Hiring Little Rock Catering for Christmas Party

By Barry Taylor

What a fabulous time of year it is, in Little Rock and all around the country! It's time for singing songs, and eating good food. It's Christmas! and if you're having a party, it can be quite stressful too.

No matter where you live, Christmas couldn't be a better time to hire a catering company to take care of your guests and give you a break from the monumental task of preparing food for a throng of guests. Let's face it, with decorating, shopping, wrapping, traffic, and God knows what else, you deserve to take some of the stress away.

The best caterer to use during the holidays, would be one with some experience making holiday themed foods. If you're not planning a big dinner you can always request a dessert party with festive drinks and holiday goodies.

If it's a casual or formal setting you're desiring, a great caterer will come up with a variety of great holiday themed options for any sized event you desire. If the menu doesn't have the one entree you've served every year to your guests, you can make a recommendation to your caterer, and as long as the item is not too complicated, you should have no problem getting them to include it.

So give yourself a big break, hiring a catering company will be an amazing stress reliever and provide your guests more time to enjoy your presence and you can escape some of the holiday craziness.

You must admit, very one loves a great party around the holidays! Certainly if there is good food, good folks, and plenty whiskey eggnog to go around the room more than twice!

We've finally reached the holidays here in Little Rock, catering your Christmas party will give you a much needed break so you can truly enjoy it! - 30289

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Let Personal Chef Atlanta Do The Cooking

By Mike Balkovic

If you love to cook you might be interested in personal chef Atlanta. If you love to cook but you do not want to work at a restaurant or a hotel you might be interested in this opportunity. As you can imagine even in tough economic times people need to eat.

People who do not like to cook or know how to cook go to the restaurant or they live off frozen dinners. Eating out gets expensive real quick and frozen food gets old really fast.

But there is another option and that is to have their meals prepared for them by a personal chef service. There are companies that have meals delivered to people who for a variety of reasons need their meals prepared for them and they do not want to go to a restaurant every day and they do not want to resort to processed frozen meals. Some senior citizens might not want to go to the grocery store or they do not want to cook for themselves.

These are seniors you have enough money in their retirement accounts; own their homes outright. They just would rather not cook for themselves. There are also those who have to follow a strict diet because of doctor's orders. Some might need special meal preparation because of a malady like diabetes. There are also families where both parents work and are too busy to cook everyday for their spouse and children.

A personal chef company can provide meals to these groups of people. These companies need people to prepare their meals. You can contact these companies and inquire as to the requirements of becoming of their chefs. As long as you have basic cooking skills there is a good chance you can work for them. You can work from home, cooking in your own kitchen and on your own terms.

You can work stress free whereas when you work in a restaurant or hotel you will be under a lot of deadlines and otherwise a lot of stress. As a personal chef cook you will take on as much work as you want which is easy for you to handle. Also, you can find a personal chef company that offers courses on food preparation. These are not cooking classes but a means to advancing your skills.

These courses are only to get you to a cooking level that the company needs to provide quality service to their clientele. Perhaps you have a specialty meal or type of food you want to regularly prepare. You can be the Italian style chef for your area. You can prepare lasagna everyday if you like. Or you can experiment with a different meal everyday.

If you are not looking to hire on as a chef but you do need someone to cook for you on a regular basis or perhaps only on specific days of the week you can contact a personal chef company and arrange for your meals to be prepared and delivered to your home. The prices are reasonable and you will see how much sense it makes compared to going out and spending a lot of money at the restaurant or trying to live off frozen meals. - 30289

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Commercial Ovens Explained By Style

By Riley Powers

Every restaurant in existence uses an oven, and all but the smallest ones need an effective commercial oven in their kitchens. New restaurant owners may be overwhelmed with the wide variety of potential choices, and I'd like to help inform you of a few potential possibilities.

Choosing the right type of oven doesn't exactly depend on just one factor. Certain determinations should be made as a means of arriving at that decision. For example, how many meals do you need to prepare per day, and how diverse is the menu at your restaurant?

Amongst the most popular breeds of this oven style is the convection oven. The best quality of this kind of cooking appliance is the fact that a fan within the oven blows the hot air around the inside of the oven, letting the heat be distributed evenly to the rest of the food.

This is particularly useful for foods that may have been cold or even frozen before being heated. As you may well know, frozen preparations are often spotty once they've been done with heating.

Yet another very popular oven style is the conveyor oven. Who will typically use ovens like these? They're very popular in high volume restaurants that need to prepare many meals at once. In heating food in this manner, you won't need to constantly open and close your oven as you need to serve each meal.

Of course, another type of extremely common commercial oven used in restaurants is a pizza oven, which has the capacity to heat foods really quickly at extremely high temperatures. As a result, you'll see other foods being heated with this oven from time to time.

There are so many different styles of oven you can go with, and there are even more that I haven't mentioned here. At the end of the day, you'll want something that heats your food quickly and reliably, and a high quality unit of any sort should do that. Simply ask yourself which style works best for your needs.

At this point, you should have a basic understanding as to the different oven styles. It's your job to find the best deal, and you can do that by rummaging through online searches, classified ads, and local stores. - 30289

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Cooking A Stress Free Meal

By Michael Young

It can be exhausting to produce a meal, that pleases everyone, at the exact time that it's needed. Then there's the cleaning up afterwards! Dinner can be a disorderly, tedious affair.... but it doesn't have to be. Like with other things, planning and preparation are the keys to success.

These simple, yet effective suggestions, will help you better organize yourself. You'll likely be surprised at just how effortlessly a meal can be had and cleaned away. You'll additionally find that you're better able to maintain a clean and organized kitchen.

1. Plan ahead. The more you do so the easier it'll be when the times comes to perform.

2. Organize your kitchen. Always having kept certain items in certain places doesn't mean that you should continue to do so. Box up or give to others utensils or appliances you no longer use, and better organize the things you do. For example, if the items that most often are put into the dishwasher aren't in the cabinets closest to it - move things around.

3. Keep a plastic bag on the work surface where you cook. All the garbage will end up in there without a second thought. Then make one trip to the garbage can when you're done.

4. Place ingredients away after you use them. Use some time to clean up whilst cooking and you will be amazed at how much more manageable the state of your cooking area is when you come back to it after eating.

5. Buy in bulk. Keep dry goods in stock that you know you will use frequently in order to avoid last minute trips to the grocery store.

6. Wash a dish or two early. Sure there will be dishes to clean after the meal is done, but if you can clean at least of few of the dishes used in the preparation while you're simmering or in between stirs, there will be less.

7. Set the table as early as possible. If this task is out of the way an hour or so earlier it won't compete for your attention at mealtime.

8. Delegate. Make sure your members of your family know prior to eating what is expected of them i.e. clearing the plates, doing the dishes etc. - 30289

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How Much To Spend On Kitchen Knives

By Jeremy Pabloccis

For anyone who has ever had difficulty in trimming a piece of meat or finding matching steak knives for dinner guests, they will all say the same thing: you need good kitchen knives - plain and simple. However, the people who complain the loudest are usually the ones who do the least about solving the problem. Why? Most people have no idea where to start when it comes to selecting decent kitchen knives.

When Martha Stewart decided to redo her Connecticut home, one of the most important design changes in her new kitchen was the addition of custom made drawers where she could keep her uber-expensive cutlery. Not content with just throwing them in a drawer, she had drawers designed that were padded, temperature controlled, and large enough so that each knife (and she has lots!) had room to lie flat without touching another one.

Of course, for those of us who just don't seem to have the necessary 1,000 sf of space needed to treat our knives like crown jewels, there are options.

Martha probably spent on her knives what we spend on new living room furniture. And of course her knives will outlast our living room furniture. In an event, we don't really need that kind of quality; we just need something to get the job done, and done well. We just need to figure out what the "job" is before heading to the store and buying something only because it's on sale this week.

A decent set of knives can be found for around $100. A superb set of knives is going to set you back a few thousand dollars. If you tend to cook fairly simple meals, or maybe you are a vegetarian, you will need to decide how you plan on using the knives before selecting which ones to buy.

You certainly don't want to be spending money for knives that will just collect dust. If your hobby is baking, find a set that can help you slice almonds, dice ginger and quarter apricots. If cook old fashioned home cooking is your preference, get a set that handle meats, vegetables and fish.

