By Francis Murphy Platinum Quality Author
An excellent meal is naturally a successful combination of flavorful food, wonderful ambiance and great company. More often than not, the preparation of delicious food requires effort and a sense of creativity. In the case of steak grill, there is no question that it takes effort and practice to prepare a perfectly grilled steak. Before the grilling takes place, the steps involved in preparation include choosing the right type of steak, having the right cut to it and also applying appropriate seasoning to marinade it. The following are just some of the many tips on grilling steaks.
Firstly, you should know that steaks come in various cuts. There are some terms you should familiarize yourself with. They include fillet, rib-eye, strip, T-bone or sirloin. The best cut for your steak is a matter of personal preference. However, thickness of the steak matters. Great steaks usually are an inch or thicker.
The next step after purchase is preparation. Preparing the steak for grilling is an important process because this affects the steak's quality and grilling outcome. You are strongly advised to purchase your steak on the day you intend to grill them. This maintains freshness and retains quality. Before you begin your steak grill, make sure that that it is at room temperature.
You will need to preheat the grill for about 20 minutes for a gas grill. As for charcoal grill, it is ready when it is covered in white ash. You will need to sear the steaks and cook for 3 minutes on a side on the highest setting with the lid closed. Then, reduce the heat to medium high and continue cooking until the steak is ready. Some may prefer their steaks to be rare, medium rare, medium or well done. This corresponds to the thickness of the stick as well.
To better understand steak grilling, you can always explore tips on grilling steaks available through various sources.
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There are techniques and tricks in choosing the right cut of meat for steaks and on how to grill it. I have a tip for you, if you're going to have steaks, you should choose the meat with many white part (I don't know what it's called but it's like fats on meat) because it will make you're steak more delicious and more tasty. Happy grilling!
Resources of Cooking Techniques and Tricks for Beginners
Showing posts with label learning how to cook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label learning how to cook. Show all posts
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Need to Know Salmon and Fish Tips
By Tom Connelly Platinum Quality Author
Salmon is very easy to obtain and not difficult to prepare. Fresh salmon is usually available at your local supermarket, but you can also likely find frozen fillets and/or steaks, packages of smoked salmon, or canned salmon. They are all healthy as long as they are from wild salmon and not farmed fish. Canned is usually from wild fish. Smoked salmon has been showing up as farmed, and thankfully it is usually listed on the package as farmed fish, so it's easy to spot. Another way that you can tell them apart is color. The wild caught is a pale pinkish color while the farmed is colored through color added to the feed, so it looks more orange.
Salmon is usually prepared by baking or broiling, and served with vegetables and rice. This is a very healthy choice, especially when you take into account that it is loaded with heart healthy Omega 3 oils. Compare that to steak or pork, which is usually grain fed and full of saturated fat. The typical way that the salmon is cooked is much better than the breaded and deep fried way that other types of fish are usually prepared.
Most of the salmon sold in North America is from Alaska. Pacific salmon varieties are represented by Chinook (King), Coho (Silver), and Sockeye (Red) salmon. Atlantic salmon are obviously from the Atlantic ocean. Most of this type is farm raised rather than wild. I have had supermarket fish mongers insist that Atlantic salmon is wild caught because of the name, and they (should) know better. Now you do. Again, remember that pale pink is most likely wild and bright orange is farm raised due to the feed coloring. There is some recent data that farm raised salmon is not as bad as previously thought, but wild is still better. They are just healthier fish.
When buying fish, make sure that that fish counter area seems clean and that there is not a smell of bad fish. All of the fish should be under a cover if possible but definitely on ice. If the heads are on, the eyes should be clear and not cloudy, and the gills red. There should be no milky fluids on the fish or on the filet meat. The skin should be shiny and the flesh should be firm and not soft or squishy. Let your nose guide you. Learn to distinguish fresh fish smell to a fishy foul odor. Fresh salmon will only last for approximately 48 hours in the refrigerator. If you need to keep it longer, place it in a freezer bag and freeze it. Once frozen, they should ideally be eaten within 3 months.
Salmon can be cooked on the grill, poached, broiled, pan seared, or baked. It is very versatile. If you know how, raw salmon can be smoked and consumed that way. Salmon will cook rapidly in about 10 minutes for each inch of flesh. Baked fillets can cook nicely at 350F in twenty minutes time.
