Archive for » March, 2009 «

29
Mar
What About Juicers

When it comes to nutrition, a juicing machine can be the most important appliance in your home. The [juicing machine] will become a source of minerals and vitamins for the whole family. An extra benefit is all the fun you and your family can have juicing. Juicers can be likened to a fountain of youth that can dispense so much taste that it is even possible to change a soft drink addict. A good [juicer] can become a medicine chest and a personal drug store. The benefits to your health and well being that come from a juicer is unequalled by any other kitchen appliance.

There is a wide variety of juicers available on the market today, but remember they are not all made equally. You can expect to spend in the neighborhood of $200 for a good juicer. It is true that there are machines on the market for under $100 but they are usually made as a part of a small appliance line of a big manufacturer and are likely to be too weak to effectively releases the nutrition in the fruits and vegetables. A better product suited for juicing will usually come from a company that is dedicated to juicing only.

 Features To Shop For In Juicers

One of the first things you need to look at is the juicing machines ability to extract nutrients. You will probably need to spend some time doing some research in order to determine which form of extraction will meet your needs.

Other important considerations are convenience of operation and ease of clean-up. If your [juicing machine]  is difficult to operate or hard to clean, you probably won’t use it very frequently. To incur therapy by juicing, it must be practiced on a steady basis.

And finally, there’s the practical considerations of the juicers size, the free amount of sideboard space and once more the price. Price, unfortunately, may be the final determining factor. What should be asked is “Will I like this juicer enough to use it every day?”

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28
Mar
How To Cook Seafood Quickly and Easily

Seafood is loved all over the globe due to its flavor, variety and the abundant opportunities for preparing it. It’s quite nutritious if you make it correctly. For those who wish to begin preparing shellfish, here are a few hints: Seafood takes less time to cook. One of the joys of a fish or seafood recipe is that it is easy to cook. As long as you have the washing and the cleaning out of the way, any type of seafood will be incredibly easy to cook.

Fish, for example, usually takes about 9 to 10 minutes for every inch of thickness, whether you’re frying or steaming. The less flesh through which the heat has to travel, the less you will need to touch the fish. So for your thinner cuts you won’t need to do anything, but for your thicker filets, you may want to flip it when it’s half cooked. If you are a beginner I suggest you start with a recipe with shrimps because these are the simpllest among seafood recipes. Use fish with a lot of fat like salmon and tuna because they work well with most methods of cooking. Certain fish, like grouper or tilapia, require added moisture or basting if you bake or broil them.

It takes between 18 to 20 minutes to prepare fish if it is frozen. If you are cooking different kinds of seafood simultaneously, cook the ones with a similar cooking time together. When you cook fish, you should also place them with the skin side down in the pan. If you prepare a whole fish, the best thing to do is to probably use a thermometer. Drive this instrument into the thickest portion of the fish and ensure that the temperature arrives at 60C or 140F.

Marinating your seafood before cooking Seafood is one of the simplest foods to cook and may be seasoned during and after cooking. However, if you want a lot of flavor, use marinades. Set aside some marinade to use for basting before putting in the raw seafood. When seafood is soaked, make sure to place it inside the refrigerator. This helps lower the risk of bacterial growth. Get rid of the marinade once you’ve used it, since the shellfish liquid may contain toxic bacteria which will make it harmful to use again. Cooking seafood Most seafood, such as fish, oysters, clams and scallops, turn opaque when cooked.

This takes about 3 to 5 minutes of cooking time so you will have to watch out. If you overcook seafood, it will be tough and won’t taste as good. In addition, these kinds of seafood should be basted if you cook with dry heat, as in baking or broiling methods.

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22
Mar
Brenda’s Great Granola

Do you spend far too much money on trail mix or granola when you go hiking? Well here’s a great recipe for homemade granola that will save you some money and taste better than anything you can buy at the local market.  This granola is delicious and healthy too. I hope you like it as much as The Pennsylvania Wanderer and I do. Pack some in your picnic backpack next time you head out for a picnic or any other outdoor activity for a great snack on the go.

INGREDIENTS

  1. 8 cups rolled oats
  2. 1 1/2 cups wheat germ
  3. 1 1/2 cups oat bran
  4. 1 cup sunflower seeds
  5. 1 cup finely chopped almonds
  6. 1 cup finely chopped pecans
  7. 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
  8. 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  9. 1/2 cup brown sugar
  10. 1/2 cup maple syrup
  11. 1 cup honey
  12. 1 cup vegetable oil
  13. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  14. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  15. 3 cups raisins

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.

Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, pecans, almonds and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, oil, cinnamon and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring the liquid ingredients to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients. Stir the mixture to coat it thoroughly.

Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until crispy and toasted. Stir once halfway through. Cool the granola and then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

Servings Per Recipe: 30

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SERVING

Calories: 368 (they’re worth it)
Total Fat: 19.8g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 122mg
Total Carbohydrates: 44.6g
Dietary Fiber: 6g
Protein: 9.1g

I hope you pack some of this great granola in your picnic backpack next time you go hiking. I know it’s always in ours.

Thanks,

Brenda

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21
Mar
Traditional Grilling With an Open Pit BBQ

If you’d like to enjoy real barbeque with traditional flavor and style, consider building a BBQ pit. When you cook your meat in a BBQ pit, there’s a greater concentration of smoke and heat. The flavor and aroma are unmatched.

This style of outdoor cooking is perfect for roasts and large cuts of meat. Depending on the size of your pit, you could even cook up half a cow or a pig. Just remember that it will take a long time to cook this much meat, anywhere up to 10 hours.

There are essentially two different kinds of open BBQ pits you could build: the traditional or the modern. The traditional open pit is inground and involves digging a hole. You then lay in your wood or charcoal and light it.

You can place your food on a skewer and hold it over the flames while it cooks. Or you can set up a grill over the fire to place the food on. Another option is to wrap the food in foil and lay it in among the coals after the fire has died down.

A modern BBQ pit is typically constructed above ground. Stone, brick and concrete are the most common materials used for building such a structure. A BBQ pit features a firebox where the wood or briquettes can smolder. You install a grill at a level that isn’t too close to the coals so the meat won’t burn.

With an open pit BBQ there are two ways of cooking your food. You can choose either direct or indirect heat. Direct heat cooking means that your food is cooked directly over the flame or heat of the burning coals. In order to manage the cooking temperature, many people locate the coals at one end of the pit and the food at the other. This is a fast cooking method and works well for smaller cuts of meat and hamburgers.

Indirect cooking is also known as pit cooking. Cooking with indirect heat involves using a very low temperature to cook the food. You start by lighting a fire and letting it burn for a while so the pit can absorb the heat. The objective is to store up a lot of heat in the sides of the BBQ pit.

The fire is then put out and the meat is placed onto the grill. You then need to cover up the pit. The heat that has been absorbed into the sides of the pit will do the job of cooking the meat. With this style of cooking, it takes a long time before your meal is done. But it’s ideal for tougher cuts of meat. Many people believe this is the best BBQ method for authentic flavor.

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18
Mar
For Cheaper, Better Meals, Try A Pressure Cooker

To make your time in the kitchen shorter and cheaper, try using a pressure cooker to make great meals fast. It’s ideal for preparing healthy foods because it preserves flavors and nutrients, and tenderizes leaner cuts of meat. Even better, it cooks foods three to ten times faster than ordinary methods. Some foods, in fact, cook even more quickly in a pressure cooker than they do in a microwave!

All About Safety!

Don’t let safety concerns keep you from buying a pressure cooker. Take a look at today’s models. Improved designs of today’s pressure cookers means that have not just one safety feature, but sometimes up to three safety devices to prevent accidents. Use common sense and follow the cooking and safety procedures found in the pressure cooker’s manual. That will make it more likely to burn yourself taking something out of the oven than have a problem with the pressure cooker.

To stay safe, just remember to never open the pressure cooker while it is still under pressure!

Reasons To Buy A Pressure Cooker

In any financial climate, a nice new pressure cooker is a good investment for healthy cooking. It will repay you with many years of hard service in your ktichen. Some of the advantages of using a pressure cooker include:

  • Using less energy because it takes less time for foods to cook, saving money and energy resources.
  • Pressure cookers work at all altitudes. All that’s needed is to adjsut the amount of pressure and cooking times.
  • To cook a variety of foods at one time, using a rack allows the entire meal to be cooked quickly in one pot.
  • It is a time saver since it cooks food so fast, and saves money by tenderizing cheaper, tougher cuts of meat.
  • Because foods cook quickly with so little liquid in an airtight environment, the nutrients are preserved.