Keep in mind: price does not equal quality. To check for quality, make certain you can see what they call the "tang". This is the piece of metal that should run through the entire knife in one piece, starting at the tip of the blade. The blade is part of the tang, and it should continue into the handle. One piece of metal (forged is best) ensures added stability.

If you can't see the tang, chances are you are buying knives in two or more pieces. The last thing you want is to have the blade break away from the handle when you are chopping onions or cutting stew beef! - 30289

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Tips for Remodeling and Modernizing Your Kitchen

By Sue Tandor

If you have an older kitchen and are thinking of remodeling, you need to figure out where best to spend your money. In extreme cases, people have even been known to knock down a wall or two in order to expand the kitchen and make it more modern. In most cases though, you only need to change a few things to give your kitchen the update it needs. Here are some ideas:

1) Granite counter tops are the hot new feature for kitchens, and these days it's hard to find a new home built without granite. There are lots of reasons for granite's popularity, the most obvious being that it is available in a wide range of colors and always looks terrific. Another benefit of granite is that its surface is especially easy to keep clean. Granite is a stone that can be made shiny smooth, which means there won't be any grooves for germs to gather as they tend to do in other materials used for counter tops.

2) There are some stunning kitchen sinks in the market today. Keep in mind that the kitchen sink is the most heavily used in a home, so you need to choose one that is both beautiful and durable. One of the tried and true varieties is stainless steel, and it is a current choice as many new homes boast stainless steel sinks. In a nutshell, no matter the kind you choose, be sure it fits with the rest of your kitchen's look.

3) Islands are one of the more common installations during an upgrade. If you are lucky enough to have a kitchen large enough for an island, be sure to consider a variety of designs so that you choose an island that suits your style and function. Some homeowners prefer to install the sink or range in the island itself. Of course, you have the option to install a plain island to provide extra counter space. The most important thing to consider before getting an island is whether your kitchen is large enough to house it.

4) The cost of flat screen televisions has reduced dramatically, making it a popular option for upgrades and remodels. There are even TVs on the market that are manufactured specifically for use in the kitchen, or you could just purchase a regular model. Generally, TVs meant for kitchens are small sets that are often made to install under your kitchen cabinetry. Kitchen televisions often fold up and down to hide and protect it when you are not watching TV. If you opt to purchase a regular model, a great way to install it is simply mount it on the wall. - 30289

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Best Hamburgers

By L.J. James

When it comes to food, I am no gourmet expert. I do however know what I like. Now there are many foods that I love and really like but when it comes down to it one of my Favorite foods has to be Hamburgers!

Now I have been all over and while I have been to some really great Burger Joints in Upstate NY and a few other states, I have spent allot of my life on Long Island in New York. There are many great places to eat here on Long Island but when it comes to Hamburgers I have two favorite places.

The first is "All American Hamburger Drive" in 4286 Merrick Rd Massapequa, NY 11758 this place has been around as long as I can remember. As a kid growing up every trip home from Jones Beach always ended with a stop at this old fashion Burger Joint. Their is always a line outside of All American but the wait is worth it. They have two Burgers I love Their Quarter pounder with Cheese and their Double Double which is a double Burger with double cheese. I have been trying to figure out which one I like better for years. I have had fun trying but have not figured it out yet, If I ever Figure it out I will let you all know ! All American also has some of the best Fries, Onion Rings, Knishes and Milk Shakes I have ever had!

Now where All American Hamburger Drive In sells a fast food style Burger and I love them, There is also another Style Burger which I love too and that is the Bar Burger! Their are many really great places on Long Island that sell some really Great Bar Burgers but as the old saying goes when it comes to the best "their can be only one"!

My Favorite Long Island Bar Burger I have had so far has got to be from the "Triangle Pub" 381 Old Montauk Hwy Eastport, NY 11941 I have been to this place a bunch of times over the years and their Burgers are always Great! Now I can only speak about their large Burgers (Never got one of the small ones). The Triangle Pub is known by many across Long Island for its Giant Burgers and Giant Glasses of Ice Cold Beer! There is not much to say about the place as I have never had anything there beside the Beer and large Burger meal. The people are friendly, The service is good, The Location is Nice and the Giant Burger and Beer Combo with French fries or onion rings is incredible. I love stopping by either for dinner or lunch !

Like I said before I am not a food expert I just know what I like. I have not eaten every where on Long Island so if you know of a place that you think serves better Burgers then the two I have just told you about then let me know what they are called and where they are located and I will be there!

I also really Like Chicken Wings!!! L.J. James www.americanbikerx.com - 30289

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Kitchen Chairs : How They Can Transform Your Kitchen

By Hari Das

The kitchen, so to speak, is the heart of any household. Family members assemble in the evening to discuss the day that was. They sit around the dining table and carry on an animated discussion about what happened in the course of the day.

Kitchen chairs are important furniture pieces for such gatherings to be effective. Comfortable kitchen chairs are essential to create the right mood for a lively chat. Kitchen chairs are important to give your kitchen a stylish appearance. It is kitchen chairs that can make your kitchen look an inviting and a cozy place. Replacing old faded kitchen with new, attractive and comfortable chairs can totally alter the looks and mood of your kitchen.

You must not forget that besides eating, we also sometimes indulge in other activities like reading and writing in the kitchen. Kitchen chairs should be easy to adapt to all these activities. Ultimately the kind of kitchen you have will determine the kind of kitchen chairs you should have.

A big kitchen can accommodate bigger chairs with taller seat backings. The same type of kitchen chairs would clutter up a small kitchen. But all kitchen chairs must be resistant to various kinds of kitchen emissions. This is important because without a lasting finish most kitchen chairs would barely last a season.

Kitchen chairs are now being made from wood, plastic and metals. What material you select will depend upon the basic kitchen decor. If wood is the dominant material in your kitchen, then to complement them you should go for wooden kitchen chairs. If your kitchen is chock-a-block with steel and chrome, then shining metal chairs, like aluminum, would be the right choice.

The latest kitchen chairs are being made from metal, vinyl and plastic. The most swinging of designs can be worked on these metals as also the most unique of textures. The modern designers have given fresh lease of life to chair designs. These incredible designs now incorporate bold colors as well as conventional lines. These funky chairs are now being used in place of bar stools at wrap around corners. The chairs are versatile enough to be placed in any empty space or corner.

The fine fabric and long lasting finishes combined with outstanding designs can make these modern kitchen chairs function as striking accents in any kitchen.

Why Buy Cheap Kitchen Chairs

You needn't empty your pockets buying expensive branded kitchen chairs. If you do some searching you will find places that sell equally good non branded discounted kitchen chairs at much lower prices. You will get discounted kitchen chairs at discount stores and online, which are not only inexpensive but will last almost as long the branded ones. Buying cheap kitchen chairs involves some risk. Unscrupulous people can palm off inferior or damaged good. There, before buying check the reputation of the store. - 30289

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Learn What It Takes to Become a Pastry Chef

By Frank Froggatt

Have you thought of going to a pastry chef school?Perhaps you're a natural at making desserts and all of your friends love your treats during parties. Your kids have come home with a note from the school asking you to take over the bake sale. Individuals always remind you about the dessert that you made during the holidays. Whenever you watch the food network, you know that you can take on any one of those hosts or contestants without a problem. Shouldn't you do something about this?Some formal education via a pastry chef school will help you avoid the pitfalls of trying to go into business for yourself.

You might be an exceptionally good cook and truly know how to make some remarkable pastries but that isn't all that it takes to make it in the food business. You need to get some education to back you up and set on the right track. There are number of culinary and history institutes and most of your major cities, and even some of the smaller outlying areas, especially in the US, there are schools with baking and pastry classes. Don't hesitate to get a hold of these institutes and find out what kind of programs a half and what you need to get in. Perhaps you're a have a little bit of training in a community college and you're ready for some world-class instruction in making pastries and running a restaurant. If this is the case then there are some world-class culinary art institutes that can fulfill your dreams in places like New York, Chicago, and Portland.

Another top-notch culinary school where they have incredibly fantastic training to become a pastry chef, or a regular chef, is the Culinary Institute of America. Many of the graduates of the school have done become culinary stars who have international fame and their own TV shows. The culinary Institute of America has 3 different locations that you can study, the main one being in New York at Hyde Park, and the other ones located in California and San Antonio Texas. The prime one for pastry chefs is the school in Greystone California.One of the nice things about the CIA is the fact that they are a nonprofit school that is dedicated to culinary education excellence.

