As a busy working Mom myself I am always looking for Easy Dinner Recipes I can cook for my family. When you're working all day, doing the school run and attending outer school activities, you really need quick and easy recipes and of course Healthy Recipes for Kids. Coming up with new and exciting meals that all the family will eat can bring many mothers to despair. I find the best way to deal with this is to Meal Plan, this works for me, before I do my weekly shop I fill in a weekly meal planner and then write the ingredients I need on to my shopping list.

This way I don't always cook the same meals every week, on the same day and I don't end up cooking Pork, Beef or Fish four days out of the seven. Chicken, I also plan what Breakfast, Lunch and snacks we will be having this really does save me some time and it helps when we do our family budgeting. Because we use this method I can also look for new recipes to try as the family are used to having a variety of meals which are healthy and nutritious.

I also love to cook One Pot Dishes as these make really simple suppers, all you generally have to do is prepare the ingredients, place them in your cooking pot and leave to do the rest, these sometimes can take a few hours to cook like Crock Pot Meals, but they are really worth the wait and your not tied to the kitchen for a long time, you can normally cook these through out the day. I have even cooked in my Slow Cooker over night for the next day. Many of the recipes can also be frozen, there is nothing better than getting a ready made meal out of the freezer that you have loving cooked yourself.

When Cooking our dinners I often cook a few more portions than are needed so that I can freeze them, for the following week or for the days when I know I just don't feel like cooking. You don't have to be a qualified Chef or Cook to prepare cook or serve your family or friends some wonderful meals, it can be quite scary when you first have a go a cooking something new. We often try a new recipe and find that we don't like it, we maybe adjust the recipe a little next time, or we don't cook it again.

Many of the Easy Dinner Recipes can be prepared and cooked in less than an hour some as short as 30 Minutes.

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Peking duck has become a world famous dish. It is the symbol of Peking food. If you go to Beijing, there are two things you must do first: one is climbing up the Great Wall and the second one is eating Peking duck.

In Beijing, there are two authentic methods to make this dish.

Hanging furnace roast duck is the most famous Peking duck. In authentic way, the chefs would never make a big open to take out of its internal organs. They just make a small hole in the duck's body and take the internal organs out from this small hole. Then fill its stomach with hot water and close the small hole to roast. With this method, the duck would not lose water because of roasting; also, the skin will not become soft. The roasted duck skin with this method is thin and crisp and it is the most delicious part of whole duck.

Compared with hanging furnace roast duck, this cooking method is also unique and popular. For this method, it makes use of a close oven and straw as the fuel, which won't make flames go directly onto the duck. When the oven reaches the proper temperature and the flames go out, put the duck into the oven and close it. The duck is roasted by the heat from oven wall. In the whole roasting process, you cannot see the open fire. The owner of this cooking method has applied for "state-level intangible cultural heritage protection projects".

The methods shown above are the greatest two methods in making roasted duck.

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Miriam Isserow is a fundraising consultant based in Silver Spring, Maryland. In her misspent youth, she loved to make dessert. Now she likes to cook delicious and healthful meals.

This time of year, we seem to go from one food-centric event to another. This is a particular challenge for my dear husband, otherwise known as The Man Who Discovered Food Has Calories. I know my new nickname for him is a mouthful, so from here on in, I'll call him TMWDFHC.

I recently mentioned to TMWDFHC that for our own holiday meal, I would make a bulgur stuffing instead of our traditional bread stuffing. Years ago, my cousin whipped up a similar dish that I still remember—and given the dieting and monitoring of cholesterol we’ve been doing at my house, I thought it would be a great alternative to soaking bread with eggs.

But when I told TMWDFHC I would be doing a bulgur stuffing, he flipped out.
“How can you make stuffing without chestnuts?”

You see, one core principle in our house is that stuffing has chestnuts. I assured TMWDFHC that the bulgur stuffing would have chestnuts, too.

So, I found some bulgur stuffing recipes, added chestnuts and played around a little. This was the result. You can make it in the turkey, or, if you're expecting vegetarians or happen to live with someone who discovered that food has calories, you can bake it in a pan. An additional healthful plus: You don’t have to grease the pan as you would with classic stuffing.

Chestnut & Bulgur Stuffing
Serves 12

2 ½ c water,
2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms (around 2 cups)
1 oz. dried morel mushrooms (around 1 cup)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 chopped medium sized onion
5 ½ c. broth
2 ½ c. bulgur (it’s good if it’s coarse but it really doesn’t matter)
1 c. flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 cup shelled chestnuts (use a freeze dried package that you can buy at an Asian market for next to nothing).

1) Bring water to a boil. Pour over mushrooms and soak for half an hour.
2) In a 4 quart sauce pan or chefs pan, sauté onion in olive oil until softened. Add broth and bring to a boil. Stir in bulgur and cook around 8 minutes more, uncovered.
3) Remove mushrooms from water, squeezing if necessary. Reserve soaking liquid, strain, and set aside. Rinse mushrooms and coarsely chop.
4) In a large bowl, toss together bulgur, ½ cup of the reserved liquid, mushrooms, chestnuts, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Let cool completely.
5) Now you can either stuff it in a turkey or bake it. If you are baking it in a pan, no need to grease the pan—and bake it at 325 for 40 minutes, covered.
NOTE: Our custom is to use some as stuffing and some in a pan for the vegetarians (using vegetable broth in that case). After all, even those who have discovered that food has calories and who are trying to be really good through the holidays are entitled to the divine taste of chestnut stuffing with turkey drippings. 

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Pork crackling used to be something that was available at a price from supermarkets in the form of "Pork Scratchings", that is until I discovered that secret that is about to be shared to all and sundry via this short article.

Years ago, I used to rely on, let's say, more traditional chefs who advocated that all I required to make the perfect piece of cooked pig skin was a sharp knife and a very hot oven. I seem to remember that it was vitally important to strive to the point of impossibility to TRY to keep the thing as dry as possible before it went into the oven. They used to say that if your crackling ended up a little tough, then it was the chefs fault as he hadn't kept it dry enough before it was cooked.

Things the moved on and I followed the line of thought that if the crackling was cut from the joint first, turned upside down and cooked face down in water for ten minutes, covered with tin foil. It was then dried and cooked at a very high temperature, the perfect crackling would simply emerge from the oven when it was ready. True, there was a slight improvement my old aunt Ethel was able to chew the stuff without breaking her teeth or having to spit the stuff out into a tissue, but the amount of effort involved tended to relegate crackling meals to those days when there was absolutely nothing else to do.

However, one Sunday afternoon, when believe me there WAS plenty to do, I cut the crackling from the joint in order to cook the pork in my slow cooker. The crackling was cooked on a high temperature for 45 minutes. On coming out of the oven it was chopped into pieces using scissors and hey presto, the most wonderful crackling that I'd ever had in my life was created.

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Some of the best choices for serving your guests when you are having a party are shrimp appetizers. These delicious foods are full of flavor and when you set them out, your guests will be raving over the delicious flavors and options that you serve them. There are of course some basics you can make as well as some alternatives that will certainly have your guests looking for seconds as you prepare these delicious foods.

You will find that some of the easiest choices you will have will be making your shrimp appetizers into simple shrimp cocktails and even grilled shrimp. These dishes have a very simple process to create and can be done in just a few seconds by opening up a package of shrimp and then placing it in cocktail sauce. By doing this, you will find that you have a snack you can offer your friends that take almost no time at all. Keep in mind that these delicious foods do need special handling.

While you are going through this process, you will want to be sure that you consider some alternate foods to help your event really stand out. This can be doing things that are simple like placing some mini shrimp in the center of deviled eggs or even creating a quiche that uses shrimp inside of it. There are plenty of different approaches you can take that can take your standard sides and create some remarkable shrimp appetizers at the same times.

It is important that when you are picking up your shrimp, you try to get deveined pieces. This will be easier for you to get shelled and your guests will certainly appreciate being served this style. Keep in mind that this is a simple process you can do if you have some time. However, getting you shrimp deveined will help to simplify things.

If you are serving fresh shrimp, be sure you do not pick it up more than 4 hours in advance. It is possible that it can spoil easily over the course of 24 hours, so you will want to be sure it is as fresh as you can get it. Additionally, you will want to keep it on ice, even when it is being served to your guests. That will help you to deliver the finest quality options.

As long as you keep your creativity up and think about all the different dishes you can make, there is little doubt that you will have a number of unique and delicious options to serve your guests. Be sure you explore different combinations and let the flavor of your shrimp give your guests the best possible experience that they can have from the food.

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Alexandra is a Certified Personal Trainer and dancer-with-a-day-job who blogs about health, fitness, and ballroom dancing at Ombailamos.
Once upon a time, cereal bowls and takeout menus were the most-used items in my kitchen. Then came a voluntary downsizing, followed by a layoff, followed by four months of unemployment. It is amazing how motivating a drastically-reduced income can be!

Man, and woman, cannot live on bread alone. And for some of us, a pot of beans or lentils is not the protein we want to dish out after a hard day's work. There are some completely vegetarian dishes in rotation chez nous, but the go-to for me and my hardworking DH is a piece of meat, a side of vegetables, and a glass of wine.

Now: how to do that in the half-hour that is my self-imposed weeknight dinner prep time? Because let's face it, I don't want to spend more time than that in the kitchen after a full day's work plus commute.

