Washing Dishes (KitchenTips)

Posted 26 January, 2003 by PAF-News

Submitted by Therese Firment

When washing dishes in your dishwaher, use white vinegar in the rinse compartment instead of those expensive rinse solutions. My dishes have never been more clean and they actually squeak.

Cooking Sweetcorn (KitchenTips)

Posted 12 November, 2002 by PAF-News

Submitted by Melissa

Don't cook sweetcorn, it only needs to be heated through. Cooking corn can make it tough and reduce sweetness.
Drop ears in a pot of boiling water. Once the water returns to a boil the corn has reached the same temperature and is plenty hot and ready to serve.

How to cut meat into thin slices (KitchenTips)

Posted 10 October, 2002 by PAF-News

Submitted by: Sue Lee

When cooking a chinese beef stir-fry or Mongolian beef, you are required to cut the meat as thin as possible. This is easily attained by slicing the meat while it is partially frozen.

Tips on cooking and storing ... chestnuts (KitchenTips)

Posted 19 September, 2002 by PAF-News

Chestnuts come from the nut-bearing Castanea tree. They are cultivated mostly in Europe and are exported fresh worldwide from September through February. Chestnuts are unrelated to horse chestnuts (which are inedible and dangerous to eat) and water chestnuts (a tuber with an apple-like crispness that is widely used in Asian cooking).

Roasting Chestnuts
To roast fresh chestnuts, make a one-inch slash on the flat side of the nut's shell with a sharp knife, just barely revealing the flesh. Place the nuts on a cookie sheet in a preheated 400ºF oven until the skins split and the flesh begins to brown (about ten minutes). Peel away the shell with the help of a knife.

Blanching Chestnuts
Chestnuts can also be blanched. After boiling for 3-4 minutes, wrap them in a towel and squeeze hard to crush the skins and extract the meat.

Storing Chestnuts
Keep fresh chestnuts up to one week in a cool, dry place, or two weeks in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

How to peel and de-vein shrimp (KitchenTips)

Posted 8 September, 2002 by PAF-News

Perhaps you've come across a recipe which requires you to peel and de-vein the shrimp, but because you were not sure how to do this, you decided not to cook that recipe at all.

Well, now there won't be a reason for that.

If you're dealing with uncooked shrimp, the first thing you need to decide is, if you want to cook it in the shell or not. Generally when you fry the shrimp, you will want to leave the shell prior to cooking. But for shrimp cocktail, you will probably want to remove the shell. Always leave the shell on when boiling shrimp. When cooked in the shell, the juices and natural flavours do not get a chance to escape and you also run less of a risk of burning them.

To peel shrimp, first remove the head. Then, with the shrimp facing away from you, grip the 'feet' of the shrimp and pull around to one side. The shell should break off in one piece, leaving the tail. Grip the fin part of the tail in one hand and the body of the shrimp in the other and give a firm tug. The tail will pull away, leaving behind the meat that was inside the fin.

The recipe may also be asking to de-vein the shrimp, but it is up to you. The shrimp's intestinal tract runs down their back. In larger ones, like rock shrimp, leaving this in will give the shrimp an unpleasant gritty texture, so you are best without it. To de-vein shrimps, you simply run a knife down the back of the shrimp and then you can use you finger to pull the vein out. This is easier under running water.

It will probably take some practice to get these techniques down, but you can do it.

Saving time in the kitchen ... blanching vegetables (KitchenTips)

Posted 4 September, 2002 by PAF-News

If you are planning on making batter-coated fried vegetables as side dishes, try a time-saving trick that many pros use.

Dredge your prepared vegetables as usual in a milk and egg wash (mix an egg with some milk and whisk for a minute), then coat with a mixture of flour and cornmeal or packaged coating mix.

When mealtime approaches, place the coated vegetables in a generous frying basket, and place them in the hot oil.

DO NOT fully cook the vegetables, but pull them out of the oil after a minute or two has gone by. You want the coating to be light in color, not brown.

This techique is called 'blanching', and it saves time in the long run by keeping the vegetables in a state of 'suspended animation'.

When the time is appropriate to serve the vegetables, the basket should be put back into the oil until the coating is fully browned. This will take less time than usual due to the blanching, so you can easily time your side dishes to come out alongside your main course.

Roasting for Beginners (KitchenTips)

Posted 1 September, 2002 by PAF-News

In the beginning, roasting was done on a turning spit over an open fire and the juices ran over the surface of the meat basting it continuously.

Nowadays most roasting takes place in the oven and offers a fast method of cooking tender portions of meat, poultry, and fish.

You want to start with an oven that's preheated at a high temperature to seal the meat thus preventing a loss of juices while at the same time caramelizing the surface.

After 10- 20 minutes, lower the temperature and continue roasting until done.

Some meats will require basting to keep from drying out while some cuts of meat like pork are fatty enough and will require no basting.

Sometimes it is necessary to bard (tie pieces of fat to the surface of) what you are cooking to help with basting.

Birds should be cooked breast down to start and then finished on the other side to allow the juices and fat to flow into the breast meat.