When you are looking at culinary schools, there are a lot of different factors you need to consider in order to choose the right one. Are you planning on being a baker, a pastry chef or do you want to run your own bakery or mail-order pastry shop? Are there any type of special foods or pastries that are your specialities that you might want to specialize in? There are many different culinary institutes around that specialize in certain aspects of the food industry. Still you will find different culinary institutes offering classes based on types of cooking.

You'll find that attending a culinary school will give you all of the abilities you need to survive in a restaurant or other food service venue. Attending a pastry chef school is going to give you the opportunity to get some exposure in many of the following styles, and will give you all of the hands on training that you need. Things like baking and patisserie, business operations, business management, and the many varieties of cooking techniques.

Being incredibly good at baking pastries and desserts is an actual art form, and it is developed over a lifetime of trial and error. If you have the love of baking, or if there are a certain styles that you to get better at, and perhaps make a career of, then considering joining a pastry chef school, or any culinary arts school is a great place to start. - 30289

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Details Of Premium Connoisseur Peaberry Coffee

By Jacob McCool

Have you ever thought can a coffee be too perfect for drinking? Can you really feel that you can get any such coffee? You would certainly like the chocolate flavor but is there any variety of coffee which gives the genuine chocolate flavor. This is certainly a big question and you will certainly have to think otherwise. The above is a very good product and you will certainly have the upper hand if you want to select it for anyone. He will definitely praise the product.

Let me tell you one thing that the above brand is certainly the best. You will find this coffee cultivated in the Central America which is a high mountainous region and it can be grown above 4000 to 7000 feet above the sea level. The plantation provides the unique microclimate and you will also see the ideal growing mixture of the soil, wet season, sunlight strength as well as the temperature. In all, it provides the perfect atmosphere for growing the coffee. The herbicide as well as the pesticide is not used and the weeds are detached through the natural process.

The selection of the coffee beans certainly becomes a quite tedious job. The time comes when the coffee is ripped and at that time around 600 employees are engaged to complete the task. The workers have to work harder and are paid well. More than 30,000 man hours are devoted during the compilation process. The coffee produced is termed as the complete coffee. With a little bit of difference, it certainly gets an excellent taste.

This is undoubtedly one of the best coffee drinking practices and you will certainly enjoy the flavor. The cost of one pound of coffee is around $16.79 and if you want to taste it then you can order right now.

Now let me explain what Pea berry is. You should know that Pea berry is also known as caracole. You will be astounded to know that it is a flaw and it does occur due to the insect which damages the flower, tree stress as well as the cherries which come out from the tip of the plant. Some of the fruits mature with just the single fused beans. You will find one oval solo bean which is called the Pea berry. It is also called the type 2.

These are certainly the good quality coffee beans and you will definitely like it. - 30289

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Eating Healthy With Organic Foods

By Lee Reid

Anyone aware of the amount of chemicals included in highly processed food is aware of the importance and the benefits of organic foods in the first place. When we refer to the difference between conventional and organic food, we don't necessarily imply the one between an apple grown organically and another regular one. We should actually stress out the health benefits of organic foods first and foremost.

Organic food represents part of the recommended diet for people who suffer from various chronic conditions like cancer for instance. Even if the nutritional value is not that different between the two trends, the use of chemicals, hormones and pesticides in the production of non-organic foods has an impact on the positive qualities of the product in the first place. Lots of consumer analysis do not refer to the difference in nutrients value, there are studies however that indicate superior characteristics and more benefits of organic foods in the first place.

There are more trace minerals, superior amounts of vitamin C and considerably more anti-oxidant substances, and this is to count just a few of the benefits of organic foods. A report made by the US Department of Agriculture indicates that there has been a significant decline in the minerals levels of meat, dairy and vegetables since 1940 in terms of regular non-organic crops. The present-day extensive storage and the intense processing of the crops further lowers the quality of conventional foods.

Surprising benefits of organic foods include the higher content of dry matter. Under the influence of fertilizers, there is a higher water retention in fruits and vegetables. Thus, a non-organic apple gives less food than an organic one. Nevertheless, besides the superiority of nutrients, there are other advantages to organic food.

First of all, there are almost no pesticide residues in organic products. Even if conventional food producers say that pesticides are no threat to human health, one doesn't have to be all knowledgeable to realize that the ingestion of anything chemical cannot help or be 100% safe for the system. The benefits of organic foods are over-emphasized at present, with more and more consumers choosing them instead of conventional foods. Gradually this high popularity will definitely trigger a reorientation of the market and even a redefinition of the standards that define organic food in its essence. - 30289

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It May Be Time For You To Clean Out The Pantry

By Mike Jones

There are many things you can find in the pantry of someones home. I keep my dusters and trash bags on the bottom shelf and I keep my broom and dustpan on the floor and leaning up against the wall. I also put my potatoes on the floor of my pantry and I have a twenty five pound bag of sugar right next to the potatoes.

On my very top shelf I keep all my cereal and the second shelf I keep boxed things like, boxed dinners, crackers and noodles. On the third shelf I like to keep all my canned goods. I have four shelves to my pantry and some people have more than that.

In my pantry I also have things such as cereal and crackers. I have my potatoes and my sugar in there as well. This is more convenient because I can reach everything in my kitchen and I do not have to go somewhere else to get it.

There are also things that companies make for pantries that will allow more storage room. They make can holders and little shelves that roll in and out for easier access. The pantry can be used for so many things it is amazing. The only reason why people put food in their pantry is because it is in the kitchen.

The pantry can hold anything that you choose you want to put in it because after all it is yours, that is, if you are lucky enough to have one in your home. Pantries can be a number of different sizes and can have many shelves in them and some of them only have a few shelves.

As long as you are happy with what you put in the pantry then you should not worry about what other people think because some people think it is silly to put anything other than food in your pantry but I think you should be able to put whatever you want in it and not have to worry about what other people think about it or say about it. - 30289

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Christmas Treats: Chocolate Cookie Recipe

By Mike Jackson

Every treat called a cookie is not what we would usually view as a cookie. Several are added extras to our cookies that taste very good (like Butterfinger pieces), whereas others formulate the fundamental shape or size of cookies but do not feature the traditional ingredients of a cookie the least bit. An enjoyable chocolate cookie recipe is not really a cookie, but tastes fantastic and is an outstanding substitute for conventional turtle cookies.

For one of the most fun recipes, only three simple ingredients are needed. In fact, you may have at least one in your pantry right now. You need pretzel rings or twists, caramel chocolate kisses, and pecan halves. Sounds very simple, right?

Start by preheating your oven to at least 300 degrees. Lay your pretzels on a non-greased non-stick cookie sheet in a single layer, as many as you want, up to a full sheet. Then, set a kiss on top of each pretzel.

Bake this mixture until the chocolate is spongy, but not totally softened. To finish, draw the sheet from your oven and complement the mixture by topping it with the pecan halves on the pliable chocolate.

There are a broad range of Hershey's kisses and kinds of nuts that are suitable for this formula, and it is an enjoyable means of creating a very unique kind of delicacy on your holiday platter. Jumble up different types until you find your preference, or produce new mixtures of treats that go well with your individual appetite.

One bag of kisses will make a lot of these turtle cookies, up to eighty if you do not start munching the kisses while you are baking the treats. It is very tempting to snack as you go. Eighty cookies will go a long way on a party platter, but be sure and make more if you are hoping for them to last, because they will go fast. - 30289

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Cooking With A Tandoori Oven

By Shahid Patel

Tandoori chicken is a very popular food in Indian culture. This traditional and delicious food is cooked using a tandoor oven, which is a clay oven which is used to cook meats and flatbreads at extremely high temperatures. The word tandoori is an adjective which means "pertaining to the tandoor".

The heat of a tandoor is intense, and can reach up to 900 degrees faranheit. This creates a sealed heat that is good at retaining the natural juices and flavors of meats, seafood and Indian naan bread. The tandoor ovens are fired by charcoal, and can get so hot that a chicken is usually cooked in 5 minutes or less.