When it became clear that our $1200/mo food expenditure needed to be more like $400, I got in the kitchen. I scorched a few things. I learned not to use "soup mix" in any preparation except dip. And over time, I gradually accrued some actual cooking skills and lost my fear of spices. Here are three of my big winners for the carnivore who needs some meat fast, healthy, good - and relatively cheap.

Pan-grilled Chicken Breast

Generally speaking, I consider chicken one small step up from tofu. I have never had the opportunity to try a heritage bird, so it's just not very exciting for me. However, it's a good source of lean protein and in my area, organic cuts are readily available, so it does come into the house occasionally.

Years ago I discovered a recipe that produced a tolerable breast. (It was from a magazine, I think, so apologies to whoever wrote it, but I just don't remember.) I ended up changing it anyway, because it was a baked recipe and it just took too long. My oven is 30+ years old and takes twenty minutes to heat; baking for another 40 on top of that was not working for me.

So I decided to try and see if I could adapt the recipe to my trusty Calphalon grill pan. And lo, it worked. Here it is. Please note, in my home, life is too short to buy chicken breast bone-in. Your mileage may vary.

Ingredients: two boneless, skinless chicken breasts totaling about one pound (and about $7 max). Bread crumbs or panko. Olive oil. Spices.

Prep: Remove the chicken from packaging, rinse, and pat dry. Rinse off their styrofoam tray as well and dry it. (If the chicken did not come in a tray, just use a plate.) Put the chicken back on the tray, pour a little olive oil on top and rub it in; turn the breasts over and repeat the treatment. While doing this, preheat the pan to medium.

Cooking: right before adding the chicken to the pan, lightly coat both sides with bread crumbs and seasoning. I apply both straight from their containers, and my seasonings are typically garlic powder (not salt) and paprika. Then lay the breasts in the pan and cook for 7-8 minutes. (Use a paper towel to brush off your plate into the trash - crumbs and oil really shouldn't go down the drain.) Turn the breasts over, reduce the heat to medium-low, place a large lid loosely over the pan to hold some of the steam, and cook for another 7-8 minutes. Note: this is not about getting a crispy coating on the chicken, it's about getting moist chicken fast without using a gallon of oil!

After 15-16 minutes total cooking time, I usually cut the breasts lengthwise to check for doneness, as medium-rare chicken is not too appetizing, and my goal with weeknight food is to get it on the table expeditiously, not prepare a magazine photo. (Which explains why I have no photos.) Cook a little longer, under the lid, if necessary.

After the turn, prepare your side - in my case, nearly always a salad or a package of frozen veg. This preparation makes four servings.

The pairing: I like a bright red wine with chicken, like Sangiovese or Garnacha (Grenache). On the white side of the spectrum, this holds up well to chardonnay, verdejo, or pinot grigio.

Pineapple Pork Pot Roast

"Pot Roast" is traditionally beef in the U.S., but a lower-fat, less-expensive alternative is pork. The secret is to not try to make it 100% non-fat. If you go for very lean cuts of meat in the slow cooker, you will sacrifice flavor and mouth feel on the altar of "nutrition." However, it's my firm belief, based on years of study, that a moderate amount of fat from animals is not only not going to kill you - it's good for you. This stuff metabolizes usefully: the body can really put it to work. Obviously, I'm not recommending sitting down to a tasty bowl of lard, but letting your meat cook with its fat is not necessarily a bad thing.

With that in mind, and with the memory of a rather dry pork loin haunting me, I went looking for a piece of nice fat pig. I took home a four-pound pork shoulder roast, with about a one-centimeter layer of fat on its base (we'll say, a strip about three inches by eight), at a cost of less than three dollars a pound. Pork shoulder does have the fat and it does have a chunk of bone in it. After slow cooking, the net serviceable result was about 2.5 lbs - easily enough to feed eight.

This preparation cooks during the day, and if you like "Hawaiian" pizza, you will Love. It. For quick and easy assembly, peel the onion and garlic the night before, wrap in a damp paper towel, and leave in the refrigerator till morning.

Ingredients: 1 c. crushed pineapple, in juice. 1 6-oz can of tomato paste. 1 large onion, peeled and cut in eighths. 8 to 10 cloves of garlic, peeled, smashed, and roughly chopped (or not. Chopped, they will dissolve entirely, so if you like a bite of garlic, use more and don't chop them). Spices to taste: I used red curry, paprika, nutmeg, and chipotle - about 1/2 teaspoon of the first two, and 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg and chipotle. Plus, of course, the pig.

How to prepare: first, get out the slow cooker and turn it to High. Combine pineapple, tomato paste, garlic, and spices in the bottom. Place the pork shoulder in the cooker and slowly roll it around in the sauce mixture. Then add the chunks of onion, put on the lid, and go get ready for work. Right before you leave, turn the cooker down to Low.

When you get home, roll the pig around a little to make sure the onions get thoroughly mixed into the sauce. The pork will probably fall apart at this point. Pick out the bone and let the pot roast continue to cook, with the lid off, until you are ready to eat. I served this with absolutely nothing else, but rice or quinoa or even couscous can be easily (and more or less negligently) prepared while you are decompressing.

The pairing: any chilled rose or sparkling wine, gewurtztraminer, or riesling.

Broiled Beef Tri-Tip

Tri-tip is most often seen at barbecues and in a mushroom sauce at Sizzler. But it is also a great steak substitute. I picked up a pound of tri-tip roast at my grocery store, on a night when they had no acceptable tenderloin, for less than ten dollars with my loyalty card - the same price as a pair of wimpy ribeyes that weighed in at a mere .6 pounds. This particular cut was about two inches thick at its deepest point, which dictated the cooking time. Less thick = less time.

How to cook it: remove your pound of tri-tip from grocer's packaging and place it on your broiler pan. Give it a generous dose of your seasoning of choice, on both sides. (This seasoning should not include salt! Try a mix of black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. If you want salt after you taste it, go ahead.) Heat broiler for five to ten minutes. Put the whole tri-tip under the broiler for ten minutes. Then turn it over, and give it another eight to ten minutes (for medium-rare. If you require your steak well-done, you shouldn't bother eating steak).

Now take a look at it. If the edges are slightly carbonized, the top is lightly browned, and the meat springs back under your finger (presuming a silicone glove, here), it's done. If it looks mostly gray and feels spongy, give it two or three more minutes. When it's done, place the hot broiler pan on your stovetop and let the meat rest for at least five minutes. Then move it to a board and carve it into centimeter-thick slices. Because a tri-tip roast doesn't contain much fat or any bones, this will provide four servings of just under four ounces each.

A note on the nutritional value of meat. The oft-recommended four-ounce serving contains between 28 and 32 grams of protein. It just so happens that 30 grams of protein is the maximum that the average person can metabolize at one sitting. Anything more than that is excreted, or converted to glycogen (carbohydrate) and stored in the muscles for future short-term energy demands. So this is really all the meat you need in a given meal.

But this is a small amount of food, so you will want some additional ... something ... on your plate. I recommend a separate bowl, actually, with a nice big green salad in it. Or you could put the slices of tri-tip right on top of that salad. Or throw a package of frozen veg in the microwave after turning the roast.

The pairing: your hearty red wine of choice. I am fond of blended reds under $8.

