Tinfoil Chef

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A large majority of people require at least one good cup of hot coffee before they’re able to function first thing in the morning. If you want your coffee to give that instant energy and mood improvement, Espresso can be an ideal solution. There’s a lot of ways to make Espresso to suit your personal taste.

Espresso was first produced in Italy and it’s been very popular all over the world since. making great espresso is something of an art form, and without the knowledge of coffee it can be difficult to do.

Espresso is made using a special espresso machine. It’s basic function is pretty much the same as ordinary coffee makers. You put coffee grounds into it, add hot water and start it up.

Some espresso machine’s have a measure to insure that you use the right amount of coffee. If yours has one then it’s a good idea to use it. Smaller Espresso machines need water added a cup at a time. Larger machines can hold enough water for several cups.

Once the water tank is filled and the coffee grounds are loaded in the machine you simply press a button and hot water runs through the coffee grounds and into your cup. For the true espresso lovers among us, it’s is ready to serve at this point. If you decide you don’t want your coffee quite so strong theres a few things you can do.

You can put a little bit of milk and foam in the espresso to make it a Macchiato. For a weaker espresso, called a lungo, more water is used. Doubling the amount of coffee grounds in an espresso, sure to give a serious energy rush is called a Doppio.

I think almost everyone knows about cappuccino, which is made from an espresso with froth and milk. If you add milk to an espresso without the froth you have a cafe latte where the milk is warmed up and floating on the top of the drink. Those with more of a sweet tooth, you’ll like a mocha with chocolate and milk added.

Espresso, with just a little milk is called a Cartado, there’s also an Americano, an espresso that is diluted with hot water.

No matter what your taste you can find an espresso coffee to suit your taste.

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Some say that microwave cooking where you do more than just heat some frozen thingy and eat it quickly is more a science than an art. I think that mostly people say things like that because the microwave’s control panel intimidates them just a bit. Things like setting power levels and exact cooking times overwhelm some. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be like that.

Microwave cooking, like most other kinds, is a lot more forgiving that you might expect. For one thing power levels are subjective. 100% power in your oven might only be about 50% or 75% in somebody else’s. That’s why I seldom bother with changing the power levels. Instead, I’ll tinker with the cooking times until the consistency, texture and overall appearance and smell of the food is what I’m looking for.

For that reason when a recipe calls for a given power level and time, I’ll pass it on that way with the understanding that no two ovens are exactly the same. Even if they’re the same make & model that were bought on the same day from the same store there will be differences. Therefore microwave recipes need to be adapted to your particular oven and taste.

Steam about 2 cups of Broccoli florets for about two minutes, then Moisten 2 cups of Stuffing mix. Combine broccoli & stuffing and set it aside for a moment.

Put four chicken breasts in a baking dish and sprinkle with a bit of black pepper. Top each piece of chicken with a slice of swiss cheese and a slice of ham. Follow that with the stuffing mix.

Cover the baking dish and and microwave on medium-high (70%) for about 15 minutes, rotating dish three times (it’s a lot better if you have one of those units that constantly turns the dish.

When it’s done, uncover it and top it with a can of chicken gravy, microwave on high for another minute or two to heat the gravy and you’re good to go.

Technorati Tags: casserole, microwave, chicken, recipe, cordon bleu, microwave cooking

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One of the things that make losing weight difficult is that so many have a hard time burning off the excess calories. It’s hard enough when you think about the fat that you’re trying to lose, then along comes the thought of burning off the calories that you eat with every meal.

All of a sudden it seems like there’s an almost insurmountable problem. Fortunately it’s not *that* impossible. For one thing, you *need* a certain amount of calories to fuel normal operation of the body. You just need to burn up any amount that’s more than you eat. This way stored fat gets used up. One way to speed this up is with fat burning foods.

These foods help you because you actually burn a few more calories to digest them than they contain, resulting in a net loss. Mind you, fat burners aren’t a license to go crazy and load yourself up. It’s still important to eat a proper, balanced, diet that contains all of the nutritional stuff you need.

