6 Ways to Be a More Informed Meat Buyer

Going to the butcher shop can be intimidating. If all you've known is pre-packaged big box supermarket whatever, the sheer sensory overload of a full meat case can leave even the strongest person catatonic. But the good news is that just by going into your local butcher's place you've already made the biggest step towards getting great meat, the trick is just to avoid being paralyzed by choice. Here's five-ish tips that I think can help anyone become a more clued-in meat buyer

3 Ways to Cook Bacon

There are three ways to cook bacon, and the way you do it is a matter of choice. In a skillet
A mistake that many people make is putting cold bacon into a frying pan that has been heated to a hot temperature. Take the bacon out of the refrigerator and let it sit for a few minutes before you cook it, which allows it to soften a bit. Then place it in an unheated pan on medium heat. It will cook more evenly and is less likely to burn. This method also helps to avoid spattering, which is caused by moisture in the bacon coming into contact with a hot pan. To further reduce spattering, the slices may be wiped with a paper towel to get rid of moisture before cooking, especially if they have just been thawed.

Make Your Own Easy Butter Spreads - Sweet and Savory

Butters are spreads that are used like butter, but only one of them contains butter. They are called that because they are smooth and spread like butter.
What are fruit butters?
Fresh fruit is cooked slowly with some sugar and then pureed. They don't have any butter, but are smooth and spread like butter. They are cooked with far less sugar than jams and jellies, and so have less calories. Apple butter is the most popular, but many different kinds of fruits can be used. Because they are sweet they taste great on toast, or on waffles and pancakes instead of syrup, and can often be used in place of jams or preserves.
There are four ways to cook fruit butters - in a crock pot, on top of the stove, in a microwave or conventional oven. Whatever way you make them, they are healthy and delicious!

The Key To Eating Healthy

In my health coaching business the most common thing I hear is that people don't have time. Time to workout, time to cook, time to eat breakfast, time to pack a lunch, etc. So for me, the quickest way to get someone eating healthier is to save them time.

Time is a necessary part of health. You can spend more of it prepping food or you can spend more of it on medication. You can spend it shopping for groceries or waiting in doctor's offices. It's really not avoidable, it's just where you want to spend it.

Do Not Mess Up With Chicken Mishandling

Chicken is the most versatile meat found all over the world. So it becomes quite necessary to know the basics about handling of chicken and their storage.

I tried to mention here certain points from the web to just make things easier especially for beginners.For better safety you need to be sure that chicken is properly handled and stored. The bacteria which are there on its surface are not visible to us and if consumed like that they can cause many foodborne diseases.
Let me discuss here points to handle chicken:
Clean them properly: It is always better to wash your hands before starting the cleaning process of chicken. The chopping board, utensils must be cleaned well

Cooking With An Air Fryer

Cooking with an air fryer is a healthy alternative to deep-frying using oil. Hot air fryers use heated air instead of hot oil to cook food. The best air fryers for home use all make use of Rapid Air Technology for frying your food with minimal or no oil.

What is a hot air fryer and how does it work?

How can you cook with just heated air? Well, to be more exact, it is rapidly moving heated air. This modern kitchen appliance comes fitted with a heating element and a fan. The heating element heats up the enclosed air inside the machine and the fan blows the hot air around. The food is cooked by this rapidly moving air striking it in all directions.

The Marvel That Is Thai Cuisine

The national cuisine of Thailand is known for its diversity and detail. The sheer variety it brings to the table is baffling. It is a fusion of Eastern and Western influences, combined to form what is now considered Thai cuisine. Indeed, it is Asian food at its finest.

The cuisine is well-known for the balance of the five beautiful flavours - sweet, salty, hot (spicy), sour and bitter. The use of authentic Asian ingredients, herbs, and spices, sets it apart. Each dish follows a perfect harmony of at least three to four different flavours, lending a distinct taste, characteristic and feature to the dish. Undoubtedly, Thai cuisine is internationally enjoyed and loved.

Thai cooking used to a reflection of the features of water-borne lifestyle. Some of the main ingredients were aquatic plants and animals. Due to the Buddhist background of Thai people, huge chunks of meat were shunned, and vegetarianism reigned supreme. Stewing, baking

The Benefits of Sous Vide Cooking

Cooking food is an art form that many people take to heart. Before we take a look at what benefits there are to sous vide cooking, we need to know what it is. The word sous vide means 'under vacuum' when translated from French. It is a method of cooking where the food is sealed in an airtight plastic bag then placed in an oven or steamer for a long period of time. The temperature is controlled and consistent for the duration of the cooking time which could be anything from ninety-six hours. Now let's take a look at how sous vide cooking is beneficial to you as a chef.

