(ARA) - There are few summer pastimes more honored than backyard grilling and entertaining. But before you fire up the grill for your next bash or weeknight dinner, you should learn how to properly select and grill fresh fish to perfection.
* Always seek the freshest fish in your local area. Ask your fish market or grocery if they receive their fish daily or what frozen options they recommend.
* Ask about the origin of the fish you're buying, and make sure it has been stored at about 28 F at all times.
* If a fish smells "fishy," don't buy it and don't eat it. Look for shiny skin and undamaged scales. Press firmly on the skin and make sure the fish regains its original shape quickly. Whole fish should have clear eyes, not cloudy.
Master Chef Tony Seta says the best way to grill fish is on a wooden plank, which imparts a smoky flavor and keeps fish from sticking to the grill.
If you're in the mood for a night out, Chef Seta recommends the fresh fish dishes at Bonefish Grill, such as Wild Alaskan Cedar Plank Salmon with a Chorizo Topping. Visit www.BonefishGrill.com to find the location nearest you.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Tips For Choosing Basic Small Kitchen Appliances For Your Home
Just as every cook needs a good spatula, you need the right basic small kitchen appliances as well. You can't begin to expand your cooking style and abilities without the basics such as a good mixer, blender and food processor.
When it comes to mixers, you have the option to choose either a hand mixer or a stand mixer. There are different types of hand mixers from just the simple two beater electric kind that perform basic operations in the kitchen like mashing potatoes to fancier versions that are intended for the serious cook. Stand mixers make mixing easy because you don't have to hold anything and many come with their own bowl that attaches to the base. Depending on your cooking needs, you can find them in the basic light-duty cooking to heavy-duty needs for once again, the serious cook.
Another small kitchen appliance that you may consider owning is a food processor. These handy machines make life easy for the chef who does a lot of chopping or slicing. Processors range from the small one or two cup varieties that do simple jobs like slice carrots to larger machines that can do everything from chop to puree to grating even the hardest cheese. The more complicated food processors can perform many more functions that chopping and grating however, so you have lots to choose from when shopping.
The one small appliance that most folks cannot live without is their blender. Able to do more than make smoothies, today's blenders are a staple in just about any kitchen. Some tasks that you can use your blender for are mixing salad dressings, blending soups, mixing delicious milkshakes, and my favorite: crushing ice for margaritas. Once again, like the other small appliances mentioned above, you have many options to choose from depending on what you want to accomplish with your blender.
Most of the appliances here can be purchased in a variety of colors to match your kitchen decor. You can spend a little or a lot and get as many bells and whistles as you desire. With the right appliances and tools in your kitchen, you can become a super chef and be able to whip up tasty dishes for your friends and family in a heartbeat.
Become a 'Quick and Easy Family Recipes' member and get access to family-friendly and seasonal recipes, meal planning tips and much more...for free! http://quickandeasyfamilyrecipes.com/
When it comes to mixers, you have the option to choose either a hand mixer or a stand mixer. There are different types of hand mixers from just the simple two beater electric kind that perform basic operations in the kitchen like mashing potatoes to fancier versions that are intended for the serious cook. Stand mixers make mixing easy because you don't have to hold anything and many come with their own bowl that attaches to the base. Depending on your cooking needs, you can find them in the basic light-duty cooking to heavy-duty needs for once again, the serious cook.
Another small kitchen appliance that you may consider owning is a food processor. These handy machines make life easy for the chef who does a lot of chopping or slicing. Processors range from the small one or two cup varieties that do simple jobs like slice carrots to larger machines that can do everything from chop to puree to grating even the hardest cheese. The more complicated food processors can perform many more functions that chopping and grating however, so you have lots to choose from when shopping.
The one small appliance that most folks cannot live without is their blender. Able to do more than make smoothies, today's blenders are a staple in just about any kitchen. Some tasks that you can use your blender for are mixing salad dressings, blending soups, mixing delicious milkshakes, and my favorite: crushing ice for margaritas. Once again, like the other small appliances mentioned above, you have many options to choose from depending on what you want to accomplish with your blender.
Most of the appliances here can be purchased in a variety of colors to match your kitchen decor. You can spend a little or a lot and get as many bells and whistles as you desire. With the right appliances and tools in your kitchen, you can become a super chef and be able to whip up tasty dishes for your friends and family in a heartbeat.