If you are cooking for two, these three low-salt preparations will see you through 6-7 days with cooking only necessary on three days, for a meat cost of less than $30. If you try 'em and like 'em, I'd love to hear about it!

~~~

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Breakfast is regarded the most significant meal from the day. Since you are even now sleepy from a great night's rest, it is just right that you ought to know some simple and fast recipes that you are able to produce in for several minutes.

If your children love milk, then provide them anything by combining milk with some cereals and fruit. To do that, you pour cornflakes in the box and into the bowl. Include milk and then slice into smaller pieces a banana or some strawberries and be able to serve.

For adults, you may substitute cereal with oatmeal which is quite wholesome as it has been verified to lower your cholesterol. You can add with your bowl of oatmeal some fruits as effectively which are likewise beneficial to you.

You can't have cereal or oatmeal everyday so why do not you try anything else like an omelet. You will find different methods to create it and the easiest a single is usually to prepare two eggs and combine margarine into a frying pan. You can contribute flavor to it by also putting in some sliced mushrooms, onion and sliced sausages.

As soon as the omelet begins to set, use a spatula to push the edges with the egg mixture in. Retain undertaking this until you may flip a person side of the omelet above another a single and then serve on a plate.

Do you want some bread for the first meal of the day? Effectively you are able to by doing blueberry French toast. To achieve that, you'll need some eggs, milk, cream cheese, blueberries, vanilla and cinnamon.

Employing a blender, beat with each other the milk, lotion cheese, and blueberries right up until smooth then reserved. Making use of a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs then put vanilla, and cinnamon. After you are done, add the blueberry mixture.

The last action to take prior to serving is always to dip the bread in the batter, and fry inside a pan or griddle until slightly browned.

One more all time favorite is the waffle and if you would like to add some spice to it, really don't only make any and opt for the German waffle.

The components for that German waffle involve half a mug of butter, some sugar, yolk, milk, flour, baking powder, salt and gratings of lemon.

Now lotion the butter and create the sugar until finally this turns into a lotion then combine the egg yolks and beat thoroughly. Following, sift the flour, salt, and baking powder collectively and put this to the creamed mixture changing with the milk. Create the lemon peel and mix thoroughly then cook employing a hot waffle iron and serve.

Pancakes anybody? Properly examine the French Jelly Pancake. If you realize how to make pancakes, we can previously skip forward and leave to the greatest part that is adding the jelly. You need to do this whilst it's still hot and spread this evenly to retain it from spreading.

Next, dredge this with sugar and to make appear attractive, burn some lines encircling it utilizing your toaster ahead of serving.

Breakfast is essential and fortunately, you might know some excellent quick and easy recipes that you are able to serve after you stand up early in the day. As refreshments, continually serve it with a cupful of coffee or tea for that grownups and milk or juice for the kids.

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During certain holidays throughout the year, I enjoy making a great tasting ham for our holiday dinners. Once the dinner is over...I am always left with a lot of left-over ham! To solve this problem, I like to freeze my left-overs to use at another time.

When it comes to freezing your ham, I remove the rind and bones and cut my ham into bite-sized chunks or I thinly slice it depending on how I plan to use it. I like to freeze mine in freezer safe storage bags in pint and quart sizes. I freeze in 1 cup, 2 cup and 3 cup capacities which is how I make most of my recipes. You will want to label your bags with the contents and how many cups are inside. Frozen ham will keep for 2-3 months if properly frozen.

Now...what can you make with all of that left-over frozen ham?

1 cup portions: great for ham sandwich spread (ham salad), pizza toppings, taco fillings, toss on fresh vegetable salads, ham and egg omelets.

2 and 3 cup portions: great for ham and bean soup, ham and green beans, ham pot pie, ham and potato soup, pork vegetable soup, split pea soup, ham stuffed manicotti or use it in lasagna in place of beef, ham and rice stir fry, meat and potato stuffed pastry pie, ham Sheppard's pie, cheesy ham pasta dish, ham and broccoli casserole or tossed in a big fresh vegetable chef salad.

There are many things you can make with leftover ham once you have properly frozen it. You can find oodles of great recipes online by doing a keyword search for leftover holiday ham recipes.

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Green Kitchen is a bi-weekly column about nutritious, inexpensive, and ethical food and cooking. It's penned by the lovely Jaime Green.

Ignore the fact that it's snowing outside-- Wait, don't ignore that. Take a moment to enjoy that. It's snowing! But ignore it in terms of the point I'm about to make.



Ignore the fact that it's snowing. Ignore the fact that it's about 50 degrees in my apartment, that I'm wearing sweatpants and a hoodie and my hat. Ignore the down comforter on my bed, the cold toes, the date on the calendar.

How do I know it's winter?

Let's take a look at what's recently come out of my kitchen. Breakfast Sunday: an improvised take on what I remembered of Kris' Shaksouka – canned diced tomatoes, half an onion, a carrot, and eggs poached therein. Lunch today (and for the rest of the week, and taking up some space in the freezer): lentil soup made with dried lentils, canned tomatoes, frozen spinach, and an onion. Breakfast tomorrow's looking like a smoothie with frozen cherries and blueberries.

Where have all the fresh veggies gone?

Winter is rough on lots of people – the sun's gone, it's hard to spend time outside, and winter coats are uncomfortable and bulky. Snow is lovely and sweaters are cozy, but this time of year can bring your mood down. (I always wish, walking past Christmas decorations in December, that our holiday of sparkly lights took place a few months later, when even the snow is dreary and we could really use a little extra glitter.)

Winter's an extra downer for local eaters, though. I'm not even a 100% locavore. Not at all - I love bananas and avocados and cans of coconut milk. I do appreciate the environmental and economic repercussions of shopping at the farmers market, but I keep doing it because I love how it feels. Meeting farmers, knowing where my kale comes from. Even just the ritual of the market – walking between stalls, comparing produce, and the week-to-week cycle of the growing season. From asparagus to tomatoes to butternut squash, that's how the year goes.

But now we've, like we do every year, come to the end. The farms are mulched over and resting for the winter, and just about every night brings a freeze. We have a few more weeks of the real hardy stuff – kale and leeks and Brussels sprouts – and food that stores well lasts a little longer. Apples and onions and winter squash stick around basically until springtime at the year-round greenmarkets (so do bison meat and eggs). But the growing season is drawing to a close, and with it goes a big part of what I love about cooking.

So many of my culinary decisions in the warmer months are based on what I find at the market – radishes are cheap or the parsnips look nice, and I get inspired and try something out. (Maybe this is just a relief from my usually agonizing decision making process.) But in winter I don't think I get down cause the food's not local – the problem is that, for the next five months, all of the food is the same. Cheap and mediocre at my local supermarket, or pricier and lush at the Whole Foods downtown, it's shipped in from wherever, in-season in California or Chile or Taiwan, and nothing changes from one week to the next.

What do you do when your local veggies dry (or freeze) up? Do you come up with new, slightly less local, guidelines? Maybe food from your country, or hemisphere, rather than a 300-mile greenmarket radius? Maybe I can let sales direct me in winter the way the seasons do the other half of the year. Do you transition to canned and frozen foods? Canned tomatoes beat fresh ones seven months out of the year, and frozen kale – flash-frozen when it's fresh – is looking mighty good, and cheap, compared to the produce section at Whole Foods.

I've got my freezer supply of mashed cauliflower and apple sauce, and there's always room for soup in there, too, but it's not enough to make it through until spring. What's most important about how you choose where to get your food? Is it price, convenience, localness, or just the experience of it all? And how do you make the second-best choice feel good? 

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Using your grill is a great way to cook fish. Many are afraid to grill fish but the majority of fish actually do well with fast cooking over direct heat on a grill.

Choosing the Right Fish

It is important to know that some fish will actually cook better than others on the grill. There are two categories in this case, and these are thick steaks and tender fillets. Thick steaks, which include swordfish, tune, salmon, mahi-mahi, red snapper, bluefish, striped bass and trout work very well on a grill. With tender fillets, you'd have to be a bit more cautious, because they are likely to break apart and fall through the grate. However, you can cook tender fillets in a foil pouch or utilizing a wire fish basket.

Preparing the Grill

Always begin cooking with a clean grill. If the grill is dirty, the fish will likely stick to the grate. Employ a grill brush to scrub off debris from the grate and place over the heat. Once the grill is heated, brush again to completely release sticky matter from the surface. Now you can preheat the grill. You'll want to preheat your grill to medium heat. Do not make the grill too hot. If you're a beginner, utilize charcoal briquettes instead of hardwood charcoals, which tend to burn hotter and at varying rates because of their asymmetrical shapes. Carefully, oil the grate by dipping a washcloth in cooking oil and using tongs to move it around on the surface.

Marinating

Always season your fish appropriately prior to cooking. The more delicate fish should be marinated no more than 10 minutes since the acid in the marinade can actually cook the fish and make the texture mushy. It would be ideal to sprinkle dry seasonings on to this variety of fish. Thicker fish on the other hand can be marinated for up to 20 minutes. Try to make the marinades simple. For instance, for every one pound of fish, simply mix juice of one lemon and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, a teaspoon of dried dill, and salt and black pepper to taste. Strong marinades can overpower the natural flavor of the fish and the smoky flavor imparted from grilling.

Grilling Time

The key is to cook fish 8 minutes for every inch of thickness, or 10 minutes for every inch if you're going to cook whole fish. Check on the fish a couple of minutes before you think it should be cooked, taking note that fish continues to cook for a few minutes after being removed from the heat. Glaze only after a short sear on each side of the fish. First grill it plain, without the glaze, at a very high temperature for a couple of minutes on each side. Next, decrease the heat to the lowest setting and brush the fish with glaze. Continue grilling on each side until cooked.

Utilize a broiler fork to flake open a portion of the fish to check if it's already cooked. If the inner part of the fish is opaque all the way through, then you're done. Do not wait until the fish goes rubbery and dry. Take it off the grill as soon as it is cooked.

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Every Saturday, we post a piece from the CHG archives. This one is from February 2009. Oh, memories.
The stretchability of a whole chicken is a frequently discussed topic among food and frugality bloggers. It’s commonly accepted that a single fowl will feed a family of 11 for weeks, years - even millennia. Even after 20 months of keeping CHG, I’m constantly gobsmacked by how moms and dads can create dinner after dinner from the same bird.

Here’s the thing: sometimes, those dinners aren’t the healthiest meals in the world. There tend to be a lot of quesadillas and casseroles whenever these type of posts pop up, not to mention chicken salads drenched with full-fat mayo. Now, there’s nothing wrong with this whatsoever (except the mayo - blech), but I wanted to see if I could put a healthier spin on it.

In a sentence: I wanted to find out if it was possible to create a gaggle of inexpensive, lower-fat meals with the leftovers from one big ol’ chicken.

Here were my rules:
The budget – for EVERYTHING - was $25. I had to use as much food already in my pantry as possible. (Which accounted for a lot, and saved me mad dough in the long run.) Each meal had to feed at least two people (The Boyfriend and me). Bonus points for leftovers. The chicken had to be used up within a few days, so it wouldn’t go bad. The meals had to have reasonable variety, preferably from a range of cuisines. It couldn’t be Chicken with Spaghetti on Day 1, then Chicken with Penne on Day 2. The meals had to have very little added fat, since the leftover chicken would provide most of it. And? Victory, for the most part. I ended up cooking five distinct, delicious, largely healthy dinners with PLENTY of leftovers. And miracle of miracles, there were no duds in the group. (Thanks, online reviewers!)

However, I did go $0.86 over budget. I’m okay with that, though. Between what we consumed each night and ate for lunch the next day, that $25.86 made 17 full meals, which works out to $1.52 each. That’s less than a cup of Starbucks coffee, so … aces.

What follows is the menu breakdown, complete with pictures and links to four of the five recipes. The last, a Cook’s Illustrated curry dish, isn’t online, so I transcribed it at the very bottom of this post. There’s also a master grocery list, so y’all can see the price breakdown of everything.

With that said, let’s get started with introductions: Charles, these are the CHG readers. CHG readers, this is Charles. He’s my chicken. He’s 6.99 lbs.

He will not look like this for long.

Day 1
Marcella Hazan’s Lemon Roasted Chicken with Carrots and Potatoes
2 servings
Chicken consumed: 10 ounces

We kicked everything off with Marcella’s Lemon Roasted Chicken. It’s been featured on the blog before, with good reason. In a world of dry, lame-o poultry, it is the Queen Mum of moist, flavorful goodness. Plus, when you add a few thick-cut carrots and quartered (unpeeled) red potatoes to the pan before it starts cooking, it becomes a whole meal. (Seriously, that’s all you have to do.) Together, The Boyfriend and I polished off all the vegetables and 10 ounces of chicken (five ounces each) for a Sunday night meal.

Afterwards, we stripped the chicken bare. Nude. Butt-naked. There was nothing left on that carcass but skin and gristle. It was a little hyena-like, honestly, but fun nonetheless. In total, our booty came to 2 pounds, 4 ounces of pure, straight-up leftover meat, mostly from the breast. Here’s a shot of the carnage.

If I had half a brain, I would have saved Charles’ bones to make stock. But I forgot.

To quote the bard, “Duh.”

Day 2
Cooking Light’s Chicken Picadillo with Rice and Black Beans
3 servings
Leftover chicken consumed: 1 pound

(Note: The experiment almost ended here, since I didn’t go grocery shopping in time for Day 2. Fortunately, for this particular recipe, everything was in my pantry already. [Woo hoo!])

Going in, I had mid-level expectations for Chicken Picadillo, and was super-pleasantly surprised by the results. All in all, it’s supremely easy to cook, and a nice change from the average Tex-Mex dish. Ground chicken, salsa, raisins, and almonds make up the main ingredients, but a dash of cinnamon ties it all together, giving everything a warm, lovely flavor. We ate it with plain rice and mashed black beans (to prepare: heat in pot, mash with masher, add salt and pepa), and used the leftovers to create a chicken/lettuce/salsa wrap the next day for lunch. Good times.

Day 3
White Chicken Chili
2-3 servings
Leftover chicken consumed: 1-1/2 cups

This tangy, mild, ridiculously simple chili was The Boyfriend’s favorite dish of the bunch. (He is the Chili King. He can do anything.) He slurped a bowl in record time, scarfed leftovers for lunch the next day, and openly wept when I told him he had finished it all. Poor guy.

The key to keeping this dish low-fat is the beans. By lightly mashing them, you create a thicker chili consistency, and don’t have to add as much cheese. FYI: If you like your chilis a little spicier, the heat is eminently adjustable here: just include the jalapeno seeds OR add another pepper altogether.

Day 4
Food Network’s Sesame Noodles with Chicken
5 servings
Chicken consumed: 1 cup

Three days into this thing, and we were barely halfway through Charles’ leftover meat. That started to change here.

It must be known: I loooooooove noodles. I luff them. I lurve them. I want to kiss them, but they keep falling through my fingers. (Ooo … deep.) Naturally then, this dish from Food Network was my favorite of the experiment. It’s a cross between Ellie Krieger’s Aromatic Noodles and this Noodle Salad from Cooking Light, with just a little more tang. The whole shebang is a tad higher in fat than the experiment’s others (see: butter, peanut), but it’s the healthy, protein-y kind, so I wouldn’t worry too much.

One note: I substituted a pitted, sliced regular cucumber for the Kirby. No harm, no foul, and it worked just fine.

Day 5
Cook’s Illustrated’s Chicken Curry in a Hurry
(recipe at bottom of post)
4 servings
Chicken consumed: 2 cups

Finally, we had reached the end. Charles was nearly tapped by Day 5, though perhaps surprisingly, we weren’t getting tired of chicken in the least.

It’s a good thing, then, we went with Curry in a Hurry. Served with a side of brown rice, it’s a fast, fantastic, Indian-inspired weeknight meal that will absolutely use up the last of any leftover chicken. Plus, it’s a lot of frigging food. CI claims it serves four people, it’s really more like five or six. Maybe eight or nine if you’re elves.

Note: we skipped the peas because they represent the oppression of the worker by the bourgeoisie, and can only be freed through shared profit and community-wide effort. (Oh wait – that’s not right. Actually, I just forgot to buy them. It didn’t make a difference.)