Here’s a list of “fat burning” foods. It’s made up mostly of fruits and vegetables that require a fair amount of the body’s energy to digest. Eating dishes that include as much of this as you can reasonably manage, combined with a decent exercise program will increase your metabolism and burn calories faster for several hours after the exercise is done.

apples, apricots, artichokes, asparagus, beets, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cherries, chives, cod, corn, crabs, cranberries, cucumbers, eggplant, flounder, garlic, grapefruit, grapes, green beans, honeydew, kale, leeks, lemons, lettuce, limes, lobster, mangoes, mushrooms, nectarines, okra, onions, oranges, papaya, parsley, peaches, pears, peas, peppers, pineapple, prunes, pumpkin, radishes, raspberries, red cabbage, sauerkraut, scallions, spinach, squash, strawberries, string beans, tangerines, tomatoes, turnips, watermelon

As you can see, there’s a lot of things here, enough so that even if you avoid the things that you just plain don’t like there will still be plenty of choices. Getting ready to write this I also read that the calcium in dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt also helps them to qualify as fat burners because they increase breakdown in fat cells.

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Jambalaya is A Cajun and Creole dish that’s made up of rice, smoke sausage, cubed ham, aromatics, and pretty much any meat the cook likes or has available.

In spite of how it sounds, Jardiniere isn’t a French drug rehabilitation facility. Instead it’s a main course made up mostly of new spring vegetables such as lettuce, peas, green beans, carrots, turnips, and flavored with bacon or salt pork. It could also contain baby artichokes and young celery and fennel hearts, or cauliflower. Now doesn’t that sound more appetizing than a drug rehab? I thought so.

To Julienne something is to cut it into long thin matchstick size strips, such as French fries.

Jus is the natural juices released by roasting meats and poultry. Some sandwiches are served “Au Jus”, which means “with the meat juices”, it just sounds better in French.

Technorati Tags: terms, cooking terms, terminology, food terms, food info

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I’ve gone and managed to be so occupied with other projects that I haven’t done anything here in a week. It’s also been quite a while since I did one of those posts that talk about cooking terminology so I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone and get back into some terminology.

Bouillabaisse, with it’s fancy French sounding name isn’t nearly as ultra fancy as it sounds since it’s really a Mediterranean seafood soup.

Bouillon is French for broth. Specifically the liquid that results from simmering meats, vegetables, and aromatic herbs and spices in water until all the nutritional value of the meat is cooked out into the water and the broth jells whenit cools.

Bouquet Garni Is one that I haven’t heard before. It’s A bundle of parsley stems, dried thyme, and a large bay leaf, tied together and left to float freely in broth, stock, or sauce.

To Braise something (usually meat) is to cook it in a small amount of liquid (This is also called stewing or pot roasting). Unlike poaching in which the food is submerged in simmering liquid, braised dishes use a smaller amount of liquid. Usually, the reason for braising is to concentrate the food’s flavors in the surrounding liquid so that it can be made into a sauce, or allowed to reduce so that it coats or is reabsorbed by the foods being braised.

To Bread something is to coat things that are going to be sauteed or deep fried with flour or a breadcrumb mixture to create a crust.

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To Deep-fry something is To cook it completely submerged in hot oil. When something is Deep-fried at the proper temperature it will absorb comparatively little oil and turn out surprisingly light. If the oil is too hot, foods will brown too quickly and stay raw in the middle. If the oil isn’t hot enough, the foods will sit in the oil too long and absorb too much oil.

Deglaze means to add liquid to a pan in which foods have been sautéed or roasted in order to dissolve the caramelized juices stuck to the bottom of the pan. this is then used to make a quick sauce or gravy for a roast, steak, chop, or a piece of seafood fillet or steak.

Degrease means To remove the fat that forms on the tops of simmering broths, sauces, jus, and braising liquids.

A Demi-glace is A mixture of equal parts of brown stock and brown sauce that has been reduced by half.

To Dice something is to cut it into cubes that are roughly the same size as opposed to chopping, where food are cut into irregular pieces.

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I noticed a recent search where the search phrase was “best acne treatment foods”. And while I’ve known for years that acne problems are at least partially related to diet and the foods you eat, I wasn’t aware of and particular recommendations for dietary changes that could help fight the problem.

