Here are some tips to take the stress out of cooking, whether you are stirring up supper for your mate or hoping to impress the new in-laws:

Dinners-in-a-Bag

Make these dinner bags involving glorious aluminum foil and write on them,

25 minutes at 425 F”, for example, with a marker pen. Even though Jools didn’t like cooking, she never had a problem with cooking the bags. I just program the “Favorites Cycle, in your  microwave . Here’s just one version, but feel free to vary the recipe with things like grated parsnip, smoked bacon or red wine.

Chicken Breasts Baked in a Bag

(Serves two)

2 7-ounce skinless chicken breasts

1 handful of dried porcini

9 ounces of mixed mushrooms, torn up

1 large wineglass of white wine

3 large pats of butter

1 handful of fresh thyme

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

Using wide aluminum foil, make your bag by placing two pieces on top of each other (about as big as two shoeboxes in length), folding three sides in and leaving one side open. Mix everything together in a bowl, including the chicken. Place in your bag, with all the wine, making sure you do not pierce the foil. Close up the final edge, making sure it is tightly sealed and secure on the sides, and slide it onto a roasting pan. Place the pan on a high heat for one minute to get the heat going, and then bake in the middle of a 425-degree oven for 25 minutes.

Bare-Bones Cooking Techniques

* If you invited friends to come round but they are running late, pop up to four plates of food in the separate warming oven. Your glorious food not only stays warm, but also keeps the kitchen smelling wonderful until they walk in the door.

* If your side dish is ready but you still have other things to cook, just slide the pot onto the middle of the cook top. The “warming zone” there acts like a fifth burner, keeping it warm and freeing up the other burners so you can finish cooking.

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Culinary Parts Unlimited, a company that maintains an inventory of replacement kitchen equipment parts and accessories, has staff on call seven days a week to assist home chefs with their culinary quandaries.

“We have a full staff of culinary experts, thoroughly trained and experienced in using all of the key appliances needed for holiday cooking and baking, such as food processors, stand mixers and blenders,” said Lorraine Brady, president of Culinary Parts Unlimited. “We’re delighted to help consumers not only figure out how to use that fancy food processor or bread machine they received as a wedding gift but also talk them through basic culinary steps so that they’re completely comfortable preparing holiday recipes.”

Culinary Parts Unlimited also can help frantic holiday cooks locate parts, accessories and appliances for more than 40 well-known brands. The company stocks everything from Cuisinart food processor bowls and KitchenAid wire whisks to Krups and Braun coffee carafes as well as parts for juicers, ice cream makers and other specialty items. Orders ship within 24 hours; air shipping is available for “holiday emergencies.”

True to its name, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is grown in the Blue Mountain region of Jamaica, generally located between Kingston to the south and Port Maria to the north. Rising to 7,500 feet, the Blue Mountains are the highest point in the Caribbean. The area is characterized by cool, wet weather and dark, rich soil with good drainage, ideal conditions for cultivating coffee. Though coffee is not native to Jamaica, it is the chief export of the island.

Not just any old cup of Joe can call itself Jamaican Blue Mountain. The Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica must certify every bag of coffee to ensure only the highest quality beans bear the prestigious trademark. The Board only recognizes beans grown in specific parishes of Jamaica: St. Andrew, St. Thomas, Portland and St. Mary.

The Coffee Industry Regulation Act established a system of three grades of Jamaican Blue Mountain based on the screen or size of the bean. The term screen refers to the literal screens of various dimensions used to sort the beans according to their size. The theory behind this practice is that beans grown in higher altitudes are larger and make better-tasting coffee than those grown in lower altitudes.

The rigorous quality standard for Jamaican Blue Mountain excludes beans that would probably be considered fine for other coffees. The screening process also helps to eliminate maragogipe (elephant beans). A mutant strain believed to have originated on Brazil, elephant beans are large, green, porous beans that seem to absorb the flavor of the soil they grown in. The jury is still out on their worth, but they are considered an insufferable defect for Jamaican Blue Mountain production.

At least 96 percent of the beans used must be of the same size and bluish-green tint. No more than two percent can stray from that standard in any way. Sour or black beans, or foreign matter of any kind, are considered unforgivable defects and do not fall under the two-percent rule. The most unbending benchmark is needed to maintain the traits that coffee drinkers have come to expect.