~~~

And that, my friends, is it. We're full. The chicken's gone. The experiment worked.

Here’s our grocery list (just like we promised!), plus the curry recipe, should you be into it. Comments and questions are welcome, and I'd love to hear what y'all have done with a whole chicken. Enjoy!

~~~

SHOPPING LIST
(* means I already had it in my pantry or fridge)

1 7-lb Oven Stuffer Roaster chicken: $6.92
1 lb thick carrots: $0.67
1-1/2 lbs red or Yukon gold potatoes: $1.42
2 lemons: $0.80
*1 or 2 tablespoons salt: $0.04
*3 teaspoons olive oil: $0.11
*2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil: $0.36
*2 tablespoons vegetable oil: $0.18
*2-1/2 medium onions: $0.30
*9 garlic cloves: $0.30
*2-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin: $0.05
*1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon: $0.01
*1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning: $0.02
*Pinch ground cloves: $0.01
*1 teaspoon crushed red pepper: $0.05
*1/2 to 1 tablespoon curry powder: $0.07
*1 cup bottled salsa: $0.99
*1/3 cup golden raisins: $0.79
*1/4 cup raisins: $0.42
*1/4 cup slivered almonds: $0.73
1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts: $0.35
1 large bunch fresh cilantro: $0.99
*1 14-oz can black beans: $0.67
1 can large white beans: $1.39
*1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas: $0.67
*1-2/3 cup uncooked brown rice: $0.95
1 seeded jalapeño pepper: $0.25
1 cucumber: $0.80
6 scallions: $0.67
2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger: $0.32
1 can (4-ounce) chopped green chilies: $1.49
*2 cups chicken broth: $0.60
*1 pound spaghetti or Chinese egg noodles: $0.80
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter: $0.21
*1/4 cup soy sauce: $0.38
*2 tablespoons dark brown sugar: $0.06
*1 tablespoon rice vinegar: $0.24
*1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (we used low-fat, and it was okay): $0.28
*1/2 cup grated low-fat Monterey Jack or white cheddar cheese: $0.50
TOTAL: $25.86

~~~

Cook’s Illustrated’s Chicken Curry in a Hurry
Serves 4

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced thin
1/2 to 1 tablespoon curry powder (mine is hot, so I only use ½)
Salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
½ cup water
2 cups shredded of thinly sliced cooked chicken
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen peas (I left this out, but please use)
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (we used low-fat, and it was okay)
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, curry powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Saute about 6 minutes, until onion is browning. Add garlic and ginger. Cook 30 seconds, or until fragrant

2. Add water, meat, chickpeas, peas, and raisins. Stir. Saute 3 to 5 minutes, until warmed through.

3. Kill heat. Add yogurt and cilantro. Serve, over brown rice if you like. 

View the original article here

Green Kitchen is a bi-weekly column about nutritious, inexpensive, and ethical food and cooking. It's penned by the lovely Jaime Green.

Is it too late to still be wishing happy new years? Well, it’s my first column of 2011, so I hope no one will mind if, two weeks into January, I’m still talking about it.

Two weeks into January, you say? And how many broken resolutions?

I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s Resolutions. I think January 1 is an arbitrary start date that might not match up with actual good timing. Take the chestnut of a resolution to eat better and work out more – why not time this with the time of year that’s actually conducive to activity and healthy eating? In the depths of winter our bodies want to store fat, it's cold and snowy outside and, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, vegetables are wan and flavorless. You want to lose weight? Talk to me in June.

Waah, but I need to be bikini-ready already by then! Who exactly is telling you you’re not bikini-ready now? That’s another problem with New Year’s Resolutions – the outside pressure. We’re told it’s the time to make commitments, and so we leap in, and then berate ourselves for falling short. But what else should we expect when the drive to change hasn’t come from within ourselves?
Also it’s an easy way for gyms to sell more memberships.

On the other hand, though, sometimes we need an arbitrary impetus for change. Something that says, Hey, evaluate! And change what needs changing! One of my good friends made a resolution two years ago to set aside at least one night every week as a free night – no plans, no commitments. (This friend works in the music industry, where nighttime commitments are rampant, and is a generally popular guy.) Not only did he keep this resolution but it so improved his life that now, years later, the free night is a solid institution.

Don’t make resolutions for resolutions’ sake. But if the swooping tide of reevaluation and reinvention that comes with the new year inspires you, go for it! Just make sure you’re excited and inspired about your plans, and that your goals are not unattainable. Impossible or awful goals – to drop 20 pounds in a month, switching from a McDonalds diet to strict raw foodism – are just a set-up for disappointment and self-flagellation down the line.

In the spirit of positive, attainable change – and the spirit of this column! – I’ve put together what I hope will be a helpful and inspiring list. These aren’t commandments or edicts, just steps you can choose to take. You can choose a couple of items on the list as goals for yourself, or just keep them in mind next time you hit the supermarket (or farmers market). Figure out what’s important to you, what you might want to change, and how you can reasonably reach those goals.

