicken breast recipe. Marinate skinless, boneless chicken breast in italian dressing for at least 3 hours preferably over night. Grill on the George Foreman Grill for 4 to 5 minutes. The color of cooked chicken is not a sign of its safety to eat. Use a food thermometer to determine that chicken has reached a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F throughout.
The Ronco Rotisserie Grill is great for cooking beef, chicken and pork roasts. It is known for the slogans “set it and forget it”.
With the Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer you can create very tasty healthy juices. What will be your favorite grapefruit delight, kiwi surprise, papaya magic or the very simple orange juice?
The GT Express 101 can cook meals in just 7 minutes. The GT Xpress 101 has non stick cooking chambers both top and bottom so no need for turning. Cool meals, snacks, desserts and delicious low carb food in less time.
The Pasta Express is a very basic kitchen tool for making boiled hot dogs and pasta dishes. It can also be used for storage.
Grinding Coffee is Never a Grind.
After years of collecting all the kitchen gadgets and labour-saving devices you could care to mention, I’m still prize my coffee grinder above all else. I drink gallons of coffee a week – a habit that really puts my coffee grinder through the mill, as it were, on a daily basis. You just can’t beat the taste of coffee brewed from freshly ground beans. Even the very act of grinding the beans myself is something I look forward to. It has become a ritual that connects me to my kitchen and stimulates every sense. The aroma is released, my mouth begins to water, my hands tingle as they grip the body of the grinder, my eyes are hypnotized by the whirling beans, and… well the noise is pretty awful actually. In our fast-track lives in which we often eat on the fly and seldom make the time to cook, it is a privilege to enjoy such as sensual feast in your kitchen every day.
I’m sure I’d be healthier if I drank less coffee, but I belong to a long line of coffee connoisseurs. I started my coffee drinking devotion long before I should have. I had watched my parents in the middle of a heated ‘discussion’ stop and purr as the first wonderful elixia reached made contact with the tips of their tongues. I came to associate that wonderful aroma with a sense of well-being and close-knittedness. I wanted to be part of the grinding and brewing process; I wanted to be the magician that made a brew that made everything perfect. I have my coffee, like the Japanese have their tea. If you’ve seen ‘Karate Kid,’ you’ll know where I’m coming from.
I can’t understand why coffee grinders seem to be overlooked as gift ideas. They may not make the most glamorous presents, but they always make an impact on the lives of those who use them. What could be better than a coffee grinder for Christmas? It fits snuggly into a decent-sized stocking, and just a few hours later, leaning back in your chair after dinner, you can be breathing in the aroma of freshly ground coffee as you sample your first cup. Grinders can be found at any major store or mall. There’s a grinder out there for you no matter whether you have 5 dollars to spend or fifty. My own modest grinder was bought about four years ago for 10 bucks. It has never let me down.
Giving a coffee grinder at Christmas, perhaps along with a carefully wrapped sample of premium beans, is the best gift I could imagine. I’ve given grinders to nearly all my family members over the years. As I’ve said, I come from a family of coffee drinkers, but I’ve also given coffee grinders as wedding gifts housewarming parties and even a college graduation. Funnily enough, nobody has ever bought me one. I guess they assume it’s something I don’t lack. My kitchen is more like my own café than a food production area, and my coffee grinder holds centre stage on the counter.
I’m sure I’d be healthier if I drank less coffee, but I belong to a long line of coffee connoisseurs. I started my coffee drinking devotion long before I should have. I had watched my parents in the middle of a heated ‘discussion’ stop and purr as the first wonderful elixia reached made contact with the tips of their tongues. I came to associate that wonderful aroma with a sense of well-being and close-knittedness. I wanted to be part of the grinding and brewing process; I wanted to be the magician that made a brew that made everything perfect. I have my coffee, like the Japanese have their tea. If you’ve seen ‘Karate Kid,’ you’ll know where I’m coming from.
I can’t understand why coffee grinders seem to be overlooked as gift ideas. They may not make the most glamorous presents, but they always make an impact on the lives of those who use them. What could be better than a coffee grinder for Christmas? It fits snuggly into a decent-sized stocking, and just a few hours later, leaning back in your chair after dinner, you can be breathing in the aroma of freshly ground coffee as you sample your first cup. Grinders can be found at any major store or mall. There’s a grinder out there for you no matter whether you have 5 dollars to spend or fifty. My own modest grinder was bought about four years ago for 10 bucks. It has never let me down.
Giving a coffee grinder at Christmas, perhaps along with a carefully wrapped sample of premium beans, is the best gift I could imagine. I’ve given grinders to nearly all my family members over the years. As I’ve said, I come from a family of coffee drinkers, but I’ve also given coffee grinders as wedding gifts housewarming parties and even a college graduation. Funnily enough, nobody has ever bought me one. I guess they assume it’s something I don’t lack. My kitchen is more like my own café than a food production area, and my coffee grinder holds centre stage on the counter.
Adventures in Cake Decorating
I am no baker.That is I'd by no means put myself forward as a cook at all, unless you'd call making spaghetti and browning minced-meat for bolognaise sauce culinary achievements.However, there's something about special occasions that brings the frustrated pastry chef out of me and sends me galoping into the kitchen, my head jammed with intricate cake decorating ideas.
It all started when my wife was approaching her thirtieth birthday. I decided to mark her entry into her fourth decade by baking her an amazing cake.I imagined her admiring gaze as she watched me pull this monstrous cake from the hidden depths of our under-used oven.By this time I was so keen to get started that I had to force myself to calm down, sit down, and get my ideas down on paper.I began to sketch a few decorating schemes in red pen on the back of an envelope in time-honored tradition, and eventually decided on a colossal triple-layer chocolate gateau with an enormous suspension bridge spanning a river of blue icing and a little plastic model of our family car perched in safety on top.
I'd like to be able to say that my cake decorating ideas usually come out as gorgeous as I imagine them, but I’m just not so good at being economical with the truth.In this case, the lovely triple-layer chocolate supension bridge cake decorating fantasy turned out as three limp, amorphous layers, crisp at the edges and doughy in the middle, featuring a delightful San Andreas fault running through the centre, as if there had been an earthquake in the oven.It tasted alright but it looked like something that had been salvaged from its own private earthquake.
So when my son's birthday came around, I resolved to try again.On this occasion I decided to plumb for a less imposing single layer cake swearing that I would sit tight and wait for the cake to cool before even thinking about decorating it.I reckoned that by waiting I would avoid the fault lines that had swallowed up the bridge and family car in the adventure on top of my wife's cake.Instead of cooking up intricate cake decorating ideas on the back of an envelope like a power-possessed architect, I resorted to a basic design that would be difficult for even me to make a hash of.Really, it's one thing being able to come up with tons of great decorating ideas, but quite another to pull them off.
I made the body of the cake and let it cool down according to the promise I’d made to myself (and according tothe instructions on the box).It took all my will-power not to dive in brandishing my trusty icing spatula.
This time, I’d chosen to frost with chocolate fudge icing and top it off with my own sketch of a lamb in the centre, which was meant to resemble the cuddly toy my son sleeps with at night, ringed with 5 candles.I figured if I held my natural cake decorating flamboyance in check, the cake would come out okay.And it did.Until I attempted to transfer my creation from the kitchen counter to the fancy plate I'd prepared, lost my balance and dropped it.The result resembled the aftermath of an earthquake, including fires and distraught wildlife.My wife commented on the 'natural disaster theme' that ran through my cake decorating repertoire, which was funny, I guess. At least they both had a good laugh.
I rescued the candles, but the lamb was badly singed and, sadly, did not survive.
It all started when my wife was approaching her thirtieth birthday. I decided to mark her entry into her fourth decade by baking her an amazing cake.I imagined her admiring gaze as she watched me pull this monstrous cake from the hidden depths of our under-used oven.By this time I was so keen to get started that I had to force myself to calm down, sit down, and get my ideas down on paper.I began to sketch a few decorating schemes in red pen on the back of an envelope in time-honored tradition, and eventually decided on a colossal triple-layer chocolate gateau with an enormous suspension bridge spanning a river of blue icing and a little plastic model of our family car perched in safety on top.
I'd like to be able to say that my cake decorating ideas usually come out as gorgeous as I imagine them, but I’m just not so good at being economical with the truth.In this case, the lovely triple-layer chocolate supension bridge cake decorating fantasy turned out as three limp, amorphous layers, crisp at the edges and doughy in the middle, featuring a delightful San Andreas fault running through the centre, as if there had been an earthquake in the oven.It tasted alright but it looked like something that had been salvaged from its own private earthquake.
So when my son's birthday came around, I resolved to try again.On this occasion I decided to plumb for a less imposing single layer cake swearing that I would sit tight and wait for the cake to cool before even thinking about decorating it.I reckoned that by waiting I would avoid the fault lines that had swallowed up the bridge and family car in the adventure on top of my wife's cake.Instead of cooking up intricate cake decorating ideas on the back of an envelope like a power-possessed architect, I resorted to a basic design that would be difficult for even me to make a hash of.Really, it's one thing being able to come up with tons of great decorating ideas, but quite another to pull them off.
I made the body of the cake and let it cool down according to the promise I’d made to myself (and according tothe instructions on the box).It took all my will-power not to dive in brandishing my trusty icing spatula.
This time, I’d chosen to frost with chocolate fudge icing and top it off with my own sketch of a lamb in the centre, which was meant to resemble the cuddly toy my son sleeps with at night, ringed with 5 candles.I figured if I held my natural cake decorating flamboyance in check, the cake would come out okay.And it did.Until I attempted to transfer my creation from the kitchen counter to the fancy plate I'd prepared, lost my balance and dropped it.The result resembled the aftermath of an earthquake, including fires and distraught wildlife.My wife commented on the 'natural disaster theme' that ran through my cake decorating repertoire, which was funny, I guess. At least they both had a good laugh.
I rescued the candles, but the lamb was badly singed and, sadly, did not survive.
How To Use A Kitchen Scale
The overwhealming reason to measure recipe ingredients by weight instead of by volume is precision and repeatability. If you measure by weight, the amount of a particular ingredient is not affected by how tightly it is packed, how finely it is chopped, whether it is a large, medium, or small item, whether it is precisely leveled in the measuring cup, which country your measuring cup comes from (U.S.cup = 237 milliliters, U.K.cup = 284 milliliters, and Australia cup= 250 milliliters), or what brand of flour you are using. The number one complaint of home cooks is that they followed a recipe, but it didn't turn out. The reason is that while they used the same number of cups of each ingredient as the recipe author, they actually used a different amount. If you have experienced this frustration first hand, and are now ready to try a modern digital kitchen scale using the latest load cell technology, you still need to know how to use your kitchen scale effectively.
Before doing anything else with your kitchen scale, you must tare it properly. Taring means eliminating the weight of the scales's bowl from the weight of the food item it contains. Put the empty bowl on the scale by itself. On digital scales this is trivially easy--there will be a tare button which will reset the scale to zero.
Once you are ready to use your scale, you may find it difficult to find recipes that list ingredients by weight instead of volume. If you have a cookbook published in Europe, this is no problem. It is common in Europe to measure dry ingredients by weight and liquid ingredients by volume. But if you live in the United States, you already know that cookbooks usually list ingredients by volume. What do you do?
Of course you could purchase a European cookbook. The downside to this is that it may not contain the recipes you want, and if you have been cooking for any length of time, you probably have notes written around your favorite recipes detailing variations that you do not want to lose. Here's how you can convert recipes that call for cup measures to more reliable and repeatable weight-based recipes. This approach assumes that you have tried and were satisfied with the recipe. Converting your ingredients to weight will make sure that the recipe will turn out the same every single time you make it, and has the added benefit of making sure that anyone you share the recipe with, will get the same results you do.
To convert a recipe, fill your cup measure with the same two cups of flour you always use, packed exactly as you always pack it, and then dump it into a pre-tared weighing bowl on your scale and note the weight on the original recipe. Repeat for each dry ingredient. Now you are done because liquids are best measured by volume anyway. If your recipe doesn't come out quite right, no problem. You still know exactly how much of each ingredient you used in the botched attempt. It's much easier to use a little more or less of a particular ingredient when you know precisely how much you used before. With the variation inherent in cup measures, this would be almost impossible.
Weighing each ingredient as you go is not the only way to determine their weight. If you cook more by appearance and texture than by weight, adding a few extra tablespoons of this ingredient or that, you can still figure out how much of each ingredient you used by using the difference method.
First gather your ingredients, leaving them in their storage containers. Now weigh each container. Don't worry about taring the scale with an empty container first; just record the weight of the container with its contents.
Next, actually cook your dish. After you have finished cooking, assuming you like the results, weigh each of the ingredient storage containers again. Subtract the after-cooking weight of each container from the before-cooking weight to determine how much of the ingredient you used.
The difference method is also great for reconstructing secret or unknown recipes, like your grandma's famous cornbread. She may not use a recipe at all, or it may be one that only makes sense to her. It may call for 2 regular scoops of flour, but only she knows which scoop that means and how to pack it. If you weigh her flour before and after the biscuit making, you'll know exactly how much she uses.
Using a kitchen scale not only makes it possible to recreate a recipe precisely as you made if before, it can save you some time. The idea is that instead of pouring each ingredient out of the weighing bowl into your mixing bowl after weighing, you simply re-tare the scale and load the next ingredient right on top.
Now that you have your favorite recipes converted to weight-based recipes, you can get excited about making your grandma's famous cornbread and be pretty certain that it is going to come out right.
Before doing anything else with your kitchen scale, you must tare it properly. Taring means eliminating the weight of the scales's bowl from the weight of the food item it contains. Put the empty bowl on the scale by itself. On digital scales this is trivially easy--there will be a tare button which will reset the scale to zero.
Once you are ready to use your scale, you may find it difficult to find recipes that list ingredients by weight instead of volume. If you have a cookbook published in Europe, this is no problem. It is common in Europe to measure dry ingredients by weight and liquid ingredients by volume. But if you live in the United States, you already know that cookbooks usually list ingredients by volume. What do you do?
Of course you could purchase a European cookbook. The downside to this is that it may not contain the recipes you want, and if you have been cooking for any length of time, you probably have notes written around your favorite recipes detailing variations that you do not want to lose. Here's how you can convert recipes that call for cup measures to more reliable and repeatable weight-based recipes. This approach assumes that you have tried and were satisfied with the recipe. Converting your ingredients to weight will make sure that the recipe will turn out the same every single time you make it, and has the added benefit of making sure that anyone you share the recipe with, will get the same results you do.
To convert a recipe, fill your cup measure with the same two cups of flour you always use, packed exactly as you always pack it, and then dump it into a pre-tared weighing bowl on your scale and note the weight on the original recipe. Repeat for each dry ingredient. Now you are done because liquids are best measured by volume anyway. If your recipe doesn't come out quite right, no problem. You still know exactly how much of each ingredient you used in the botched attempt. It's much easier to use a little more or less of a particular ingredient when you know precisely how much you used before. With the variation inherent in cup measures, this would be almost impossible.
Weighing each ingredient as you go is not the only way to determine their weight. If you cook more by appearance and texture than by weight, adding a few extra tablespoons of this ingredient or that, you can still figure out how much of each ingredient you used by using the difference method.
First gather your ingredients, leaving them in their storage containers. Now weigh each container. Don't worry about taring the scale with an empty container first; just record the weight of the container with its contents.
Next, actually cook your dish. After you have finished cooking, assuming you like the results, weigh each of the ingredient storage containers again. Subtract the after-cooking weight of each container from the before-cooking weight to determine how much of the ingredient you used.