The geographical area that grows Jamaican Blue Mountain beans is relatively small and can only produce so much coffee. The limited quantity, the matchless quality resulting from painstaking cultivation, the alluring aroma and the renowned name of Jamaican Blue Mountain have undoubtedly contributed to its reputation as one of the most sought-after coffees in the world. As long as hard-core coffee drinkers continue to demand it, it will also be one of the most expensive.

A preliminary way to prepare a lobster, which should be alive, is to grasp it firmly by the back, plunge it quickly, head first, into a kettle of rapidly boiling water, and then submerge the rest of the body.  Be sure to have a sufficient amount of water to cover the lobster completely.  Boil rapidly for 5 minutes;  then lower the flame or remove to a cooler part of the stove and cook slowly for 1/2 hour. Remove from the water and allow to cool.

After being prepared in this way, a lobster may be served cold or it maybe used in the preparation of various made dishes.  If it is to be used without further preparation, it is often served from the shell, which is usually split open. Mayonnaise or some other sauce is generally served with lobster. The flesh is removed from the shell with a small fork as it is eaten.

To remove lobster from the shell, first pull off the two large claws and the four pairs of small claws, and break the tail from the body.  Then using scissors, cut a single slit the entire length of the shell covering the under part of the tail and remove the flesh inside the tail in a whole, large piece.  The intestinal tract, which can be readily observed, will be found embedded in this piece and running the entire length.  Slash the flesh and remove it.  Next remove the flesh of the body from the shell, retaining only that part which appears to be fibrous, like the flesh of the tail. The stomach,  should not be removed from the shell.   However, care should be taken to obtain all the flesh surrounding the bones in the bony part of the lobster.  The coral substance, that is, the roe of the lobster, should also be removed, as it can be used for a garnish.

With the flesh removed from the shell, proceed to take out the flesh in the claws.  Break open the large claws, using a nut cracker or a small hammer for this purpose, and remove the flesh that they contain.  If the small claws are to be used for a garnish, as is often done, remove the flesh without breaking them; otherwise break them as in the case of the large ones.

Northern Italy, which boasts the country’s highest standard of living and the richest diet, also produces one-third of Italy’s best wines. Its eight regions lean toward risotto, polenta and gnocchi, and hearty soups and fish chowders are a feature of the region. The North’s real claim to fame, though, is as a paradise for cheese lovers. Parmigiano, Gorgonzola and Asiago cheeses, accompanied by salamis and sausages made from goat, goose and even chamois, make a simple meal divine.

Central Italy, in contrast, tends to favor artichokes, peas and black and white truffles. These six central regions prefer pasta and lamb over the rice and beef associated with the North. One of the best-known regional dishes is porchetta, a whole, roasted pig stuffed with fresh garlic, fennel, rock salt and peppercorns.

Historically, the six regions that comprise Southern Italy were known as the Garden of the Greeks and Romans. Later, during the Middle Ages, the Arabs established a pasta industry in Sicily. Varieties of pasta have since proliferated, from “short” pasta generically known as macaroni to the “long” types such as spaghetti and vermicelli.

No other sector of Italy boasts such a splendid heritage of sweets and ices. Many desserts bespeak the Arab and Greek influences in Sicily, with its almond pastes, candied fruits, ricotta, honey, raisins and nuts.

The South also accounts for 75 percent of the produce raised organically in Italy. With almost 2.5 million acres cultivated without chemicals, Italy is a leader in organic farming.

There are a wide variety of cooks knives available today. In addition to the quality traditional European brands such as Henckels, Wusthof and Sabatier, there is a fascinating array of Japanese and oriental brands, such as Global, I.O. Shen, Tojiro and Kai. These Japanese brands tend to be made of harder steel and have thinner blades. They hold their edge for longer and are sharper, making them ideal for precision and accuracy. However they do take longer to sharpen and maintain than their European counterparts, which are generally considered to be easier to look after, more sturdy and great for chopping for example.