1. Rethink Your Meat.

One of the strongest environmental impacts you can make with your food choices is what meat you eat, and how much. Conventional industrial meat production is, in a word, not-so-good. It’s not-so-good for the environment, it’s not-so-good for workers, and it’s not-so-good for animals. (I don’t think there’s anything morally wrong with killing animals for meat; I do think it’s horrible to make animals live miserable lives of suffering leading up to the slaughter.) And yes, human beings evolved to eat meat. But not miserable chickens that live immobile in cages, pecking out their own feathers, eating nothing but cornmeal and animal byproducts.
Industrial meat also has a markedly different nutritional profile than wild or pastured meat – the balance between Omega-3s and -6s swings way towards the 6s, which is not what your body wants – and animals who eat real food, rather than food-like sludge, taste better, too! Pastured, humanely-raised meat is, yes, more expensive. As it should be! Don’t skimp here. Buy less meat, and choose to spend your money on higher-quality, tastier, more ethical stuff. Dairy and eggs (also from happy-animal farms!) and plant proteins are cheap, good for you, and delicious.

2. Process Food Yourself.

Think about what goes into processing a processed food. All of the ingredients must be collected; any additives, preservatives, flavorings, or nutritional enrichments must be either derived or created themselves. The food is processed – mixed, cooked, prepared – in a factory. The food is packaged – plastic is made, trees are turned into cardboard, paints are applied to the label. The food has to be tested – the recipe was devised in a lab, and nutritional information has to be determined for the label. Odds are the food is marketed – someone designed its package and a marketing campaign; time is bought for television commercials, ad space is purchased in magazines, coupons are sent to you in the mail. Then the food is packed and driven – possibly in a refrigerated truck – to a warehouse, and then to your supermarket. Now think about how much of the dollars you spend on that processed food is going toward quality ingredients, and how much of your money is going to… everything else.

There is no question that for a little more time in the kitchen, you get so much more bang for your buck with unprocessed foods. And I mean your literal buck, but also your nutritional buck and whatever metaphorical bucks this is all costing Earth. Unprocessed foods are closer to what our bodies evolved to eat. They are more nutritious, and their nutrients – naturally-occurring rather than added later on – are in better forms for our bodies to absorb. Also, who knows what undiscovered chemicals and compounds are in kale that haven’t been discovered yet and distilled into vitamins?

Eat real food and your body will thank you. You’ll notice a difference in your wallet, too. Even something as simple as shredding your own cheese rather than buying a bag already done – it’s cheaper per ounce and you skip the weird powdery coating that stops shredded cheese from sticking – makes a difference on every count.

3. Cook

So what do you do without processed food, just a pile of raw ingredients in your kitchen? Cook! There’s no better way to control what you eat than to cook your food yourself. Don’t trust the folks at Lean Cuisine to do it for you. Not only will you save money by starting with raw ingredients, but you’ll have way more control over exactly what you put in your body. Do you feel best eating a high-fat, grain-free diet? (Lots of people do!) Then pour on the coconut oil and enjoy! Would you rather focus on fresh fruits and vegetables? Bust out the blender and skip the Jamba Juice smoothies. You can decide if your home is powered with wind energy – no promises for the restaurant down the street. And how much salt did they put in your soup? When restaurants serve us giant portions, we’re inclined to finish them. Take responsibility here by taking control. And then have the satisfaction of knowing that you can make your own food.

4. Eat with the Seasons.

I love shopping at the farmers market, but it’s not for everyone – it takes time, can be crowded, and seasonal eating can be limiting. (I’ll sing the greenmarket’s praises in August, but let’s talk about the onions, apples, and potatoes we’ll be seeing all winter.) Luckily, this is not an all-or-nothing deal. You can eat seasonally with supermarket produce and still do good for your bank account, body, and tastebuds. Compare a January tomato with one in July – even at ShopRite there’s a huge difference. And that taste (and color!) is indicative of more nutrients, too. If there’s no local food this time of year for you, consider just eating food from within your country, or your own hemisphere. Food’s cheaper and tastier in its proper season, and when it comes from closer by as well.

5. Enjoy!

It's frightfully easy to get so caught up in worrying if our food is healthy, cheap, and good for the planet that we forget what else food is supposed to be: delicious! A meal is more than calories and nutrients, more than a grocery store receipt. A meal is a sensory pleasure, and a social one as well. If your approach to cooking is pure drudgery, it'll never last, and you'll find yourself at the drive-through before you know it.