The difference method is also great for reconstructing secret or unknown recipes, like your grandma's famous cornbread. She may not use a recipe at all, or it may be one that only makes sense to her. It may call for 2 regular scoops of flour, but only she knows which scoop that means and how to pack it. If you weigh her flour before and after the biscuit making, you'll know exactly how much she uses.
Using a kitchen scale not only makes it possible to recreate a recipe precisely as you made if before, it can save you some time. The idea is that instead of pouring each ingredient out of the weighing bowl into your mixing bowl after weighing, you simply re-tare the scale and load the next ingredient right on top.
Now that you have your favorite recipes converted to weight-based recipes, you can get excited about making your grandma's famous cornbread and be pretty certain that it is going to come out right.
Cooking On The Moon
Cooking on the moon offers some interesting challenges. It isn't as simple as Space Family Robinson setting up a picnic table, firing up the barbeque pit, and throwing on some hamburgers. First, if they were planning an outdoor supper, the entire Robinson family would be in space suits. Hard to imagine how they would eat a hamburger through the face shield. OK, so maybe they cook outside then go into their space ship to eat?
Well, probably not. For one thing, they definitely wouldn't be lighting up the charcoal -- no air, no fire, but how about cooking on an electric grill? That might work to get things hot -- but whatever they were trying to cook would be really really dry. Why? Because there is no air, and therefore no air pressure. As the ambient pressure goes down, the boiling point of water goes down. Zero atmospheric pressure equals immediate water boiling! Water, or moisture in hamburger meat, would rapidly boil away into space on the sunlit side of the Moon, which is very very hot from direct solar exposure, or form very fine ice crystals in the shadow side, which is hundreds of degrees below zero. When they tried to heat the meat to cook it, the water would evaporate.
With that sort of harsh environment, the Family Robinson decides to cook and eat on their pressurized, temperature controlled spaceship, and since the cook-hamburgers-on-the-grill idea has been nixed, Mrs. Robinson decides to make steak and biscuits. She brought along her precious Earth cookbook and her digital kitchen scale with its super accurate load cell technology. Her cookbook tells her that to make a dozen biscuits, she needs 10 oz. of flour. She sets up her scale and scooping flour into the scale's bowl. She keeps adding flour, thinking that this is a lot more flour than she remembers using back on Earth. When the scale reads 10 oz, the bowl is nearly full, and she remembers that on the moon, things weigh about 1/6 of what they weigh on Earth, so she pours the flour back into the flour container (very gently because since it's so light, it is really easy to end up with flour dust all over the kitchen!). She realizes that she could simply measure the volume of ingredients but she has no measuring cups, so she divides the required weight of flour by 6. This time when she puts flour into the scale bowl, she is looking for 10/6 or one and two-thirds oz. When the scale reads one and two-thirds ounce, it looks like she has about the right amount of flour.
Next, Mrs. Robinson questions how hot the oven needs to be to cook on the moon. She knows that when cooking at high altitudes water boils at a lower temperature so things like rice take a lot longer to cook (unless you have a pressure cooker). However, changes in altitude do not affect oven temperatures, but baking items often rise quicker at higher altitudes, so it is necessary to increase the oven temperature. Fortunately, she is cooking in a pressurized space ship, so that will not be necessary for this batch of biscuits. After supper Mrs. Robinson sits down at her computer to browse the internet for a kitchen scale that offers special conversions based on what planet they find themselves.
Well, probably not. For one thing, they definitely wouldn't be lighting up the charcoal -- no air, no fire, but how about cooking on an electric grill? That might work to get things hot -- but whatever they were trying to cook would be really really dry. Why? Because there is no air, and therefore no air pressure. As the ambient pressure goes down, the boiling point of water goes down. Zero atmospheric pressure equals immediate water boiling! Water, or moisture in hamburger meat, would rapidly boil away into space on the sunlit side of the Moon, which is very very hot from direct solar exposure, or form very fine ice crystals in the shadow side, which is hundreds of degrees below zero. When they tried to heat the meat to cook it, the water would evaporate.
With that sort of harsh environment, the Family Robinson decides to cook and eat on their pressurized, temperature controlled spaceship, and since the cook-hamburgers-on-the-grill idea has been nixed, Mrs. Robinson decides to make steak and biscuits. She brought along her precious Earth cookbook and her digital kitchen scale with its super accurate load cell technology. Her cookbook tells her that to make a dozen biscuits, she needs 10 oz. of flour. She sets up her scale and scooping flour into the scale's bowl. She keeps adding flour, thinking that this is a lot more flour than she remembers using back on Earth. When the scale reads 10 oz, the bowl is nearly full, and she remembers that on the moon, things weigh about 1/6 of what they weigh on Earth, so she pours the flour back into the flour container (very gently because since it's so light, it is really easy to end up with flour dust all over the kitchen!). She realizes that she could simply measure the volume of ingredients but she has no measuring cups, so she divides the required weight of flour by 6. This time when she puts flour into the scale bowl, she is looking for 10/6 or one and two-thirds oz. When the scale reads one and two-thirds ounce, it looks like she has about the right amount of flour.
Next, Mrs. Robinson questions how hot the oven needs to be to cook on the moon. She knows that when cooking at high altitudes water boils at a lower temperature so things like rice take a lot longer to cook (unless you have a pressure cooker). However, changes in altitude do not affect oven temperatures, but baking items often rise quicker at higher altitudes, so it is necessary to increase the oven temperature. Fortunately, she is cooking in a pressurized space ship, so that will not be necessary for this batch of biscuits. After supper Mrs. Robinson sits down at her computer to browse the internet for a kitchen scale that offers special conversions based on what planet they find themselves.
How To Recreate A Recipe
Sixty years Ago my grandmother owned a small cafe. Her "homemade" cornbread was a special favorite, and one day, one of her customers asked if she would share the recipe with him. She told him that she didn't really make it using a recipe, that she just added ingredients until it looked right, but that she would try to figure out a recipe for him. About twelve batches of somewhat questionable cornbread later, she gave up, and when he came back into the cafe, she confessed that she hadn't been able to figure it out, but that she would bake him a loaf whenever he wanted.
Back then, cooking the European way, by weight, wasn't common here in the US, and my grandmother's recipe books, when she looked at them at all, specified amounts in cups. So, when Grannie tried to recreate her cornbread recipe, she put the ingredient into a measuring cup, put some into the mixing bowl, wrote down how much that was, decided if it looked right yet, maybe added a bit more, wrote that down, and so on. It wasn't very accurate, and didn't give her a repeatable recipe. If she had been using a kitchen scale to weigh her ingredients, she wouldn't have had any problem recreating the recipe.
If my grandmother had used a kitchen scale, she would have used either a mechanical scale, or a balance. A mechanical scale is just a platform mounted on a spring that compresses proportionally to the force applied to it. The problem with mechanical scales is that if the a scale is designed to measure up to 5 lbs. then then measuring one ounce of something will be more difficult than one pound. This is because the small amount of movement in the spring caused by one ounce will be difficult to detect because the scale is designed to move evenly throughout the whole five pounds. As a kitchen scale, this leaves a lot to be desired.
The balance scale operates by performing comparisons between known masses and the object to be weighed. When using a balance to measure a cup of flour, 125 g of known mass is placed on one side of the balance while flour is placed on the other side until the mass on both sides are in balance. A beam balance has a beam with adjustable masses that move along the beam exactly like the physician's scale at your doctor's office. A good balance is extremely accurate , but as a kitchen scale, it's a bit slow.
Today, the best option for a kitchen scale is a digital scale. Digital scales work based on an electrical component called a load cell. A simple computer in the digital scale is preloaded at the factory with a table of values that allows it to calculate the weight of a load by the change in resistance in the load cell. Better digital scales will update their readings very rapidly. This means, if you're pouring sugar into a bowl, the digital scale will provide almost instantaneous feedback so you don't pour too much.
If Grannie had owned a kitchen scale, she could easily have recreated her cornbread recipe using the Difference Method. Here's how it works.
First gather each of the ingredients you intend to use, but leave them in their storage containers. Before you do anything else, weigh each container. Don't worry about subtracting the weight of the empty container first; simply weigh the whole container and its contents and record the weights.
At this point, you could go ahead and cook your dish--it's a good way to check that you like the results!
Once you have finished cooking, go back and weigh each of the ingredient storage containers again. The weights will be less, since you used some up. Now, subtract the after-cooking weight of each container from the before-cooking weight to determine how much of the ingredient you used in your recipe. For example, suppose that before you started your flour storage container weighed 4lbs 3oz (67 oz), and afterwords it weighed 2lbs 14oz (=62oz). This means that you used 21oz, or 1lb 5oz of flour.
Using this method Grannie could have recreated her cornbread recipe with only a bit more time than it took her to create the cornbread.
Back then, cooking the European way, by weight, wasn't common here in the US, and my grandmother's recipe books, when she looked at them at all, specified amounts in cups. So, when Grannie tried to recreate her cornbread recipe, she put the ingredient into a measuring cup, put some into the mixing bowl, wrote down how much that was, decided if it looked right yet, maybe added a bit more, wrote that down, and so on. It wasn't very accurate, and didn't give her a repeatable recipe. If she had been using a kitchen scale to weigh her ingredients, she wouldn't have had any problem recreating the recipe.
If my grandmother had used a kitchen scale, she would have used either a mechanical scale, or a balance. A mechanical scale is just a platform mounted on a spring that compresses proportionally to the force applied to it. The problem with mechanical scales is that if the a scale is designed to measure up to 5 lbs. then then measuring one ounce of something will be more difficult than one pound. This is because the small amount of movement in the spring caused by one ounce will be difficult to detect because the scale is designed to move evenly throughout the whole five pounds. As a kitchen scale, this leaves a lot to be desired.
The balance scale operates by performing comparisons between known masses and the object to be weighed. When using a balance to measure a cup of flour, 125 g of known mass is placed on one side of the balance while flour is placed on the other side until the mass on both sides are in balance. A beam balance has a beam with adjustable masses that move along the beam exactly like the physician's scale at your doctor's office. A good balance is extremely accurate , but as a kitchen scale, it's a bit slow.
Today, the best option for a kitchen scale is a digital scale. Digital scales work based on an electrical component called a load cell. A simple computer in the digital scale is preloaded at the factory with a table of values that allows it to calculate the weight of a load by the change in resistance in the load cell. Better digital scales will update their readings very rapidly. This means, if you're pouring sugar into a bowl, the digital scale will provide almost instantaneous feedback so you don't pour too much.
If Grannie had owned a kitchen scale, she could easily have recreated her cornbread recipe using the Difference Method. Here's how it works.
First gather each of the ingredients you intend to use, but leave them in their storage containers. Before you do anything else, weigh each container. Don't worry about subtracting the weight of the empty container first; simply weigh the whole container and its contents and record the weights.
At this point, you could go ahead and cook your dish--it's a good way to check that you like the results!
Once you have finished cooking, go back and weigh each of the ingredient storage containers again. The weights will be less, since you used some up. Now, subtract the after-cooking weight of each container from the before-cooking weight to determine how much of the ingredient you used in your recipe. For example, suppose that before you started your flour storage container weighed 4lbs 3oz (67 oz), and afterwords it weighed 2lbs 14oz (=62oz). This means that you used 21oz, or 1lb 5oz of flour.
Using this method Grannie could have recreated her cornbread recipe with only a bit more time than it took her to create the cornbread.
The Kitchen Scale A Solution For Frustration
Trading recipes is a lot of fun. In fact, the number one complaint of home cooks is that they followed a recipe, but it didn't turn out. The number one reason this happens is that although they used the same number of cups of each ingredient as the recipe author, they actually used a very different amount.
Yeast is a good example. Getting the amount of yeast wrong a little can affect the rising time, which is annoying, but not the end of the world. Getting yeast significantly wrong in either direction makes a mess.
Salt is another example. Kosher salt takes up twice the volume of regular salt, and so it's easy to put in double, or half the amount needed if you use the wrong kind. And what about cutting or chopping? "One cup chopped onions" isn't really a whole lot more informative than "one medium onion, chopped." How finely chopped? How tightly packed? "200g of chopped onion," is a much more reliable description.
What if you don't regularly cook with parsnips and a recipe calls for "three medium or two large parsnips"? At the grocery you see parsnips, all about the same size. Are they are small, medium, or large? Unfamiliarity with the ingredient isn't a problem with flour--every cook has used flour, but the amount of flour in a cup can vary as much as 25% depending on how it is packed. Sifting before or after measuring can make the difference even greater. How carefully is the flour is leveled in the cup? Even the brand of flour can make a difference.
All of these problems are a result of calling out ingredients by volume instead of by weight. Using a
kitchen scale to determine the amount of ingredients is a far more accurate method of following a recipe,
and weighing is usually easier and less messy than scooping and leveling ingredients.
Digital scales are the newest form of kitchen scales. A good digital scale provides easy to read measurements with high precision, and as with all things digital, digital scale prices continue to fall: entry-level models are selling for as low as $30. Digital scales work based on an electrical component called a load cell. The resistance of the load cell changes based upon the compression or change in shape of the component, and a simple computer in the digital scale calculates the weight of a load by the change in resistance. Better digital scales update their readings almost instantaneously. This means, if you're pouring sugar into a bowl, the scale will provide real time feedback so you don't pour too much.
Obviously, using weight instead of volumes (which can be a bit vague) in your recipes is the way to solve the frustration cooks have with recipes. But, in the US, recipe books are almost always in terms of volume. So, if you want to share a recipe, and be sure that the results your friend gets matches yours, give it to her with ingredients specified by weight. Here's how to do that:
First gather each of the ingredients, leaving them in their storage containers. Before you start cooking, weigh each container. Don't worry about weighing the empty container first; just weigh the whole container and its contents and record the weights. Next actually cook your dish--it's important to verify the results, right? Once you have finished cooking weigh each of the ingredient storage containers again (the weights should be less, since you used some up). Now, subtract the after-cooking weight of each container from the before-cooking weight to determine how much of the ingredient you used. For example, suppose that before you started your flour storage container weighed 5lbs 2oz (=82oz) and afterwards it weighed 3lbs 14oz (=62oz). This means that you used 20oz, or 1 lb 4 oz of flour.
What if the recipient of your recipe doesn't have a kitchen scale? Just explain that having a kitchen scale will solve almost all of the frustrations in her life. Loan her yours for a couple of days, and she'll be a kitchen scale convert.
Yeast is a good example. Getting the amount of yeast wrong a little can affect the rising time, which is annoying, but not the end of the world. Getting yeast significantly wrong in either direction makes a mess.
Salt is another example. Kosher salt takes up twice the volume of regular salt, and so it's easy to put in double, or half the amount needed if you use the wrong kind. And what about cutting or chopping? "One cup chopped onions" isn't really a whole lot more informative than "one medium onion, chopped." How finely chopped? How tightly packed? "200g of chopped onion," is a much more reliable description.
What if you don't regularly cook with parsnips and a recipe calls for "three medium or two large parsnips"? At the grocery you see parsnips, all about the same size. Are they are small, medium, or large? Unfamiliarity with the ingredient isn't a problem with flour--every cook has used flour, but the amount of flour in a cup can vary as much as 25% depending on how it is packed. Sifting before or after measuring can make the difference even greater. How carefully is the flour is leveled in the cup? Even the brand of flour can make a difference.
All of these problems are a result of calling out ingredients by volume instead of by weight. Using a
kitchen scale to determine the amount of ingredients is a far more accurate method of following a recipe,
and weighing is usually easier and less messy than scooping and leveling ingredients.