Firstly, why would it be better to cook your food in a bag? If you are cooking a chicken in a bag, for example, the controlled heat will cover the entire surface area of the chicken. This means that the heat will be evenly distributed over the chicken hence a properly and evenly cooked chicken will be achieved. For this

Top 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Grilling Vegetables

Grilling fruits and vegetables is relatively easy - they cook way quicker compared to meat plus you could easily tell when they're ready from the grill just by looking at them. However, if you want the most out of your grilled vegetables in terms of flavor and nutrition, there are certain mistakes that a lot of people make that you should avoid.

Here are the top 5 most common mistakes when grilling fruits and vegetables:

1. Not preparing vegetables into workable pieces

One of the most common mistakes when grilling fruits and vegetables is not preparing them into workable pieces for the grill. Don't just place them there whole - fresh produce need to be cut, peeled or sliced in preparation for grilling so that they can be cooked evenly. Unless you're using a grill basket for your veggies, make sure they're the right size for your grill grates - not too small to fall through the grates, but not too big that it would be hard to be cooked through.

The 5 Best Safety Tips to Follow for a Better Grilling Experience

While it's nice to enjoy a good backyard barbecue once in a while, always keep in mind that your safety should always be top priority. Using your grill means you are exposed to hot metals, explosive fuels, fire and many other dangers, so be sure that you are always one step ahead for your safety.

To maximize your grilling experience and to have a smooth-sailing barbecue, follow these top safety tips:

1. Use the right tools

Having a barbecue means that you will be constantly exposed to extreme heat and sometimes open flames, so be sure you are well protected especially when you're assigned to work the grill. Wear durable heat-resistant gloves to safeguard your arms and hands. Also opt to use long-handled tongs and spatulas to keep your body in a safe distance from the grill.

Grilling Tips- How to Properly Grill Common Vegetables

Like with any other type of food, there is a correct way of grilling each type of vegetable in order for them to cook properly. Preparing fresh produce takes more than peeling, cutting or slicing them up then throwing them on the grates. If you want perfectly-cooked vegetables, it is ideal to learn how each type should be grilled to maximize their fresh flavor and nutrition.

Here the most commonly grilled vegetables and the right way to cook them on the grill.

Bell Peppers

Red and green bell peppers are a griller's favorite to include in a veggie kebab or a salad. They can be cooked in two ways - you can grill them whole until the peppers are tender and the skin is charred for peeling or you can slice them into workable pieces and cook them just for a few minutes or until just charred around the edges. Bell peppers cook best when seasoned with salt and black pepper, brushed with olive oil, and cooked skin down over high heat for 5-8

How to Bake a Perfect Cake?

One day I was sitting at home, it was a Saturday afternoon when I felt like baking a cake. I have seen a friend of mine baking and learnt some basic tricks from her. But I had not practised those tricks. So it was the right time to experiment and see how much I had learnt. Since it was Saturday, I was expecting some guests around dinner time. I thought for dessert, a cake would be a good choice.

So I took out my notebook and went to the kitchen. I first figured out that if I had the basic ingredients with me. Like butter, eggs, flour, sugar, baking powder and vanilla extract.

Baking is like science, every method or ingredient reacts in a specific way. Even if you do everything properly but bake it at a wrong temperature, your cake won't come out perfect. So the things you will have to keep in mind are very basic and easy to understand.

Cake Preparation and Decoration Tips for Home Cooks

If baking is your passion, we have a few tips to help you in creating a wonderfully tasking and perfectly executed cake every time you make one at home for special occasions or gatherings with friends.

Decorating with fondant

A smooth fondant covering is not such as tall order as some home cooks may surmise. It is possible to create a surface that is free from bubbles of wrinkles even if it is your first time to use rolled fondant. As long as you follow the instructions in kneading and rolling out fondant all the steps that follow will be easy for you. The secret is to use fondant that is adequately flexible. As soon as the cake is covered with butter cream icing, you may start laying out the fondant. However, it should be in the right consistency. For instance, if it is still quite sticky, knead confectioner's sugar into it and work until it's "just right." If the fondant is ready, you can lift it over, lay it on the surface of the cake you have baked, and shape it to the sides with a smoother. The smoother will ensure that

Creating a Fire in a Wood Burning Stove

Wood burning stoves can be more than just a timeless decoration in your home. Unlike a traditional fireplace, starting a fire in one is not quite as simple. Here's everything you need to know to enjoy a warm, cozy fire.

The Prep Work

Your wood burning stove will have a door at the front where you place firewood and eventually light it. All of the smoke that is produced passes up through the flue and out of the chimney. While this may sound simple, it is important that you use the right type of firewood to ensure that you do not cause damage to any surrounding structures.