Figure out how to incorporate what makes you happy into your healthy eating plan. Once in a while, round out your healthy protein and veggies with some Doritos. Give yourself permission to enjoy that occasional Chinese food delivery, or splurge on a delicious meal out. Buy an avocado even if it's come from halfway around the world.
Don't beat yourself up for failing to meet some lofty goal. Recognize and celebrate the ways you're good to yourself – do you nourish yourself with healthy food, are you conscious of spending, do you take responsibility for how your choices impact the environment? Awesome. Now make sure you're enjoying yourself – and your food – as you go.
~~~
View the original article here

Are you looking for quality and excellent kitchen utensils and tools for your home? You might have settled for less in the past with low-cost and low-quality cookware sets that only last a couple of years, if not just months. Is it time to change your set and opt for a better one? Let Maxam cookware take care of your meals for years to come!

Maxam makes cookware using the finest materials, which lead to excellent cooking results. With most consumers turning away from branded cookware for its steep price, Maxam makes every penny of your purchase worth it.

With more than five decades of quality products to date, Maxam cookware is widely known for its waterless cookware. Maxam's Ultra cookware set is made with its trademark waterless cookware feature. This cookware set uses the finest 7-ply surgical stainless steel, a different type compared to its other waterless cookware sets under this brand. Carbon steel is sandwiched between surgical stainless steel layers, which results to faster heat conduction and even distribution of heat that lessens the hot spots.

Not only that, Maxam cookware heats easily even with low heat settings. This should help cut down your electric bill expenses and still get great outputs. Before using them, make sure to clean out the light oil coating. An attached steam valve on this cookware reduces steam build-up.

Maxam pans are great for evenly browning of meat. Their line-up of cookware sets allow consumers to pick the ones that fit their needs the most. If you're unsure about the prices set on these cookware, it's best to pick the ones that you'll likely use on a daily basis, or those with flexible uses.

Maxam's line-up of kitchen tools suites home and professional use. Its waterless cookware system is a unique feature only found with Maxam cookware. Maxam collections like World's Finest Steam Control System, Maxam Cookware 9-layer 17-pieces and Chef's Secret sets cover the basic and professional needs for your cooking convenience.

Most cookware sets made from low-quality materials leave harmful metallic tastes and discolorations that can ruin your meals. Why suffer when you can divulge in quality and safe Maxam cookware utensils? You're assured that whatever money you placed on this brand adds value to your purchase!

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You may have seen a lot of cookware sets that range from aesthetically intricate to multi-functional, and everything in between. Ranging from cheap to mind-blowing prices, isn't it a constant cycle of purchasing, then a few years later, just throwing away your old cookware because it just does not hold up? Let Magnalite cookware help you from making that same mistake again.

For more than 75 years of quality service, Magnalite cookware is considered one of the most coveted household cookware. It's known for its distinctive craftsmanship, contemporary functions and durable aluminum kitchenware. Patented cast aluminum-magnesium material used in every Magnalite piece withstands everyday use in the kitchen.

Compared with sub-standard cookware, Magnalite cookware provides optimum heat conduction. If you're worrying about stubborn hot spots, you won't have a problem with Magnalite. With this patent metal combination of magnesium and aluminum, you're assured that you're getting even heat distribution to adequately cook foods.

Magnalite cookware pans have relatively thick bases the spreads heat faster than your regular pan. With the perfect metal combination, this cookware won't leave any portion uncooked! It also makes cooking easy and quick with vapor-tight lids to seal in the heat.

The diversity of Magnalite cookware is made for contemporary to traditional cooks. Despite its sleek cookware designs, each piece is made with contemporary features like heavy cast lids and spill-spouts for easy pouring. Most of their pieces are oven-safe and can withstand heat up to 350 degrees.

Magnalite's collection of cookware should cater to any household or restaurant use. The Magnalite 13-piece set covers all the basic kitchenware pieces you'll need for your home or restaurant. Equipped with the unique Magnalite trademark features, this cookware includes 3 saucepans with glass lid covers, a dutch oven with cover and rack, an open skillet with cover and a casserole.

Other Magnalite sets, like the 8-piece set, with an oval roaster with cover, stockpot and frying pan, add some individual pieces that have the same benefits, and with excellent functions as well. If you're a bit hesitant to purchase a Magnalite cookware set, it might be best to settle for the set or pieces with the most uses.

Magnalite cookware is probably just another cookware line you might see on the kitchen aisle department. But you'll definitely see that each set manufactured from this brand is made of high-quality materials, with functional uses and sleek cookware designs. So compared with your other brands, you're actually getting more value with long-lasting use from Magnalite cookware.

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You may have spent your day working in an office, chained to a desk all day. The stress has drained you and all you want to do is go home and relax. If you are a stay at home mom, you have probably chased kids around, done laundry and picked up toys all day, you are pooped and don't feel like preparing a meal. Then it happens; your husband calls to let you know he's bringing home business partners or prospects as guests for dinner. With the day you've had, dinner has not even so much as crossed your mind. Now what? While you could call for Chinese and pretend you made it yourself, but that is a costly move. And what if they ask you for your recipe? Would you hand them a phone number?

The safer bet is to go into your kitchen and find something that's quick, original and that won't require too much work on your part. Of course spaghetti is always an option and you can get it on the table quickly if you use sauce in a jar or can and boil and eat pasta and it's relatively cheap. While it's great to have that to fall back on, why not wow them with something completely unexpected and delicious. After all, they are coming to your house instead of stopping at the corner caf? for a simple sandwich. You can find something right in your kitchen that will make them glad they came to you!

Run a quick inventory of your kitchen. If you have a few regular stand-by things in your kitchen, you can pull this off! Maybe you have a piece of beef, chicken or pork leftover in the refrigerator? Even lunch meat can be turned in to a razzle dazzle meal! If you use leftover meat in the refrigerator, don't worry that each person will get a full serving of meat, you can cut it up into bite sized pieces and throw it in a casserole or toss it into a large pot with water and all of your leftover vegetables to make a home made soup or stew. Hotdogs stuffed inside manicotti noodles, smothered with canned chili and topped with melted cheese is a real fast one to wow guests with.

If you are down to only lunchmeat and sliced cheese, all you need is a refrigerated pizza crust or a loaf or French bread to make a sandwich that will knock their socks off. Take a loaf of refrigerated bread and open it up on a pizza pan, curl it up to form a large donut and pinch the edges together to seal. Season the bread with almost anything using butter, oil or a beaten egg to dampen the surface to hold the seasonings on. Bake the bread to package directions until its golden brown on top. Remove from the oven allowing it to set and cool. Gather your lunch meat and cheese, and prepare lettuce and tomatoes. Slice the bread once its cool, in half, length wise to form two half donuts. Using the bottom half, stack all of your lunch meat and cheeses on to the bread, stack any other sandwich garnishments on top and replace the top of the bread. Empty a bag of chips into the middle and you have a sandwich ring to wow a crowd with!

Once you master the art of getting dinner ready in a jiffy, you never have to worry about having guests over for dinner, even if all you've got is just a few minutes notice.

View the original article here

There's no getting around safety in the kitchen. There are certain safety guidelines that are sacrosanct; compromising on these ground rules puts your whole family's health at risk.

Before we get to the guidelines regarding certain types of foods, here are the 3 main rules that apply across the board to all types of foods:

1. Shop Wisely: Only purchase those foods that look and smell good.

2. Keep Meats & Veggies Separate: Blood and fluids that drip from the meats onto the veggies can spoil the vegetables and cause food poisoning.

3. Store Perishable Food Immediately: If you are planning on buying perishables such as dairy products, frozen foods or meats, plan on going home directly from the store or remember to carry a cooler bag to prevent spoilage.

Now on to the specifics:

Safety Guidelines For Meats

Salmonella and E.coli are the primary concern for all meats including beef, lamb and poultry. The danger zone where growth is rampant is between 40?F and 140?F. The growth of the bacteria is slowed by refrigeration and freezing- the lower the temperature the slower the growth of bacteria. Interestingly, these bacterial live only on the surface of the meat- they do not live inside the muscle fibers. This means, as long as you cook the exterior of a whole cut of meat such as a steak or a chicken breast, it is safe to eat.

It is best to avoid roasting meats at very low oven temperatures. This is because when meat is cooked at such low temperatures, it lingers on too long in the danger zone.

Safety Guidelines For Vegetables

It does not really cross our mind but vegetables and fruits can also be contaminated with bacteria such as salmonella and E.coli when waste from nearby animal farms gets washed by the rain onto the plants. While cooking is the best way to kill any bacteria that may be present on some of the vegetables, for fruits and vegetables that are eaten raw, washing thoroughly is very important. Hard skinned fruit should be lightly scrubbed to remove surface dirt and bacteria. For leafy vegetables, it is best to remove the outer layers before washing. To maintain freshness and retain the nutrients, it is best to wash fruits and vegetables only just before you use them. Throw out any uncooked, peeled or cut produce that is left out at room temperature for over 2 hours.

Dairy

Milk, which is pasteurized and refrigerated is generally safe. Refrigeration is not necessary for hard cheeses such as Swiss Cheese, Cheddar, Monterrey Jack and Parmesan but soft cheeses are best kept refrigerated to prevent growth of bacteria.

Eggs

Salmonella rears its ugly head with eggs too and the only way to get rid of it is by cooking the egg completely, till it is firm. Unfortunately, there are several everyday egg dishes that are not cooked enough to kill the salmonella. While it is estimated that only 1 in 20,000 eggs contain salmonella, it is not worth the risk especially for people whose immune systems are more fragile such as young kids, pregnant woman and the elderly.

View the original article here

When it comes to deciding which slow cooker to purchase in order to mesmerize your family with some fantastic tasting dishes without a lot of fuss, one of the determining buying factors should be the size of the crock pot.

As a recent buyer of a slow cooker for my own kitchen, I can tell you that aside from the cost and name brand manufacturer, the correct crock pot size was my number one consideration in terms of choosing which slow cooker to purchase and it should be one of your own primary factors before buying.

A slow cooker is really nothing more than a specific-sized pot sitting on a heating unit which allows for an uninterrupted cooking session for several hours following the addition of ingredients into the pot. They are, by design, a way to cook a meal without being disturbed. In fact, taking the lid off a slow cooker once the cooking process has been started severely hinders the temperature controlled environment it creates upon start-up.

Hopefully you caught my mentioning of a specific-sized pot earlier in this article because that is where the shopping process needs to begin. Crock pots are only able to make meals based on the size of their pot. This means a smaller recipe requires a small cooker in the 2 quart range where a larger recipe might require a 6-8 quart size crock-pot.

Choose the Right Crock Pot Size Based On Your Needs

Choosing the right size for your new slow cooker doesn't have to be difficult if you base it around your family size. For example, my family size is four people (2 adults and 2 small but rapidly growing boys). My preferred model size was 6 quarts and this has proven to be especially beneficial in terms of being able to cook extra to be served as leftovers on a subsequent day.

Of course, if you are a social butterfly and do lots of entertaining then perhaps a smaller size crock pot would be more useful. Generally speaking, the 3 or 4 quart size works best for making hot dips and other appetizers for small social gatherings.

On the other hand, if you participate in many large social gatherings such as church events, a larger style may be more suitable for your slow cooking needs.

Make no mistake, the correct size crock pot is every cooker's dream appliance and failure to correctly estimate or assess the right size required for your slow cooking requirements could result in your dissatisfaction with one of the best cooking appliances to ever grace your kitchen.

Continue reading for more helpful information on choosing the best slow cooker for your kitchen in order to create delicious mouth-watering recipes that the whole family will enjoy.