Clay tandoors cook very fast with the use of charcoal or gas, and sometimes even wood. When used in combination they create a very hot fire that produces temperatures hot enough to be perfect for baking breads and cooking meats. With these scorching heats, food can be cooked very quickly without burning.

Start a fire with charcoal in the bottom of the oven, and when the coals are white hot you are ready to cook seafood, meats, and bread. Some popular items cooked in a tandoori oven are tandoori chicken and the popular naan bread which is customary in India and Pakistan.

To make naan bread stick to the sides of the tandoor, sprinkle a brine solution on the inner walls. A good way to know if the tandoor is hot enough is to try sticking a naan to the sides. If it sticks, you know your tandoor is hot enough and you can begin cooking.

The food is permeated with an aroma of marinade, clay and charcoal smoke, and the scent is intoxicating. The meat is often cooked on long skewers that can be inserted directly into the oven. Cooking in a tandoori oven will produce very succulent and tender meat, as the cooking process is optimum for sealing in all the flavors and juices.

It comes as no surprise that the tandoor oven cooking method goes back 2000 years. In ancient Egypt bread was cooked at extremely high temperatures in a clay pot. When things work and they are an ideal measure, chances are they wont just go away. The evolution of cooking with tandoor ovens spans 2000 years and it won't be going away anytime soon.

Tandoori food is often considered the culinary pride of the people of India. It is prepared with the greatest of care and the passion for this cooking often translates to irresistable food. You will commonly find delicious dips and sauces, such as yogurt raita sauce and kachoomar salsa.

People prefer tandoori chicken either as a snack, or as a side dish with other traditional Indian cuisine. Tandoori chicken can also be served as an appetizer. Naan is a traditional flat bread that is cooked on the outside of the tandoor. The cooking time is even more critical for the bread as it will burn if left too long.

Tandoori food is generally low in calories and simple to prepare, although it looks amazing on the table. Good for family meals as well as entertaining. The secret behind this succulent tandoori chicken dish lies in the long marinade in yogurt with spices. The coloring used to achieve the distinctive tandoori color is created using alkanet root. - 30289

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Nine Gems Vegetable - Navratan Korma Recipe

By Lloyd Pinto

Navratan Korma literally means nine gems vegetable. This recipe is made with nine different kinds of vegetables and it is a very popular delicacy and an integral part of Indian Cuisine.

While most Indian dishes are expected to be very hot, this recipe is not very spicy and that is mainly due to certain ingredients such as raisins and nuts.

Ingredients 3 cups - Boiled vegetables (potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, green peas, french beans, capsicum, ) 175 gms - paneer( Fried pieces) 3 Cups Tomato puree 2 - Onion puree 1 1/2 tsp -Ginger paste 1 1/2 tsp - Garlic paste 1 tsp - Turmeric Powder 1 1/2 tsp - Red chilli powder 1 tsp - Coriander powder 2 tsp - Garam Masala Powder 2 tbsp - Cream 1 cup - Milk / water 1/4 cup - Dry fruits (cashew nuts, raisins) Coriander or Cilantro leaves 6 tbsp - Vegetable oil 1 tbsp - Ghee Salt To Taste

Method:

Heat ghee in the frying pan and add dry fruits to it and fry for about a minute on medium heat. Keep separate. Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry onions and ginger-garlic paste till golden brown.

You can then add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato puree and dry fruits and Stir well and cook the mixture for about three to five minutes. Add the milk and bring the gravy to a boil. Then bring to medium heat and cook until the gravy becomes thick.

Add the paneer to the gravy and stir well.Then add all the vegetables to the above gravy and cook for about five to six minutes. Add the cream and chopped coriander or cilantro leaves on the navaratan korma to decorate this delicacy - 30289

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Healthy No Cook Meal Ideas

By Laura Cokherell

How many times have you wanted to make a quick meal without turning on the oven? These simple meals require no cooking and are easy to assemble in just a few minutes. Try these quick and easy recipes to make flavorful meals in minutes any time.

These no-cook meals can be healthy too by using low-fat and low-sodium products wherever possible and using small amounts of oil where needed.

- Combine marinated artichoke hearts (drained and chopped), capers (rinsed and drained), Swiss cheese cubes, chopped red onion, and chopped apples. Toss with some oil from the artichoke hearts and some chopped fresh dill. Mix together completely and make individual servings by stuffing mixture in hollowed out sourdough rolls and serve along with a simple salad of baby spinach leaves and sliced cucumbers dressed in olive oil and vinegar.

- Combine shelled, cooked shrimp (tail removed and cut into chunks), thinly sliced celery, jarred roasted red peppers (drained and chopped), chopped scallions, chopped yellow bell pepper, pitted and chopped black olives. Toss ingredients in an olive oil vinaigrette and fill a soft tortilla shell with mixture for a simple wrap sandwich. Serve with apples and pear slices.

- Use some store bought prepared rotisserie chicken for this easy no cook meal. Shred some of the chicken with a fork and combine with chopped red bell pepper, minced fresh dill, lemon zest, and sour cream. Place the mixture in a quartered tomato and top with a sprinkling of pine nuts. Serve with pear slices tossed with a little honey, chopped fresh mint, and some cinnamon.

- For a flavorful sandwich, spread some blue cheese dressing on one side of two slices of whole grain bread. On one slice of bread place a couple of slices of smoked salmon, a sprinkling of dried dill, thin slices of apple, some pitted and sliced green olives, and thinly sliced red onion. Top sandwich with the second piece of bread and serve along with a side of cut up tomatoes tossed with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

- Make a simple and flavorful layered salad of bottled eggplant slices (drained), thinly sliced peeled jicama, canned black beans (rinsed and drained), canned fired roasted tomatoes (drained and chopped), crumbled feta cheese. Top salad with a sprinkling of pine nuts and chopped fresh cilantro. Serve salad with sourdough rolls. - 30289

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Water Filters, Essential Home Equipment.

By Peter Abertoning

In our times there are so many people so concerned about their health. And some of these people are concerned about the health effects of drinking our water. If this describes you then you need to learn more about modern water filtration systems.

How does a water filter work and what does it do? Here's some of the basics about the water filtration process. Things that you should be aware of before you buy a water filter.

The first thing that you need to think about is why you need a water filter. There's a huge range of different nasties that you can find in our drinking water and different filters filter different things.

There are many many different contaminants. Some can make your water taste bad, like chlorine, and can even cause your skin to dry out from showering. And there are many nasty chemicals found in water in small quantities that are known to cause cancer.

Its important to know that there are two different methods of water filtration. Physical filtration is the first method. It works by straining the water, using a tiny piece of textile membrane or gauze.

Chemical filtration removes other contaminants by use of various chemicals to remove nasties that are of any size.

Activated carbon filters are known to be one of the most effective types of water filtration. They are also known to be one of the most popular types of water filters to have in the house.

How do water filters work when they are carbon activated? These filters are based on charcoal, which absorbs the impurities of the water.

Some of the other different types of water filtration systems out there include reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and distillation. All of these water filter systems are known to be useful for removing certain impurities.

The type of impurities that are found in the water that you have in your home dictate the type of water filter that you need.

Keep in mind that while activated carbon filters are a great choice for removing chlorine and pesticides, there are certain impurities which cannot be absorbed. Some examples include fluorine, sodium, and nitrates. Since these water filters do take care of most of the common problems that many people have with their household drinking water, activated carbon filters are still believed to be one of the most effective options for most people.

However the best filters use a combination of AC filtration and another, second, filtration process. These are 2 stage filters, the second stage being intended to remove the contaminants that are not removed by the carbon. 2 stage activated carbon water filters remove as many contaminants as is possible with current technology.

There's quite some science behind how water filters work and any more than this will blind you with science unnecessarily. Suffice to say that no water filter removes every single contaminant, but that if you want the best water filter then consider a 2 stage activated carbon water filter. They are the best water filters that modern technology can produce. There is no doubt though that there are nasty chemicals and toxins in our water that you ought to remove before you drink it.

For water that has a good taste, a 2 stage AC home water filtration system is the right choice for you. - 30289

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Bread Machine Mixes For Bread Making Machines.

