Simple Cooking Ideas

Archive for the ‘Handy Tips’ Category

Cooking may seem hard to do and it actually is, to the
novice. But once you learn the various techniques, you
will find out that cooking is actually a breeze. There
are processes and techniques that will help you
prepare a mean dish for your family and you can learn
all this from a good cooking school.

There are many cooking schools out there that have a
wide range of lessons that they offer… for kids, for
moms, for hobbyists, or anybody who just want to cook
a good meal. With so many to choose from, it might be
a little hard to select which is a good choice. So
here are some of the things that you should consider
when looking for a good cooking school.

1. price range Unless you have a lot of money stashed
away in the bank, the tuition fee will figure a lot in
the kind of cooking school you want to enroll in and
the kind of program that you wish to take. For those
who have the budget, a full program is recommended as
this will teach you all you need to know at a fraction
of the cost when you combined all the other short
courses. However, if you do not have the money to
spend, look for a class that you like that is within
your price range and then ask for a discount should
you decide to take the class after that.

2. Materials Some cooking class will already be
providing the materials for you while some will ask
you to buy your own. Clear this up with the cooking
school you are eyeing before enrolling because this
will figure a lot in your budget.

3. Lessons and range This will really depend on just
what you want to learn and how much experience in
cooking you have. Lessons can range from something
simple as broiling and grilling to something as
complicated as baking an elaborate cake complete with
the decorations. It is actually all up to you. One
advice that you should heed is to always determine
first what you want to learn about and to make sure
that you have all the other skills You see, some
classes and programs have pre-requisite lessons that
you have to first accomplish before you can take it
up. For instance, you cannot bake a cake if you do not
yet know how to fry, boil and heat food properly.

4. Location Another very important factor in finding a
good cooking school is the place where you will be
taking your class. Is the school at your neighborhood
or do you have to drive there in the morning. This is
especially important with people who have a lot in
their plate like cooking for family members or classes
in school. Ideally, it should be along the way fro
your work or from your home.

5. Student:teacher ratio You cannot learn much if you
are 20 in the class and there is only one teacher. You
need a class that is smaller in size so that the
teacher can help you individually with the lesson. It
will also be easier for you to ask questions when you
are just a few in the group. Student:teacher ratio is
also important in comprehension as this means that you
are much closer to your teacher when she explains.

Based on clinical studies, a balanced diet is one that contains food or drink choices from the five main Food groups. They are carbohydrates (i.e.rice, noodles, bread, potato, etc), Protein and Meats (i.e. meats, seafood, poultry, vegetable proteins,such beans,etc); FruiT Group; vegetable group; Dairy Group (i.e. milk, yogurt, cheese). All the 5 food groups contribute various important nutrients that together give you the foundation for a healthy diet.

Go for fruits and vegetables with bright colours. Researchers claimed that the natural colours in these fruits and vegetables determine the phytochemicals found in these food as powerful antioxidants that help to counter free radicals in our bodies. You can also make tasty juices with fruits and vegetables into your diet.

Water is important to our body. Therefore, drink at least 8 glasses everyday to quench your thirst, helps to digest your food, keeps your colon healthy and hydrating your cells.

Drink tea for health. Research also proves tea contains polyphnols which act as antioxidants in our body. tea has no colories, fat, or sodium. Tea is an ideal health drink. Black Tea contains half of the caffeine of coffee. It is rich in potassium and maganese. Green tea contains less cafeine than black tea. Tea has several B vitamins, carotene, Vitamin C, folic acid, iron, floride and calcium.

One of the health concerns is many of you do not chew your food well. Many of you will gulp your food down without even tasting it. These would result in having indigestion, heartburn and over-eating that leads to obesity. If you could be wiser and chew every mouthful of food, not only you will digest the food better, and magically, you will end up eating less. Study says as you chew your food, powerful enzymes from your saliva are released and pre-digested process begins in the mouth. Therefore, your stomach has less work to do and you will have less gas and indigestion. The chewing motion also helps your brain get the message to release gastric juices in your stamach. In this way , your stomach will be protected against ulcers.

Another health concern is always keep yourself active. Simply start moving. Try to develop a mindset that makes it a routine for you to stay in motion. For example, take the stairs instead of lift. Park your car further away from any place you want to go. Try to have half an hour of exercise at least three times a week. Fitness expert says that it is more important to be consistent than to overdo your exercise routine. Never work out to a point of exhaustion.