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There are a lot of great sushi kits availablefor people who want to be able to make their own sushi from home instead of going to a restaurant. Not that there is anything wrong with going to a restaurant to get sushi but it can get a little bit expensive to go out to eat all the time instead of staying in. Plus leaning how to make sushi is something that is a lot of fun and is something that people can enjoy doing together. Here are a few things to look for in the kits that are available to choose from.

When you are looking for a good sushi kit to buy it is important to find one that has everything you are going to need. This includes items such as short grain rice, Nori for wrapping the sushi with, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, and other items that are necessary for you to be able to make some great sushi in your own kitchen.

It is also helpful if you can find a kit that has a sushi cookbook included with it. This will help you to learn how to make sushi if you are not familiar with some great recipes that can be used. You will be able to find some exotic recopies and some that are simple even for beginners to make. Not all kits will include a cookbook, so if having recipes is something that is important to you, then make sure that you find a kit that includes one.

If you are someone who enjoys all types of sushi then make sure to look for a kit that includes the items that are needed to make the types you like. You will be able to find kits that will include the utensils needed to make Nigiri (rice balls) and kits that have the utensils needed to make Maki (sushi rolls) that you will enjoy.

By taking a look at the great sushi kits that are available, you will be able to find one that will help you get started making your own sushi at home. If you are someone who enjoys making your own food, then you are sure to have a blast when you find the right kit to use in your home. Make sure to take a look at the different ones that are available so that you will be able to find the best one to use in your kitchen.

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By making this bread you will be saving up in ways more than one. For starters, baking your own bread will cut you the cost of transportation. Plus energy cost in commercial manufacturing and production will be lessened. And by choosing to bake sourdough instead of the normal dough, the ingredients you will be using are fewer than the usual and healthier since there are no additives and unnatural ingredients.

Also, the dough could be easily mixed by hand, no need to use electric mixers and any other power consuming appliances. And you are certain that your bread is fresh since you are the one who made it.

One of the best things about this bread is that you don't have to be a skilled baker when you're attempting to bake this kind of bread. Even if it is your first time, or you don't have any background in baking, you can certainly make it possible provided that you have the interest to learn and a wide room for improvement.

The only ingredients you will need are the basic ones: flour, water, salt and sugar. While the baking tools you will need are a mixing bowl, an oven, and a baking sheet. When you bake a bread using sourdough, it only takes a short time, about twenty minutes or so, depending on the size of the dough.

Since the ingredients are only simple ones, you will save up money, and the process is not complicated. And you would be able to bake bread that beats a grocery loaf bread containing ten or more ingredients.

Because it is made up of simple ingredients, your dough could last up to weeks provided that it is stored properly in your refrigerator. That way, you are able to bake some bread whenever you want to.

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Storing your starter in the refrigerator makes a huge difference in the development of the sour flavor. Placing your newly fed starter right away inside the refrigerator reduces the amount of sour flavor while leaving your starter for a few hours after it had completed its rise before storing in the refrigerator gives of a sourer flavor.

To alter the flavor of your starter, you can try different feeding schedules. You can also change the ratio of the ingredients depending on where you plan to use your starter. All those steps will help in changing the balance of the organisms that thrive in the starter. These organisms will make the starter sourer, or less depending on the steps you take.

If you only use your starter for example only once a week, then refrigerating it just after it had risen is more convenient because all you have to do when you have to add it in your recipe is take it out and combine it in.

Storing it right away after it had risen also works well if you mean to store it in your refrigerator for months because reviving it will be so much easier.

A healthy and well fed starter creates a thick and a strong consistency that lasts long when stored in the refrigerator right after every feeding. The refrigerator is your salvation in bringing you the starter you will need every time you have to include in your breads. Although starters that are stored right away gives off a less flavor, you can easily add up the flavor by taking it out, reviving it by feeding and let it sit for hours more than the usual.

You are sure that the refrigerator keeps your starter healthy and living by making sure that it sits safely in your refrigerator. You won't have to worry about it even if it takes months of storage.

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It is important to understand the significance of the chef's knife. In fact, one of the secrets that professionals use to create amazing meals at home and on the job is the use of the chef's knife.

Professional chefs know that correct preparation of ingredients helps in the eye appeal of the final presentation of the dish. More importantly, items that are cut consistently will cook consistently. That way, every piece of carrot has the same texture in the soup. If they're cut to different sizes, the larger one will be hard and crunchy, and the smaller piece soft and mushy.

Practicing correct skills with your kitchen knives will also save money by allowing you to buy larger items and break them into usable pieces. When you prepare fresh ingredients correctly, there is less waste and fresh ingredients improve your cooking by increasing the nutrients in your diet by using more wholesome foods.

One of the most common items that needs to be cut in household cooking is an onion. Every time you make a cut into an onion, it releases sulfur-based gas. When that gas comes in contact with the water in your eye, it turns into sulfuric acid and burns. So, not only does the onion need to be cut into consistent pieces, it is certainly more pleasant if you can do it with as few knife strokes as possible.

Wrong Way to Cut an Onion

The common rocking of the knife against the cutting board, the "mezzaluna" motion is just another way to chop things inconsistently.

Right Way to Cut an Onion

The correct way to dice an onion is to first cut the onion in half from root end to blossom end, giving you a flat surface to work from, avoiding a rolling onion and sharp knife. Since the root end of the onion holds it together, the next step is to cut the blossom end from the onion and remove the skin.

The natural curve of the onion layers will help you in cutting the item into consistent pieces if you first make horizontal cuts in the onion that travel parallel to your cutting board. Now, make vertical cuts in the onion with the tip of your knife, but not all the way back to the root end.

You should now have a "checkerboard" type slices in the onion, but it should stay together because you haven't cut back to the root end. A tip/fulcrum method will now cut the onion into consistent diced pieces if you now cut across the previous two cuts.

Try it at home! You're going to love the time and tears that it saves you as well as having the ability to have consistent sized pieces of onion. So, one of the most important kitchen skills is having knife skills. The correct use of a chef's knife will help you save money, use better foods, improve your confidence, and save time spent in the kitchen.

Chef Todd Mohr is a classically trained chef, entrepreneur and educator. Since 2007, he has been the creator and host of the "Cooking Coarse" video series, which is known for its straight-forward and entertaining approach to cooking instruction. Chef Todd's simple philosophy - burn your recipes and learn how to really cook - has helped many home cooks and professionals alike finally achieve success in the kitchen.
For more details on Cooking by Method and how you can cook better everyday at home, Click Here to get his FREE monthly ezine Burn Your Recipes - filled with great cooking advice, guidance ideas and support.

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There is nothing wrong with a little smoker from the local retail department store. You can chuck a chicken into one of them and enjoy a great supper hours later. With a little work, you can learn to create great ribs and brisket in one, too.

There is no reason to ignore the benefits of the larger barrel models, either. Those smokers are capable of creating some of the best BBQ in the world and are used by both top competition teams and restaurants from Memphis to Waco. They do a very good job and they are probably more than enough for most people.

Still, there is nothing like a brick smoker. Sure, a brick smoker represents a serious investment, but it also pays huge dividends. Here are three reasons why it is so easy to love those big brick smokers. This list is not comprehensive, but it will provide you with three very strong justifications for the use of a brick unit.

First, you simply must love any "Q" apparatus that will allow you to deal with a whole hog at one time without even taking up half of the available cooking area! If you want to make a lot of BBQ at once, there is no better way to do it than by using an oversized, custom smoker. You can feed a village off of one, if you so desire.

Second, a brick smoker will allow you to make standard slow cooking look like an all-out sprint to the finish line. A good brick unit can maintain a nice, low heat for an extended period. If you thought ribs from your barrel smoker were tender, you are not going to believe what you can do with a nice brick smoker. Those bricks retain heat like nothing else, allowing you to produce succulent masterpieces over extraordinarily long cooking times.

Third, once you have a brick smoker, you will never need to revisit your BBQ apparatus again. A brick unit is part of your property's permanent landscape. It is not an appliance, it is a fixture. Once you have built or installed a great smoker, you will have a place to BBQ for the rest of your life. You will not be worrying about replacing a rusty unit or graduating to a larger device ever again.

People have been using brick smokers for over a century and there are a number of reasons for their longevity. Size, the ability to maintain the perfect temperature for hours and hours, and permanence are three of them. Those three marks in favor of the brick smoker may very well convince you that it is time to say goodbye to the barrel and to welcome the bricks and mortar to your backyard!

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Summertime is grilling season. The warm weather just seems to bring out the charcoal, the grills and the tantalizing aroma of food cooking to perfection on an open flame. But grilling is an art style and creating the perfect burger can be the Holy Grail for anyone who considers themselves a master griller.

There are a few tips and tricks that can be used when trying to produce the best possible burger. First of all you want to start with a prime cut of meat. Hamburger is not all created equal. The freshest meat that you can find is the best and you will want to lean towards ground Angus steak vs. ground chuck. The reasoning behind this is twofold. Not only will you have less fat and burger shrinkage but also that ground Angus steak has a much better flavor than ground chuck.

You also need to pay strict attention to the seasonings that you put into your burgers. The combination of spices is imperative to the flavoring of your burger. Many people go way beyond the typical salt, pepper and onion mix. Ranch dressing mixes have become increasingly popular in seasoning your burger. Some people choose steak seasonings to further bring out the Angus flavor. Some even choose blackening spices to give your burger that extra bite to make things a bit interesting. This is a personal preference in flavor and the perfect mixture can be obtained only by trial and error.

When forming your burgers you will want to add something to the mix to help your burgers hold together. Egg is a great binder for burgers. This will prevent your burgers from splitting while turning on the grill. Breadcrumbs are also effective and seasoned bread crumbs can also add just an extra hint of flavor to your perfect burger.

You also are going to want to experiment beyond the flattened balls to make a great burger. There are many inexpensive devices that can create wonderful burgers. These patty formers have rings that are pressed into the burgers themselves in order to retain the juices and therefore the flavor of the burgers. By choosing to use one of these, you will ensure that you will have the juiciest burgers in town.

Next comes the grilling. Grilling is considered an art form too many, but the key to perfecting a burger, and almost everything else on the grill for that matter is to cook it slowly and turn often. By applying a low even heat to your burgers, you will not scorch the outsides while the insides stay raw. The entire burger will cook evenly and thoroughly. One other aspect to mention is not to over cook the burgers themselves. Burgers taste best at medium well. This allows for the meet to be cooked completely but still retain the juiciness that you desire.

The quest for a perfect burger may take a lot of trial and error. But by taking care to use the tips and tricks that you are given will help you to get the very best burger sooner than you ever thought possible.