But how do you choose which is right for you? First and foremost, you should consider the tasks that you perform most regularly and choose accordingly. Here are a couple of things that you may like to bear in mind:

Material: High carbon steel is generally considered the best performer, but can discolor with use, although this is purely cosmetic. High carbon stainless steel is a popular choice, will look great and will take and maintain a sharp edge. Stainless steel is generally less expensive, will retain its good looks but is not hard enough to maintain the best possible edge. Ceramic blades are so hard that they will maintain a sharp edge for months or years with little maintenance. However, they are more expensive to buy and may require diamond-sharpening.

Handles: The next material choice to consider is for the handle. Handles generally fall into three categories; wood, stainless steel or composition. Some chefs prefer the feel of wood although wood is not allowed in many commercial kitchens. Composition handles help ensure a safe grip on the knife when handling wet items, and are generally preferred over more slippery stainless steel. However, both are sanitary and virtually maintenance-free.

Types of knives: There are some tasks in the kitchen which, if performed regularly, warrant having a special knife for the job. However, there are three knives that will probably see the most wear and tear; a chef’s knife, a paring knife and a serrated knife. 

A good chef’s knife will typically have a blade 6″ – 12″ long. It will be used for slicing, dicing, chopping and mincing. I can even be used for boning large cuts of meat if you do not have a cleaver. The side of the blade is great for crushing garlic etc.

A paring knife will have a 3-4″ long blade and will be used for peeling and paring fruit and vegetables and for trimming where a larger blade would be cumbersome.

A serrated blade is used for cutting through bread, bagels, baguettes etc and should have a blade log enough to cut through a large loaf or a sandwich cake.

These three kitchen work-horses will serve you well and, if you’re on a tight budget, will serve most purposes.

If chosen wisely, a quality set of cooks knives will increase your cooking enjoyment and be a valuable investment for a long time to come. Check out 14 Piece Rachel Ray Cookware Set

If you’re creative in your kitchen, then there’s no need to be boring when it comes to barbecue food either. Good quality burgers and sausages always go down well, but be a bit more imaginative and try something new. Swordfish, monkfish or tuna are very easy to cook on a barbecue, and can be really tasty when combined with a tangy marinade or dressing. If you’re short on time, you can always speed up the marinating process by massaging the meat in a plastic bag of marinade for a few minutes before placing in the fridge for just 30 minutes. Vegetables are delicious cooked over a fire and flambéed bananas & pineapple make the perfect finishing touch. Take an approach of experimentation.

If you’re feeling lazy, many of the supermarkets now sell pre-prepared food with the BBQ in mind, for example, Waitrose stocks Chinese-Style Pork Loin Ribs marinated in honey, orange and spices and Green Thai Chicken Kebabs marinated in aromatic coconut and fresh coriander and spices.

If you’re feeling lazy, many of the supermarkets now sell pre-prepared food with the BBQ in mind, for example, Waitrose stocks Chinese-Style Pork Loin Ribs marinated in honey, orange and spices and Green Thai Chicken Kebabs marinated in aromatic coconut and fresh coriander and spices.

It’s best to prepare salads and dressings before you start cooking so that everything is ready to serve as soon as the cooked food comes off the heat. If you are cooking for a large number of guests, then many foods may be cooked off first and kept hot in the kitchen oven until required. Remember that you – the cook – are there to enjoy yourself too so give yourself time to relax by being properly organized.

There are some basic rules to remember when using a barbecue that do make sense to bear in mind. Keep safe, be aware of children and pets and keep them away from the hot stuff. If using charcoal, then allow enough time for the coals to really heat up before trying to cook anything. Look for signs of white ash on the charcoal to indicate that the temperature is hot enough for effective cooking.

Barbecue food is infamous for making an unwelcome return appearance! If you want to avoid this unpleasantness, be aware of basic food hygiene and wash your hands before handling food. Be especially careful when handling raw meats and do not contaminate cooked meats with raw meat juices. Ensure that all items are properly cooked through before serving. If you are cooking items on the bone, such as chicken legs, it’s a good idea to pre-cook them in the oven first and then finish them off on the barbecue.

Liquids
Generally, liquids may be decreased in slow cooking – a general rule of thumb is about half the recommended amount. Unless the dish contains rice or pasta, one cup of liquid is usually enough.