Digital scales are the newest form of kitchen scales. A good digital scale provides easy to read measurements with high precision, and as with all things digital, digital scale prices continue to fall: entry-level models are selling for as low as $30. Digital scales work based on an electrical component called a load cell. The resistance of the load cell changes based upon the compression or change in shape of the component, and a simple computer in the digital scale calculates the weight of a load by the change in resistance. Better digital scales update their readings almost instantaneously. This means, if you're pouring sugar into a bowl, the scale will provide real time feedback so you don't pour too much.
Obviously, using weight instead of volumes (which can be a bit vague) in your recipes is the way to solve the frustration cooks have with recipes. But, in the US, recipe books are almost always in terms of volume. So, if you want to share a recipe, and be sure that the results your friend gets matches yours, give it to her with ingredients specified by weight. Here's how to do that:
First gather each of the ingredients, leaving them in their storage containers. Before you start cooking, weigh each container. Don't worry about weighing the empty container first; just weigh the whole container and its contents and record the weights. Next actually cook your dish--it's important to verify the results, right? Once you have finished cooking weigh each of the ingredient storage containers again (the weights should be less, since you used some up). Now, subtract the after-cooking weight of each container from the before-cooking weight to determine how much of the ingredient you used. For example, suppose that before you started your flour storage container weighed 5lbs 2oz (=82oz) and afterwards it weighed 3lbs 14oz (=62oz). This means that you used 20oz, or 1 lb 4 oz of flour.
What if the recipient of your recipe doesn't have a kitchen scale? Just explain that having a kitchen scale will solve almost all of the frustrations in her life. Loan her yours for a couple of days, and she'll be a kitchen scale convert.
The Joy Of Cooking
Cooking is something very special, it is a basic human need, without food one can not survive and the right kind of nutrition will have a great effect on your health and quality of life, as bad kind of food or nutrition will also show itself in poor health and many other complications.
Humans have perfected cooking and eating into an art form, the combination of tastes and flavors, the adding of contrasting spices and creative combinations of flavors as well as the cooking presentation and special preparation have made cookery a form of art, and in some part a science too, as cooking uses more and more elements which require precision and exact repetition.
Most of us do not want to cook in the highest levels, and are not interested in becoming restaurant chefs or kitchen workers, but most of the people who do cook would be very happy to learn new techniques and new recipes, add some ideas of their own and generally be creative in the kitchen, almost anyone who cooks like to hear the appreciation from the people who eat the food, it is a very basic need of feeding people and providing them with nutrition.
In the last few years professional cooking has become more accusable to the general public, it started when chefs gave some private courses in homes or to a selected group of people that wanted a kind of break form the routine and quickly became a fashion in which women and men alike are participating in all kind of cookery courses, not for a qualification as a cook in a public institute or business but for the joy and pleasure of their own family and friends, and the further cookery education and experience for them.
Cooking lessons are something you can find today in many different levels, from the complete beginner to the expert cook, every one can find a new and exciting course in many different places. Some of the places that offer these cooking courses are private, some are made in private houses of one chef or the other, and some are held in culinary institutes, even though these usually serve the more professional aspirated cooking community.
A cooking lesson or course will provide most of the participants with better knowledge of cooking techniques and better ability to cook different kind of foods, combine flavors and dare to experiment with all kind of products that were probably never used before the cooking lesson, there are many things you can learn from a chef and one of them is the panning and simultaneous cooking on a few flames, which is a skill by itself.
There is also the element of fun, cooking is a hobby and even by learning to be a better cook you can find yourself having a lot of fun, meet new people and discover new things, learning how to cook can also open a lot of social doors to you, get you to know a lot of other people who share your passion, some even form cooking clubs, where each member cooks for the rest on rotation.
Humans have perfected cooking and eating into an art form, the combination of tastes and flavors, the adding of contrasting spices and creative combinations of flavors as well as the cooking presentation and special preparation have made cookery a form of art, and in some part a science too, as cooking uses more and more elements which require precision and exact repetition.
Most of us do not want to cook in the highest levels, and are not interested in becoming restaurant chefs or kitchen workers, but most of the people who do cook would be very happy to learn new techniques and new recipes, add some ideas of their own and generally be creative in the kitchen, almost anyone who cooks like to hear the appreciation from the people who eat the food, it is a very basic need of feeding people and providing them with nutrition.
In the last few years professional cooking has become more accusable to the general public, it started when chefs gave some private courses in homes or to a selected group of people that wanted a kind of break form the routine and quickly became a fashion in which women and men alike are participating in all kind of cookery courses, not for a qualification as a cook in a public institute or business but for the joy and pleasure of their own family and friends, and the further cookery education and experience for them.
Cooking lessons are something you can find today in many different levels, from the complete beginner to the expert cook, every one can find a new and exciting course in many different places. Some of the places that offer these cooking courses are private, some are made in private houses of one chef or the other, and some are held in culinary institutes, even though these usually serve the more professional aspirated cooking community.
A cooking lesson or course will provide most of the participants with better knowledge of cooking techniques and better ability to cook different kind of foods, combine flavors and dare to experiment with all kind of products that were probably never used before the cooking lesson, there are many things you can learn from a chef and one of them is the panning and simultaneous cooking on a few flames, which is a skill by itself.
There is also the element of fun, cooking is a hobby and even by learning to be a better cook you can find yourself having a lot of fun, meet new people and discover new things, learning how to cook can also open a lot of social doors to you, get you to know a lot of other people who share your passion, some even form cooking clubs, where each member cooks for the rest on rotation.
Cooking With A Solar Oven
Solar cooking in a sun oven is an interesting use of solar power. It is probably not practical in the northern latitudes of the United States, but could be an interesting alternative means of meal preparation in the sunny south and southwest. Studies have indicated that solar cooking is a functional cooking method in the latitudes between the equator and 40 degrees north. The US cities of Red Bluff California, Provo Utah, Indianapolis Indiana, and Philadelphia Pennsylvania are approximately on this latitude.
There are three basic types of solar ovens - heat-trap boxes, curved concentrators (parabolic) and panel cookers. You can cook virtually any kind of food on one with a little practice. The ovens can reach temperatures in the 360 to 400 degree range Fahrenheit on a sunny day.
Heat trap boxes are basically heavily insulated rectangular boxes with a reflective panel which reflects the sun back into the box. These solar ovens are usually large enough to contain several cooking containers and usually cook at pretty high temperatures.
Curved concentrators are also called parabolic ovens. The cooking vessel is held in place in the center of the parabola with a specially built holder. These cookers cook fast at high temperatures. But they must be aligned with the sun to function best so constant movement of the oven as the sun moves across the sky is necessary for best results.
The panel cooker combines the best elements of the curved concentrator and the heat trap box. They are usually fairly inexpensive.
Solar cookers use the heat of the sun to cook the food. They capture it with the reflective material and concentrate it in a fairly small area. The main drawback is they need sun to work. Cloudy days and nighttime do not agree with them well. But they don’t require any fuel, and food can be set up in them and basically left unattended for periods of times. Because the heat is radiant, the food cooks thoroughly usually with no need to turn or stir. The food cooked in a solar oven generally stays moister and does not shrink up as much as with conventional cooking. In sunny weather food can be placed in a solar oven and left unattended while you go hiking, playing games, or other activities. At the end of the day, the meal is prepared and ready to eat.
A solar oven isn't for everyone. Longer food preparation times than conventional cooking methods mean meals cannot be prepared quickly. Where locally cloudy weather conditions prevail, solar cooking would be difficult, if not impossible. But if your weather is predominantly sunny, and meals can be cooked over several hours, a solar oven may be an option for you.
There are three basic types of solar ovens - heat-trap boxes, curved concentrators (parabolic) and panel cookers. You can cook virtually any kind of food on one with a little practice. The ovens can reach temperatures in the 360 to 400 degree range Fahrenheit on a sunny day.
Heat trap boxes are basically heavily insulated rectangular boxes with a reflective panel which reflects the sun back into the box. These solar ovens are usually large enough to contain several cooking containers and usually cook at pretty high temperatures.
Curved concentrators are also called parabolic ovens. The cooking vessel is held in place in the center of the parabola with a specially built holder. These cookers cook fast at high temperatures. But they must be aligned with the sun to function best so constant movement of the oven as the sun moves across the sky is necessary for best results.
The panel cooker combines the best elements of the curved concentrator and the heat trap box. They are usually fairly inexpensive.
Solar cookers use the heat of the sun to cook the food. They capture it with the reflective material and concentrate it in a fairly small area. The main drawback is they need sun to work. Cloudy days and nighttime do not agree with them well. But they don’t require any fuel, and food can be set up in them and basically left unattended for periods of times. Because the heat is radiant, the food cooks thoroughly usually with no need to turn or stir. The food cooked in a solar oven generally stays moister and does not shrink up as much as with conventional cooking. In sunny weather food can be placed in a solar oven and left unattended while you go hiking, playing games, or other activities. At the end of the day, the meal is prepared and ready to eat.
A solar oven isn't for everyone. Longer food preparation times than conventional cooking methods mean meals cannot be prepared quickly. Where locally cloudy weather conditions prevail, solar cooking would be difficult, if not impossible. But if your weather is predominantly sunny, and meals can be cooked over several hours, a solar oven may be an option for you.
Cant Cook Wont Cook Learn 10 Very Easy Simple Steps
Cooking Convenient Meals
You are probably looking for easy, quick and cheap ways to feed your family. Everyone is running in a different million directions these days but hopefully these suggestions will make it easier for you when it comes to preparing meals.
1. Consider cooking all of your meals for the week at once. This may take up a few hours but when you come home every night and will have a meal ready to eat in a very short amount of time you will be happy that you did this. If you make a roast use it for a main meal and then some of it for sandwiches, stir-fry and even beef stroganoff. If you cook several pounds of hamburger and put together a casserole then you will also have some left over for taco meat and chili that can be put in the freezer for later in the week.
2. Prepare all of the fruits and vegetables as soon as you get home from the store. All you have to do when it is time for a meal is cook them or throw them into a salad or some soup.
3. Watch different cooking shows on TV to get some great ideas. Many of these shows can show you how to make great, healthy meals in very little time.
4. Have your family members choose some of their family meals and put those recipes in a file for that month. This process will help you create a revolving recipe file. Don’t get stuck making the same meals over and over again. This way you can flip through your monthly file and there will be a new recipe for you to try.
5. Ask the members of your family to help you. Split up the cooking chores with your children as soon as they are old enough. Have everyone take turns making an entire meal. Plan these meals around the fruits and vegetables that have already been prepared to help you save even more time.
6. Invite your friends and neighbors to help with the cooking responsibilities. Prepare several of the same dishes and then trade them among your friends to end up with a week of great evening meals.
7. Take some time to go through the Sunday paper and cut out coupons for everyday items you use at the grocery store. You can find entire meals that are fresh or frozen. With a coupon you can cut down on the cost significantly and these meals are great to have in supply when you have little time and things are hectic.
8. It is perfectly find to eat out occasionally. Keep an eye out for coupons in your local paper for your favorite restaurants and have family members watch for restaurants with special prices for children. You can even find some health food choices at a few of the fast food places.
9. Finding a business that prepares an evening meal for you can be convenient and easy. You might think they are expensive but when you consider the time you will be able to save preparing a meal yourself you might decide it is worth it. You can choose from lots of different choices and these services often offer special need diets.
10. Take several of the ideas mentioned and create the plan that will work best for you and your family.
With very little planning you can cook meals that are fast and easy without spending hours in the kitchen on a daily basis.
You are probably looking for easy, quick and cheap ways to feed your family. Everyone is running in a different million directions these days but hopefully these suggestions will make it easier for you when it comes to preparing meals.
1. Consider cooking all of your meals for the week at once. This may take up a few hours but when you come home every night and will have a meal ready to eat in a very short amount of time you will be happy that you did this. If you make a roast use it for a main meal and then some of it for sandwiches, stir-fry and even beef stroganoff. If you cook several pounds of hamburger and put together a casserole then you will also have some left over for taco meat and chili that can be put in the freezer for later in the week.
2. Prepare all of the fruits and vegetables as soon as you get home from the store. All you have to do when it is time for a meal is cook them or throw them into a salad or some soup.
3. Watch different cooking shows on TV to get some great ideas. Many of these shows can show you how to make great, healthy meals in very little time.
4. Have your family members choose some of their family meals and put those recipes in a file for that month. This process will help you create a revolving recipe file. Don’t get stuck making the same meals over and over again. This way you can flip through your monthly file and there will be a new recipe for you to try.
5. Ask the members of your family to help you. Split up the cooking chores with your children as soon as they are old enough. Have everyone take turns making an entire meal. Plan these meals around the fruits and vegetables that have already been prepared to help you save even more time.
6. Invite your friends and neighbors to help with the cooking responsibilities. Prepare several of the same dishes and then trade them among your friends to end up with a week of great evening meals.
7. Take some time to go through the Sunday paper and cut out coupons for everyday items you use at the grocery store. You can find entire meals that are fresh or frozen. With a coupon you can cut down on the cost significantly and these meals are great to have in supply when you have little time and things are hectic.
8. It is perfectly find to eat out occasionally. Keep an eye out for coupons in your local paper for your favorite restaurants and have family members watch for restaurants with special prices for children. You can even find some health food choices at a few of the fast food places.
9. Finding a business that prepares an evening meal for you can be convenient and easy. You might think they are expensive but when you consider the time you will be able to save preparing a meal yourself you might decide it is worth it. You can choose from lots of different choices and these services often offer special need diets.
10. Take several of the ideas mentioned and create the plan that will work best for you and your family.
With very little planning you can cook meals that are fast and easy without spending hours in the kitchen on a daily basis.
Important Tips For Diabetic Cooking
If you or a love one suffers from diabetes, then you probably already knowing that cooking appropriate meals can be difficult. Most of us are in the habit of using a wide range of ingredients when we cook, and diabetic patients are only allowed a very restricted diet. It's also more of a challenge to make your meals tasty, when you can't use the sorts of ingredients you generally turn to. Only a limited number of foods are suitable for diabetic patients, so you need to apply some thought to how to make dishes that will taste good, without having a negative impact on their health.
Probably one of the best places to start is to look at the types of ingredients that are generally considered diabetic-friendly. Then there are tricks you can use to make sure your diabetic cooking has lots of flavor without the risk of endangering the well being of the diabetic patient. Using ingredients that do not affect the levels of sugar in the body is really important. The extra benefit is that these ingredients are often very good at enhancing the patient's ability to minimize the bad effects of diabetes.
Here are some of the main ingredients that are suitable for diabetic cooking:
Grains
If there's one thing that you need to make sure is a major ingredient in most of your diabetic cooking, it's grains. The fibers in grains are essential, because they help the body break down any buildup of glucose. In the diabetic food pyramid, grains are the base, which means they need to be the central part of every diabetic patient's diet.
Beans and Legumes
These are great vegetables, because they’re so versatile. With a little bit of research, you'll find plenty of possible meals you can make using beans and legumes. Even better, they're also low in calories, which is important in the diabetic patient's diet.
Dried Herbs and Spices
Although the effect is limited, dried herbs and spices can counteract sugar in the body. But the important part is that herbs and spices including ground ginger, basil, curry powder, saffron, paprika, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, ground cinnamon, cloves and caraway seeds are also very tasty. So that means you can use them in your cooking to make the dishes you prepare much more enjoyable for the diabetic patient.
Bitter Melon
Bitter melon isn't quite as well known, but recent research has shown that it has intense anti-diabetes power. It's not certain exactly how bitter melon works, but the research has shown that it's extremely effective in counteracting the ill effects of diabetes. It also helps to prevent the buildup of glucose. The only problem, though, is that bitter melon is very aptly names - it tastes very bitter! Some people may find its bitter taste too overpowering. However if it's used carefully in cooking, the bitterness can be used in combination with other flavors to produce an amazing taste.