Make sure you have a roasting pan that is the correct size for what you are cooking. Too big.... and the food may burn, too small and your roast may stick to the sides of the pan. Too shallow... and your oven will be a mess, too deep.....your food will steam, not roast.

CHEFLIVE.COM Bringing Broadband Video Encoding (FoodNews)

Posted 20 August, 2002 by PAF-News

AQUA CENTER, a new mall in the Planning stages in Las Vegas to be completed spring 2003, has asked CHEFLIVE.COM to set up a digital chef's studio as the centerpiece of a GOURMET FARMERS' MARKET in their beautiful new state of the art shopping mall. A 50-seat studio will bring to your PC, the latest in streaming technology.

CHEFLIVE.COM will feature chefs from AQUA Center's eight new
restaurants along with other Las Vegas chefs and special visitors from famous restaurants around the world.

Surrounding the school will be gourmet food boutiques offering
wonderful food products in a bright FARMERS' MARKET SETTING with a Provence accent.

CHEFLIVE.COM will use the economy of modern broadband technology to bring to your PC many niche programs that TV can't touch! Watch this space for regular updates on the progress of Aqua Center and Chevlive.com's Farmer's Market and Cooking School!

Cheflive.com has been a work in progress for the last four years; Chef John Guinivere is a graduate from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, CA. In 2000, Chef John Guinivere completed a nine-month tour filming chefs, Cheese Mongers, Fish Farmers, Beer Makers and even a Didgeridoo Player from Pismo Beach. After completing the trip he knew there was an overwhelming interest in combining streaming video and real people in the food world.

For more details visit: http://www.cheflive.com/cheflivtv.com.html

Interview Contact: John Guinivere
Telephone: (702) 228-4705
http://www.cheflive.com/cheflivtv.com.html

Cheflive.com
220 East Flamingo Road #412
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Telephone: (702) 228-4705

How to manage your food cravings (Diets)

Posted 1 August, 2002 by PAF-News

Cravings can affect even the most determined dieter. Similarly to giving up smoking, when dieting you always get cravings.

So you could try the following tips to help you cope and resist temptation:

* Don't skip meals as this will make you more likely to crave other foods and snack because you are hungry.

* Don't starve yourself as this is most likely to lead to you experience cravings and to give in to temptation. Keep healthy snacks, like fruit or carrot/celery sticks) handy at all times.

* Drink plenty of water as dehydration can sometimes be mistaken for hunger and can increas cravings, especially for sweet foods. Water will also make you feel full, so you would feel less hungry.

* Don't keep foods you crave in the house, and don't go shopping when you're hungry as you're more likely to buy foods that are bad for you.

* As with any craving, distract your attention from it - go for a walk, have a bath or watch TV.

* Indulge once in a while so that you don't deprive yourself completely as this could be your downfall. If you crave chocolate allow yourself a fun size chocolate bar and don't feel guilty.

Good Luck!

Submitted by a visitor

Like it spicy? ... Try MUSTARD! Find out more... (FoodArticles)

Posted 25 July, 2002 by PAF-News

The Main Mustard Ingredient

The main ingredient for any mustard is mustard seeds. There are white, yellow, brown and black seeds which come from the mustard plant. The most commonly found is the creamy yellow type, which is the least pungent. The brown type (or Indian mustard) is stronger in flavour, while the black mustard seed is the most powerful of all.

Whole mustard seeds have a pleasant nutty bite to them and can be used to add piquancy to salad dressing and hot sauces. They are especially good when served with fish, chicken and pork and are also delicious added to creamy potato salad, pickles and chutneys.

If you are new to using mustard seeds(especially the two hotter varieties) try with discretion to begin with, increasing the amount as you become more familiar with the flavours.

Dry mustard can be used as it is in cooking, or it may be mixed to a paste with a little warm water. Once mixed it should be left at least 10 minutes to allow time for the flavours to develop. It is only when the powder is mixed with a liquid that the essential oils are released, giving mustard its pungency and sensation of heat.

Types of Mustard

The variety of ready-prepared mustards come in a bewildering number of mouth-watering flavours. These can be made from milled mustard flour or from coarsely crushed seed (the proportions of which vary depending on the type). Some are mixed with vinegar, others with grape juice or wine (and sometimes beer), and often contain various spices, herbs and seasonings, such as honey and horseradish.

English mustard is made from the yellow seed processed with black seeds, wheat flour and turmeric.

German mustard, which is mild and sweet-flavoured, is a mixture of brown and white mustard flour moistened with vinegar and flavoured with various spices.

The mild-flavoured American mustard, popular with children, generally uses only yellow mustard seeds with the addition of sugar, vinegar and salt.

Dijon mustard is made from milled, husked black seeds, flavoured with wine and spices.

The pungent and spicy grainy types of mustard are a mixture of whole, crushed black and yellow seeds with additional flavourings added for individuality.

Mustards of all types can be used to great effect, not only as a condiment, but also as a culinary ingredient. They add bite and piquancy to all types of savory dishes from scrambled eggs, sauces and dressings to barbecued food, soups, casseroles and cheesy biscuits.

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