Different Ways to Tenderize Meat

There are a few ways to soften meat, but the most typical method is tenderizing by the process of cooking. Softening tough meat includes tenderizing with a pounder. A tenderizing mallet can be used to tenderize a cut of meat. A marinate of oils, vinegars, wine, beer, mustards, and spices can also be employed as tenderizing agents. Marinades also add to taste of the meat. So which way you find it best?

To me, stewing is my choice. It is great for tough cuts of meat and the chuck cut makes a more tasty stew. Stock bones which are cheaper can also be bought to enhance the stew.  The goodness of stock bones is not in the meat but in the essence that is in the bone. 

A Stewed Dish

 Braising is another method of tenderizing a tough cut of meat. This approach is preferred by may as it allows simmering in an appropriate liquid in order to break down the tough connective tissues within the meat. By just leaving the meat to simmer for hours, you can do things as you let the food cook.

Braising Meat

Being Food Prepared When Disaster Strikes

 

The smallest can opener can be most useful

This list is basically for food concerns and for everyone. You may send this to a number of people you think that needs to be prepared for.

• Have at least one gallon of water per day for at least 3 days. To be used for drinking and sanitation
• Three days worth of non-perishable food:
• Dried goods such as: nuts, dried fruits, beef jerky, etc.
• Canned goods such as: fruits, vegetables, beans, soups, etc.
• Frozen food will spoil; use this first.
• Include a can opener!
• Consider growing a "survival" garden at your home, which might withstand a natural disaster such as an earthquake.

For other areas of preparedness, you might consider looking at the Cabela's web site.  Cabela's, a nationwide outdoor adventure outfitter, has emergency kits which includes food, first aid supplies and sanitation products available for reasonable prices.

Eat and be merry!

Party Giving Made Easier

Yes you love entertaining, but the thought of all the work in preparing a party can be off-putting. I hope my tips will help find your way back in case you have curved down your passion with party giving.

There are two things to remember when hosting a party. One is flair for a welcoming party ambiance and second is the banquet of delightful foods to please your guests. While it’s true that party giving entails a lot of work, a good plan helps make all things worth doing.

Details are very important as they are what makes everything successful. In planning, be realistic. Don't push on things that do not fall within your budget. Stay with what you can afford. You don't need all the extravagance and out-of-this world foods to make an impressive party, in fact a simple dinner buffet of even a one-pan meal is enough to make your occasion sensible.

Create a good menu. Make a list of options that suits your cooking skills. This will help you organize what you need and make your shopping a lot easier. When cooking for a party, never insert time trying complicated dishes. If you are not familiar with the food you're preparing, chances are you will be creating delays in your cooking when things don't turn out successful. If you find your menu very simple, enhance it with colorful garnishes and serve them in charming servers.

Even the plainest dish would look marvelously versatile in an attractive platter. Put color on your banquet table by creating mix vegetables in colorful combination, festive-colored bite sizes of fruits in a translucent salad bowl and festively-decorated main dishes. Use all of your creativity, it's your time to show off. It's your party so it's your personality.

Always do everything to make your food gratifying. Warm dishes should be served warm and cold desserts must be served cold, no in-between. Separate cooked from raw foods, this will give your guests a swift direction when getting food.

Don't forget to have a selection of drinks. Some guests enjoy alcoholic varieties while others prefer soft drinks. So it is just a good idea to provide them drinks that can add to their individual delights. I suggest you make your own mixes of fresh juices and provide refreshing tonics and garnishes for a fun cocktail your guests will take pleasure in. Actually, its all up to you!

Your party depends on how you want it to be. You should aim to make guests relaxed and happy, so the food will look as delectable as possible.

What to Do When Your Food is Too Salty?

Salting is necessary in cooking food and over-salting is the most common cooking disasters. What will you do if you have over-salted your food? Throw it away? Add water? or serve it anyway?

A salty stew tests the toughest diner. Quickly peel some potatoes and slice them into rounds. Add these to the stew to lighten the salt a little. The raw potatoes will absorb the salt as they cook briefly (until they look translucent) and then you can remove them (fish them out with a slotted spoon). The remaining stew should be less salty. Another quick fix is to add a few spoons of milk to the stew.

For over-salted vegetables, the same fix applies if the veggies are in water or broth as for the stew. If they are steamed or stir-fried, you will probably need to start again, although you can try rinsing steamed veggies if the over-salting is merely because the diner sprinkled too much salt on.

Many canned vegetables are seasoned and preserve with large amounts of salt. A salty brine inside the can often absorbs deep into the vegetables as they sit on the shelf. To cut salt on canned goods, rinse canned vegetables first before cooking.

I need to actually salt and pepper my food myself, I could care less if it tastes perfect, in fact I rarely taste it prior to seasoning it. After my seasoning it I taste and frequently add more salt and pepper, habit I can't break, nor do I want to, salt freak here... how about you?

Great-Value Quality Knives As Gifts For Your Aspiring Cooks

If you remember one of my blogs about decent and excellent-quality knife sets, Fissler knives truly combine quality German look and feel with traditional Asian sharp edges. Let me give you another list of gift ideas for your aspiring chef, favorite cook, or your one and only homemaker. I'm sure they will love knives which provides ease of use and exquisite performance.