Not only is a pressure cooker great for meals, but it’s bigger cousin, the pressure canner, is absolutely essential for canning many vegetables and meats.

Choosing The Pressure Cooker That’s Best For Your Family

The first decision is whether to buy an aluminum or a stainless steel cooker. Aluminum pressure cookers are more lightweight and more economical to buy. Aluminum is also a good conductor of heat. Unlike most other aluminum cookware, however, pressure cookers aren’t availalbe with nonstick coatings. A nonstick finish just doesn’t work well in an pressure cooker, not being able to withstand the environment.

Stainless steel pressure cookers are more expensive than aluminum, and heavier. However, they have the same long lasting, lustrous finish common to most stainless steel cookware. For the best cooking performance though, choose a model with a bimetal base because stainless steel is a poor conductor of heat.

Picking The Right Size Pressure Cooker For YOUR Kitchen.

Pressure cookers are generally sold by their total liquid capacity. In reality, however, only one half to two thirds of a pressure cookers total liquid capacity can be used, depending on what food is being cooked. The most commonly available models come in the following sizes:

  • 4-quart: This is a good size for a single person or couple. This size can hold an entire meal for 1-2 people, but only a single course for a larger family.
  • 6-quart: A good size for families, and probably the most popular sized model for cooking.
  • 8-quart: For bigger families, this size works best. Pressure canning pint and half-pint jars can also be done with this model.

There are larger pressure cookers like the 17 or 22 quart models, but these are generally used as pressure canners.  To use them for cooking would require a large amount of food, so it would only work for large groups.

Utilizing Pressure in Your Kitchen!

For today’s kitchens, a pressure cooker is a good buy. It’s a convenient and safe way to prepare healthful foods on a budget. This is one kind of pressure in the kitchen that ends up being a good thing!

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16
Mar
Ideas for Buying Cookware

It can be difficult to decide what set of cookware to buy for your kitchen.  Most people would like to buy a decent of cookware without spending a fortune to do it.  People who really love to cook may choose more expensive, chef-quality cookware.  Deciding on the right cookware depends on what works for you and how much you can afford to spend.

 

Cookware Prices

 

The cost of cookware varies greatly.  The first step in deciding what cookware to buy is to set a budget.  How much money do you have available to buy cookware?  Or more accurately, how much can you afford to spend?  A good set of cookware is a great investment, but it doesn’t make sense to spend so much you can’t afford the food to cook in it!

 

Decide on a price, then you can look for deals.  Like most every other product, there are often sales on cookware.  Manufacturers sometmes have special deals on cookware, and many stores have sales on it.

 

According to Hugh Rushing, Executive Vice President at Cookware Manufacturers Association, “There are two big seasons for cookware and cookware promotions.  One is in the spring, in April and May, coinciding with the graduation and wedding season. The other is in October and November, with promotions in regard to the holidays.”

Try to wait for those months, then look for cookware on sale.

 

What Does The Set Include?

When choosing a set of cookware, you need to check how many pieces are in the set.  Some sets will only have a few pots and pans, while others may have a wide range of cookware in different sizes.  Consider how many pieces are contained in a set.    Bear in mind that the lids for the different pots and pans also count as pieces of the set.    For example, if you’re getting a 10-piece set, that may mean only 5 pots and pans, with the lids for each piece.

 

Cleaning is a Breeze

The ease of cleaning is another important consideration when buying a set of cookware.    With everyone leading such busy lives, most people don’t want to spend a lot of time cleaning up in the kitchen.  If washing pots and pans by hand doesn’t appeal to you, be sure to buy a set that is safe to put in the dishwasher.

Although non-stick pots and pans are popular, be aware that sometmes the coatings will flake off with continued use, especially in cheaper sets.  Eating the coating isn’t a good part of anyone’s diet, so get as high quality cookware as you can to avoid this problem as much as possible.    Many other types of cookware are also easy to clean, so coated cookware isn’t the only choice.

 

Putting It All Together

Once you’ve decided on a budget for cookware, how many pieces you need for the bare essentials in your kitchen, and how important ease of cleaning is to you, it’s time to look for the best match of cookware sets.A wide range of cookware sometimes makes it hard to choose, but it also gives you more options in finding a set that’s just right for you.

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