Become a 'Quick and Easy Family Recipes' member and get access to family-friendly and seasonal recipes, meal planning tips and much more...for free! http://quickandeasyfamilyrecipes.com/
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Quick and easy family recipes that are perfect for on-the-go families...who want to save time and money.
Do you want 'family approved' AND 'budget-friendly' Quick and Easy Recipes?
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Homemade Chocolate Ice-Cream - A Quick & Easy Recipe
This is a very fast and simple recipe for ice-cream, which I invented when I misread an old Mary Berry recipe – I accidentally missed out the egg yolks, but the end result still tasted good. The reason why it’s so easy is that it doesn’t involve making a custard, as most ice-creams do. The secret to making good ice-cream is basically a matter of getting a decent emulsion of fat and water. I think that this recipe achieves that partly by having a higher fat content than other ice-cream recipes I’ve come across – so beware, large quantities will cause your waistline to expand!
This recipe also has the advantage that it’s safer than other “no-cook” ice-cream recipes I’ve come across, because there are no raw eggs in the recipe (dried egg white is pasteurised), so it can be safely served to children, pregnant women, the elderly and immuno-suppressed, who must avoid raw eggs.
However, like properly made ice-creams it is rich with no detectable ice crystals in mouth feel. The trick is speed – you really can’t afford to pause or loose focus when mixing the ingredients together, or the ingredients will separate, and the egg whites lose their aeration.
It’s also important to have your ingredients at the right temperature. Bring the cream almost up to room temperature by taking it out of the fridge about an hour before starting to make this recipe, or the contrast in temperatures between that and the chocolate can cause the chocolate to re-solidify in lots of little flakes in your recipe (If the container holding the cream still feels cool to the touch, then it’s too soon to start making the ice-cream).
It is possible to make this recipe without an ice-cream maker, but it is a lot more work – you will need to take the carton of ice-cream out of the freezer every ten minutes and give it a vigorous stir with a fork, over a period of about an hour or two, until it is completely set through.
I have used dark chocolate, but the finished product has a milk chocolate flavour, because of all the cream in the recipe. You can use milk chocolate, but I feel that the chocolate flavour then tends to be overly subtle in the finished product.
INGREDIENTS
160g (5.5oz) Dark Chocolate
2 dried egg whites, reconstituted according to packet instructions
175g (6oz) caster sugar
500ml (17 fl oz) single cream (18% fat cream)
250ml (8.5 fl oz) double cream (48% fat cream)
METHOD
Take the double & single cream out of the fridge to warm up. Make sure your ice-cream maker is ready to use, and have all your equipment handy (you don’t want to have to break off in the middle of making this to rummage in a drawer)
Melt chocolate by the usual method in a pyrex bowl over simmering water, or in a double boiler. When it has melted, add the double cream to the chocolate in the warm bowl, and stir well. Then add the single cream, continuously gently stirring the mixture until it is perfectly even.
Then whisk the egg whites until stiff (and about double the volume) using an electric beater. This will take about 2 minutes. Then add the sugar, little by little, continuing to whisk while doing so.
Then whisk in the chocolate and cream mixture, again, a little at a time, whisking continuously. Put the mixture straight into the ice-cream maker, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to freeze the ice-cream.
Once frozen, if you are not eating the ice-cream straight away, then put immediately into a container, and put it in the freezer. The recipe makes about 1.5 litres of ice-cream. The ice-cream will tend to become more solid in the freezer as time goes on, so if it remains in the freezer for more than 4 hours, you will need to remove the container from the freezer and put the container in the fridge for about 20 minutes to let it soften very slightly before serving.
You can make this recipe with any type of chocolate that takes your fancy, but you may want to reduce the sugar content down to about 140g for milk chocolate or 120g for white chocolate to avoid the sweetness overwhelming the flavour of the chocolate. Of course, you can also add other ingredients such as small pieces of fruit, flavourings like mint or citrus oils, spices, caramel sauce, or confectionery pieces to ring the changes. However, if you are adding large quantities of fruit, you will need to use a higher fat cream to avoid getting lots of large ice crystals – I suggest that in this case you use entirely double cream, rather than a mixture of single and double cream. However, be careful with double cream and ice-cream makers – on occasions when my attention slipped, the cream whipped itself into butter, which had a most peculiar texture when eaten!
For an 80g serving (about 2 scoops), fat content is 21g; calorie content 270kcal.
