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Soaking Wet- Water performs innumerable chores in cooking. For the purposes of the present discussion, I wish to focus on just one dimension of water's culinary uses, namely soaking. When you begin to think about it, it's amazing how many tasks are performed by the simple act of submerging food in a vessel of water. Below is a culinary tour of those tasks. Keep in mind they are not mutually exclusive; a food may be soaked for multiple reasons.new (Added: 15-Jun-2009 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
Holiday Party Hors d'oeuvres- Whether you call them appetizers, hors d'oeuvres, canapés, amuse-bouches, or amuse-gueules, they are the scrumptious little morsels served before the start of a full course meal.pop (Added: 16-Dec-2003 Hits: 19295 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
Holiday Party Hors d'oeuvres II- The holidays are here again and that means cocktail parties and formal dinners. Either way that means appetizers. Welcome to the second edition of Holiday Party Hors d'oeuvres.pop (Added: 22-Dec-2004 Hits: 7536 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
A Bad Taste in Your Mouth- How many times has this happened to you: You're invited to a friend's or relative's home for dinner. You're leery about what they're making and/or who's doing the cooking. The meal is served, it tastes like road kill, and then they ask if you like it.
(Added: 4-May-2005 Hits: 1464 Rating: 10.00 Votes: 1)
A Good Ribbing- Rib meat is one of the most delectable cuts, irrespective of the quadruped in question. As usual, there's a myriad of terms and confusion over what's what and how to cook it. Since virtually all the rib meat we consume hails from cows, pigs and lambs, we will confine ourselves to those animals. But before getting into specifics, let's discuss rib meat in general.
(Added: 9-Jan-2008 Hits: 382 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
A Hill Of Beans- The black bean is one variety of hundreds of the common bean. Beans were one of the earliest staples in the human diet. Archaeological evidence reveals that the black bean was being consumed as far back as 5,000 B.C. in Mexico and Central America where it originated.
(Added: 9-Jun-2004 Hits: 1638 Rating: 10.00 Votes: 1)
A Hot Little Farm In New Jersey- Ask anyone where you're likely to find the largest variety of chile pepper plants in America and you're sure to obtain responses in the Southwest. But the answer is New Jersey, the aptly named Garden State.
(Added: 23-Jun-2004 Hits: 803 Rating: 10.00 Votes: 1)
A Matter Of Taste- The foods that people choose to eat or not to eat is an interesting subject of study.
(Added: 17-Mar-2004 Hits: 1578 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
A Matter of Trust- The other day I was in one of those "Walmart" type wine shops. I'm referring to those large stores with numerous selections and lower prices who rely on high volume sales to grind out a profit. While all the main wine producing regions of the globe are represented, American wines tend to dominate. There may be a few European jewels but basically the shelves are overflowing with cheap, everyday, uninspired offerings good for cooking, quaffing indulgently, or serving to individuals with flexible standards.
(Added: 19-Apr-2007 Hits: 542 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
A Method to the Madness- Do you have a particular strategy for food shopping? Is there a rhyme or reason to what and how you buy? Do you have predetermined days or times set aside for shopping or do you fly by the seat of your pants? Individuals' approach to the supermarket affords us a glimpse into their life in general and their relationship with food in particular. Clearly the demands and/or constraints of ones' life, in conjunction with the role food plays in it will influence ones' acquiring of it.
(Added: 10-Sep-2008 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
A Noodle by Any Other Name- The terms pasta, macaroni and noodles are often used interchangeably. But they are not the same thing. Who would think that such a simple dish could be so complicated? OK, I can't resist saying it. It's time to use your noodle.
(Added: 2-Jun-2004 Hits: 1733 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
A Nut from America- The pecan is the only major tree nut indigenous to the Americas. Its name comes from the Algonquin Indians. A member of the hickory family, it originated in the southern and central United States and Mexico. Records indicate that Native Americans were utilizing it for food and cultivating it as early as the 1500's.
(Added: 1-Feb-2007 Hits: 532 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned- One place where you can unquestionably conserve money is the grocery store. And depending on how fanatical you're willing to be, the amount can be significant. Below is a laundry list of money-saving tips for food shopping; a miser's melange if you may. Pick and choose what works for you.
(Added: 19-Sep-2007 Hits: 481 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
A Recipe for Recipes- For many people recipes are indispensable. Even professional chefs must rely on them once in a while. Who can remember every ingredient for every dish in one's repertoire? But for novice cooks in particular, recipes are the road map to a successful meal.
(Added: 19-Nov-2007 Hits: 367 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
A Recipe for Success- Harry S. Truman once pronounced: "I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it." The culinary corollary of this homespun wisdom would be: "The best way to cook for people is to find out what they like to eat and then make that."
(Added: 31-Jan-2006 Hits: 846 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
A Standard For All Seasons?- Have you ever patronized a restaurant that doesn't have salt and pepper on the table? The assumption is that the food is already properly seasoned, (seasoning primarily refers to salt), and applying more is not only unnecessary, but may be offensive to the chef. This implies that his or her amount of seasoning is eternally and universally accurate. I don't mean to offend anyone but I find such a perspective incredibly presumptuous. Why? Because this position predicates that everybody's palate is identical. And that my friends is simply ludicrous.
(Added: 8-Dec-2004 Hits: 762 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
A-Maize-ing- The term maize is a derivative of an early American Indian word mahiz. "Corn" originally was an English term used to denote small particles, particular grains. Corned beef received it's moniker from the small grains (corns) of salt used to preserve it.
(Added: 12-Mar-2009 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
A-Maize-ing Part II- In the last edition of "Food For Thought" we began our tour of the amazing world of maize, i.e., corn. The amazing thing about corn is its sundry uses. Last week we discussed the history of corn cultivation, the various types, and the non-culinary uses. Let's now delve into corn selection and cookery, and the multitude of food-related ways that corn can be utilized.
(Added: 18-Mar-2009 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
Alien Vegetables?- How often has this happened to you. You go food shopping. You're planning out the week's meals in your head. You enter the produce aisle and feel overwhelmed by the bewildering array of vegetables.
(Added: 31-Aug-2004 Hits: 1896 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
All Choked Up- Artichokes are neither medicinal or an aphrodisiac but they are delicious and versatile.
(Added: 28-Apr-2004 Hits: 1310 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)
While there are many reasons for teaching kids to cook -- less expensive than eating out, preserves family heritage, etc, the most important
reason is that by teaching your child to cook, you're giving him a better chance to be a healthy grown-up. Enabling your child with the ability
to appreciate freshness and to transform ingredients into tasty foods opens their eyes to making wiser choices about what to eat...
Let's Get Cooking!