Pasta and Rice
When recipes call for cooked pasta to be added, cook it until just slightly tender before adding to the pot. Add 1/4 extra liquid per 1/4 cup uncooked rice, and use long grain converted rice for the best results. For long-cooking recipes, add cooked rice shortly before serving.

Beans
It is usually best to soak beans overnight before cooking them in the crockpot. Before adding sugar or acidic ingredients, the beans should be softened first, either in the slow cooker or on the stove top. If your recipe includes tomatoes, salt, or other acidic ingredients, the beans should be tender before beginning.

Herbs and Spices

Ground herbs and spices tend to dissipate over long cooking times, so it’s best to add them near the end of cooking. Whole herbs release flavors over time, so are a good choice for crockpot cooking. You should taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary, before serving.

Milk/Cheese
Milk, sour cream, and cream break down over long periods of cooking, and should be added during the last hour. Condensed cream soups are good substitutions for milk and can be cooked for extended times. “Healthy,” or reduced fat cream soups can be used in any recipe as a substitute.

Cheeses don’t generally hold up over extended periods of cooking, so should be added near the end of cooking, or use processed cheeses and spreads.

Soups
Add water only to cover ingredients in soup, and add more after cooking if necessary for a thinner soup.
For milk based soups, add 1 or 2 cups of water and during the last hour, stir in milk, evaporated milk, or cream as called for.

Vegetables
Dense vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and other root vegetables should be cut no larger than 1″ thick, and placed in the bottom of the pot, since they take longer to cook
Did you find this article useful?  For more useful tips and   hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to guides on cuisines, culinary styles, recipes and more  , do please browse for more information at our websites http://www.easycookingrecipes.net.

As a host, you want everything to be just right, not only to make the event enjoyable, but memorable too.  There’s a lot to consider; location, date, entertainment, etc..  However, as any party planner will tell you, there’s nothing more important than the food and refreshments for the success of a party, outdoors or indoors.

Think of it this way; if you planned an outdoor event with great entertainment, all the right people and you got the nicest weather, it might still be considered a failure if the food and refreshments were not right.  On the other hand, a plain barbecue, with great food and refreshments, will probably be a success and fondly remembered by your guests.

With so much riding on what food and which drinks are served, it’s no wonder more hosts are turning to outdoor event catering to make sure their party is a success.  Having your event catered add a special touch to your party and make it a memorable success.

The right outdoor event catering company will do more than make sure you have a delicious menu and refreshing drinks.  They will help you plan your party, provide serving staff and make sure you have everything you need, from cutlery to tents, so all you have to do is enjoy the time with your guests.

The problem is, how do you know which outdoor event catering company in Toronto is the right one for your party?  Ida’s Kitchen has successfully catered outdoor parties and barbecues all over Toronto and the GTA.

The Food Elements.
The various elements found in food are the following: Starch, sugar, fats, albumen, mineral substances, indigestible substances.

The digestible food elements are often grouped, according to their chemical composition, into three classes; vis., carbonaceous, nitrogenous, and inorganic. The carbonaceous class includes starch, sugar, and fats; the nitrogenous, all albuminous elements; and the inorganic comprises the mineral elements.

Starch is only found in vegetable foods; all grains, most vegetables, and some fruits, contain starch in abundance. Several kinds of sugar are made in nature’s laboratory; cane, grape, fruit, and milk sugar. The first is obtained from the sugar-cane, the sap of maple trees, and from the beet root. Grape and fruit sugars are found in most fruits and in honey. Milk sugar is one of the constituents of milk. Glucose, an artificial sugar resembling grape sugar, is now largely manufactured by subjecting the starch of corn or potatoes to a chemical process; but it lacks the sweetness of natural sugars, and is by no means a proper substitute for them. Albumen is found in its purest, uncombined state in the white of an egg, which is almost wholly composed of albumen. It exists, combined with other food elements, in many other foods, both animal and vegetable. It is found abundant in oatmeal, and to some extent in the other grains, and in the juices of vegetables. All natural foods contain elements which in many respects resemble albumen, and are so closely allied to it that for convenience they are usually classified under the general name of “albumen.” The chief of these is gluten, which is found in wheat, rye, and barley. Casein, found in peas, beans, and milk, and the fibrin of flesh, are elements of this class.