Joe is a keen amateur confectioner, and runs an online Chocolate Delivery service, http://www.chocolate-now.co.uk/ with her husband Nigel. You can find more of her chocolate recipes at chocolate-now.co.uk/recipes.
This recipe also has the advantage that it’s safer than other “no-cook” ice-cream recipes I’ve come across, because there are no raw eggs in the recipe (dried egg white is pasteurised), so it can be safely served to children, pregnant women, the elderly and immuno-suppressed, who must avoid raw eggs.
However, like properly made ice-creams it is rich with no detectable ice crystals in mouth feel. The trick is speed – you really can’t afford to pause or loose focus when mixing the ingredients together, or the ingredients will separate, and the egg whites lose their aeration.
It’s also important to have your ingredients at the right temperature. Bring the cream almost up to room temperature by taking it out of the fridge about an hour before starting to make this recipe, or the contrast in temperatures between that and the chocolate can cause the chocolate to re-solidify in lots of little flakes in your recipe (If the container holding the cream still feels cool to the touch, then it’s too soon to start making the ice-cream).
It is possible to make this recipe without an ice-cream maker, but it is a lot more work – you will need to take the carton of ice-cream out of the freezer every ten minutes and give it a vigorous stir with a fork, over a period of about an hour or two, until it is completely set through.
I have used dark chocolate, but the finished product has a milk chocolate flavour, because of all the cream in the recipe. You can use milk chocolate, but I feel that the chocolate flavour then tends to be overly subtle in the finished product.
INGREDIENTS
160g (5.5oz) Dark Chocolate
2 dried egg whites, reconstituted according to packet instructions
175g (6oz) caster sugar
500ml (17 fl oz) single cream (18% fat cream)
250ml (8.5 fl oz) double cream (48% fat cream)
METHOD
Take the double & single cream out of the fridge to warm up. Make sure your ice-cream maker is ready to use, and have all your equipment handy (you don’t want to have to break off in the middle of making this to rummage in a drawer)
Melt chocolate by the usual method in a pyrex bowl over simmering water, or in a double boiler. When it has melted, add the double cream to the chocolate in the warm bowl, and stir well. Then add the single cream, continuously gently stirring the mixture until it is perfectly even.
Then whisk the egg whites until stiff (and about double the volume) using an electric beater. This will take about 2 minutes. Then add the sugar, little by little, continuing to whisk while doing so.
Then whisk in the chocolate and cream mixture, again, a little at a time, whisking continuously. Put the mixture straight into the ice-cream maker, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to freeze the ice-cream.
Once frozen, if you are not eating the ice-cream straight away, then put immediately into a container, and put it in the freezer. The recipe makes about 1.5 litres of ice-cream. The ice-cream will tend to become more solid in the freezer as time goes on, so if it remains in the freezer for more than 4 hours, you will need to remove the container from the freezer and put the container in the fridge for about 20 minutes to let it soften very slightly before serving.
You can make this recipe with any type of chocolate that takes your fancy, but you may want to reduce the sugar content down to about 140g for milk chocolate or 120g for white chocolate to avoid the sweetness overwhelming the flavour of the chocolate. Of course, you can also add other ingredients such as small pieces of fruit, flavourings like mint or citrus oils, spices, caramel sauce, or confectionery pieces to ring the changes. However, if you are adding large quantities of fruit, you will need to use a higher fat cream to avoid getting lots of large ice crystals – I suggest that in this case you use entirely double cream, rather than a mixture of single and double cream. However, be careful with double cream and ice-cream makers – on occasions when my attention slipped, the cream whipped itself into butter, which had a most peculiar texture when eaten!
For an 80g serving (about 2 scoops), fat content is 21g; calorie content 270kcal.
Joe is a keen amateur confectioner, and runs an online Chocolate Delivery service, http://www.chocolate-now.co.uk/ with her husband Nigel. You can find more of her chocolate recipes at chocolate-now.co.uk/recipes.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Cooking the Perfect Soup
Most would just grab a pinch of salt and voila. They feel that this move is enough to complete the taste of the soup. But there are better ways for a chef to make the soup taste better. It doesn’t require too much sodium.
First and foremost, reflect on the ingredients of the soup. Most of the time, veggies, herbs and bones are starting base for a good soup.
If you want to reduce or increase the flavor of the soup, you have to taste it between stirring. Its up to you really. You can reduce the soup by half if you feel that there is a lot more kick to it than you expected, but be ready to double the flavor if there comes a point that its bland.