To avoid damage, you should always use firewood that has been seasoned (or dried out) for a time period of at least one year. Logs that are moist can create a buildup of resin in your chimney. When resin reaches a certain temperature, it can become a fire hazard.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Repurposing Your Cooking Oil Waste

The use of cooking oil waste to produce biodiesel fuel and some types of animal feed is becoming increasingly popular. Businesses and consumers can contract with individuals or companies who specialize in the removal, transport to a processing facility, and recycling of this used cooking product.

Benefits for Businesses

If you own or manage a restaurant or other kitchen facility, your business may benefit greatly from using a recycling service for your used cooking oil for a number of reasons. First, this saves the business time and money, as workers will not need to dispose of the used product themselves. This also means you won't have to worry about clogged sewage lines or grease traps. Second, unlike other programs, this kind of recycling is the type of service that will pay you for your business. The company you work with will use your waste to create a product they can sell for profit, so you are actually one of the suppliers for their product. This additional payment could be considered another revenue stream for your business, depending on how much oil you produce on a regular basis.

Food Safety- 5 Tips for Safe Grilling and Delicious Barbecue

This is especially true when you're new at grilling because you are always handling raw meat and still figuring out how to cook them thoroughly. But just by following a few simple tips, you can ensure safe grilling and at the same time, delicious and perfectly-cooked barbecue dishes.

Here are 5 easy tips to follow for food safety while working the grill:

1. Prepare your ingredients before grilling

It is the number one rule of any chef or griller to have all ingredients ready and in place before the cooking process begins. When preparing fruits and vegetables for the grill, make sure they are thoroughly washed even if you are going to cook them peeled. When it comes to meat, it is more ideal not to rinse them before cooking as bacteria can spread faster if the juices are splashed onto your counter or sink.

Common Features of Great Burgers

Many factors combine to make great burgers. As you contemplate the various features of this quintessential American meal, learn what to look for to find quality food. A delectable hamburger will stay memorable on your taste buds, enticing you back for another try.

Quality

Burgers are typically as great as the meat they contain. For the most delicious meal, the ground meat should be made from ground chuck steak. The reasoning for choosing chuck steak is the ratio of fat to meat. With 80 percent meat and 20 percent fat, you will be able to enjoy hearty flavors. At the same time, this fat content will also prevent dryness. Conversely, choosing a cut with too much fat will create shrinkage during cooking. Many restaurants create their own blends by mixing chuck and brisket. The addition of bacon pieces is usually a culinary hit.

Cooking With Mezcal in Oaxaca- Casa De Los Sabores Class and Recipe

They came to learn how to cook with mezcal. They came from England, Poland, Australia, United States, and even Oaxaca's Mixteca Alta. This was a mezcal cooking class as internationally attended as one could imagine. But of course; over the past few years Chef Pilar Cabrera Arroyo has garnered a global reputation as one of Mexico's top cooks, specializing in preparing Oaxacan regional cuisine for both her Restaurante La Olla and her Casa de los Sabores Cooking School.

I attended the class in May, 2015, yet another mezcal event in my adopted hometown, the city of Oaxaca, located in south central Mexico. Others have included cocktail and mixology sessions; evenings of combining the iconic Mexican agave based spirit with chocolate and with craft beer; mezcal tastings of umpteen brands of both the intoxicant as certified for export, and produced for local consumption (often referred to on drink menus as "agave distillate"); federal government sponsored education programs; formal lectures and informational meetings regarding the status of the industry; and of course cooking classes. In my line of

The Benefits And Guide To Using A Pizza Stone

A pizza stone is a simple kitchen utensil that is used and known for baking pizzas that come out of the oven with a more crispy crust. Pizza stones are also known for producing pizzas that are less fattening. These baking devices work by stimulating the extreme and even heat of an oven, especially the ones that use wood fire. These stones can also be used commercially in the restaurants of big hotels for instance, to make the perfect pizza for the customers. They can also be used in home ovens or on a grill giving the pizza a crispier and healthier crust. These special stones are quite easy to use as well as maintain.

Why Use a Stone?

There are a number of benefits of using a pizza stone, which include the following;

• Easy to clean. The stone is quite easy to clean, whereby, you will just wipe it off using a sponge and some water. There will be no need for scrubbing it.

Safety Tips for Avoiding Grease Fires When Cooking

For starters, let's talk about what a grease fire is, and why they occur. A grease fire happens when the oil you are cooking with gets too hot and starts to smoke, and then begins to burn. Most vegetable oils have a smoking point of about 450 F, and animal fats, (think lard, chicken fat, duck fat, etc.) have a smoking point of about 375 F.