When all you have done in your life is eat the food
that is already prepared, cooking it will be very much
like waking up in a world that you are not familiar
with. This is where recipes and cookbooks come in.

These self-instructional guide to different dishes is
your answer to that confusion. The cook book will give
to you a step by step account of what you should do,
from preparing and gathering the ingredients to
actually cooking the dish.

You actually don’t need to ask anything because
everything is already provided for you. But despite
the blow by blow account of what you should be doing,
many still find cooking with a recipe arduous and
confusing. Some do not get the results that they want.
Others do not get to cook it at all, stumped at the
first step in the recipe.

Here are some tips that will help you breeze through
this cooking manual and make cookbooks your bestest
cooking buddy in the world.

1. Know the terms

Recipes may tell you what to do but they may not
always be as simple to follow. Some cookbooks use
terms that only seasoned cooks know.

Words like batter, medium rare, tablespoon, minced and
cubes will be like alien words for those who do not
have any experience with cooking a dish.

One solution to this is to always have a dictionary
with you. That way, you can look at the meaning of
each word and then proceed from there. You don’t have
to panic when you see those words. They are all in the
dictionary, I assure you.

If a dictionary will not work for you, you can always
buy a cook book that are especially made for the
novice. Some cook books even have a section, where all
the cooking terms are explained not only in words but
also in illustrations. If a dictionary is not for you,
you can always buy these simple cookbooks instead.

2. Always arm yourself with measuring materials

Measurement is the most important part in cooking a
dish. If you have not measured your ingredients well,
chances are your dish will not taste as it should be.
Too much of flavoring and you will have a too salty or
too sweet a dish. Too little flavoring and you will
have a bland-tasting dish that your kids will not
touch for a million years.

3. Go slowly.

Great food is never achieved in speed. If you want
great tasting dish, let the meat boil for an hour and
not 15 minutes shy of an hour. The quarter of an hour
that you did not boil the meat will spell a lot of
difference in the meal that you are cooking.

The same goes for instances when you are over the time
frame. That is why it is important to always have a
clock in your kitchen counter or if possible a timer.
This will make timing the food a lot easier as you can
always put an alarm to remind you. It is also a good
idea to put more lead time for you to cook the food.
If the recipe book says, 1 hour, then allot 30 minutes
more. Do not be in haste to cook the food as this will
only spell disaster.

If you think cooking involves opening the refrigerator
and putting the frozen diner inside the microwave, you
are wrong. It involves far more than you think and if
you want to improve your cooking, you will take this
to heart. It requires a lot of preparation, testing,
cutting and tasting. And in some cases, even the
washing after you are done with making the perfect
dish.

In short, cooking is not easy. Ask any chef or you
mom; or better yet why not try yourself? You will soon
find out that making a dish is not some simple task
that involves a swish of the magic wand. It is hard
work that involves precision, readiness and timing,
perfect timing.

If you want to improve your cooking skills and produce
dishes that your family will marvel at, here are some
of the skills that you need to develop.

Measuring in precise terms Although professional chefs
no longer rely on measuring tools like cups and
spoons, remember that you are far from being a
professional. In fact, you are just learning and until
you master cooking, you need these tools to stay in
the game an produce at least a passable dish that you
family can stomach to eat!

Measuring cups and spoons are there to help you
determine just how much ingredients you need to put.
How much salt or how much sugar. In cooking, measuring
is everything, not unless you want your dish to taste
like saltwater.

Timing A lot of timing is involved in cooking. For the
professionals, timing is more of an instinct or
expertise. They know upon seeing the meat if boiling
should already be stopped or if the vegetables should
be pulled out of the pan before it becomes overcooked.

But for those who are just learning the ropes, timing
is the number of minutes that is indicated in the
recipe. That is why a watch is one of the essentials
that you need to have if you are cooking. In fact,
some even put an alarm so that they will be reminded
that it is already time. Food can be really delicate.
A minute more than what should be can be disastrous to
a dish.

Taste Some have it, some don’t but the good news is
for those who do not have the developed palate that
chefs have, the art of tasting a dish can be learned.
Taste is very important especially in determining if
you should add a little bit more of flavor to the
dish. Should you add salt to make it tastier or should
you add water to lessen the saltiness. A lot of
decisions are involved in cooking and you need a good
palate to determine just what will be a hit to the
people who will be eating what you prepared.