If you’re done cooking the soup but it tastes like it still needs something, reach for wine, lime juice or lemon. You can also spike it with vinegar.
If you want more flavor to the meat, make sure that you sauté it in the pot. You can add more oil or butter to the pot. You can also toss in chopped garlic and onion. Take the time to sauté all the ingredients and let them seep in with one another.
If you are cooking stew and it tastes slightly burnt, you can remedy it by pouring a bit of milk to balance the taste out. Ice cubes can also eliminate the fat portion from the soup as well as the stew. All you need are just a few into the pot and continue stirring. The fat will attach to the ice cubes. Make sure to discard them before they completely melt. Have a paper towel nearby so you can reach for it as you skim your way across the top.
Finally, when you are reheating your soup, you must always use a double boiler. In that way, the soup doesn’t lose its flavor because the hot water is responsible for securing all the ingredients.
There was this story about a traveler who asked a man and wife if he could stay in their house for the night. He said he could make the best stew they ever tasted with only a rock. Now it was a normal rock. The stew he ended up cooking for the man and the wife ended up to be tasty because the homeowners provided him with the ingredients he needed to come up with the stew.
First and foremost, reflect on the ingredients of the soup. Most of the time, veggies, herbs and bones are starting base for a good soup.
If you want to reduce or increase the flavor of the soup, you have to taste it between stirring. Its up to you really. You can reduce the soup by half if you feel that there is a lot more kick to it than you expected, but be ready to double the flavor if there comes a point that its bland.
If you’re done cooking the soup but it tastes like it still needs something, reach for wine, lime juice or lemon. You can also spike it with vinegar.
If you want more flavor to the meat, make sure that you sauté it in the pot. You can add more oil or butter to the pot. You can also toss in chopped garlic and onion. Take the time to sauté all the ingredients and let them seep in with one another.
If you are cooking stew and it tastes slightly burnt, you can remedy it by pouring a bit of milk to balance the taste out. Ice cubes can also eliminate the fat portion from the soup as well as the stew. All you need are just a few into the pot and continue stirring. The fat will attach to the ice cubes. Make sure to discard them before they completely melt. Have a paper towel nearby so you can reach for it as you skim your way across the top.
Finally, when you are reheating your soup, you must always use a double boiler. In that way, the soup doesn’t lose its flavor because the hot water is responsible for securing all the ingredients.
There was this story about a traveler who asked a man and wife if he could stay in their house for the night. He said he could make the best stew they ever tasted with only a rock. Now it was a normal rock. The stew he ended up cooking for the man and the wife ended up to be tasty because the homeowners provided him with the ingredients he needed to come up with the stew.
Things to Remember When Cooking for a Vegetarian
Many reasons may constitute an individuals choice for vegetarian cooking. It could be religion, health, or finances, but one thing is for sure; vegetarians all crave healthy foods that are still full of flavor.
If you are to cook for a vegetarian, there are some pointers you have to consider. Here’s the list:
1. Stop replacing meat-based recipes with veggie meats
It is a common misconception that vegetarians would rather have their typical meat-based recipes still cooked with veggie meat as the main ingredient instead of the red meat.
At some point, it doesn’t taste the same as the original recipe. It isn’t similar to having a vegetarian dish as either.
Experts say that this technique isn’t healthy or economical. Veggie meat is composed of soy, which is commonly high in fat and is a highly processed food. Plus, veggie meats are relatively more expensive compared to the usual red meats.
So when cooking for a vegetarian, it is either you cook a vegetable-based recipe or create a meal that still tastes good even without meat.
2. Identify the type of vegetarian your guest is.
There are many sub-categories of vegetarians. Most people think that when people say vegetarian, they refer to those who plainly eat vegetables and nothing else. The truth is that there are still some vegetarians that eat meat, although not the usual red meat but chicken or fish.
There are also some vegetarians who don’t eat any meat at all but also don’t eat eggs, milk, or any products that aren’t plant-based. Knowing this will help you decide the kinds of dishes you need to serve.
3. Be as varied as possible
When cooking for a vegetarian, it would be better if you use as many kinds of vegetables as you can. In this way, your guest will enjoy the taste of succulent combinations of different kinds of vegetables cooked in an appetizing way. Having 2 or 3 kinds of vegetables in a dish might appear boring and bland.