Probably one of the best places to start is to look at the types of ingredients that are generally considered diabetic-friendly. Then there are tricks you can use to make sure your diabetic cooking has lots of flavor without the risk of endangering the well being of the diabetic patient. Using ingredients that do not affect the levels of sugar in the body is really important. The extra benefit is that these ingredients are often very good at enhancing the patient's ability to minimize the bad effects of diabetes.
Here are some of the main ingredients that are suitable for diabetic cooking:
Grains
If there's one thing that you need to make sure is a major ingredient in most of your diabetic cooking, it's grains. The fibers in grains are essential, because they help the body break down any buildup of glucose. In the diabetic food pyramid, grains are the base, which means they need to be the central part of every diabetic patient's diet.
Beans and Legumes
These are great vegetables, because they’re so versatile. With a little bit of research, you'll find plenty of possible meals you can make using beans and legumes. Even better, they're also low in calories, which is important in the diabetic patient's diet.
Dried Herbs and Spices
Although the effect is limited, dried herbs and spices can counteract sugar in the body. But the important part is that herbs and spices including ground ginger, basil, curry powder, saffron, paprika, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, ground cinnamon, cloves and caraway seeds are also very tasty. So that means you can use them in your cooking to make the dishes you prepare much more enjoyable for the diabetic patient.
Bitter Melon
Bitter melon isn't quite as well known, but recent research has shown that it has intense anti-diabetes power. It's not certain exactly how bitter melon works, but the research has shown that it's extremely effective in counteracting the ill effects of diabetes. It also helps to prevent the buildup of glucose. The only problem, though, is that bitter melon is very aptly names - it tastes very bitter! Some people may find its bitter taste too overpowering. However if it's used carefully in cooking, the bitterness can be used in combination with other flavors to produce an amazing taste.
Pressure Cooker The Benefits Of Using One In Your Kitchen
Cooking is an integral part of every household. In turn, a pressure cooker is a very important utensil that is used for cooking food quickly. A pressure cooker is like any other pot in the kitchen, except that it has a more elaborate lid. This lid seals the cooker completely, and when the boiling process starts in it, it traps the steam inside. Consequently, it leads to a higher cooking temperature and saves cooking time.
This trapped pressure is measured in pound of force per square inch (PSI).
The gasket or rubber ring is a very important part of a pressure cooker, as it allows the pressure to build up inside the pot. It is fitted on the side of the lid. It is essential that you keep the gasket clean and free from any food particles to ensure a good seal.
There is a minimum of three valves in the latest pressure cookers, for safety reasons. They allow the automatic release of pressure in case it builds up too high. Different valves are used for different cookers.
Reasons to Use a Pressure Cooker
There are lots of reasonable as well as beneficial reasons for using this useful kitchen tool. Some of these include:
Nutritional Boost: A pressure cooker consumes less time and water in cooking food. It is able to hold in more vitamins and minerals than with conventional cooking methods.
Timesaving: Cooking in a pressure cooker is about 70 percent faster, which enables you to cook food speedily. You can put all the ingredients together and do something else as well, in the time you would normally take to cook your food.
Energy Efficient: Since a pressure cooker takes less time, consequently the amount of energy consumed is also reduced.
Cooler Kitchen: As all the heat and pressure is trapped inside the pot, the kitchen remains cooler compared to conventional stove top or oven methods.
Cleaner Kitchen: Since all the food is cooked within a covered pot, there is no need for cleaning all the messy splashes or spatters you would normally need to clean up after cooking.
Tips for When Buying a Pressure Cooker
A good variety of pressure cookers are available in the market. Generally they range from four to eight quarts. A six-quart model is capable of performing most of the jobs, but you should opt for a larger model if for example, you have a big family.
Pressure cookers are made up of aluminum or stainless steel. Stainless steel is preferred over aluminum, as it is of a higher quality and results in better cooking. There also is less danger of food sticking to the bottom. The heavier stainless steel models are best for their ability to brown or sauté food before cooking it under pressure. This means there is no need to shift the food into the pressure cooker from another utensil.
Pressure cookers have really made cooking more easy and convenient. Just remember it is always recommended to go through the user manual and safety precautions first before using your pressure cooker for the first time.
This trapped pressure is measured in pound of force per square inch (PSI).
The gasket or rubber ring is a very important part of a pressure cooker, as it allows the pressure to build up inside the pot. It is fitted on the side of the lid. It is essential that you keep the gasket clean and free from any food particles to ensure a good seal.
There is a minimum of three valves in the latest pressure cookers, for safety reasons. They allow the automatic release of pressure in case it builds up too high. Different valves are used for different cookers.
Reasons to Use a Pressure Cooker
There are lots of reasonable as well as beneficial reasons for using this useful kitchen tool. Some of these include:
Nutritional Boost: A pressure cooker consumes less time and water in cooking food. It is able to hold in more vitamins and minerals than with conventional cooking methods.
Timesaving: Cooking in a pressure cooker is about 70 percent faster, which enables you to cook food speedily. You can put all the ingredients together and do something else as well, in the time you would normally take to cook your food.
Energy Efficient: Since a pressure cooker takes less time, consequently the amount of energy consumed is also reduced.
Cooler Kitchen: As all the heat and pressure is trapped inside the pot, the kitchen remains cooler compared to conventional stove top or oven methods.
Cleaner Kitchen: Since all the food is cooked within a covered pot, there is no need for cleaning all the messy splashes or spatters you would normally need to clean up after cooking.
Tips for When Buying a Pressure Cooker
A good variety of pressure cookers are available in the market. Generally they range from four to eight quarts. A six-quart model is capable of performing most of the jobs, but you should opt for a larger model if for example, you have a big family.
Pressure cookers are made up of aluminum or stainless steel. Stainless steel is preferred over aluminum, as it is of a higher quality and results in better cooking. There also is less danger of food sticking to the bottom. The heavier stainless steel models are best for their ability to brown or sauté food before cooking it under pressure. This means there is no need to shift the food into the pressure cooker from another utensil.
Pressure cookers have really made cooking more easy and convenient. Just remember it is always recommended to go through the user manual and safety precautions first before using your pressure cooker for the first time.
How To Decide On The Right Foods And Cooking Accessories For Camping
Camping is a great way to get away from stress and get back to nature. Planning what to bring on the trip may seem difficult because aside from the regular gear that you will need, you also have to consider what type of food to bring and what tools you will need to prepare it. There are ways to make planning your camping menus a lot easier.
What Cooking Tools Do I Need?
There are a few basic tools that every camper should bring with them. One of them is a camp stove, so you will be able to prepare hot meals. There are various kinds to choose from.
The best kind to get is one that allows you to adjust the heat, so that you will be able to boil, simmer and fry. The next thing that you will need is a good set of cookware. Depending on what you will be cooking, you should be sure to include a pot to boil water in and a fry pan. You will also need to bring a lot of water with you, not only to cook with but also to drink.
What Types of Food Should I Bring?
Since camping may also include a lot of physical activity, such as hiking, boat rowing or swimming, it's important to keep your strength up by eating 3 meals a day.
Breakfast: Include milk, so that you can have cold cereal in the morning. If you prefer a hot breakfast, brings eggs, since they are a good source of protein and easy to cook. You can either fry them or boil them.
Lunch: For lunch, you might want to make sandwiches. Instead of bringing a loaf of regular bread that can be easily crushed, consider tortillas or pita bread. Another bonus to bringing this type of bread is that they are flat, so they are easy to pack. If you don't want to bring cold cuts, consider peanut butter as an alternative. It's easy to pack and provides a good source of protein.
Dinner: Dinner will probably be your biggest meal. Some people like to fish when they go camping and plan to eat their catch, while others have to rely on what they bring. Good dinner foods to bring with you are dried beans, cheese, rice or couscous and bouillon cubes. Beans are an excellent source of protein and rice and couscous provide energy giving carbs. You can simmer beans and rice or add extra water and bouillon cubes to make a hearty soup. Bring a small collection of spices with you, like salt, pepper, garlic powder or other spices that you enjoy to season your food with.
By planning easy meals to prepare on your camping trip, you will be able to eat well while enjoying getting back to nature.
What Cooking Tools Do I Need?
There are a few basic tools that every camper should bring with them. One of them is a camp stove, so you will be able to prepare hot meals. There are various kinds to choose from.
The best kind to get is one that allows you to adjust the heat, so that you will be able to boil, simmer and fry. The next thing that you will need is a good set of cookware. Depending on what you will be cooking, you should be sure to include a pot to boil water in and a fry pan. You will also need to bring a lot of water with you, not only to cook with but also to drink.
What Types of Food Should I Bring?
Since camping may also include a lot of physical activity, such as hiking, boat rowing or swimming, it's important to keep your strength up by eating 3 meals a day.
Breakfast: Include milk, so that you can have cold cereal in the morning. If you prefer a hot breakfast, brings eggs, since they are a good source of protein and easy to cook. You can either fry them or boil them.
Lunch: For lunch, you might want to make sandwiches. Instead of bringing a loaf of regular bread that can be easily crushed, consider tortillas or pita bread. Another bonus to bringing this type of bread is that they are flat, so they are easy to pack. If you don't want to bring cold cuts, consider peanut butter as an alternative. It's easy to pack and provides a good source of protein.
Dinner: Dinner will probably be your biggest meal. Some people like to fish when they go camping and plan to eat their catch, while others have to rely on what they bring. Good dinner foods to bring with you are dried beans, cheese, rice or couscous and bouillon cubes. Beans are an excellent source of protein and rice and couscous provide energy giving carbs. You can simmer beans and rice or add extra water and bouillon cubes to make a hearty soup. Bring a small collection of spices with you, like salt, pepper, garlic powder or other spices that you enjoy to season your food with.
By planning easy meals to prepare on your camping trip, you will be able to eat well while enjoying getting back to nature.
Cooking Tips When Out Camping
While we were kids, my brother and I, had the opportunity of traveling around the countryside with our father and explore everything our home country had to offer to the three musketeers, which was our code name. Unfortunately, in most of these trips our mother was left behind as she had to work and we were given the chance to spend time with our father who as a nature lover took as almost anywhere our car and feet could lead us. These trips were our time together with our beloved father, who while we were young did everything in his power to spend as much time with us as possible. If time was not the issue back then, we tried to keep the budget under logical limits, so all these trips were made with our car that was carrying on its roof our specially designed and hand-made (by my father) tend.
During those camping times and since our mother was not near by to feed us, our father was apart from the designated driver and the leader of our group, also the cook that served us some of the best meals we have ever tasted; probably because we were really hungry by the time we eat. The truth is that I still remember the taste of his pasta and if I could go back in time, I would love to experience again the thrill of singing with my brother while our dad was smiling cooking his amazing pasta on our carry on kitchen supplies.
Other campers tend to agree with my remark as they support that camping cooking can be some of the best cooking there is. Close to the environment and while being able to smell all that wonderful tasty food coming out of the fire, many agree that there is nothing better. If you are a beginner in camping, you should know that there are several different methods that can be used when cooking while camping, like wood fires, camp charcoal, stoves, foil cooking and more. The type of cooking method is directly related to the food you will decide to make and how you like it cooked sometimes decides what method you should be using. But then again there are several camping cooking tips to consider before cooking and camping out.
Consider freezing the meat for instance. Freezing it ahead of time can keep the meat fresh and other foods cool as well. My father used to be proactive like that and plan ahead of time. He also used plastic bags or containers to keep measured portions of the food that was about to consumed, safely contained. I think it is also best if you want to avoid food from sticking to the pans to apply oil on the grill. Finally, put matches somewhere safe to keep them dry as many camping cookbook recipes require the use of natural fire and there is no better way to start a fire than with matches. You can also keep your drinks in a separate cooler from food as it can helps keep foods colder longer avoiding any kind of spoilage. Finally, a great tip is to keep water bottles when they are empty because they can become great camping cooking containers to put the salad dressing, oils, or any other liquid substance.
During those camping times and since our mother was not near by to feed us, our father was apart from the designated driver and the leader of our group, also the cook that served us some of the best meals we have ever tasted; probably because we were really hungry by the time we eat. The truth is that I still remember the taste of his pasta and if I could go back in time, I would love to experience again the thrill of singing with my brother while our dad was smiling cooking his amazing pasta on our carry on kitchen supplies.
Other campers tend to agree with my remark as they support that camping cooking can be some of the best cooking there is. Close to the environment and while being able to smell all that wonderful tasty food coming out of the fire, many agree that there is nothing better. If you are a beginner in camping, you should know that there are several different methods that can be used when cooking while camping, like wood fires, camp charcoal, stoves, foil cooking and more. The type of cooking method is directly related to the food you will decide to make and how you like it cooked sometimes decides what method you should be using. But then again there are several camping cooking tips to consider before cooking and camping out.
Consider freezing the meat for instance. Freezing it ahead of time can keep the meat fresh and other foods cool as well. My father used to be proactive like that and plan ahead of time. He also used plastic bags or containers to keep measured portions of the food that was about to consumed, safely contained. I think it is also best if you want to avoid food from sticking to the pans to apply oil on the grill. Finally, put matches somewhere safe to keep them dry as many camping cookbook recipes require the use of natural fire and there is no better way to start a fire than with matches. You can also keep your drinks in a separate cooler from food as it can helps keep foods colder longer avoiding any kind of spoilage. Finally, a great tip is to keep water bottles when they are empty because they can become great camping cooking containers to put the salad dressing, oils, or any other liquid substance.
How To Create A Safe Meal
A quiet evening meal of an old family recipe of your aunt’s infamous lasagna has just turned into a very scary situation. Your child turns to you and complains of an itchy mouth. As you are fumbling with the phone to dial his pediatrician he suddenly progresses to worse as his tongue and throat begin to rapidly swell up. His arms are covered with hives that seem to have come to life and an angry red rash has covered his little face. The ambulance sirens are wailing as your child gasps for air in your arms.
This is an example of how your loved one could be afflicted by a food allergen. His symptoms are shared by thousands of Americans that suffer from a food allergy. Food allergies are a nightmare for the average allergy sufferer. In essence, it is the immune system that goes into battle mode to attack what is normally a harmless ingredient. Thousands of hospital visits each year are attributed to this condition. Many other allergic episodes are quietly treated at home with over-the-counter antihistamines such as Benadryl.
Parents should be aware that soy, eggs, wheat, and peanuts are just some of the most deadly allergens that can have devastating consequences once ingested. On the rise is a hypersensitivity to preservatives and additives. Food dyes can cause a range of health ailments such as vomiting, shock, or cardiac arrhythmias. Almost every type of packaged or prepared food comes with at least one preservative. For those afflicted with food allergies, eating a simple meal can turn into a battleground. How can you cook safely for someone with food allergies? It is important to analyze what exactly they can and can not eat.
Take the time to go through each labeled product in the house and locate the food trigger. Try and become familiar with as many names of preservatives of possible. Preservatives and additives are listed under a variety of names. In addition, be wary of food items that have the words, “natural flavors” in it. This term can hide a variety of hidden allergens to the non-suspecting person. If necessary, call the company and try to find out what exactly these natural flavors are.
It is worth the trouble if it saves your loved one from a ride in an ambulance suffering a reaction. The next step after you have finished scouring your cabinets is to purchase allergen free cookbooks. These are very helpful in finding recipes that omit major food allergens. They are resourceful in finding alternative ingredients to substitute in your cooking recipes. Learn to modify your favorite recipes with an alternate food item. For example, yogurt can be substituted for mayonnaise in many recipes.
A trip to your local grocery store may be disappointing for you, as it is virtually impossible to find anything with organic ingredients these days. It is best to start your grocery stopping at a health food store. Many are happy to direct you to other organic sources that can easily be contacted online or by telephone. It may be difficult to organize a menu suitable for someone with food allergies but it can be done. A dietician can also be extremely valuable to ensure that your loved one receives proper nutrition in his diet. An allergic reaction can be avoided and your loved one can eat safely by taking those few special precautions.