Picky attitude The foundation of a good dish is not
just the talent of the person who cooks it but also
the quality of the ingredients that were used to
prepare it. This means that no matter how good the
chef is, he cannot make stale ingredients taste
delicious.

Old fish will still taste like old fish no matter how
many flavorings you add into it. That is why it is
important to also develop the skill of looking for
fresh ingredients. Ask around and let people in the
marketplace teach you how to spot the fresh veggie. If
you really want to improve your cooking, lowering your
pride will not be so difficult.

Cooking is already hard as it is without having to
deal with defective cooking materials and equipment.
Besides, not only will you slow down the cooking
process when you buy substandard materials, you will
also put your family and your house at risk of fire
and other injuries that defective appliances and
cooking materials may cause.

Good cooking equipment need not be expensive. Just as
the ingredients that you use for your meals, cooking
materials should not be the top of the line. You can
make do with the cheaper versions as long as you make
sure that the quality is good and it is new. Below are
some shopping tips when buying cooking equipment for
your home.

Buy new ones. Yes. You can support thrift shops but
you can support them in other ways without having to
sacrifice the health of your family and also their
safety. Cooking equipment from thrift shops are often
from homes that have been either sold because the
owner died or have been donated because they have
served their purpose well in the household. In other
words, they are worn, dirty and old. Would you want to
prepare meals for your family using those kinds of
cooking materials?

Go for Sales. If you want cheap prices and yet have
new stuff to use, watch out for mega sales and
discount sales on the items that you want. They often
cut their price down when they have new models that
are coming out or have a lot of stocks that they have
to get rid of. Factory outlets are also great places
to find great bargains. You just have to have the
patience to hunt for the items that you really really
need.

Use an alternative If a cooking material is outside
your budget and you just cannot afford to buy a new
one, you can always use an alternative. If your mixer
broke down, use the old-fashion way of mixing- with a
spoon! Measurements need not be done with measuring
cups and spoons. You can always use the cups that you
have in the pantry or the teaspoons and spoons that
you use for eating. Be imaginative.

Test it. One common mistake of people is to not test
an item before buying it because they feel that they
can return it anyway if it does not work. But because
of their busy schedules, most people will not bother
to go there and return the item. The money they paid
for the item is actually the same as the gas money
that they will spend if they go to the store. So if
you do not want the hassle anymore, try it out first.
It will not cost you anything but a few seconds.

Metal are better Hands down, if you have the money to
spend, go for equipment that are stainless steel. They
are rust proof and are easier to clean compared to
plastic materials. They are also safer because they
are not easily breakable unlike glass which may be
dangerous to kids. One disadvantage though of
stainless steel is the fact that they are not easily
handled because metal can be hot on the surface. Other
than that, metals are great materials to cook your
food in.

So before you buy your cooking materials, remember
these tips to make sure that you get the best bargain
that you can have.

Have you heard of fruit juice cordial can cure diarrhoea? I read an article some years ago that a team of research scientists has made a chance discovery that fruit cordial will convert bacteria-contaminated water into safe drinking water.

The scientists have found that ordinary fruit juice, bought in the supermarkets or grocery store will kill vibrio-cholerae bacteria, salmonenlla and E-coli bacteria.
They stumbled on the killing effect of cordial while testing cordials to see whether they would grow bacteria causing intestinal infections. They found the revese. Vibrio-cholerae bacteria cause cholera which is the most devastating disease. Salmonnella and E-coli are a common disease which can affect everyone particularly the younmg children. Everyone year millions of babies and young children, mainly in the Third World countries die from the diarrhoeal disease which can cause dehydration. Diarrhoea is a critical condtion in these young children because they are too young to have developed an immunity against the bacteria in their environment

The treatment for diarrhoea and dehyration in such children includes giving them plenty of fluid or water to drink, but the fluid or water is often contaminated by the bacteria in the their environment. The research scientists said that if these drinks can be flavoured with cordial, killing the bacteria, there is a potential to save many lives. But how fruit cordial can kill the bacteria, they just did not know. Maybe it is probably related to the the chemical content and acidity of the cordial, they said.

Here is a tip to travellers. If you happen to travel, prepare your drinks with cordial and let them stand for an hour. You can also put the drinks in the refrigerater if you wish before drinking. Letting them stand at room temperature is important. Immediate refrigeration slows the rate at which the bacteria are killed.