Profession Chef's Knife 6.3 inches
Retail normally is close to $100 and is offered at $85
Promotional price is $62.00

Perfection Chef's Knife 6.3 inches
Retail typically over $100 but being offered at $88
Promotional price is $65.00

Profession Knives
Magnetic knife block with Japanese knives - 4 Piece Set
Santoku Knife with hollow edge 7.1. inYanagiba Knife
7.1 inDeba Knife 7.1 inKnife block - magneticRetail price $625
Promotion price $450

Perfection Knives
Perfection Knife block with knives and steek - 7 pieces Larding Knife 3.6 inUtility Knife 5.1 inCarving Knife 6.3 in Chef's Knife 7.9 inBread Knife 7.9 in Sharpening Steel Knife block
Retail Price $ 725
Promotion price $550

Rather than attempt to guess what people would like from the array of knives from Fissler. There is a list some of them so that you can pick the items you like. Listed are the suggested retail prices.

For any individual item, take 20% off, for any two items 25% off and for any three or more take 30% off MSRP. See these promotion at http://fisslerusa.com/.

Profession Line of Cutlery
Peeling knife $75.00
Vegetable knife $75.00
Utility knife $88.00
Carving knife $107.00
Santoku knife $138.00
Chef's Knife $144.00
Yanagiba Knife $144.00
Nakiri Knife $144.00
Deba Knife $175.00

Perfection Lineof Cutlery
Peeling knife $82.00
Vegetable knife $88.00
Utility knife $100.00
Carving knife $113.00
Santoku knife 5.5 in $125.00
Santoku knife 7.1 in $150.00
Chef's Knife $150.00
Filleting Knife $125.00

See quality cookwares on holiday promotion here http://hubpages.com/hub/Holiday-Promotions

Green Christmas Gifts

When it comes to Christmas shopping, a lot of people simply find any sort of gift and that without considering the possibility of a more "green" present. There are actually a lot of earth-friendly items that can be perfect gifts for your friends and loved ones.

For those who enjoys cooking, try to find something from organic snacks to eco-friendly cookware, it may be difficult but there sure are enough you can find around. Any hardcore chefs or food lovers in your family will love items such as compost kits, seed packets, clay pots and pans, bamboo cutlery, chocolate kits, canning supplies, or even solar ovens.

Try the green fabric of vintage clothing alternative. Finding organic or recycled cloth can also be tricky as well as expensive. However, there are plenty of ways to find recycled cotton as a less expensive alternative. However, if cotton proves too expensive, there are plenty of alternative materials for doormats, place mats, throw rugs, sheets, clothing and more made from materials such as recycled plastic, rubber, bamboo, and more. There can even be unique, colorful, stylish, comfortable, and eye catching alternatives to traditional cloth. You can even buy yourself a bag of these green fabric alternative.

Health supplies and toiletries. There are plenty of alternative health goodies you can consider. Whether you have a relative with a sensitivity to chemicals or simply someone who is health conscious, there are plenty of gifts to consider, from plant-based hand lotion to quality vitamins, organic supplements, smoothie mixes, essential oils, yoga mats, and much more. Other practical gifts include organic household cleaners, soaps, bath bombs, and many others.

Anything made of paper are another perfect idea for a Christmas present. Whether you're gifting a relative with personalized business cards, stationary, notebooks, or sketchpads, finding recycled paper products isn't a difficult endeavor. There are actually plenty of elegant paper goods that you wouldn't be able to tell from original paper products. Along with paper recycled from paper, you can also pick out paper goods recycled from other materials, such as plastic, bamboo, denim, and more. For an additional twist, try making your own hand-made paper craft.

Donations: If you're having trouble thinking of what to get a loved one this Christmas, there is always the option of donating money in their name. While this may seem like a simple gift, you would be surprised how touching it can actually be to know that your relatives know what ecological issues you're passionate about. Whether you donate money toward organizations dealing with world hunger, animal rescue, endangered species, forest restoration, or cleaning up oil spills, you'll be able to rest easy in the knowledge that you've thought of a gift that will affect the earth in a positive way.

Thanks to Rick Valence, specialist at C.R.I.S. and a photography expert. He gave me all this tips.

Low-Fat Grilled Meals

Grilled meals are really wonderful. Besides being an enjoyable cooking method for everyone, it can provide you one of the best low fat healthy meals. I've always loved my seafood grilled, I'm so overwhelmed by the grilled seafood's most natural sweet juices that makes it so delicious... and not only do meat and seafood taste great when grilled, but so do grilled vegetables when cooked in charcoal.

I believe grilling preserves the natural tenderness of food, and the unique smoky flavour is hard to beat. Grilled food can also be served up with a great variety of side dishes and salads, you name it. Barbecued foods also offer a fantastic time of healthy eating with great tastes.

Try vegetable courgette, peppers, mushrooms, aubergine, or any of you favorite veggie picks. Skewer them, brush with your favorite Asian sauce and put them on the BBQ, the next time you know it, you are already savoring the best grilled vegetables no one can dare say no.

For your dessert, make a bowl of your favorite fruits served with low-fat yogurt, to pair with your low-fat meat BBQ. And while the charcoal is still hot, pop some unpeeled bananas wrapped in tin foil and leave it to grill for about 15 minutes. It's another addition of a healthy banana grilled dessert!