This is an example of how your loved one could be afflicted by a food allergen. His symptoms are shared by thousands of Americans that suffer from a food allergy. Food allergies are a nightmare for the average allergy sufferer. In essence, it is the immune system that goes into battle mode to attack what is normally a harmless ingredient. Thousands of hospital visits each year are attributed to this condition. Many other allergic episodes are quietly treated at home with over-the-counter antihistamines such as Benadryl.
Parents should be aware that soy, eggs, wheat, and peanuts are just some of the most deadly allergens that can have devastating consequences once ingested. On the rise is a hypersensitivity to preservatives and additives. Food dyes can cause a range of health ailments such as vomiting, shock, or cardiac arrhythmias. Almost every type of packaged or prepared food comes with at least one preservative. For those afflicted with food allergies, eating a simple meal can turn into a battleground. How can you cook safely for someone with food allergies? It is important to analyze what exactly they can and can not eat.
Take the time to go through each labeled product in the house and locate the food trigger. Try and become familiar with as many names of preservatives of possible. Preservatives and additives are listed under a variety of names. In addition, be wary of food items that have the words, “natural flavors” in it. This term can hide a variety of hidden allergens to the non-suspecting person. If necessary, call the company and try to find out what exactly these natural flavors are.
It is worth the trouble if it saves your loved one from a ride in an ambulance suffering a reaction. The next step after you have finished scouring your cabinets is to purchase allergen free cookbooks. These are very helpful in finding recipes that omit major food allergens. They are resourceful in finding alternative ingredients to substitute in your cooking recipes. Learn to modify your favorite recipes with an alternate food item. For example, yogurt can be substituted for mayonnaise in many recipes.
A trip to your local grocery store may be disappointing for you, as it is virtually impossible to find anything with organic ingredients these days. It is best to start your grocery stopping at a health food store. Many are happy to direct you to other organic sources that can easily be contacted online or by telephone. It may be difficult to organize a menu suitable for someone with food allergies but it can be done. A dietician can also be extremely valuable to ensure that your loved one receives proper nutrition in his diet. An allergic reaction can be avoided and your loved one can eat safely by taking those few special precautions.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Cooking On The Internet
Does time stand still and nothing seems to happen, keep the faith!
Have you ever found that time seems to stand still sometimes, especially when you're waiting for a result or outcome, or someone to get back to you? You look at your watch and the hands haven't moved!Then, on other occasions you've become so involved in something that hours have flown by without you realising?Well, many times I've written a sales letter or email, posted it and then just sat by the computer waiting for results. Now, some of the big gurus sometimes say that they do this and within 30 seconds, 'ping' an order appears, then another and so on, but what some of them don't tell you is that they've built up that mailing list over two years and it's 50,000 strong!Yes, it is rewarding when that happens, but what I've found to be the best strategy is let something 'cook' for a while. Rather than waste time anxiously waiting for results, just do the best you can then leave it, go and do something completely different, some sport or spend time with your family. Then, when you come back you may find that you log on just to check your email for something else and 'ping' you get a result! It seems that these things happen when you least expect it and the more you relax, the better the results.
Andrew is always amazed at the speed at which I produce these articles, yet what I do is not to worry about getting them done, and 'ping' they appear!The amazing thing about the internet is that once you let something go, it takes on a life of its own, other people see your message but don't act upon it immediately or they pass it on to a friend, by that time a month has gone by, I still get orders for products that I advertised months ago.
What this also means is that you need to keep the faith, believe that what you are doing is worthwhile but don't expect immediate results. Just imagine that thousands of people are going to know about you, so with that in mind, put 110% into your project because someone may find out about it in 6 months' time.
That really is what is meant by the expression 'make money while you sleep' Initially it's just that delay so it appears that you haven't done anything, but then if you have affiliates signed up under you or you're involved in recurring-billing programs then as things grow, they grown of their own accord.
Just do as much as you can each day with the resources you haveComputer Technology Articles, then do something else and have faith.
Have you ever found that time seems to stand still sometimes, especially when you're waiting for a result or outcome, or someone to get back to you? You look at your watch and the hands haven't moved!Then, on other occasions you've become so involved in something that hours have flown by without you realising?Well, many times I've written a sales letter or email, posted it and then just sat by the computer waiting for results. Now, some of the big gurus sometimes say that they do this and within 30 seconds, 'ping' an order appears, then another and so on, but what some of them don't tell you is that they've built up that mailing list over two years and it's 50,000 strong!Yes, it is rewarding when that happens, but what I've found to be the best strategy is let something 'cook' for a while. Rather than waste time anxiously waiting for results, just do the best you can then leave it, go and do something completely different, some sport or spend time with your family. Then, when you come back you may find that you log on just to check your email for something else and 'ping' you get a result! It seems that these things happen when you least expect it and the more you relax, the better the results.
Andrew is always amazed at the speed at which I produce these articles, yet what I do is not to worry about getting them done, and 'ping' they appear!The amazing thing about the internet is that once you let something go, it takes on a life of its own, other people see your message but don't act upon it immediately or they pass it on to a friend, by that time a month has gone by, I still get orders for products that I advertised months ago.
What this also means is that you need to keep the faith, believe that what you are doing is worthwhile but don't expect immediate results. Just imagine that thousands of people are going to know about you, so with that in mind, put 110% into your project because someone may find out about it in 6 months' time.
That really is what is meant by the expression 'make money while you sleep' Initially it's just that delay so it appears that you haven't done anything, but then if you have affiliates signed up under you or you're involved in recurring-billing programs then as things grow, they grown of their own accord.
Just do as much as you can each day with the resources you haveComputer Technology Articles, then do something else and have faith.
Best Home Based Business for Cooks
You don’t need to be a chef to find a career in cooking. A best home based business for cooks is a personal chef business. If you want to cook on a larger scale, another best home based business for cooks is catering. Using your love of cooking and a little creativity can help you develop a best home based business doing what you love.
Think about it. One of the reasons why catering is considered a best home based business is that it is a $5 billion dollar a year industry and continues to have an annual growth rate of 5 percent. People are always having parties and events that need catering, and if you learn some basic business principles, you can run the best home based business while making great food and putting smiles on faces.
Still, not everyone likes to cook for big groups. If your idea of the best home based business is to cook small meals for just a couple of people, you may want to consider becoming a personal chef. You do not need to be an actual chef to run this type of business. What makes this a best home based business is that it is one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S.
Whether you choose for your best home based business to be in catering or in being a personal chef, you still need to do some preparation. You will want to develop your food preparation skills so that you are showing people you have a best home based business. You can gain experience in the food industry through stints in restaurants, clubs, caterers, or even volunteer work. You do not need to have years of experience to run a best home based business in cooking, but you can gain some valuable advice.
You will also need to determine what type of services you want to offer when designing your best home based business. Know what type of cooking you want to do and if you want to be a personal chef on a regularly scheduled basis. You will also need to determine a name and gain some financing for your best home based business. Also, don’t forget important items like insurance and kitchen equipment, and making sure you are in compliance with municipal standards. In order to have the best home based business for cooking, you will also need to make sure you are within the law
Think about it. One of the reasons why catering is considered a best home based business is that it is a $5 billion dollar a year industry and continues to have an annual growth rate of 5 percent. People are always having parties and events that need catering, and if you learn some basic business principles, you can run the best home based business while making great food and putting smiles on faces.
Still, not everyone likes to cook for big groups. If your idea of the best home based business is to cook small meals for just a couple of people, you may want to consider becoming a personal chef. You do not need to be an actual chef to run this type of business. What makes this a best home based business is that it is one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S.
Whether you choose for your best home based business to be in catering or in being a personal chef, you still need to do some preparation. You will want to develop your food preparation skills so that you are showing people you have a best home based business. You can gain experience in the food industry through stints in restaurants, clubs, caterers, or even volunteer work. You do not need to have years of experience to run a best home based business in cooking, but you can gain some valuable advice.
You will also need to determine what type of services you want to offer when designing your best home based business. Know what type of cooking you want to do and if you want to be a personal chef on a regularly scheduled basis. You will also need to determine a name and gain some financing for your best home based business. Also, don’t forget important items like insurance and kitchen equipment, and making sure you are in compliance with municipal standards. In order to have the best home based business for cooking, you will also need to make sure you are within the law
Best Home Based Business for Cooks
You don’t need to be a chef to find a career in cooking. A best home based business for cooks is a personal chef business. If you want to cook on a larger scale, another best home based business for cooks is catering. Using your love of cooking and a little creativity can help you develop a best home based business doing what you love.
Think about it. One of the reasons why catering is considered a best home based business is that it is a $5 billion dollar a year industry and continues to have an annual growth rate of 5 percent. People are always having parties and events that need catering, and if you learn some basic business principles, you can run the best home based business while making great food and putting smiles on faces.
Still, not everyone likes to cook for big groups. If your idea of the best home based business is to cook small meals for just a couple of people, you may want to consider becoming a personal chef. You do not need to be an actual chef to run this type of business. What makes this a best home based business is that it is one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S.
Whether you choose for your best home based business to be in catering or in being a personal chef, you still need to do some preparation. You will want to develop your food preparation skills so that you are showing people you have a best home based business. You can gain experience in the food industry through stints in restaurants, clubs, caterers, or even volunteer work. You do not need to have years of experience to run a best home based business in cooking, but you can gain some valuable advice.
You will also need to determine what type of services you want to offer when designing your best home based business. Know what type of cooking you want to do and if you want to be a personal chef on a regularly scheduled basis. You will also need to determine a name and gain some financing for your best home based business. Also, don’t forget important items like insurance and kitchen equipment, and making sure you are in compliance with municipal standards. In order to have the best home based business for cooking, you will also need to make sure you are within the law
Read the rest of the article here: Best Home Based Business for Cooks.
Download the Free Work at Home Manual (Free $97 Value!) and receive valuable tips, strategies and techniques designed to grow a very successful Home Based Business.
Copyright © Charles Fuchs is an established online marketer who specializes in helping people start their very own Home Based Business. He specializes in showing people the best way to start a Home Based Business.
I grant permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live linkFree Web Content, and the article is not changed in any way.
Think about it. One of the reasons why catering is considered a best home based business is that it is a $5 billion dollar a year industry and continues to have an annual growth rate of 5 percent. People are always having parties and events that need catering, and if you learn some basic business principles, you can run the best home based business while making great food and putting smiles on faces.
Still, not everyone likes to cook for big groups. If your idea of the best home based business is to cook small meals for just a couple of people, you may want to consider becoming a personal chef. You do not need to be an actual chef to run this type of business. What makes this a best home based business is that it is one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S.
Whether you choose for your best home based business to be in catering or in being a personal chef, you still need to do some preparation. You will want to develop your food preparation skills so that you are showing people you have a best home based business. You can gain experience in the food industry through stints in restaurants, clubs, caterers, or even volunteer work. You do not need to have years of experience to run a best home based business in cooking, but you can gain some valuable advice.
You will also need to determine what type of services you want to offer when designing your best home based business. Know what type of cooking you want to do and if you want to be a personal chef on a regularly scheduled basis. You will also need to determine a name and gain some financing for your best home based business. Also, don’t forget important items like insurance and kitchen equipment, and making sure you are in compliance with municipal standards. In order to have the best home based business for cooking, you will also need to make sure you are within the law
Read the rest of the article here: Best Home Based Business for Cooks.
Download the Free Work at Home Manual (Free $97 Value!) and receive valuable tips, strategies and techniques designed to grow a very successful Home Based Business.
Copyright © Charles Fuchs is an established online marketer who specializes in helping people start their very own Home Based Business. He specializes in showing people the best way to start a Home Based Business.
I grant permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live linkFree Web Content, and the article is not changed in any way.
20 Ways to Add Personality and Punch to Your Cooking
1. Add Sour Cream to your mashed potatoes.
2. After icing your cinnamon rolls, dust the tops lightly with cinnamon.
3. Always use special napkins - use seasonally-appropriate patterns and colors. If your family has a favorite sports team, serve their colors on the days they're playing. If you are NASCAR fans, by all means, go with your driver's colors on race day!
4. Never underestimate the elegance of candles. They set the mood and add mood to your setting.
5. Use freshly-grated Parmesan and leave the cans on the shelves.
6. Serve only coffee that has been freshly-ground and freshly-brewed. Top this coffee off with a dollop of whipped topping, and if you're really feeling "high brow", fresh shavings from a block of chocolate.
7. Use REAL crumbled bacon on top of your salads and baked potatoes. Leave the plastic containers of wanna-be bacon bits on the shelves beside the Parmesan.
8. Speaking of salads, add crumbled feta cheese to your tossed salads. You'll never want salads without it again!
9. Never, ever, under any circumstances - make salsa without fresh cilantro. If your store is out, drive to the next store. If, three stores later, you still haven't found any cilantro, skip the idea of salsa all together! Yes, it's that important.
10. Add zip to your loaf of French Bread. Spray, or brush, the top of the loaf with olive oil. Then sprinkle on dried red pepper flakes and dried onion flakes. Bake as usual.
11. Get a rounded ice-cream scoop of ice cream, roll in crushed nuts and serve on top of a plate that's been swirled with caramel or chocolate syrup. Then squeeze more over the top.
12. Do the same as above, but use coconut in place of the crushed nuts. This time, place the balls of coconut-covered ice cream on top of slices of pound cake. Now, pour some pineapple bits, juice and all, on top of the servings.
13. Serving Italian food? Softly play Italian music in the background.
14. Invest in several sets of dishes, as many as your budget will allow. Match the "mood" of your meal you're serving with the "mood" of the dishes you'll be serving it on. For example, if you're serving seafood, either a "Lighthouse" dish pattern, or blue dishes would be perfect. Asian food is great on black or floral dishes. Hamburgers? Red, white and blue!
15. When making grilled cheese sandwiches, use a thin layer of cream cheese alongside your typical slice of cheddar. Serve with a knock-out salad or your favorite soup.
16. Set aside a Saturday for Candy making. Try out fudge, taffy and even molded candies. If you have someone in the kitchen with you, it's even funner. If not, at least you don't have to share your spoils!
17. Make a tradition out of trying a new, challenging bread recipe on the first Sunday of every month (or any day of your choice, of course!) Start out with the basic loaf, then move on to Sourdough, Wheat, Irish Bread, French Bread, Twisted Loaves, etc.
18. Place sprigs of parsley on special dishes. Your family will appreciate the extra-special thought and it looks really pretty!
19. Buy thick "Texas Toast" for making French Toast. Prior to dipping into the egg bath, cut a slit in each of the bread's corners, fill each with 1 Tablespoon of softened cream cheese. Prepare as you normally would. Serve with syrup, a dusting of powdered sugar and a few fresh, plump strawberries. Delicious!!!
20. When serving Refried Beans, warm a small amount of Sour Cream until it has the consistency of whipping cream. Top each serving of beans with a teaspoon of the sour cream and top with chives or diced green onions.
Remember: Cooking is an artBusiness Management Articles, so get creative and have fun with it!
2. After icing your cinnamon rolls, dust the tops lightly with cinnamon.
3. Always use special napkins - use seasonally-appropriate patterns and colors. If your family has a favorite sports team, serve their colors on the days they're playing. If you are NASCAR fans, by all means, go with your driver's colors on race day!
4. Never underestimate the elegance of candles. They set the mood and add mood to your setting.
5. Use freshly-grated Parmesan and leave the cans on the shelves.
6. Serve only coffee that has been freshly-ground and freshly-brewed. Top this coffee off with a dollop of whipped topping, and if you're really feeling "high brow", fresh shavings from a block of chocolate.