By Marion Jones

Do I think that bread machine mixes are useful? Yes, some of them are, but the snag with all bread machine mixes is that they place limitations on your choice and do not encourage your creative talents. That may sound odd, but think about it for a while. If you depend on bread machine mixes you can only make the bread for which you can buy a bread machine mix and you can only tip the bread machine mix into the bowl and switch on the bread making machine. You are definitely not likely to alter the bread machine mix for fear that it won't work.

What is the alternative? Well, the old-fashioned cookbook, of course! Not just any old cookbook, but a special bread making machine cookbook. Bread making is a very simple, but rather tiresome process. The ingredients are ubiquitous, household items: water, flour, yeast, salt, sugar and oil. You certainly have those items in your kitchen with the possible exception of the yeast, which can be bought almost anywhere at minimal cost.

And I'm sure you already know what happens when you cook following a recipe, don't you? You have already read the recipe through and you know you have everything in the cupboard, but when the recipe requires, say, sultanas, you open the cupboard door and see that you don't have any sultanas - they were currants! Oh, well you think, they'll do. You make do. You experiment. And that means that you are developing your talents and creativity. Bread making mixes cannot and will not do that for you.

A good bread making machine recipe book will have something over 100 recipes coming from a number of different countries and you will become really enthusiastic about experimenting with the various ones. Have you ever tasted Welsh bread - Bara Brith? Or English muffin bread? Jalapeno bread or banana bread? Onion bread is lovely too, but one of my all time favourites is Brazil Nut Bread - absolutely delicious.

The point is that you may not find recipes for all these breads in one place, but if you have a reference point, like a bread recipe cookbook, you can start off by using tried and tested gourmet bread recipes and gradually concoct your own - sometimes out of necessity.

I once made a really great loaf by adding all of the leftover vegetables from my Sunday dinner. It was very tasty, however I could never quite make the same loaf again, because I did not write down the proportions of the vegetables. I could only remember that it had green beans, potatoes and sweet corn in it!

Bread machine mixes will never ever give you that, will they? And bread machine mixes are relatively expensive compared to the cost of ten pounds. I usually vary the ingredients too: honey instead of sugar, milk instead of water, olive oil or butter instead of just corn oil. Rock salt instead of sea salt or visa versa. You get the picture.

Bread machine mixes are limited and limiting. Furthermore a bread making machine is a great way to use up leftovers. I have even added meat and fruit in my gourmet bread. My principle is: if it'll go in a sandwich it'll go in the dough - like an Indian stuffed paratha or stuffed naan bread.

Save your money by not buying bread machine mixes and be creative with a bread machine recipes cookbook. - 30289

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Finding your Favorite Restaurant Recipes

By Paul Seager

Everyone that enjoys dining out every now and again has a favorite dish that they always like to order. It is for this very reason that people enjoy going out to eat because the can get the food that they love to eat. There are many people that do not realize that you can find out the recipes for your favorite restaurant dishes and prepare them at home. The following are several ways that you can find your favorite restaurant recipes.

1. Visit The Web Site

You never know what information restaurants are willing to hand over. There are those secret sauces and recipes that are certainly not going to be on the restaurant web site. However, there are a number of different restaurants that offer some recipes that customers and fans can take advantage of. Although you may not find the exact dish you were looking for, you will know the recipes are authentic.

2. Search Engines

The search engines are another fantastic place to be able to find a wide array of information concerning restaurant recipes. You can find literally thousands of options for you to look through to find the recipes that you are looking to make. To find options for the restaurants that you are looking for all you need to do is put the name of the desired restaurant along with a phrase such as "restaurant recipes" and then you are all set to start combing through the search results.

3. Ask Questions At The Restaurant

You can inquire at your favorite restaurants concerning your favorite recipes. Of course the staff isn't going to simply write down all their recipes for you but you can ask about some of the ingredients. If you are able to find out what some of the ingredients are you will be able to start playing around with recreating the recipe.

4. Forums

Internet forums and email groups are another great resource to locate your favorite restaurant recipes. The really great thing about taking advantage of this resource is that you are likely to be getting information from people who worked within the restaurants or others who have already located the recipes that you are looking to find.

5. Books And Programs

Turning to books can also help you find the restaurant quality recipes that you are seeking. There are countless quality recipes that you can find in your favorite places to enjoy a meal. No matter if you are looking for a fast food favorite or a recipe from your favorite steakhouse you are sure to be able to find a recipe book that has what you are seeking. - 30289

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How To Use Dairy Produce: Part 3 - Eggs

By Owen Jones

The Basic Preparation Of Foods: Dairy Produce.

EGGS: Part 1

Eggs can be fresh or dried, the latter being only hens' eggs without the shell and water. Dried egg should be stored in a cool, dry place - do not put it fridge! Store eggs for several or a week in a cool place away from strong-smelling foods. An egg stand is ideal for this purpose. If the eggs are dirty, wipe them clean - washing will remove the natural oils which help to preserve the eggs.

Pickled Eggs: eggs laid in the Spring keep longer than those laid in the other seasons. Eggs that can not be cleaned-up, must be refused. Waterglass or the other special preparations should be used. If an egg floats to the surface, use it at once. Try to maintain the room temperature around 2-8 C and they should remain edible for 6 to 9 months.

Preparing Eggs for Cooking: break each egg separately into a cup, before adding it to the other ingredients to ensure it is not 'off'. If you wish to separate the white from the yolk, tip the contents back and forth between the two eggshell halves and the white (albumen) will run off. Beat eggs with a whisk or a fork in an appropriate bowl; whip egg whites with a knife on a dinner plate - a pinch of salt will help.

Raw eggs used to be prescribed for invalids as they are easily digestible, but, this not to be recommended these days due to the prevalence of salmonella. One method, presented here for the curious was to strain a beaten egg into a mug and slowly add a cup of hot milk (or tea, coffee or lemon water; add sugar to taste. Sherry was often added also.

Cooking Eggs: eggs must be cooked slowly because the albumen solidifies at a temperature lower than that of boiling water and becomes 'tough' at higher temperatures. Similarly, if raw egg is used to thicken a sauce and the liquid is subsequently allowed to boil, the sauce will 'curdle', i.e. the egg will solidify into small specks, ruining its texture.

Coddling: produces easily digested egg-whites, making it an ideal method for invalids and children. Lower eggs into 3" (75mm) boiling water; replace lid and remove from heat. Let stand for: 7 mins for medium-, 5 mins for soft- and 20 mins for hard-boiled.

Boiling: lower fresh eggs gently into 75mm 3" boiling water with a spoon. Replace the lid and boil gently for 3-3" mins for soft-, 4-5 mins the medium- and 10 mins for hard-boiled eggs.

Place in egg cups and tap the shell to crack it, allowing the steam to escape, thus preventing further cooking. For sandwiches, salads etc: boil the egg for 12 mins and plunge into cold water. This allows the shell to be easily removed and prevents a black ring forming around the yolk. - 30289

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How To Get A Fitted Kitchen For Any Home That Wont Break Any Budget

By Matthew Kerridge

Are you considering having a fitted kitchen installed? This can be a big expense so chances are you want to make sure you are spending your money wisely. If you are trying to figure out where the most money should be going, you may be surprised. Many people think that the important parts of the kitchen are the ones that others can see. They spend their money on expensive knobs and handles, high end counters or flashy appliances. While this can leave you with a beautiful and cutting edge kitchen, it can also leave you with doors that sag, drawers that are falling apart, and counters that can't stand up to the use you are putting them through. Here is some advice on what is important in any fitted kitchen you are thinking about installing.

The first thing that you need to do is find a reputable company who can work with you to design and install your fitted kitchen. The other option is to purchase a do it yourself kitchen kit however you need to be very careful if you decide to go with this option. You need to make sure that you have the home renovation experience to complete the installation otherwise you may end up hiring someone anyway.

You need to think about which elements are most important in a kitchen, and spend the most in those areas. Handles and knobs are beautiful, but they can be replaced later on. Hinges and some of the hardware that is not visible are actually more important. You want to make sure that the cabinets and counters are of high quality since these are the areas that take the most abuse in any kitchen. Paying more for items like this will get you farther ahead than expensive knobs and handles.

If you pick good quality construction, you will end up with a kitchen that lasts a long time. This can be more expensive initially but if you have the money, you need to make sure you are going for the highest quality items as possible. You want to make sure that you are purchasing cabinets that will not fall apart and durable counters that will be able to stand up to daily use.