Canned salmon, one of my all time easy favorites, is as easy as opening the can. Some people who are not used to it might find the fact that most canned salmon contains skin and bones to be a bit off putting, but it is all edible. The bones are brittle and you can just mush it up with a fork until it is the consistency of mushed tuna fish. You can even mix it with some mayonnaise and light seasonings like black pepper and onion powder, as many people do. Some people opt for the skinless and boneless canned pink salmon, but I am telling you here that the red salmon which is canned with the skin and bones is much more flavorful as well as containing more of the healthy Omega 3 fish oils EPA and DHA. The taste is richer. Pink salmon is okay, but I consider it too bland. To each their own. One way to enjoy canned red salmon is to get yourself some thin sliced Italian bread or Portuguese bread slices. White bread (or any sliced bread) works, but the type of bread I suggest is worlds above plain old supermarket white bread. I am referring to the bread that is in a round loaf style before it is sliced into thin slices, with the center slices being the largest. Take two pieces of this and toast it. If the slices you choose are too long for the toaster just toast half then flip and dot he other half. Take some soft butter and spread a thin layer across the inside of the toasted bread slices. This forms a barrier to prevent the fish juice from making the toast soft. This is optional if you plan to eat the sandwich immediately (although tasty), but a necessity of you plan on packing the sandwich for lunch. Take the salmon and either mush it into a pliable paste with a fork, or use a bit of mayonnaise. The mayo acts like a "glue" and keeps it all together, and if you like mayo it really enhances the taste. Simply put the salmon paste onto the toasted bread evenly, gently press the other slice on top, slice in half so that it's easier to handle, and you have one of the simplest and tastiest sandwiches you will ever have.
Smoked salmon slices are likewise not only great on bagels and crackers, but you can make a similar tasty sandwich using Irish style whole grain wheaten bread and buttering two slices and putting the smoked salmon inside. Black pepper and a squirt of fresh lemon juice is highly recommended. Irish style wheaten bread mix can be bought online and it is exceedingly simple to make. The Odlums brand only requires you to add water, mix, and put it into a greased bread baking tin and bake it. It's THAT simple.
I sincerely hope that this article will open up or further expand your healthy food repertoire to include healthy salmon, as well as providing you with some simple ideas to add it into your diet. Bon appetit!
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Fish dishes are very delicious especially salmon, I love it in sandwiches and it's very easy to cook and prepare! Most people who are in diet used to eat fish rather than red meat. But we should learn some tips in buying and cooking fish. I hope these article will help you.
Resources of Cooking Techniques and Tricks for Beginners
Salmon is very easy to obtain and not difficult to prepare. Fresh salmon is usually available at your local supermarket, but you can also likely find frozen fillets and/or steaks, packages of smoked salmon, or canned salmon. They are all healthy as long as they are from wild salmon and not farmed fish. Canned is usually from wild fish. Smoked salmon has been showing up as farmed, and thankfully it is usually listed on the package as farmed fish, so it's easy to spot. Another way that you can tell them apart is color. The wild caught is a pale pinkish color while the farmed is colored through color added to the feed, so it looks more orange.
Salmon is usually prepared by baking or broiling, and served with vegetables and rice. This is a very healthy choice, especially when you take into account that it is loaded with heart healthy Omega 3 oils. Compare that to steak or pork, which is usually grain fed and full of saturated fat. The typical way that the salmon is cooked is much better than the breaded and deep fried way that other types of fish are usually prepared.
Most of the salmon sold in North America is from Alaska. Pacific salmon varieties are represented by Chinook (King), Coho (Silver), and Sockeye (Red) salmon. Atlantic salmon are obviously from the Atlantic ocean. Most of this type is farm raised rather than wild. I have had supermarket fish mongers insist that Atlantic salmon is wild caught because of the name, and they (should) know better. Now you do. Again, remember that pale pink is most likely wild and bright orange is farm raised due to the feed coloring. There is some recent data that farm raised salmon is not as bad as previously thought, but wild is still better. They are just healthier fish.
When buying fish, make sure that that fish counter area seems clean and that there is not a smell of bad fish. All of the fish should be under a cover if possible but definitely on ice. If the heads are on, the eyes should be clear and not cloudy, and the gills red. There should be no milky fluids on the fish or on the filet meat. The skin should be shiny and the flesh should be firm and not soft or squishy. Let your nose guide you. Learn to distinguish fresh fish smell to a fishy foul odor. Fresh salmon will only last for approximately 48 hours in the refrigerator. If you need to keep it longer, place it in a freezer bag and freeze it. Once frozen, they should ideally be eaten within 3 months.
Salmon can be cooked on the grill, poached, broiled, pan seared, or baked. It is very versatile. If you know how, raw salmon can be smoked and consumed that way. Salmon will cook rapidly in about 10 minutes for each inch of flesh. Baked fillets can cook nicely at 350F in twenty minutes time.