7. Use REAL crumbled bacon on top of your salads and baked potatoes. Leave the plastic containers of wanna-be bacon bits on the shelves beside the Parmesan.
8. Speaking of salads, add crumbled feta cheese to your tossed salads. You'll never want salads without it again!
9. Never, ever, under any circumstances - make salsa without fresh cilantro. If your store is out, drive to the next store. If, three stores later, you still haven't found any cilantro, skip the idea of salsa all together! Yes, it's that important.
10. Add zip to your loaf of French Bread. Spray, or brush, the top of the loaf with olive oil. Then sprinkle on dried red pepper flakes and dried onion flakes. Bake as usual.
11. Get a rounded ice-cream scoop of ice cream, roll in crushed nuts and serve on top of a plate that's been swirled with caramel or chocolate syrup. Then squeeze more over the top.
12. Do the same as above, but use coconut in place of the crushed nuts. This time, place the balls of coconut-covered ice cream on top of slices of pound cake. Now, pour some pineapple bits, juice and all, on top of the servings.
13. Serving Italian food? Softly play Italian music in the background.
14. Invest in several sets of dishes, as many as your budget will allow. Match the "mood" of your meal you're serving with the "mood" of the dishes you'll be serving it on. For example, if you're serving seafood, either a "Lighthouse" dish pattern, or blue dishes would be perfect. Asian food is great on black or floral dishes. Hamburgers? Red, white and blue!
15. When making grilled cheese sandwiches, use a thin layer of cream cheese alongside your typical slice of cheddar. Serve with a knock-out salad or your favorite soup.
16. Set aside a Saturday for Candy making. Try out fudge, taffy and even molded candies. If you have someone in the kitchen with you, it's even funner. If not, at least you don't have to share your spoils!
17. Make a tradition out of trying a new, challenging bread recipe on the first Sunday of every month (or any day of your choice, of course!) Start out with the basic loaf, then move on to Sourdough, Wheat, Irish Bread, French Bread, Twisted Loaves, etc.
18. Place sprigs of parsley on special dishes. Your family will appreciate the extra-special thought and it looks really pretty!
19. Buy thick "Texas Toast" for making French Toast. Prior to dipping into the egg bath, cut a slit in each of the bread's corners, fill each with 1 Tablespoon of softened cream cheese. Prepare as you normally would. Serve with syrup, a dusting of powdered sugar and a few fresh, plump strawberries. Delicious!!!
20. When serving Refried Beans, warm a small amount of Sour Cream until it has the consistency of whipping cream. Top each serving of beans with a teaspoon of the sour cream and top with chives or diced green onions.
Remember: Cooking is an artBusiness Management Articles, so get creative and have fun with it!
Camping Cookware Comparisons Which Is Best For Camp Cooking
What type of camping cookware is best for you? Camp cooking and clean-up can be easy or a hassle, it all starts with great camping equipment.
Camping cookware, like any camping equipment, should be versatile and tough. A lot of campers have a set of cookware just for camping because they don't want to risk damaging their good kitchen set and/or it's easier to keep all your camping gear organized and ready-to-go in big plastic bin(s). Kitchen cookware usually won't last long in the field anyway. Camp cooking outdoors can be a lot more demanding than what most kitchen utensils are made for.
Heavy duty camping cookware is not only a good idea, it's almost a necessity. If you're camp cooking and your only pan cracks or burns through making it unusable, you're either going to have to find a way to use tin foil creatively or eat cold sandwiches the rest of your camping trip.
Remember to get camping cookware with tight-fitting lids to help heat food on your camping stove more quickly and to help save fuel, this is especially important to hikers that carry everything. I'd stay away from non-stick coatings as it only takes over-heating them once and the surface is junk. Also once the surface is scorched the chemical make-up is permanently changed and I'm not sure how healthy it would be for you. Non-stick surfaces can also scratch, it's hard enough keeping them in good shape at home let alone camping or hiking.
Some pots/pans come in sets that mate together or "nest" for storage and even allow you to tuck a canister of fuel inside them. This comes in handy when you're looking to save room while camping.
Look for camping cookware with rounded corners/edges to help reduce hot-spots and for ease of cleaning.
Remember that most camping cookware handles can get hot so bring something you can use to protect your hands. For quicker boiling and heating look for camping cookware with black colored bottoms because it will absorb heat better and save you some fuel.
Backpackers: One liter pots are a good size for two people who don't eat much, if you and you're buddy have a normal appetite you'll want to use a 1.5 liter pot. A two liter should supply about three hikers with a bigger appetite each with a good-size meal. If you're in a bigger group you'll want to bump up the size.
There are several different types of camping cookware and they have different advantages and disadvantages...
Aluminum pans and cookware: Advantages: Lightweight, heat quickly, and cheap. Disadvantages: Possible link to Alzheimer's, food has a tendency to stick, hot spot heating can easily burn food so you'll want to stir it, hard to clean, can taste bad, pans can get bent/dinged easilyFree Articles, and aluminum has a tendency to react with foods. I've seen tomato sauce eat through...
If you'd like more information on camping cookware please click here for the whole article. You may also want to take a look at this related article on how to pick the best camping stove for your use.
Camping cookware, like any camping equipment, should be versatile and tough. A lot of campers have a set of cookware just for camping because they don't want to risk damaging their good kitchen set and/or it's easier to keep all your camping gear organized and ready-to-go in big plastic bin(s). Kitchen cookware usually won't last long in the field anyway. Camp cooking outdoors can be a lot more demanding than what most kitchen utensils are made for.
Heavy duty camping cookware is not only a good idea, it's almost a necessity. If you're camp cooking and your only pan cracks or burns through making it unusable, you're either going to have to find a way to use tin foil creatively or eat cold sandwiches the rest of your camping trip.
Remember to get camping cookware with tight-fitting lids to help heat food on your camping stove more quickly and to help save fuel, this is especially important to hikers that carry everything. I'd stay away from non-stick coatings as it only takes over-heating them once and the surface is junk. Also once the surface is scorched the chemical make-up is permanently changed and I'm not sure how healthy it would be for you. Non-stick surfaces can also scratch, it's hard enough keeping them in good shape at home let alone camping or hiking.
Some pots/pans come in sets that mate together or "nest" for storage and even allow you to tuck a canister of fuel inside them. This comes in handy when you're looking to save room while camping.
Look for camping cookware with rounded corners/edges to help reduce hot-spots and for ease of cleaning.
Remember that most camping cookware handles can get hot so bring something you can use to protect your hands. For quicker boiling and heating look for camping cookware with black colored bottoms because it will absorb heat better and save you some fuel.
Backpackers: One liter pots are a good size for two people who don't eat much, if you and you're buddy have a normal appetite you'll want to use a 1.5 liter pot. A two liter should supply about three hikers with a bigger appetite each with a good-size meal. If you're in a bigger group you'll want to bump up the size.
There are several different types of camping cookware and they have different advantages and disadvantages...
Aluminum pans and cookware: Advantages: Lightweight, heat quickly, and cheap. Disadvantages: Possible link to Alzheimer's, food has a tendency to stick, hot spot heating can easily burn food so you'll want to stir it, hard to clean, can taste bad, pans can get bent/dinged easilyFree Articles, and aluminum has a tendency to react with foods. I've seen tomato sauce eat through...
If you'd like more information on camping cookware please click here for the whole article. You may also want to take a look at this related article on how to pick the best camping stove for your use.
Cooking Aprons An Overview
We all take notice of the chefs in our favorite restaurant, at one point or another. We recognize them by their signature hats and chef aprons. Chefs have used cooking aprons for a countless number of...
Chefs wear cooking aprons for several reasons. One reason is that they are dealing with a variety of food ingredients for many hours each day. They have to have a means of keeping their clothing free from dirt, stains and odors. They also need pockets to carry utensils from one part of the kitchen to another. Chef aprons serve a variety of purposes and most of us will admit that chefs wearing cooking aprons have a more professional look.
Men and women have worn kitchen aprons for centuries. Traditionally, women have been the primary homemakers in a family. Although times have certainly changed and things are not as cut-and-dry as they were before, the same tends to hold true. Kitchen aprons have been an important piece of attire in women's history. The use of cooking aprons likely precedes that of written history with several scholars noting the use of aprons even in the time of Adam and Eve.
Kitchen aprons, or cooking aprons, have been worn to protect clothing from dirt, grime and smelly odors. They serve as a towel to dry freshly scrubbed hands. The pockets of kitchen aprons have been a wonderful tool for carrying utensils, kindling wood or even an occasional treat for a child. It is simply amazing to consider the long and rich history of cooking aprons and how they have changed along with societal standards. Today’s kitchen aprons still serve the same functional purposes but tend to come in a larger variety of stylesFree Reprint Articles, colors and with catchy one-liners.
Chefs wear cooking aprons for several reasons. One reason is that they are dealing with a variety of food ingredients for many hours each day. They have to have a means of keeping their clothing free from dirt, stains and odors. They also need pockets to carry utensils from one part of the kitchen to another. Chef aprons serve a variety of purposes and most of us will admit that chefs wearing cooking aprons have a more professional look.
Men and women have worn kitchen aprons for centuries. Traditionally, women have been the primary homemakers in a family. Although times have certainly changed and things are not as cut-and-dry as they were before, the same tends to hold true. Kitchen aprons have been an important piece of attire in women's history. The use of cooking aprons likely precedes that of written history with several scholars noting the use of aprons even in the time of Adam and Eve.
Kitchen aprons, or cooking aprons, have been worn to protect clothing from dirt, grime and smelly odors. They serve as a towel to dry freshly scrubbed hands. The pockets of kitchen aprons have been a wonderful tool for carrying utensils, kindling wood or even an occasional treat for a child. It is simply amazing to consider the long and rich history of cooking aprons and how they have changed along with societal standards. Today’s kitchen aprons still serve the same functional purposes but tend to come in a larger variety of stylesFree Reprint Articles, colors and with catchy one-liners.
Special Ingredients Shark Fins and Birds Nest
There are wide variety of ingredients in Chinese cooking. In this chapter I'll introduce the two finest and most expensive ingredients in Chinese cooking.
There are wide variety of ingredients in Chinese cooking. The ingredients that we normally see can be divided into two major kinds: vegetable and animal. Vegetable ingredients can be further divided into vegetables, beans, fresh fruits, dried fruits, seasonings, vegetable fat, etc. Animal ingredients can be further divided into meat, internal organs (not everyone likes them), poltry, aquatic product, egg product. There are also a selection of special ingredients that we don't often use in our daily cooking. They are either rare and expensive that we only see them in high class hotels or restuarants, or we use them for special occasions, or from time to time when we want something different for a change. Some of these inexpensive special ingredients are getting more popular nowadays due to their nutritional values and unique tastes. In this chapter I'll introduce the two finest and most expensive ingredients in Chinese cooking. Shark Fins Shark fins are one of the finest delicacies in Chinese food. They are dried in one of two forms - whole or shredded and formed into a square. The best are from Africa.
Method for preparation:
1. Wash shark fins and boil for 30 minutes
2. Soak in cold water for 2 hours and remove rough skin.
3. Simmer for another 3 hours and soak 4 hours in cold water.
4. Remove soft bones, be careful not to break shark fin pieces. Change water and simmer for 3 hours.
5. Soak again in cold water until soft
6. Boil with fresh ginger for 1 ~ 2 times to remove smell from shark fins. Place in deep casserole, add chicken soup stock and steam for 1 hour. Do not use iron pot as shark fins will turn dark in color.
Bird's Nest Bird's nest, one of the most delicate ingredients in Chinese cooking, is produced in Annam, Thailand and Singapore regions. The Annam bird's nest is considered to be the best in both quality and color.
Method for preparation:
1. Soak bird's nest for 3 ~ 4 hours in cold water, remove pinfeathers and foreign particles with a pincette, rinse well and soften in hot water.
2. Place softened bird's nest in soup stock seasoned with salt and cooking wineFree Reprint Articles, steam for about 30 minutes and serve.
There are wide variety of ingredients in Chinese cooking. The ingredients that we normally see can be divided into two major kinds: vegetable and animal. Vegetable ingredients can be further divided into vegetables, beans, fresh fruits, dried fruits, seasonings, vegetable fat, etc. Animal ingredients can be further divided into meat, internal organs (not everyone likes them), poltry, aquatic product, egg product. There are also a selection of special ingredients that we don't often use in our daily cooking. They are either rare and expensive that we only see them in high class hotels or restuarants, or we use them for special occasions, or from time to time when we want something different for a change. Some of these inexpensive special ingredients are getting more popular nowadays due to their nutritional values and unique tastes. In this chapter I'll introduce the two finest and most expensive ingredients in Chinese cooking. Shark Fins Shark fins are one of the finest delicacies in Chinese food. They are dried in one of two forms - whole or shredded and formed into a square. The best are from Africa.
Method for preparation:
1. Wash shark fins and boil for 30 minutes
2. Soak in cold water for 2 hours and remove rough skin.
3. Simmer for another 3 hours and soak 4 hours in cold water.
4. Remove soft bones, be careful not to break shark fin pieces. Change water and simmer for 3 hours.
5. Soak again in cold water until soft
6. Boil with fresh ginger for 1 ~ 2 times to remove smell from shark fins. Place in deep casserole, add chicken soup stock and steam for 1 hour. Do not use iron pot as shark fins will turn dark in color.
Bird's Nest Bird's nest, one of the most delicate ingredients in Chinese cooking, is produced in Annam, Thailand and Singapore regions. The Annam bird's nest is considered to be the best in both quality and color.
Method for preparation:
1. Soak bird's nest for 3 ~ 4 hours in cold water, remove pinfeathers and foreign particles with a pincette, rinse well and soften in hot water.
2. Place softened bird's nest in soup stock seasoned with salt and cooking wineFree Reprint Articles, steam for about 30 minutes and serve.
How To Spice Up Your Outdoor Cooking with Online Camping Recipes
outdoors. The scent of fresh air, the harmonious singing of birds, and the awesome panoramic view seem to beckon the beauty of one’s soul and enhance the senses. That makes cooking outdoors such a wonderful experience.
There’s something so amazing about cooking in the outdoors. The scent of fresh air, the harmonious singing of birds, and the awesome panoramic view seem to beckon the beauty of one’s soul and enhance the senses. That makes cooking outdoors such a wonderful experience.
Simple outdoor cooking is good enough in itself - toasting marshmallows, hotdogs and stuff. But, have you ever wondered how to fix up some gourmet meal or inventing a new dish while you’re outdoors?Now, that sounds like a lot of fun. In fact, that’s very possible. But, of course you need some preparation on this one. When your family is out there in the open and far from the comforts of modern civilization, it’s always advisable to be prepared for anything, whether it be a bear attack, bad weather, or surprising circumstances like your children getting sick.
Even cooking itself needs a whole lot of preparation. The cooking utensils, ingredients, food containers, including the camping recipes must be carefully laid out so you don’t mess up and ruin the chance of having a great fun outdoors.
So, you may be asking where can I find all those camping recipes? Well, choosing your camping recipes is not a problem at all. If you don’t have that much patience in scanning your recipe books, you can just go online and browse on lots of camping recipes available on several campers’ sites. There are tons of camping recipes for every kind of person all with unique and interesting names – from a 15-minute recipe called ants on a log, which kids would love to a 45-minute hunter’s stew. Also, if your family’s health is a concern, there are websites that offer healthy camping recipes of all sorts. For those who just can’t do away with fast food and junk foods, there are also available mouth-watering camping recipes that you would surely love. Some websites even have gourmet camping recipes for people who are used to dining out in expensive restaurants, which you can duplicate in just a matter of minutes.