Solid wood is always something you should consider over particle board. Some builders may tell you that particle board is a great way of keeping costs down, but it isn't if you want to make sure your kitchen will last. Particle board can begin to deteriorate rapidly, especially if it gets damp. Veneers can peel up and chip off. You may find that screws to hold hinges will become loose very rapidly and this can mean your doors will begin to sag or even fall off. And, you can never refinish particle board the way you can a wooden cabinet.

Counters are also important. Some of the higher end counters are wonderful, but they can be extremely expensive. If you can afford them that is fantastic and they can really add value to your kitchen. However, if you are not able to, don't worry. There are slightly less expensive options that are equally durable and beautiful. You want to make sure that they are not going to go out of style quickly. Neutral colors can be much more long lived than colors which are popular at the moment. Everyone can remember the avocado green and harvest gold appliances that were so popular years ago. Now, they look dated and out of style. Counters can be the same way. The last thing you want is to replace big ticket items because they are no longer in fashion. The idea behind a good kitchen is one that will look great and work properly for years to come.

A reputable installation company is critical to a good fitted kitchen. You want to make sure that they measure the area properly so that the proper sized items are ordered. There is nothing worse than finding out that the company has measured wrong and the cabinets are a few inches too large or too small. You also want to make sure that they have a good reputation. Like any other home renovation project you should ask for references from other customers. Money spent in this area may save you hundreds or thousands of dollars down the road.

Taking the time to make sure you are dealing with the right person and ensuring that you are picking a quality product to install are two of the best ways that you can make sure you will get the kitchen you want at the price you can afford. - 30289

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Chop Up the Food with a Better Knife Set

By Moses Harun

Whenever you pay for a Sabatier knife set, be sure that the product you are getting originated in the Thiers region of France. Despite the fact that the Sabatier knife is high on the list of quality kitchen knives with commercial and hobby chefs alike, it is duplicated by quite a few knife manufacturers, some of which might be doubtful at best regarding authenticity, workmanship and originality.

To ease your confusion relating to which Sabatier knives are authentic (sold by knife makers from the Thiers district and having a lineage dating back to at least the 19th century) and which could be inexpensive knock-offs (made in China and other countries), strive to check for these manufacturer's names: ETS Sabatier An & Perrier, Thiers Issard Sabatier and the Sabatier Diamant, among others. Or, you can always inspect for the "Made in France" stamp.

Product Features

With many models of Sabatier cutlery sets on the market, you ought to stick to the genuine items presuming you would like to get good value for your honest money. Let's discuss for instance the goods of ETS Sabatier An & Perrier that markets the brand name Sabatier-K.

The manufacturer markets six series that are naturally in French - Authentique, Au Carbone Vintage, Bellevue, Proxus, Auvergne and Elegance. Nearly all of the blades are fully forged, a designation which means that the blade, bolster and tang are forged out of the same sheet of steel. Full forging provides a more robust and smoother knife with a perfect weight and balance for simple cutting.

Advantages

Unless you are going for the cheaper imitations, you may purchase Sabatier knife sets made by hand from fully-forged high-carbon steel. The handles will be found in steel or wood, and the knives will come with a slotted wood display stand. Predictably, the copycats will also have the great looking handles and display block, however you will certainly pay for weaker and duller blades.

On top of that, the Sabatier-K brand knives are able to be personalized. Engraving names or initials is not an option that you could find from every knife producer, which means that enables you to offer a great personalized gift for your favorite newlyweds. These cutlery pieces are such high quality that you may also offer them to a cooking school graduate or favorite restaurant owner who can appropriately appreciate and display them.

Disadvantages

Well, there is really one notable annoyance with Sabatier knives. With numerous companies slapping the name on nearly each grade of Sabatier knife produced, this purchase should never be made lightly. Inexperienced cooks who merely wish to purchase knives for everyday cooking ought to do a bit of investigating ahead of time to be sure their knives have the quality and ease of use they are hoping to invest in.

When you think about it, though, a knife is merely as helpful as the person who uses it. So, basically, a real Sabatier knife will include all the good traits of the most expensive knives in the world, but when wielded by a rank amateur, it could just as soon be fashioned from wood.

So, the best thing to do in the purchase of a Sabatier knife set is to establish that the goods you are purchasing are the real deal, price notwithstanding. And make sure you can properly use them! - 30289

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The Hamilton Beach Programmable Slow Cooker a Must Have for Any Busy Cook!

By Lynne Ivatt

Life can be a bit of a struggle sometimes can't it? Most of us do find it a test to some extent! Sorting out feeding the family is a constant daily battle, that was always occupying my daily thoughts! I dreaded having to start to cook after a hard days work!

Out of the blue the answer came to my daily battle. I received a Hamilton Beach programmable slow cooker from a family member at Christmas last year. Little did I know how much time I was going to be saving every day!

Whist trying the new slow cooker in the vacation I realized how easy and automated it was to use! Set and forget and my problems were solved for cooking on a working day!

The Hamilton Beach is super easy to program for when it should start. I come home at night and the food that was placed in the cooker is just waiting to be dished up with the minimum of fuss!

There is no limitation only your imagination as to what the cooker will cook. Boredom of food is a thing of the past. We love roasted meat like beef or chicken for instance.

I think you will find as I do that placing a joint of meat or even a chicken in the programmable slow cooker will produce the most tender and succulent meat that just falls off the bone!

The size of the slow cookers from Hamilton Beach are varied for all needs. There is a small 3 to 4 quart option as well as medium sized at around 5 and 6 quarts. Then we have the largest sizes coming in at 7 and 8 quarts. Why not go with the largest you can, it will keep your options open for cooking large joints of meat.

You won't regret getting a Hamilton Beach programmable slow cooker. I have found mine to be pure quality that dishes up perfect food every time. I promise you will not be disappointed with yours. - 30289

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Home Ice Cream Makers - What To Look For In Ice Cream Making Machines

By Freddy McCandless

Long ago, it used to be a treat to go out for ice cream. Then ice cream could be purchased in supermarkets and people would take it home to eat as a treat. Then all sorts of companies like Ben & Jerry's start unleashing quirky (and some would say downright dangerous) varieties onto the market.

Well, people are now staying in for ice cream and making their own home made ice cream. They can even get books of recipes for famous varieties from ice cream luminaries like Ben and Jerry. If making ice cream at home sounds like a fun thing to do then check out what kind of ice cream makers are available and how they work. This article will review the 3 basic types of ice cream making machines so that you know what to look for.

There are 3 types of ice cream making machine available. The old machines are a bit more complicated to use as everything has to be done manually.

The concept of making ice cream is to freeze a cream mixture whilst aerating it or allowing air to pass through the mixture. The aerating process ensures that the ice crystals are not to big and the ice cream has a soft and consistent texture. This process of aerating and freezing the mixture concurrently is perform by placing it in a cold environment and passing a paddle through it.

The older machines (and retro inspired machines of today) use a manually churning process. This is a churning handle that the operator turns to make the mixture into ice cream in the bowl.

The vat or bowl is surrounded by a coolant. This, more often than not, needs to be added by the maker every time they want to make some ice cream. Hand churning will work but it could take longer than new machines and the consistency may not be as good.

The machines of today use an electric motor to turn the paddle and churn the mixture. This is obviously an easier way to make ice cream but requires electricity to work. Of the more contemporary ice cream machines there are basically two systems that cool the ice cream (or freeze it to be more precise).

The first employs a double insulated bowl which is hollow in the middle and holds a coolant in the middle. This coolant has to be frozen solid before you can start to make the ice cream. The main drawback of this system is that it can take hours to freeze the coolant (anything from 8 to 12 hours in a freezer). And if you have one bowl then you will have to refreeze it each time you want to make a new batch. however, a redeeming feature of these machine over the other type is that they are far more cheaper.

The other type have their special refrigeration unit or freezer located inside the machine. This allows you to make ice cream, with no pre-preparation time required, in under half an hour. These kind of devices are really for professional ice cream makers and can be found in shops selling the stuff or even large restaurants, however some are made for homes too. Obviously these types of machine are the most expensive ice cream making machines you can get. - 30289

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Is It Time For You To Start Cooking With A Crock Pot?