4. Use oil
As meat substitutes for adding some flavor in your vegetable dishes, it is best that you use oil, whether low fat or regular. Try to use vegetable or olive oil when sautéing vegetables for added flavor.
You may also add sesame oil in your vegetable soup. The idea is to enhance the flavor of the dish without the meat.
All of these tips will help as you cook for a vegetarian.
If you are to cook for a vegetarian, there are some pointers you have to consider. Here’s the list:
1. Stop replacing meat-based recipes with veggie meats
It is a common misconception that vegetarians would rather have their typical meat-based recipes still cooked with veggie meat as the main ingredient instead of the red meat.
At some point, it doesn’t taste the same as the original recipe. It isn’t similar to having a vegetarian dish as either.
Experts say that this technique isn’t healthy or economical. Veggie meat is composed of soy, which is commonly high in fat and is a highly processed food. Plus, veggie meats are relatively more expensive compared to the usual red meats.
So when cooking for a vegetarian, it is either you cook a vegetable-based recipe or create a meal that still tastes good even without meat.
2. Identify the type of vegetarian your guest is.
There are many sub-categories of vegetarians. Most people think that when people say vegetarian, they refer to those who plainly eat vegetables and nothing else. The truth is that there are still some vegetarians that eat meat, although not the usual red meat but chicken or fish.
There are also some vegetarians who don’t eat any meat at all but also don’t eat eggs, milk, or any products that aren’t plant-based. Knowing this will help you decide the kinds of dishes you need to serve.
3. Be as varied as possible
When cooking for a vegetarian, it would be better if you use as many kinds of vegetables as you can. In this way, your guest will enjoy the taste of succulent combinations of different kinds of vegetables cooked in an appetizing way. Having 2 or 3 kinds of vegetables in a dish might appear boring and bland.
4. Use oil
As meat substitutes for adding some flavor in your vegetable dishes, it is best that you use oil, whether low fat or regular. Try to use vegetable or olive oil when sautéing vegetables for added flavor.
You may also add sesame oil in your vegetable soup. The idea is to enhance the flavor of the dish without the meat.
All of these tips will help as you cook for a vegetarian.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Bake Your Best with Expert Recipes, Advice
(ARA) – If only love alone were the key ingredient for baking success. Filling your cookie tray with delicious delights, however, calls for just the right mix of a great recipe, good ingredients and a little baking savvy.
“Delicious cookies start with quality ingredients like good chocolate, real butter and fresh spices,” says Gale Gand, Chicago pastry chef and Food Network star. “For example, I use fresh ground nutmeg, rather than powdered, to impart amazing flavor in my recipe for Eggnog Cream Cheese Cups.”
Chef Mary Sonnier of The Uptowner, Special Events and Catering in New Orleans, La., stresses organization in your kitchen.
“Read the recipe before you begin and organize the necessary ingredients and equipment in your baking area,” Sonnier says. “Then pre-measure your ingredients with attention to detail. Spoon dry ingredients into measuring cups and crouch down to read liquid measurements at eye level.”
Sonnier’s traditional Italian Wedding Cookies get a special twist from creamy Mascarpone cheese. “The rich Mascarpone cheese enhances the buttery flavor and texture of the cookie.”
Chef Debbie Gold from the American Restaurant in Kansas City, Mo. offers a chocolate-lover's take on the traditional ginger snap with her Cocoa-Ginger Crisps. These crunchy little cookies deliver a delicate ginger flavor balanced by the rich chocolate dough.
“Keep clean up simple and line your baking sheets with parchment paper,” Gold says. “The cookies will be easy to remove and your baking sheets will be protected from cookie crumbs.”
Visit www.ButterIsBest.com to view dozens of recipes and tips for baking.
Cocoa-Ginger Crisps
By Chef Debbie Gold
Makes four dozen cookies.
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons cocoa powder, divided
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
1 cup (two sticks) butter, softened
1/4 cup light corn syrup
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine flour, 6 tablespoons cocoa powder, baking soda, 1 teaspoon ginger and salt; set aside. In a small bowl combine 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon cocoa, and 1 teaspoon ginger; set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream together butter and 1 cup sugar until fluffy. Add corn syrup and blend until combined. Gradually add flour mixture; mix well.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar mixture. Place dough 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes until cookies are firm and tops have slight cracks. Cool on baking sheet two to three minutes; remove cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
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