The easiest way to avoid a grease fire is by being vigilant and remaining in the kitchen when you are frying or cooking with oil. When you are cooking with oil, you need to keep your eyes peeled on the oil as it is heating. If you begin to see wisps of smoke, or start to smell something acrid, IMMEDIATELY turn down the heat, and REMOVE the pot from the burner completely.

The oil won't burst into spontaneous combustion; however the smoke is signaling that danger lies ahead if you don't take some safety precautions

Low Sodium Diet How To Create Flavorful Rice, Pasta Or Vegetables Without Salting The Water

Following a low sodium diet can be challenging especially when you think you need to add salt to the water when cooking rice, pasta, grains, vegetables (especially potatoes), etc.

All of your life you have salted the cooking water. You don't even think that not salting the water is even possible. You might think all the salt and sodium goes down the drain. What about rice? The water gets absorbed along the with the salt. Naturally low sodium rice now becomes high sodium.

If the salt doesn't have a flavoring affect, then why do almost all recipes, cooks, restaurants, etc. salt the water. It is to make those usually bland foods a bit, or sometimes a lot salty, to add flavor. Well, you don't need to add salt to the water.

You can always use plain water to cook with, but that can dilute flavor and your concern is that your food will taste bland. If you want to add flavor, you can flavor-up anything you cook in water by adding ingredients to increase

How to Roast a Chicken on a Rotisserie

Nothing beats the taste of a freshly cooked chicken that has been slow roasted over hot coals.

A rotisserie is a style of cooking where meat is placed on a long skewer and rotated over a heat source such as a fire, coals or a BBQ. As the meat is in a state of constant rotation, it provides an even cooking environment. It also allows the chicken to cook in its own juices and allow basting of your choice to be applied throughout the cooking process.

Chicken is a form of poultry meat and is one of the most used meats in the world. There are multiple health benefits from eating chicken. Chicken is high in protein, low in total and saturated fat and has a good source of several B vitamins.

Below is a step by step guide on how to roast a chicken on a rotisserie

Step 1: Brining the Chicken Brining chicken is a way to increase moisture and tenderness of the chicken. Soaking chicken in a salt water mix allows muscle fibers to loose some of their ability to contract during the cooking process with leads to a juicier

Different Healthier Food Preparation Tips And Techniques

If you are to prepare as well as cook meals at home, you will certainly have better control over the nutritional content along with the overall healthfulness of the foods you ingest. This will also greatly help in saving money.

Health Food Prep Techniques

Consider using and preparing foods that contain no or little salt. Also, use low-fat, reduced, light or no-fat salad dressings on salads as marinades or perhaps dips. When it comes to poultry, you must use leaner light meat rather than fattier dark meat. Most importantly, be sure to remove the skin.

When it comes to seasonings, you must not use prepackaged seasoning mixes since they usually contain plenty of salt. Also, you have to use fresh herbs. Using a mortar and pestle, you have to grind herbs to achieve the fullest and freshest flavor.

Three Ways To Cook Bacon And How to Get Rid Of Cooking Oil Waste

Just like there's more than one way to skin a cat, there's also more than one way to cook bacon. Learn about the three ways to cook bacon and how to properly dispose of the leftover cooking oil waste.

In The Oven

If you are cooking a large amount of bacon, cooking bacon in the oven is the easiest way to go. First, pre-heat the oven to 400°. While the oven pre-heats, place some foil on a baking sheet; then lay the bacon there. Depending on the thickness of the slices, bake for 15 to 20 minutes. While the slices bake, place some paper towels on a platter, and once the baking is done, use tongs to remove the slices so they can cool and allow the paper towels to absorb excess grease.

Substitutes For Food Ingredients In A Pinch - Recipes

This article is about stuff that you may have on hand to substitute for something you are missing.

Sour Cream Substitute for sauces:

1 cup condensed milk, add one tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice, let stand 5 minutes. I like mine a little more sour so I add 2 tablespoons per 12 oz can.

FYI: 1 cup milk to one tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice will give a buttermilk substitute.

1 Egg Substitute

I want cookies and am out of eggs!

I've heard a bunch of straight substitutes like mayo, apple sauce, banana's all of which I think would change the flavor too much.

However, I use this straight out of my preps all the time.

1 1/2 tablespoon veg oil 

1 1/2 tablespoon water 

2 teaspoons baking powder

It works in a pinch. Would rather have the egg, but sometimes you get the urge for cookies at 10 o'clock at night and the chickens all flew the coop.