By Susanne Myers

There are really two basic reasons folks like to cook with a crock pot, also called a slow cooker. One reason is to save time, the other is to save money. Let's see if there is any truth to either of those reasons.

Save Time With a Crock Pot - If your meal is going to be in the slow cooker for 8 hours or so, doesn't saving time seem like an oxymoron? The time savings comes in a few ways, but certainly being able to walk out of your kitchen while your meal is cooking does save you some time to do other things.

Gone are the days of someone being home all day to prepare the family meals. In this day and age of the busy, scattered family, we need to rely on more than one person to get dinner on the table. Because using a crock pot doesn't expose youngsters to hot burners and open flames, getting the little ones in the family, and the less experienced cooks, involved becomes much easier. Simply having someone there to help throw ingredients into the crock pot can be a big help. Now, it's a joint venture and meal preparation is shared, freeing up some much needed time for you to focus on other chores.

Standing over a stove, watching a pot boil, is certainly time wasted. We all know what it's like to monitor some soup or stew as it simmers on top of the stove, constantly checking its progress. Putting that same soup together in a crock pot, then walking away, frees up hours and hours of your time - time in which you can accomplish another task!

You're on your way home after a hard day of work and errands, and realize that there is nothing in the house for dinner. A quick stop at the grocery store is now on your agenda, and, of course, there is no such thing as a quick stop at the grocery store. Half an hour later, you emerge with food you didn't want, too many prepared dishes that cost way too much, but you don't have time to fix anything else. That stop just cost you an awful lot of precious time. By planning your crock pot meals ahead and shopping at a scheduled time, you could avoid those hasty stops at the grocery store, or worse, the convenience store. That time spent could be put to much better use, like sitting and enjoying your family at dinnertime!

Save Money With a Crock Pot - There are a couple schools of thought here. One is saving on your food, and the other is saving on energy. How exactly can cooking with a crock pot save on your food budget? And why would running a crock pot for six hours be cheaper than running your oven for three hours?

You can now walk into your grocery store's meat department and skip right past the expensive cuts of meat. A crock pot's magic is best illustrated in turning cheaper cuts of meat into tender, fall apart with a fork, meals. Budget cuts of meat contain sinew and more connective tissue, which can be tough if not cooked properly. A crock pot is the perfect environment for these budget cuts. Cooked slowly, on a low temperature, in a moisture rich pot, breaks down this tough tissue and turns even the toughest cut into a tender, succulent morsel. You can now buy pork shoulder, rump roasts, and briskets, and enjoy excellent results. Also, soups and stews, the best budget-wise meals we know, are perfectly suited to crock pot cooking.

Even though you would cook a pot roast in the oven for half as long as you would cook it in a crock pot, the oven uses a lot more energy. Your oven uses 2500 watts, while a crock pot is normally rated at about 200 watts. That means that a 3 hour pot roast in the oven uses 10 kWh, while a 6 hour pot roast in the crock pot uses about 1.2 kWh. These are estimates, of course, but you must admit that even the most efficient full-sized oven can't compete with a crock pot when it comes to energy savings. A crock pot can be considered a miniature oven just to get an idea of how and why it would save you money spent on your energy bill.

If you are a busy family with children, you know how often you get stuck during that evening rush without dinner plans. Have you called your husband to pick up dinner at the fast food place more than once this week? You know that is a real budget-buster! While you're running your child to piano lessons, or baseball practice, your crock pot can be working away cooking up dinner, saving you from yet another stop of the fast food place. No more frantic calls to the spouse for take out! That's more money saved.

Save Both Time and Money With a Crock Pot - Cooking larger portions, and planning for your leftovers, is one way to save both time and money. With a large crock pot, a 6 quart size, you can cook larger cuts of meat, turn that meat into several dinners, then package up the leftovers for lunches. By cooking one large meal, you have now created several dinners plus lunches all in about the same time it takes to cook one meal. Not only are you saving energy by cooking more than meal at a time, but you're saving the time it takes each day to put together a new meal. Plus, if eating lunch out is a routine for you, just think of the money you'll be saving by bringing your own home-cooked meal to eat each day. And, maybe instead of using your lunch hour to run out and get something to eat, you can use the extra time to do something you enjoy.

Saving time and saving money seem to be pretty evident in these examples. Crock pots, when put to work, are an excellent way to not only save your budget and your time, for possibly your sanity, too. You have a family to take care of and a household to run. You definitely don't need to have that nightmare every night of your hungry family crying "when's dinner?" Now, you can answer "it's in the crock pot! - 30289

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Holiday Party Ideas - Frugal and Fun Food

By Angela Tyler

If you are planning a holiday party, you already know that food can be one of your biggest expenses. However, you can plan the perfect party and still cut food costs. You don't even need to consider serving expensive appetizers and beverages to throw a great party this holiday season. A little imagination, creativity, and effort can make your festivities a truly memorable occasion.

Here's just a few fun and simple ideas for stretching your holiday entertainment budget by saving big on the food cost at this year's holiday party:

Thirst Quenchers On A Budget - The start to any successful holiday party is the beverages. Rather than put a table out filled with cans of soda and bottles of water, buy big liters of soda and jugs or pitchers of fresh drinking water. A casual party will allow guests to travel around with their cups, returning to the table to refill with ice and more soda. If your holiday party is more formal and you have someone serving your guests, you'll still want to use the larger bottles, but keep them out of sight. Consider mixing up a punch out of frozen concentrated juices and a splash of clear soda. It's inexpensive and pretty to boot! Don't forget to keep coffee as well as hot tea and iced tea handy during the entire event. It's inexpensive and you will be a good host.

Your Basic Snacks - Serving snack food at your holiday gathering doesn't have to be boring. Arrange a variety of fresh fruit and cheeses on pretty seasonal platters. Be sure to shop around for fruit and buy in season to save money. Have another platter or two for sausages and other cheeses along with a variety of crackers. Put out a big tray of fresh cut veggies with an assortment of dips. Purchase an assortment of veggies and wash and cut your own to save money and get a bit creative with your dips, looking for recipes to make your own, to make your veggie tray a bit different from others. Buy nuts in bulk to save money, and put them in little pretty dishes all around the room to encourage mingling. Consider some bowls of olives in and among the trays of cheese.

Fun Finger Foods - Small sandwiches, chips, dips, and vegetable trays are relatively inexpensive. Buy, wash, and cut your own vegetables to save money and to control the quality. Try making some fun little Pinwheels, which are basically just any ingredients, like sliced ham, spinach, and cream cheese, rolled up inside something thin, like a tortilla, then cut into little circles. Even seasoned boneless chicken wings or meatballs can be purchased for relatively little expense and served easily. To dress things up a bit, buy a bunch of the cheapest fresh greens you can find and use them to garnish the chicken wings and veggies platters for a real festive "catered event" look. Simply supply holiday napkins and small, sturdy paper plates and allow your guests to serve themselves. This is a perfect opportunity for easy mingling.

International Night - If your holiday party will be a dinner party where fingers foods are not appropriate, you may want to serve inexpensive dishes chosen from a particular nationality. Every country has some sort of dish that's frugal as well as delicious. If Italian food is your favorite, try spaghetti with garlic bread and an antipasto tray. If you find a good price on plain cheese pizza, you can add different toppings to have a nice variety while still keeping the price down. A Mexican meal is also easy to plan. Anything from simple Tacos, to Enchiladas, to Mexican Rice will certainly please your special holiday guests. Warm Tortilla Chips and fresh Salsa will stretch out the meal. Some surprisingly inexpensive meals to make are Greek dishes. Consider classic Greek Salads with big chunks of bread. You may also want to try Cabbage Rolls, or Lahanodolmathes, which are easy to make and quite inexpensive.

Potluck Time - A holiday potluck is a great way to get to know your guests! What better way to share your holiday than to share your recipes. Potlucks are appropriate for very casual holiday gatherings of folks who feel comfy together or folks who want to get to know each other better. Casual is the keyword here. When you are the host of a holiday potluck, you want to be responsible for at least one main dish, then you can choose to make it a real potluck, meaning you have no idea what's coming, or you may want to ask people to bring something within a certain food category. My opinion is that if it's a potluck, make it a real one, but if someone asks you what they should bring, than you can certainly steer them toward something you may want to round out the dinner. Potlucks are fun and you will surely end up with an interesting assortment of foods. Remind your guests to bring their recipes, unless they are keeping a family recipe a secret!

