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.

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

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

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.