Fats are found in both animal and vegetable foods. Of animal fats, butter and suet are common examples. In vegetable form, fat is abundant in nuts, peas, beans, in various of the grains, and in a few fruits, as the olive. As furnished by nature in nuts, legumes, grains, fruits, and milk, this element is always found in a state of fine subdivision, which condition is the one best adapted to its digestion. As most commonly used, in the form of free fats, as butter, lard, etc., it is not only difficult of digestion itself, but often interferes with the digestion of the other food elements which are mixed with it. It was doubtless never intended that fats should be so modified from their natural condition and separated from other food elements as to be used as a separate article of food. The same may be said of the other carbonaceous elements, sugar and starch, neither of which, when used alone, is capable of sustaining life, although when combined in a proper and natural manner with other food elements, they perform a most important part in the nutrition of the body. Most foods contain a percentage of the mineral elements. Grains and milk furnish these elements in abundance. The cellulose, or woody tissue, of vegetables, and the bran of wheat, are examples of indigestible elements, which although they cannot be converted into blood in tissue, serve an important purpose by giving bulk to the food.

With the exception of gluten, none of the food elements, when used alone, are capable of supporting life. A true food substance contains some of all the food elements, the amount of each varying in different foods.

Uses of The Food Elements.
Concerning the purpose which these different elements serve, it has been demonstrated by the experiments of eminent physiologists that the carbonaceous elements, which in general comprise the greater bulk of the food, serve three purposes in the body;

1. They furnish material for the production of heat;

2. They are a source of force when taken in connection with other food elements;

3. They replenish the fatty tissues of the body. Of the carbonaceous elements, starch, sugar, and fats, fats produce the greatest amount of heat in proportion to quantity; that is, more heat is developed from a pound of fat than from an equal weight of sugar or starch; but this apparent advantage is more than counterbalanced by the fact that fats are much more difficult of digestion than are the other carbonaceous elements, and if relied upon to furnish adequate material for bodily heat, would be productive of much mischief in overtaxing and producing disease of the digestive organs. The fact that nature has made a much more ample provision of starch and sugars than of fats in man’s natural diet, would seem to indicate that they were intended to be the chief source of carbonaceous food; nevertheless, fats, when taken in such proportion as nature supplies them, are necessary and important food elements.

The nitrogenous food elements especially nourish the brain, nerves, muscles, and all the more highly vitalized and active tissues of the body, and also serve as a stimulus to tissue change. Hence it may be said that a food deficient in these elements is a particularly poor food.

The inorganic elements, chief of which are the phosphates, in the carbonates of potash, soda, and lime, aid in furnishing the requisite building material for bones and nerves.

Proper Combinations of Foods.
While it is important that our food should contain some of all the various food elements,  experiments upon both animals and human beings show it is necessary that these elements, especially the nitrogenous and carbonaceous, be used in certain definite proportions, as the system is only able to appropriate a certain amount of each; and all excess, especially of nitrogenous elements, is not only useless, but even injurious, since to rid the system of the surplus imposes an additional task upon the digestive and excretory organs. The relative proportion of these elements necessary to constitute a food which perfectly meets the requirements of the system, is six of carbonaceous to one of nitrogenous. Scientists have devoted much careful study and experimentation to the determination of the quantities of each of the food elements required for the daily nourishment of individuals under the varying conditions of life, and it has come to be commonly accepted that of the nitrogenous material which should constitute one sixth of the nutrients taken, about three ounces is all that can be made use of in twenty-four hours, by a healthy adult of average weight, doing a moderate amount of work. Many articles of food are, however, deficient in one or the other of these elements, and need to be supplemented by other articles containing the deficient element in superabundance, since to employ a dietary in which any one of the nutritive elements is lacking, although in bulk it may be all the digestive organs can manage, is really starvation, and will in time occasion serious results.

It is thus apparent that much care should be exercised in the selection and combination of food materials. Such knowledge is of first importance  in the education of cooks and housekeepers, since to them falls the selection  of the food for the daily needs of the household; and they should not only understand what foods are best suited to supply these needs, but how to combine them in accordance with physiological laws.