The variety of camping recipes online gives you and your family a chance to experiment on several food ingredients, which may enhance your cooking skills.
But wait, before you start downloading some of these camping recipes, bear a few important things in mind. When picking among these camping recipes online, be reminded of your family’s food preference and tastes, as well as the availability of the ingredients of the recipes you’ve chosen. Consider also those camping recipes that are healthy for everyone.
Finally, don’t go picking any camping recipes just because it seems good enough for your taste budsFeature Articles, choose that which would fit to your budget also.
There’s something so amazing about cooking in the outdoors. The scent of fresh air, the harmonious singing of birds, and the awesome panoramic view seem to beckon the beauty of one’s soul and enhance the senses. That makes cooking outdoors such a wonderful experience.
Simple outdoor cooking is good enough in itself - toasting marshmallows, hotdogs and stuff. But, have you ever wondered how to fix up some gourmet meal or inventing a new dish while you’re outdoors?Now, that sounds like a lot of fun. In fact, that’s very possible. But, of course you need some preparation on this one. When your family is out there in the open and far from the comforts of modern civilization, it’s always advisable to be prepared for anything, whether it be a bear attack, bad weather, or surprising circumstances like your children getting sick.
Even cooking itself needs a whole lot of preparation. The cooking utensils, ingredients, food containers, including the camping recipes must be carefully laid out so you don’t mess up and ruin the chance of having a great fun outdoors.
So, you may be asking where can I find all those camping recipes? Well, choosing your camping recipes is not a problem at all. If you don’t have that much patience in scanning your recipe books, you can just go online and browse on lots of camping recipes available on several campers’ sites. There are tons of camping recipes for every kind of person all with unique and interesting names – from a 15-minute recipe called ants on a log, which kids would love to a 45-minute hunter’s stew. Also, if your family’s health is a concern, there are websites that offer healthy camping recipes of all sorts. For those who just can’t do away with fast food and junk foods, there are also available mouth-watering camping recipes that you would surely love. Some websites even have gourmet camping recipes for people who are used to dining out in expensive restaurants, which you can duplicate in just a matter of minutes.
The variety of camping recipes online gives you and your family a chance to experiment on several food ingredients, which may enhance your cooking skills.
But wait, before you start downloading some of these camping recipes, bear a few important things in mind. When picking among these camping recipes online, be reminded of your family’s food preference and tastes, as well as the availability of the ingredients of the recipes you’ve chosen. Consider also those camping recipes that are healthy for everyone.
Finally, don’t go picking any camping recipes just because it seems good enough for your taste budsFeature Articles, choose that which would fit to your budget also.
Dutch Oven Cooking Basics
When you think of a cast iron Dutch oven, what comes to your mind? Pioneer cooking? Stews over the open fire?
Of coarse both are true, but they are still very much in use today and as for the Dutch oven, the possibilities are endless.
Dutch ovens can be used for frying, baking, boiling, and steaming as well.
Purchasing Your Dutch Oven
When purchasing your Dutch oven, make sure the lid has a raised ridge. This is to hold your heat source, which will be briquettes.
This will help you to reach the proper temperature needed for whatever cooking you are wanting to do , with the exception of boiling or frying.
In which case you would want all the heat on the bottom.
Heating Fundimentals
If you are planning on baking, you need more heat on the top than on the bottom.
Put one briquette on the bottom for every 3 on the top of the lid.
For preparing stews, use one on the top for every 4 on the bottom. When roasting, put briquettes on the top and bottom evenly.
Best Temperature
To understand the temperature and number of briquettes needed takes a little math.
Each briquette adds about 25 degrees of heat.
A good starting temperature is 350 degrees F.
To figure out how many briquettes to use, take the size of the oven in inches, and subract three to get the number of briquettes for under it, and add three to get the number of briquettes for the top.
Preparing To Cure Your Dutch Oven
Now that you understand the basics of using your Dutch oven you need to prepare or cure your oven before using it.
Some cast iron ovens have a protective covering which you will need to remove .
You will need to do some scrubbing with a non-abrasive scubber.
Once the covering is removed, rinse and dry the oven and then let it air dry.
Curing It
To cure your oven, pre-heat your kitchen stove to 350 degrees. Place the Dutch oven on the center rack, with the lid open slightly.
Allow it to heat slowly until it is too hot to handle. Apply a thin layer of salt free cooking oil with a clean cloth to the Dutch oven inside and out.
Place your oven back inside the stove with the lid slightly open. Bake your oven for about an hour.
Repeat
After baking , allow the Dutch oven to cool slowly.
When it is cool enough to handle, repeat the oil again the same as before and bake again.
When cool enough apply a third layer of oil, but this time it is ready for use.
Preparing your Dutch oven in this way prevents rust and makes for much easier cleaning as well
Cleaning
To clean your oven after use, scrape it out, add warm water, without soap, and heat it in the oven until the water is almost boiling.
For any food that sticks a little, use a non-abrasive scrubber.
Protect your Dutch oven again by warming it in the stoveComputer Technology Articles, applying a thin coating of oil and letting it cool. Its now ready for storage.
Of coarse both are true, but they are still very much in use today and as for the Dutch oven, the possibilities are endless.
Dutch ovens can be used for frying, baking, boiling, and steaming as well.
Purchasing Your Dutch Oven
When purchasing your Dutch oven, make sure the lid has a raised ridge. This is to hold your heat source, which will be briquettes.
This will help you to reach the proper temperature needed for whatever cooking you are wanting to do , with the exception of boiling or frying.
In which case you would want all the heat on the bottom.
Heating Fundimentals
If you are planning on baking, you need more heat on the top than on the bottom.
Put one briquette on the bottom for every 3 on the top of the lid.
For preparing stews, use one on the top for every 4 on the bottom. When roasting, put briquettes on the top and bottom evenly.
Best Temperature
To understand the temperature and number of briquettes needed takes a little math.
Each briquette adds about 25 degrees of heat.
A good starting temperature is 350 degrees F.
To figure out how many briquettes to use, take the size of the oven in inches, and subract three to get the number of briquettes for under it, and add three to get the number of briquettes for the top.
Preparing To Cure Your Dutch Oven
Now that you understand the basics of using your Dutch oven you need to prepare or cure your oven before using it.
Some cast iron ovens have a protective covering which you will need to remove .
You will need to do some scrubbing with a non-abrasive scubber.
Once the covering is removed, rinse and dry the oven and then let it air dry.
Curing It
To cure your oven, pre-heat your kitchen stove to 350 degrees. Place the Dutch oven on the center rack, with the lid open slightly.
Allow it to heat slowly until it is too hot to handle. Apply a thin layer of salt free cooking oil with a clean cloth to the Dutch oven inside and out.
Place your oven back inside the stove with the lid slightly open. Bake your oven for about an hour.
Repeat
After baking , allow the Dutch oven to cool slowly.
When it is cool enough to handle, repeat the oil again the same as before and bake again.
When cool enough apply a third layer of oil, but this time it is ready for use.
Preparing your Dutch oven in this way prevents rust and makes for much easier cleaning as well
Cleaning
To clean your oven after use, scrape it out, add warm water, without soap, and heat it in the oven until the water is almost boiling.
For any food that sticks a little, use a non-abrasive scrubber.
Protect your Dutch oven again by warming it in the stoveComputer Technology Articles, applying a thin coating of oil and letting it cool. Its now ready for storage.
Chinese cooking Special ingredients
I have briefly introduced two most classic and expensive Chinese cooking ingredients (shark fins and bird's nest) in my previous article. Here I'll continue to introduce some other special ingredients that are more regularly used in our daily cooking. They are quite affordable, of course, not like shark fins and bird's nest, people can only dream about in China unless you don't know where to spend your money on.
I have briefly introduced two most classic and expensive Chinese cooking ingredients (shark fins and bird's nest) in my previous article. Here I'll continue to introduce some other special ingredients that are more regularly used in our daily cooking. They are far more affordable. Not like shark fins and bird's nest, people can only dream about in China unless you have plenty of money and don't know where to spend.
Jellyfish
Jellyfish is preserved in salt and alum. Large, thin and translucent ones are especially good served as appetizer. It is produced in the South Seas and along seaboards of China, Korea and Japan. The South Seas product is considered to be of the best quality.
Method of Preparation
1. Soak jellyfish over night, change water and soak for one more day.
2. Roll the jellyfish up and shred
3. Dip in boiling water for a few seconds and quickly rinse in cold water and drain.
4. Season with vinegar, salt and sugar. Serve
Note: There are many other ways to cook jellyfish
Preserved Eggs
Duck eggs thickly coated with a mixture of salt, lime and rice husks are preserved in a cool, dark place for about three months. The interior becomes brownish black in color due to fermentation. Remove lime crust and shell, rinse clean, cut lengthwise into six pieces and serve wit shredded ginger, vinegar and soy sauce as an appetizer.
Dried Bêche-De-Mer
The best bêche-de-mer or sea cucumber when dried is black in color, as that produced in Hokkaido, Japan. It may be sautéed, stewed or braised.
To soften: Wash, cover with water and bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Slit the middle lengthwise and clean inside. Rinse, cover with water and bring to boil again. remove from heat, place on lid, and let stand for three days.
Dried Shrimps
Dried shrimps after soaking in warm water for about 10 minutes may be used in soups and sautéed dishes, or served cold as an appetizer.
Dried Scallops
Dried scallops have a delicate flavor and after softening in hot water, may be used in soups or other dishes as with dried shrimps.
Preserved Szechwan (SiChuan, in mandarin) Vegetable
This vegetable is the bulb of mustard green preserved in chili, salt and spices, produced in Szechwan, China, and has a unique flavor. It may be used in soups, sautéed dishes or simply sliced and served as an appetizer. People from north of China normally eat it along with rice congee as breakfast.
Cloud Ears
There are black and white varieties of cloud ears and the white variety being much more expensive, is used only in special dishes. Most of the Japanese product is either black or dark brown in color. Softened in warm water, it may be used in soups and sautéed or braised dishes.
Bean Thread - Chinese Vermicelli
Chinese vermicelli made from bean starch is translucent in appearance and does not melt under long cooking. It may be used in soups or braised dishes after softening in warm water.
Variegated Mushrooms
The top of this mushroom is variegated with cracks resembling that of a turtle shell. This flavorful mushroom is used in many of the delicate dishesPsychology Articles, and may also be served deep fried. You may freely republish this article as long as author bio and active hyperlinks are kept intact. Thank you!
I have briefly introduced two most classic and expensive Chinese cooking ingredients (shark fins and bird's nest) in my previous article. Here I'll continue to introduce some other special ingredients that are more regularly used in our daily cooking. They are far more affordable. Not like shark fins and bird's nest, people can only dream about in China unless you have plenty of money and don't know where to spend.
Jellyfish
Jellyfish is preserved in salt and alum. Large, thin and translucent ones are especially good served as appetizer. It is produced in the South Seas and along seaboards of China, Korea and Japan. The South Seas product is considered to be of the best quality.
Method of Preparation
1. Soak jellyfish over night, change water and soak for one more day.
2. Roll the jellyfish up and shred
3. Dip in boiling water for a few seconds and quickly rinse in cold water and drain.
4. Season with vinegar, salt and sugar. Serve
Note: There are many other ways to cook jellyfish
Preserved Eggs
Duck eggs thickly coated with a mixture of salt, lime and rice husks are preserved in a cool, dark place for about three months. The interior becomes brownish black in color due to fermentation. Remove lime crust and shell, rinse clean, cut lengthwise into six pieces and serve wit shredded ginger, vinegar and soy sauce as an appetizer.
Dried Bêche-De-Mer
The best bêche-de-mer or sea cucumber when dried is black in color, as that produced in Hokkaido, Japan. It may be sautéed, stewed or braised.
To soften: Wash, cover with water and bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Slit the middle lengthwise and clean inside. Rinse, cover with water and bring to boil again. remove from heat, place on lid, and let stand for three days.
Dried Shrimps
Dried shrimps after soaking in warm water for about 10 minutes may be used in soups and sautéed dishes, or served cold as an appetizer.
Dried Scallops
Dried scallops have a delicate flavor and after softening in hot water, may be used in soups or other dishes as with dried shrimps.
Preserved Szechwan (SiChuan, in mandarin) Vegetable
This vegetable is the bulb of mustard green preserved in chili, salt and spices, produced in Szechwan, China, and has a unique flavor. It may be used in soups, sautéed dishes or simply sliced and served as an appetizer. People from north of China normally eat it along with rice congee as breakfast.
Cloud Ears
There are black and white varieties of cloud ears and the white variety being much more expensive, is used only in special dishes. Most of the Japanese product is either black or dark brown in color. Softened in warm water, it may be used in soups and sautéed or braised dishes.
Bean Thread - Chinese Vermicelli
Chinese vermicelli made from bean starch is translucent in appearance and does not melt under long cooking. It may be used in soups or braised dishes after softening in warm water.
Variegated Mushrooms
The top of this mushroom is variegated with cracks resembling that of a turtle shell. This flavorful mushroom is used in many of the delicate dishesPsychology Articles, and may also be served deep fried. You may freely republish this article as long as author bio and active hyperlinks are kept intact. Thank you!
Whats So Great About Slow Cooking Anyway
As I walked through the grocery store aisles a few weeks ago, I noticed the increase in prepackaged slow cooker meals. I’ve been using my slow cooker and reaping the rewards for years, so it was no real surprise to me when others started proclaiming the benefits of cooking with a crock pot. Why did it take the rest of the country so long to catch up? With this increase in popularity, I’ve recently been asked by a few ‘newbies’ ‘What’s so great about slow cooking anyway?’
That’s an easy question to answer even if all you’ve ever done is make chicken stew with your slow cooker. It’s just so dang simple and the food tastes better when cooked slowly and evenly in a crock pot.
I’m a work at home mom. I operate a Family Child Care and also have a busy online business, both of which keep me going all day long. That on top of my daughter’s activities and the in and out nature of my husband’s business, we’re usually searching for time to sit down and eat, especially eating together as a family. There’s where the slow cooker comes in handy. I have tons of slow cooker recipes, and can find just about anything to cook that my kids and picky husband will like to eat.
Since I work at home, having the kitchen stay a comfortable temperature is a must, as I spend quite a bit of time there preparing meals and snacks for my day care kids. I use my crock pot year round, and love its usefulness during the warm weather months when I can fix the beginnings of the meal in the morning when I’ve got other ‘stuff’ out on the counter anyway, put it all in the pot, and then clean up the whole mess when I’m done. The crock pot requires very little clean up itself, so there you have yet another major reason for why slow cooking is so great.
For those of you who work away from home, consider this scenario: As the day goes along, the slow cooker is busy fixing your meal for you, and when you walk through the door at the end of another grueling day at work, your dinner is waiting. All you need to do, depending on the recipe you’ve selected, is prepare a side dish or salad, add some bread, set the table, and call the family in to eat. Simple, simple, simple; and very satisfying to come home to.
Here is a favorite slow cooker recipe that you can try with your family. I’m sure you’ll all love it.
Country-Style Crock Pot Chicken
6 carrots, sliced
6 celery stalks, sliced
8 chicken pieces
1 can (10-3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1/3 c or chicken broth
2 tsp cornstarch
Slice vegetables place in crock pot. Place chicken on vegetables. Spread undiluted soup over chicken. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix. Do not add any water. Cook on High 4 hours, or until chicken is done. Stir often. 10 minutes before serving, mix broth and cornstarch. Pour over chickenHealth Fitness Articles, stir well. Serves 4.
That’s an easy question to answer even if all you’ve ever done is make chicken stew with your slow cooker. It’s just so dang simple and the food tastes better when cooked slowly and evenly in a crock pot.