I did some looking around and learned that the main recommendations from various sources all basically involve simplifying your diet. Things like eating less processed foods and replacing them with things that have are either not processed at all or at least keep the processing to a bare minimum.

Adding things to your diet such as fruits, vegetables, and other fiber-rich foods. Instead of white bread you might try a wholegrain wheat or rye bread instead. For breakfast you might consider a wholegrain cereal or oatmeal. Not only are they good for your digestive system in general but they often help lower your cholesterol as well.

Technorati Tags: whole grain, high fiber, acne, fiber diet, natural food, processed food

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I was going to do another one of the cooking terms posts but then I ran across something that made me decide that the term “Boil” deserved a bit broader treatment than as a one of many in a list of several items.

First I’ll start out defining the term. To boil is to cook something in water or other liquid that’s been heated until it’s bubbling vigorously.

The misconception is that anything being cooked in heated water is being boiled and that the more intense the boiling action, the better. However simmering and poaching are related to boiling and are actually used a lot more often.

What I’ve learned is that boiling is often a technique that is best avoided. Most foods, for example meat and seafood, are better poached instead. The reason is that boiling meat and seafood can leave them dry or stringy and the liquid will be left greasy.

Poaching is to cook in liquid where the temperature is held just below the boiling point so that it shimmers slightly on the surface.

On the other hand, there are some foods that are best cooked at a rolling boil. For example rice and pasta cook more quickly and evenly in boiling water. Green vegetables are often cooked uncovered in a large amount of boiling salted water. The large quantity of water keeps the vegetables from lowering the temperature of the water and slowing the cooking process. It would also cause them to lose their bright color.

The salt also helps the vegetables retain their green color. As soon as the vegetables are done you should immediately drain them in a colander and then either plunge them into ice water or quickly rinse them under cold tap water until they’re completely cool. This technique of immediately chilling the drained vegetables so they retain their flavor and color is called refreshing or shocking.

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Here’s a few more items for the terminology notebook. I’ve actually heard three of these quite a bit though I’ve never encountered the term Beurre Blanc before.

I think it’s safe to say that everybody’s familiar with Beat. It’s where you’re agitating a mixture with the two goals of 1) getting it to a smooth consistency and 2) getting as much air as possible into it.

A Béchamel sauce is a classic white sauce that’s made with whole milk thickened with a white roux, It’s often flavored with aromatic vegetables and frequently cheese is added to it also.

A Beurre Blanc is a rich butter sauce made by whisking butter into a reduction of white wine, white wine vinegar, and shallots, and sometimes finished with fresh herbs or other seasoning.

A Bisque is a soup that’s based on purees of vegetables and/or crustaceans. It’s usually thickened with rice and finished with cream.

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Here’s a few more terms. Every time I go looking around for more of them to post, I run into things that I’ve heard before but never actually knew what they meant. One good example of that is Filé, which I remember hearing Justin Wilson talk about on his show a lot. And only recently did I finally find out what a Flan is. I seem to remember about a year or so ago, the word “Flan” was showing up all over the place.

Fettuccine is pasta that’s cut into 1/4 inch wide ribbon noodles.

Filé is Ground sassafras leaves. It’s used in Southern gumbo recipes to give them part of their distinct flavor.

Fines Herbes is a mixture of chervil, chives, parsley, and tarragon.

A very important flavoring in Thai cuisine is Fish sauce. it’s a Clear, amber colored liquid which is drained from salted, fermented fish.

To Flambé something is to ignite a sauce or other liquid so that it flames. In most cases, Flambéing serves no real function other than to look spectacular and impress your guests. It’s important to remember that it is impossible to flambé a cold dish by sprinkling it with spirits (alcohol of some kind, often Brandy) and trying to light it. The flammable fumes are only released when hot. Of course, you should also use caution when Flambéing and never attempt to pour or serve something that’s flaming.

A Flan is a liquid or semi liquid mixture which is bound together with whole eggs, egg whites, or egg yolks. It’s gently baked in a mold or pastry shell.

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