How To Can Homemade Applesauce - Step By Step Instructions For Canning And Storing Fresh Apples

Apple Sauce isn't all that hard to make. I did this batch without the food processor, and so it took a little longer to cook down. You can chop it with your food processor and make much smaller chunks that cook down quicker, but I just cut the chunks up as I was getting the apples peeled.

So without further ado... here we go!

I have yellow apples... probably a Granny Smith, but if not it is that type of apple that my grandma planted about 40 years ago. I have already washed the apples with anti-bacterial hand soap and rinsed them well, and they are in one big bowl. I have one bowl for bad spots and yuck, another bowl for the good peels without blemishes... will explain in a minute, my two knives, a bowl for the good cut up pieces and a bucket on the floor beside me to dump the small waste bowl into.

I save the good apple peels and good cores to make jelly out of. I put them all in a big pot, and completely cover them with about 2 inches over the top of what is in the pot. Then I simmer them for three or four hours. You want to watch them and occasionally

Points to Consider When Cooking Meat

Meats should be cooked at a heat that kills the harmful bacteria in it. There are suggested unique cooking temperature readings for each kind of animal protein. There are several points that need to be taken into consideration, when cooking animal products; some of those points are -

Cook it at the right temperature - The science and technology has proposed several means that have comforted the human life. Kitchen, grill, and BBQ thermometers are a great utility that enable one to check the exact temperature of the food, while it is being cooked. Because uncooked or improperly cooked meat steaks may contain various microorganisms, it becomes essential to take them to the suggested summit of heat.

For instance, if you are making roast beef or lamb, make sure you take its temperature to at least 170º F, or 77º C. This is the safest temperature that makes the roast beef or lamb edible. You would need a grill meat thermometer for this stunt. Similarly, for cooking ground beef, chicken, and pork, 165º F temp would be perfect.

There are available special temperature-monitoring devices that can be used in microwave ovens. The probe can be inserted into the meat, before being placed into the microwave.

5 Top Mistakes to Avoid When Grilling a Burger

Grilling a burger is fairly easy, but there are certain tips and tricks that everyone should follow in order to achieve this perfectly-grilled classic. In order to achieve this faster, it is important to learn the most common mistakes that grillers make when cooking a hamburger on the grill.

Avoid these common mistakes the next time you grill burgers and you will surely get a taste of your best one yet:

1. Over-seasoning the meat

While you are free to season and customize your ground meat with whatever spices you prefer, it is important to keep in mind that you're cooking a burger and not a meatloaf. Classic burgers can taste great with salt and pepper alone - so skip the taco seasoning, the bread crumbs, sautéed onions and other unnecessary additions. Don't use too much or too little of salt and pepper, though, and don't forget to season the other side before flipping the patty.

The Basics of Home Canning

Let me tell you, home canning takes a lot of work. However, the rewards that come with it make all the work well worth the effort. For me, I like to experiment with unusual recipes. When I started canning it was not entirely for the standard jams and jellies you can find just about anywhere. When I discovered recipes that incorporated hot and spicy elements I figured I had found the right niche to work with. I was not disappointed.

But before I started to do any home canning I had to decide what canning method to use. There's just two common ways to preserve foods - pressure canning or water bath canning. I chose the latter as I've had experience with both but found a hot water bath far easier for the canning recipes I had chosen. Besides, the recipes I chose were not the kind that required a pressure canner.

Water Bath Canning In a Nutshell

In a word, for me, canning with a boiling water bath is easy. Even if I didn't have an actual canner I could use a large stock pot with a rack on the bottom to place jars. The only specialized equipment I would need is jars, lids and screw tops. The science involved is all about boiling water and the length of time the water is boiling.

How to Make Sweet and Soft Besan Ke Laddu at Home

Besan ke laddoos are soft and saccharine dessert snacks made from gram flour. A signature smell of this dessert arouses every Indian to savour it round the clock. Besan ke laddoos depict the piousness of Indians towards Lord Ganpati, as a legend says these ladoos were revered by this Indian Deity. The term 'Besan' denotes Chickpea flour and 'Laddoos' represent something that is sweet and round in shape like a potbelly. So here are a few easy steps to turn you into a renowned confectionist.

Ingredients

One and half cup gram flour

Semolina flour - 2 tablespoon

½ cup melted butter

¾ cup sugar

Sliced almonds

Coarsely grounded cardamom seeds

Slices pistas

Method

Other than this besan can be used to make puris and then you can crush them into powder to make besan laddoos. It is important to roast the gram flour properly to enjoy wonderful taste and flavour of the dessert. Otherwise, uncooked gram flour will leave a raw and bland taste in your mouth and you will not be able to store the laddoos for long.