Just Desserts - If you plan your holiday party for late evening, you may want to have a Dessert Party. There are many dessert recipes that are inexpensive and easy to make. For instance, you can purchase a undecorated angel food cake, inexpensively, from any grocery store that has a bakery department. Then, with very little expense and even less effort, you can create an assortment of toppings to go over your cake. Serve by drizzling some melted chocolate, powdered sugar frosting, fruit toppings, or what have you, over slivers of cake on dessert plates and voila!... you have a fancy dessert! Buy a bouquet of fresh carnations, fresh lavender, or lilacs, and sprinkle their petals on top for a real fancy touch. Yes, they're edible. Serve freshly brewed coffee with a few small pitchers of cold, flavored cream, really inexpensive non-dairy creamer, and your party is complete! No one will guess you hardly spent any money at all.

Traveling Party - These holiday parties work particularly well when several people within the same circle of friends is celebrating the same holiday season. If you have three families in the same neighborhood, each family takes a portion of the party and hosts it at their house. One family starts out with hors d'oeuvres and beverages, the second family with the main dish, and the third family with desserts and coffee. You want to get together on the menu so that the three families are on the same page when it comes to the atmosphere of the party. The food should be casual as people will be coming and going. This kind of holiday party is never a sit-down dinner and should always be served buffet style. Try to plan a specific block of time for each "course", knowing that you'll need to be a bit flexible to allow for the flow of people-traffic through each house.

If you can't afford expensive catering for your holiday party, you need to get creative with your menu and your plan. It's really not that hard to come up with frugal and fun ways to save big money on your holiday party budget. Give it a try! - 30289

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Meatloaf Recipes

By Ruth James

When you think about distinctive Yank foods, there are plenty of different dishes which will are evoked ; but , it would be extremely tough to compile a listing of Yank tops that did not include meatloaf. This dish has been a staple mark of eating for several years and it is still a preferred item in home kitchens and eateries country wide. When you consider how wide of an appeal meatloaf has, it is no mystery that when it comes to a meatloaf recipe, there isn't any one standard or best recipe that seems to apply.

When looking at a meatloaf recipe, many of those recipes will often include a mixture of ground beef ( the most common is beef, but you can use whatever appeals to you ), eggs, breadcrumbs and oatmeal, which when combined will form a dough like mixture. This is the base of a meatloaf, and if that looks good to you, you can simply cook it as is. This is a simple way to start a good meatloaf.

However , there are tons of variations also such as adding ground almonds, spices, onions, green peppers, and celery to the mixture. You may also fill a meatloaf with things like eggs, cheese, herbs and vegetables, for example mushrooms. Finally, you'll also find a spread of different toppings for meatloaf. The most common topping in Yankee meatloaf is a ketchup mixture, but some meatloaf recipes call for a catsup and some even are topped with bacon as well .

While the ingredients that make up a meatloaf will alter radically from one meatloaf recipe to another, the method of cooking them will vary too. While the most conventional form of cooking a meatloaf is to place your mixture in a bread or loaf pan and bake it in a cooker, it could also be cooked in a crock pot, a microwave, and in some cases, it can actually be smoked also.

Meatloaf is an awfully flexible and simple dish to make. It can be made as a comfort food, it can be a tasty item in upscale dinning. It is also a popular favorite in soul food cuisine, and with the replacing of leaner meats, for example turkey, it could be a quality food item also. The truth is that meatloaf can be many things to several folk. The key is finding the proper meatloaf recipe for you. Occasionally the recipe will be fine the way it is ; other times you can wish to tinker with it. Whatever the reality, and whatever your own tastes are, meatloaf is something that most of the people can enjoy. - 30289

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Cheap Kitchens And The Ordeal Of Daily Living

By Andrew Johnson

Cheap kitchens that pass the test of daily living can be a great way to update your home. We put our kitchens through a host of challenges on a daily basis and yet we often don't even realize the implications. Starting with the kitchen cabinets, you can upgrade your kitchen for a pittance and still pull off a really great new look.

We tend to abuse our kitchen cabinets just by living life. Grease and grime from cooking can end up on the cabinets. Children with crayons and pups with muddy underbellies can take their toll on the cleanliness and the overall look of your kitchen cabinets. When your cabinets can be easily repainted in order to spruce up the look of your entire kitchen, you have one of the most cost effective methods of redecorating while extending the life of your cabinetry.

Painted cabinets do not have to look cheap or slapped together. They can actually be rather classy and look fantastic if you choose your color and your paint well. Without adding in the expense of new kitchen cabinet, cheap kitchens can be made over at the drop of a hat. The same can be said for the kitchen floor.

The floor can be laid out of just about any material. While some people choose to carpet their kitchen, the most common floors are created via wood, tile, or brick. For cleanliness and ease of transformation, choosing a hard floor that can be painted or replaced at a low cost is preferred. Linoleum is a common choice for this.

Remember that poorly done work is the first sign of a cheap kitchen. Many people try to keep costs down by doing the work themselves only to leave crooked cabinets, sagging counter space, and poorly done floors. If you opt for doing your own handy work make sure that you can do a professional looking job. Otherwise you'll need to hire a contractor sooner or later to redo the work you have done. Workshops are great for learning the skills you need.

Reduced energy appliances can be part of running a cheap kitchen. By replacing older appliances with more energy efficient versions you reduce the overall costs of running your kitchen. It helps to save money over time and helps keep your energy bills more reasonable all year long.

It doesn't take much to design cheap kitchens that are filled with class, style, and a sense of beauty. All you really need to do is develop a plan that allows you to create the look you want by making good selections and creating strong, simple craftsmanship within the room. - 30289

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Learning About Tasty Italian Cheeses

By Luigi DeMarco

Italian cheeses are known worldwide as some of the best you can get. In America we love our pizza and our sandwiches, but they wouldn't be the same without the Italians and their cheeses. In fact, although most of us are quite familiar with three or four of the most common types of cheese they make, the fact is, there are about 400 varieties of cheeses they make.

From Sicily to Tuscany the Italians make some of the best parmigiano and provolone in the world. Their Mozzarella is a household name. And again, these don't even scratch the surface of the number of cheeses they actually make. They use goat's milk, sheep's milk, buffalo milk, and cow in their processes. All their cheeses have great texture and fragrance, and are good for both shredding and cooking.

The quality of their cheese is taken very seriously by the Italians. One thing to watch for when you shop for cheese, is their quality assurance stamp on the label. This is known either as the PDO - 'protected designation of origin', or the IGT - 'protected geographic indication. If you see this you know it' a product of good quality. If you shop for wine, you'll find that wines use these same designations.

Italian cheeses are known worldwide mostly due to the years of perfecting the techniques. They have managed to produce some cheese that are actually famous. Like the 'Bel Paese'. This cheese is very famous and extremely popular, and the name itself translates into 'beautiful country' in the Italian language. Originating in Milan, it's now made in Lombardy, and was intended to be a table cheese. It's made from the milk of the cow.

Yes, the Italians and their passion for cheese making is known worldwide. They would hike up into the Alpine mountains, where they'd refine their cheese production methods. Then when they came down, the world welcomed them with open arms. Up there in the old days, back on the mountains, they'd use caves for keeping their cheese cool. The concept of refrigeration was still fairly new.

Some of their other techniques are still used today. The tools have remained the same as it has always been. Salt, water, oil, tiny hammers, cutting boards, and wooden shelves are still used in their production methods. Their three basic ingredients for beginning and making a cheese, are salt, rennet, and some kind of milk. They would exchange the types of milk to produce a different cheese.

Milk is the beginning of all cheese making. Simply broken down, cheese is milk coagulated. Ricotta is a cheese that's made with milk whey and cream. The Italians have four basic types of milk that they use, and they are buffalo, cow, sheep, and goat. But other cheeses may be made up of the milk of yaks, reindeer, or camels.

Learning about tasty Italian cheeses can be a really fun study. Many people go through life enjoying the benefits of this great Italian craft, without ever knowing about the how's, where's, or why's. You can go online and learn much about the processes, like how long to heat at what temperature, etc. It really can be an eye opener if you've never read about it before. The Italians have their recipes down pat. And one thing you can't argue with, is that the quality is definitely up to par. - 30289

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