I’m a work at home mom. I operate a Family Child Care and also have a busy online business, both of which keep me going all day long. That on top of my daughter’s activities and the in and out nature of my husband’s business, we’re usually searching for time to sit down and eat, especially eating together as a family. There’s where the slow cooker comes in handy. I have tons of slow cooker recipes, and can find just about anything to cook that my kids and picky husband will like to eat.
Since I work at home, having the kitchen stay a comfortable temperature is a must, as I spend quite a bit of time there preparing meals and snacks for my day care kids. I use my crock pot year round, and love its usefulness during the warm weather months when I can fix the beginnings of the meal in the morning when I’ve got other ‘stuff’ out on the counter anyway, put it all in the pot, and then clean up the whole mess when I’m done. The crock pot requires very little clean up itself, so there you have yet another major reason for why slow cooking is so great.
For those of you who work away from home, consider this scenario: As the day goes along, the slow cooker is busy fixing your meal for you, and when you walk through the door at the end of another grueling day at work, your dinner is waiting. All you need to do, depending on the recipe you’ve selected, is prepare a side dish or salad, add some bread, set the table, and call the family in to eat. Simple, simple, simple; and very satisfying to come home to.
Here is a favorite slow cooker recipe that you can try with your family. I’m sure you’ll all love it.
Country-Style Crock Pot Chicken
6 carrots, sliced
6 celery stalks, sliced
8 chicken pieces
1 can (10-3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1/3 c or chicken broth
2 tsp cornstarch
Slice vegetables place in crock pot. Place chicken on vegetables. Spread undiluted soup over chicken. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix. Do not add any water. Cook on High 4 hours, or until chicken is done. Stir often. 10 minutes before serving, mix broth and cornstarch. Pour over chickenHealth Fitness Articles, stir well. Serves 4.
Chinese Cooking Where Do I Start
When a cook, new to Chinese cooking, wants to attempt Chinese cooking, more often then not, he or she may be stunted with the wide variety of ingredients required. For starters, here are the basic ingredients for a Chinese pantry startup.
1. Vegetable Oil
Vegetable oil (such as corn oil, soybean oil or peanut oil) is the most basic ingredient in Chinese cooking and often used because of it’s higher smoking point (441° to 450°F) as compared to olive oil (about 375°F). The higher the smoke point, the better suited the oil is for frying, reason being, if the oil is heated to the point that its smoke point is exceeded, it starts to emit smoke and acrid odors and this may transfer an unpleasant flavor to the food. For stir-frying, olive oil can still be used, but definitely not virgin olive oil or extra virgin olive oil. However, for deep-frying, you should only use vegetable oil.
2. Light Soy Sauce
There are two basic types of soy sauce used in Chinese cooking. As the name suggests, soy sauce is made from soy beans.
Light soy sauce is a thin, dark brown sauce. It is used mainly for seasoning and is saltier than dark soy sauce.
3. Dark Soy Sauce
Dark soy sauce is darker and slightly thicker because it has been aged longer. It has a richer taste, is slightly sweeter and less salty than light soy sauce.
Dark soy sauce can be used to flavor a dish and also to add color. However, be careful not to add too much dark soy sauce at once as its dark color can ruin the appearance of the dish.
4. Oyster Sauce
A dark brown rich sauce, oyster sauce is made from boiling oysters and seasonings and is used to enhance the flavor of many savory foods such as meat and vegetable dishes. An ingredient often used as a topping for steamed vegetables such as kailan and in stir fries, a small bottle of oyster sauce can be expensive, but because only a little is required each time, a bottle can actually last quite long.
5. White Pepper
White pepper is black peppercorn with the skin removed. Some say that white pepper tastes milder than black pepper.
White pepper is mainly used for aesthetic reasons, example when you do not want to see black flecks on your chicken, fish dish, rice congee or if you are making a light sauce.
6. Salt
Used as a flavor enhancer and in all types of cooking, Chinese cooking included.
7. Cornstarch (also known as corn flour)
Cornstarch does not add much flavor to a dish. Instead, they are used to seal in juices, coat meat with a shiny glaze, and thicken sauces and soups.
You will typically use equal amounts of cold water to mix with cornstarch to form a paste. Cold water (as opposed to hot water) is used so as to avoid lumps. When the paste forms, whisk it into the liquid you're trying to thicken. Cook briefly only, to remove the starchy flavor, else if overcooked, liquids thickened with some starches will thin again if cooked too long or at too high a temperature.
8. Garlic
Used as a flavor enhancer usually in Chinese stir-fry.
9. Ginger Root (or fresh ginger)
Mature ginger has a light golden brown thin skin. Fibrous and nearly dry, mature ginger roots are commonly used as a spice in Chinese cooking, to neutralize strong fishy flavors and to add its own aroma to dishes such as seafood and mutton.
Young ginger roots have a pinkish soft skin with a very mild taste. Juicy and fleshyBusiness Management Articles, young ginger roots are most commonly pickled in a vinegar mixture and served with century eggs (preserved eggs).
1. Vegetable Oil
Vegetable oil (such as corn oil, soybean oil or peanut oil) is the most basic ingredient in Chinese cooking and often used because of it’s higher smoking point (441° to 450°F) as compared to olive oil (about 375°F). The higher the smoke point, the better suited the oil is for frying, reason being, if the oil is heated to the point that its smoke point is exceeded, it starts to emit smoke and acrid odors and this may transfer an unpleasant flavor to the food. For stir-frying, olive oil can still be used, but definitely not virgin olive oil or extra virgin olive oil. However, for deep-frying, you should only use vegetable oil.
2. Light Soy Sauce
There are two basic types of soy sauce used in Chinese cooking. As the name suggests, soy sauce is made from soy beans.
Light soy sauce is a thin, dark brown sauce. It is used mainly for seasoning and is saltier than dark soy sauce.
3. Dark Soy Sauce
Dark soy sauce is darker and slightly thicker because it has been aged longer. It has a richer taste, is slightly sweeter and less salty than light soy sauce.
Dark soy sauce can be used to flavor a dish and also to add color. However, be careful not to add too much dark soy sauce at once as its dark color can ruin the appearance of the dish.
4. Oyster Sauce
A dark brown rich sauce, oyster sauce is made from boiling oysters and seasonings and is used to enhance the flavor of many savory foods such as meat and vegetable dishes. An ingredient often used as a topping for steamed vegetables such as kailan and in stir fries, a small bottle of oyster sauce can be expensive, but because only a little is required each time, a bottle can actually last quite long.
5. White Pepper
White pepper is black peppercorn with the skin removed. Some say that white pepper tastes milder than black pepper.
White pepper is mainly used for aesthetic reasons, example when you do not want to see black flecks on your chicken, fish dish, rice congee or if you are making a light sauce.
6. Salt
Used as a flavor enhancer and in all types of cooking, Chinese cooking included.
7. Cornstarch (also known as corn flour)
Cornstarch does not add much flavor to a dish. Instead, they are used to seal in juices, coat meat with a shiny glaze, and thicken sauces and soups.
You will typically use equal amounts of cold water to mix with cornstarch to form a paste. Cold water (as opposed to hot water) is used so as to avoid lumps. When the paste forms, whisk it into the liquid you're trying to thicken. Cook briefly only, to remove the starchy flavor, else if overcooked, liquids thickened with some starches will thin again if cooked too long or at too high a temperature.
8. Garlic
Used as a flavor enhancer usually in Chinese stir-fry.
9. Ginger Root (or fresh ginger)
Mature ginger has a light golden brown thin skin. Fibrous and nearly dry, mature ginger roots are commonly used as a spice in Chinese cooking, to neutralize strong fishy flavors and to add its own aroma to dishes such as seafood and mutton.
Young ginger roots have a pinkish soft skin with a very mild taste. Juicy and fleshyBusiness Management Articles, young ginger roots are most commonly pickled in a vinegar mixture and served with century eggs (preserved eggs).
Calling All Singles Cooking for Busy Lives
“If you have the lifestyle where you eat out or order take-out every night, you can really get tired of it and it’s so expensive”, says cooking expert Marybeth Gregg, “so why not learn to cook with ease, and actually enjoy it?” “There is more to life than pizza and popcorn. Be a little adventurous. With just a few simple secrets, you can create a great meal for yourself and others.”, say this active business owner who offers tips to making cooking easy for a single person or smaller household. Many people with active lives think that cooking for one, or two, is just not worth the time, or they simply don’t know how. Be a little different - your skills may make you stand out in the crowd!
Marybeth, owner of Cook-with-Confidence Cooking School, has found out that there are major benefits to cooking – you eat healthier, it costs less and you get to actually create something on your own. Many people with hectic lives usually snack, skip meals or grab a quick fast food or other take-out meal. Skipping meals or eating high-fat foods deprives your body of energy and can make you feel tired. And a lot of people are in jobs that offer little creativity so cooking is a wonderful way to jump out of the box and be inspired and use their imaginations for a change!
So what's a body to do? Marybeth offers some tips and techniques for making eating alone an easier, more enjoyable experience by learning to shop and cook quick, delicious meals for one or two people.
There are a few strategies are essential for smaller quantities.
1.Plan ahead - using a written or mental menu. You don’t have to cook everyday! Just start with one or two times a week – select an easy menu, organize your ingredients and shop on the weekend when you have a few extra minutes. Organize your list by stores (grocery, specialty Italian, etc.)
2. Food Shopping - Make a list and stick to it. It may be difficult to resist the temptation to buy more food than you need or frozen ready-made dinners. But keep to your plan.
Ask the produce manager to halve heads of lettuce, or other produce to meet your needs. Just but one leek, not a big bunch of three.
Buy smaller cuts of meat or ask the butcher to cut beef or chicken into pieces big enough for one meal.
Look for foods that can be portioned with ease into smaller serving sizes such as rice, pasta, or fresh vegetables like a broccoli crown or pre-cut carrot and celery sticks. Buy fruits and vegetables by the piece, not by the package.
3. Time to Cook –Cooking need not be a dirty word and cooking for one has many solutions.
Cutting Recipes or Freeze It - Many recipes serve 4-8 as a rule. So you can either reduce the quantities, if they lend them selves to division, or make the whole recipe and freeze it. I recently invested in one of those vacuum- sealer appliances, and find it really useful. I put in a smaller quantity, seal it, mark it and freeze. You can also use those zip-lock bags which work just as well. This way you can also have a great meal you can thaw out in the microwave – make sure to remove the food from the bag when you do nuke it- and then just sit down and eat a fine meal after a tough day at work.
Invite guests when making a large meal – they can help you cook and then you can divide leftovers into smaller portions, enough for one meal and have 3-4 meals ready. Make it into a mini-party.
Save leftovers and create new meals by adding rice, pasta, vegetables, or a different kind of cheese.
4.Your well-stocked pantry – this is key to cooking with ease. Use some wonderful ingredients in your cabinets so that you can come home and just throw them together. Roasted peppers, tapenade, fig balsamic vinegar, capers, a great extra-virgin olive oil, a variety of spices, walnuts, almonds or pecans, all ingredients that can help you make a piece of plain chicken or fish into a delicious and fast meal and in barely more time than making a sandwich, or waiting in line for take-out.
5.The Niceties of Life -
To make your meal more of a treat, rather than a chore, remember the table. The ambiance often make the meal, even when eating alone. Vary the color of your foods – a meal of foods that are all the same color is dull. Choose multi-colored foods and use your nicest plates and place mats. Maybe even place some flowers on the table. Make it fun to cook and eat for one. Make a recipe you’ve been wanting to try so that you can use it for entertaining. Why not?
And you know you can always invite a friend to dinner. No matter what your age, company is really important to making us feel good. Sometimes the only socialization people get is at work or with family. Company during meal times can make a difference in what and how you feel about eating. It doesn’t have to be a fancy meal. A simple menu, using only the fresh ingredients, will go a long way.
So do something different and just enjoy a home-cooked meal for a change. You surely don’t need to cook every night, but when you do, you will get great satisfactionPsychology Articles, and your body will love you for it! Have fun in the kitchen- it can be done.
Marybeth, owner of Cook-with-Confidence Cooking School, has found out that there are major benefits to cooking – you eat healthier, it costs less and you get to actually create something on your own. Many people with hectic lives usually snack, skip meals or grab a quick fast food or other take-out meal. Skipping meals or eating high-fat foods deprives your body of energy and can make you feel tired. And a lot of people are in jobs that offer little creativity so cooking is a wonderful way to jump out of the box and be inspired and use their imaginations for a change!
So what's a body to do? Marybeth offers some tips and techniques for making eating alone an easier, more enjoyable experience by learning to shop and cook quick, delicious meals for one or two people.
There are a few strategies are essential for smaller quantities.
1.Plan ahead - using a written or mental menu. You don’t have to cook everyday! Just start with one or two times a week – select an easy menu, organize your ingredients and shop on the weekend when you have a few extra minutes. Organize your list by stores (grocery, specialty Italian, etc.)
2. Food Shopping - Make a list and stick to it. It may be difficult to resist the temptation to buy more food than you need or frozen ready-made dinners. But keep to your plan.
Ask the produce manager to halve heads of lettuce, or other produce to meet your needs. Just but one leek, not a big bunch of three.
Buy smaller cuts of meat or ask the butcher to cut beef or chicken into pieces big enough for one meal.
Look for foods that can be portioned with ease into smaller serving sizes such as rice, pasta, or fresh vegetables like a broccoli crown or pre-cut carrot and celery sticks. Buy fruits and vegetables by the piece, not by the package.
3. Time to Cook –Cooking need not be a dirty word and cooking for one has many solutions.
Cutting Recipes or Freeze It - Many recipes serve 4-8 as a rule. So you can either reduce the quantities, if they lend them selves to division, or make the whole recipe and freeze it. I recently invested in one of those vacuum- sealer appliances, and find it really useful. I put in a smaller quantity, seal it, mark it and freeze. You can also use those zip-lock bags which work just as well. This way you can also have a great meal you can thaw out in the microwave – make sure to remove the food from the bag when you do nuke it- and then just sit down and eat a fine meal after a tough day at work.
Invite guests when making a large meal – they can help you cook and then you can divide leftovers into smaller portions, enough for one meal and have 3-4 meals ready. Make it into a mini-party.
Save leftovers and create new meals by adding rice, pasta, vegetables, or a different kind of cheese.
4.Your well-stocked pantry – this is key to cooking with ease. Use some wonderful ingredients in your cabinets so that you can come home and just throw them together. Roasted peppers, tapenade, fig balsamic vinegar, capers, a great extra-virgin olive oil, a variety of spices, walnuts, almonds or pecans, all ingredients that can help you make a piece of plain chicken or fish into a delicious and fast meal and in barely more time than making a sandwich, or waiting in line for take-out.
5.The Niceties of Life -
To make your meal more of a treat, rather than a chore, remember the table. The ambiance often make the meal, even when eating alone. Vary the color of your foods – a meal of foods that are all the same color is dull. Choose multi-colored foods and use your nicest plates and place mats. Maybe even place some flowers on the table. Make it fun to cook and eat for one. Make a recipe you’ve been wanting to try so that you can use it for entertaining. Why not?
And you know you can always invite a friend to dinner. No matter what your age, company is really important to making us feel good. Sometimes the only socialization people get is at work or with family. Company during meal times can make a difference in what and how you feel about eating. It doesn’t have to be a fancy meal. A simple menu, using only the fresh ingredients, will go a long way.
So do something different and just enjoy a home-cooked meal for a change. You surely don’t need to cook every night, but when you do, you will get great satisfactionPsychology Articles, and your body will love you for it! Have fun in the kitchen- it can be done.
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