Michelle just had basically no concept just what exactly a crock pot was basically before her close friend invited her home for an evening meal 1 evening. Sarah agreed to, assuming they'd possibly be having leftovers or take-out Chinese. Instead, they received a tasty slow cooker chicken recipes, which had been gradually cooking away all day when both the young women had been to work.

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Remember grandma's cooking? The awesome aromas and hearty flavors coming from her kitchen where certainly enticing and the entire family would hang around the kitchen until she finally shouted "Supper's Ready!" Aunts, uncles and cousins would rush the table to get their favorite seat, rush through the blessing just to dig in to the outstanding flavors of grandma's kitchen. As unhealthy as those meals were, we certainly loved them. Wouldn't it be fantastic to turn out meals with hints of her kitchen mixed right in to healthier foods?

Find out, from her if possible or from other family members what grandma's favorite spices were and try to obtain some of her recipes. Examine her old recipes and see where you can make modifications to make the old recipes a little healthier. Perhaps where she made heavy, greasy gravy, you can try using a lighter au jus. Instead of mashed potatoes with heavy cream and a ton of butter and salt, you may be able to substitute those ingredients with 2% or even skim milk and butter buds. You may try adding some garlic instead of salt or possibly adding shredded low fat cheese to the mashed potatoes for more flavor without using so much salt.

While salt rubs were typical on large cuts of meat that were baked for hours, these days we have so many other seasonings at our disposal. Mix and match other seasonings until you can duplicate her pot roast, but with less salt. Try using a crock pot to achieve the long cooking times she used because a crock pot uses very little electricity when compared to an oven. The crock pot tends to hold more of the natural juices in the meat. Try using a wok to stir fry vegetables to a crisp tender consistency. This helps to maintain the nutrients in them instead of boiling all the vitamins out only to steam away.

Many of grandma's baked goods were so yummy, but so very fattening and unhealthy. These days we have so many options with baked goods like cakes, cookies, pies and the like to make them much healthier. Two ideas that may be of interest to you in your own personal quest to move towards healthier eating habits may be to purchase the half cake mixes at the store or try to cut her recipe in half. Don't forget to share your yummy creation with friends, family member or your neighbors. This will help you avoid the temptation of eating up the whole cake yourself at one sitting.

Grandma's pies were usually made of real fresh picked fruits but tons of sugar was usually added. Sugar was often even put in the crust before being rolled out. Today we can use a graham cracker crust or we can add vanilla extract as part of the liquid required to add flavor to a regular crust. Fresh fruits or canned fruits that have been packed in their own juices are available now, and they are much better for you.

Keep experimenting to capture the familiar flavors of Grandma's kitchen. You will be eating healthier without losing any of those comforting flavors.

Michelle had no concept just what some sort of crock pot was in fact before her good friend. Invited her back home for dinner 1 evening. Sarah agreed to, imagining they would end up eating leftovers or maybe take-out Chinese. In fact, they had a delicious slow cooker beef stew which had really been slowly cooking away more or less all day while both the ladies had been at work.

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It is almost that time of year again. The air is getting cooler and the leaves are starting to change, which is a sign that the holidays will be fast approaching. The holidays are hugely centered around food, whether it is holiday parties, cookie baking or the dinner themselves, cooking is a huge part of celebrating.

There is no better example of this than Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving turkey is at the center of the holiday and preparing a perfect turkey is much easier than you think.

First of all, you will want to decide what size turkey that will feed your guests. One handy rule of thumb is one pound per person. This amount will likely provide a generous amount to feed all your guests and leave you just enough for all those yummy holiday leftovers.

Once you determine what size turkey you need to buy, the next choice is brand. Your local grocery store will have a variety of brands available for you to choose from. Some brands, including your store brand turkey, will be very inexpensive, whereas others will be pricier but come with added benefits of built in thermometers to let you know when your bird is cooked to perfection. Whichever brand of turkey you choose, the secret to the perfect turkey is in the preparation.

The easiest and most foolproof way to achieve the tantalizing turkey you desire is to cook it in an oven bag. These are bags that take all the work out of cooking a turkey and leave little room for error. They also minimize the amount of cleanup you will have to perform. You can find them near the turkeys or in the plastic bag section.

Please remember that it will take a couple of days to thaw out your turkey if you buy it frozen. Too many Thanksgiving dinners have been ruined by a frozen turkey. The safest place to thaw a turkey is in the refrigerator or in cold water. It is also important to remember safe guidelines for handling raw poultry when handling a turkey.

Once you have all your supplies, you just need to decide if you want to stuff your turkey or not. Many people feel that a stuffed turkey makes a prettier presentation with the added benefit that the stuffing will help flavor the turkey as it bakes. Whether your turkey is stuffed or not will directly impact how long it needs to cook. You can find exact baking instructions on the oven bags if you choose to use them. The cooking time will depend upon the weight of your turkey and if it is in an oven bag and/or stuffed. Regardless, the turkey needs to be at a temperature of 170-175 degrees at the thickest part of the breast to consume safely.

You will want to perform a few steps as you are preparing your turkey

Make sure that your remove the neck and giblets from the body and neck cavityDrain and rinse your turkey and then blot dry with paper towelsStuff your turkey if desired making sure to retuck the legsPlace your turkey in the oven bag or roaster with the breast side upBrush your turkey with butter and seasoning to keep the juices in

Just by following these perfect steps and taking care not to overcook the turkey will reward you with a picture perfect turkey that even your mother would be proud of.

Michelle had very little idea what exactly some sort of crock pots was in fact before her neighbor invited her home to a dinner party 1 night. Fran agreed, guessing they would be feeding on leftovers or perhaps take-out Chinese. Amazingly, instead, they had a mouth watering crock pot meals which had been slowly cooking away more or less all day whilst both the girls were to work.

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Are you one of the plain people who are simply drawn to whipping up scrumptious restaurant-worthy dessert dishes? If you are into this field of interest, then you should be equipped with the right tools five star chefs themselves use in their industrial kitchens. What you might to start investing in are the handy carbon dioxide cylinders.

These CO2 cartridges are one of those containers that have high pressure carbon dioxide inside them. They are typically made of steel, which is a fitting durable material that could permit molecular activity of the pressurized gas. Many types of cylinders are produced from high strength aluminum alloy.

Such large metal cartridges are usually for repeated use that needs to be filled repeatedly. But for these items become allowed to be used for a number of times, the finest materials have to be utilized in making them. These need to go through various stringent cleansing processes prior to being filled with the pressurized gas.

Prior purchasing this kind of equipment, you have to determine the purpose it will serve you. There are different kinds of carbon dioxide cylinders. They differ in size and amount of compressed gas. They come usually come in these denominations - 8 gram, 12 gram, 16 gram, 33 gram and 45 gram threaded or non threaded cylinders.

These amounts are actually the determining factor how the cartridge could be used. The small to medium types serve a variety of purposes. These are typically made out to be the accompaniment of soda siphons. But they are not only used to make carbonated water. They could also be used to activate beer machines, miniature type of kegs and of course to make whipped cream.

Apart from the CO2 cartridges that contain highly pressurized gas for food applications, there are others that could be used to inflate tires of bicycles and light motorcycles. Some of these are also appropriate as a propeller accessory for plumbing applications like the compressed-air drain openers.

There are cylinders too used for air guns. This is usually (and ideally) made from non-corrosive and non toxic material that could be used at any altitude. This kind of cartridge with pressurized carbon dioxide is compatible with any gas-powered gun including paintball guns.

Finally, the larger and threaded CO2 cartridges are the ones used for pumping up automatic and manual jackets that need carbon dioxide to be fully functional.

Another thing to consider is to check the seal of inspection the cylinders or cartridges went through. These seals of approval will be your guarantee that the container itself is made from high grade material and that it is safe to use for any of the above mentioned applications. In addition, if at all possible, look for the one that could be used unlimitedly. On the other hand, if you just want to try it out for a single occasion, there are disposable types.

All these things being said about carbon dioxide cylinders, you could definitely feel much more comfortable upon using them.

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More people are making the switch and becoming a vegetarian than ever before. Becoming a vegetarian and sticking to only vegetarian cooking is a life choice and one which can make a hugely positive change in your life. There are many benefits that come from being a vegetarian. You cut down on your fat consumption by sticking to vegetarian cooking.

Vegetarian cooking will drastically cut down the amount of fat that you consume. A great way to lose weight is by eating only vegetarian cooking and even though meat is packed full of protein is also has a large amount of fat. This is especially true for those that do not usually have active days. For example, those that work in offices or are at home all day watching children do not get physical activity.

If you don't have time to go to the gym the chances of you burning off all the calories that the meat gave you are very low and will turn into fat. However, this wont be a problem for you if you only do vegetarian cooking.

Switching to vegetarian cooking is also beneficial because meat is also just really gross in general, especially considering that "meat" can include more than what you think you are getting - anything from the tail, head, feet, rectum, and other parts of the animal's body.

Vegetarian cooking is much more easy to make that dishes that include meat. Meat must be cooked at all times to be eaten so that you will not get sick. However, this is not how it is when it comes to eating dishes or meals that are only made with vegetables. In fact, you can eat any vegetable raw and you will not get sick like you would with meat. Vegetables are jam packed full of different nutrients and will cook much faster than meat does. In addition, your body will digest vegetables a lot better than it does for meet.

Vegetarian cooking is not the much of a challenge and has many benefits for you body. Living the life of a vegetarian is extremely healthy for your body. In a couple of weeks you will begin to feel and see the difference in your body. If you have some doubts or are unsure about all this you can always seek the opinion of your doctor or nutritionist. They can give you advice on what to do in this scenario like taking vitamins or supplements so that you get all of the nutrients your body needs on a day to day basis.

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Sourdough can raise bread naturally meaning it is made without adding yeast. Wild yeast can grow by making a starter which can raise bread naturally. Contrary to its name, Sourdough bread isn't always sour tasting.

Although most of the time it does produce a tangy or sour taste mainly because of the components of a sourdough starter but the tangy taste can be altered when it reaches the main baking procedure.

The first step to be a sourdough baker, you must first create a starter. A starter is a batter that you will keep in your fridge for some time. The starter that you will make will be mixed into a dough and it will cause the bread to rise.

Most people think that their sourdough starter is alive. Actually, that can be the considered since a starter is a batter filled with yeast and bacteria. It contains a lactobacillus culture in symbiotic combination with the yeast. It is actually a form of leavening for bread. Because it is a cultured yeast, it is a natural leavening process.

It is not uncommon for a baker's starter dough to have years of history, from many hundreds of previous batches. As a result, each bakery's sourdough has a distinct taste. The combination of starter processes, refreshment ratios and rest times, culture and air temperature, humidity, and elevation also makes each batch of sourdough different.

Now to make the sourdough bread, you need to blend the starter with flour to make the dough. You can make different kinds of bread, pancakes and pastries using sourdough.

The great thing about sourdough is that you can store it in the refrigerator for as long as you want (it grows as well), and make a dough whenever you want to. It's not time consuming and easy to prepare.

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