Canned salmon, one of my all time easy favorites, is as easy as opening the can. Some people who are not used to it might find the fact that most canned salmon contains skin and bones to be a bit off putting, but it is all edible. The bones are brittle and you can just mush it up with a fork until it is the consistency of mushed tuna fish. You can even mix it with some mayonnaise and light seasonings like black pepper and onion powder, as many people do. Some people opt for the skinless and boneless canned pink salmon, but I am telling you here that the red salmon which is canned with the skin and bones is much more flavorful as well as containing more of the healthy Omega 3 fish oils EPA and DHA. The taste is richer. Pink salmon is okay, but I consider it too bland. To each their own. One way to enjoy canned red salmon is to get yourself some thin sliced Italian bread or Portuguese bread slices. White bread (or any sliced bread) works, but the type of bread I suggest is worlds above plain old supermarket white bread. I am referring to the bread that is in a round loaf style before it is sliced into thin slices, with the center slices being the largest. Take two pieces of this and toast it. If the slices you choose are too long for the toaster just toast half then flip and dot he other half. Take some soft butter and spread a thin layer across the inside of the toasted bread slices. This forms a barrier to prevent the fish juice from making the toast soft. This is optional if you plan to eat the sandwich immediately (although tasty), but a necessity of you plan on packing the sandwich for lunch. Take the salmon and either mush it into a pliable paste with a fork, or use a bit of mayonnaise. The mayo acts like a "glue" and keeps it all together, and if you like mayo it really enhances the taste. Simply put the salmon paste onto the toasted bread evenly, gently press the other slice on top, slice in half so that it's easier to handle, and you have one of the simplest and tastiest sandwiches you will ever have.
Smoked salmon slices are likewise not only great on bagels and crackers, but you can make a similar tasty sandwich using Irish style whole grain wheaten bread and buttering two slices and putting the smoked salmon inside. Black pepper and a squirt of fresh lemon juice is highly recommended. Irish style wheaten bread mix can be bought online and it is exceedingly simple to make. The Odlums brand only requires you to add water, mix, and put it into a greased bread baking tin and bake it. It's THAT simple.
I sincerely hope that this article will open up or further expand your healthy food repertoire to include healthy salmon, as well as providing you with some simple ideas to add it into your diet. Bon appetit!
--------
Fish dishes are very delicious especially salmon, I love it in sandwiches and it's very easy to cook and prepare! Most people who are in diet used to eat fish rather than red meat. But we should learn some tips in buying and cooking fish. I hope these article will help you.
Resources of Cooking Techniques and Tricks for Beginners
Sunday, September 6, 2009
10 Cool Cooking Tips And Tricks
By Simonne Matthew
Have you ever heard the saying that great chefs have their secrets? Well, it is true: take two people, give them the same ingredients, and make them cook the same recipe, and you'll see that they obtain different results. Sometimes, a few degrees more in the oven, or 5 more minutes of cooking may lead to a completely different taste of the food.
What you need to know to make good food:
1. Don't overcook vegetables: try them with the fork or with a skewer, and take them off the fire in the moment you can penetrate them, but you still feel some resistance. If you cook them too much, their texture will become soft and very unpleasant.
2. Don't overcook meat: this is more tricky, as in the beginning, the best way to see if it is done is to cut it in the middle. If the knife goes in easily, and you don't see any reddish color from the blood, then you know it's done. If you continue cooking after that moment, the meat will resemble more and more to the shoe leather, it will become dry and very hard to chew.
3. Cook separately veggies and meat. If you cook a recipe which includes veggies and meat, first you have to cook the meat until it is done (try it with the fork), then take another pan and cook the veggies, but make sure they remain hard, then mix everything together and cook for some more 10 minutes. In this way, meat will preserve its flavor, and so will the veggies.
4. Tomatoes should be the last addition to a meal. It has been proven that tomatoes added to a meal in the beginning of the cooking process result in hardening all other ingredients, so you'll never be able to have a properly cooked food. Save tomatoes for the last 10 minutes of cooking, when all other ingredients are already almost done.
5. Add the salt from the beginning. Cooking without salt and adding it only before the moment of eating, will result in uneven distribution of the salt, and in a strange taste. If you have guests who have medical interdiction to eat salt, then you can cook with no salt, put away a part of the food for those guests, then add salt and cook for 10 more minutes the rest of the food.
6. Don't overcook pasta: there is nothing more unpleasant than overcooked pasta. An otherwise very nice meal will turn into a sticky mass with flour taste. Hint: add a little bit of oil in the cooking water, and don't let the pasta boil more than 6-7 minutes.
7. Mayonnaise is tricky: if you want to prepare the mayonnaise at home, use boiled eggs yellow, as this will prevent the mayonnaise from "cutting" (separating the oil molecules from the water). Stir always in the same sense, and use a lot of lemon juice. For a special savor, you can add a teaspoonfull of mustard.
8. Steam cooking is healthier. Over the past few years, steam cookers became widely available. They have the advantage of preserving food's vitamins, and not mixing the aromas. You could consider investing in your health and get yourself a steam cooker.
9. Use spices. The spices offer in groceries is huge. I bet you don't know how many types of spices exist and what you can use them for. Why not trying them? Buy a small quantity of each, and try them in various combinations. You may discover new tastes and a revolutionary way of cooking and playing with flavors.
10. Match the wine with the food. Get yourself a wine catalogue and try to transform your meals in a perfect assortment for your senses. Your guests will be amazed by your cooking talents.
--------
Here's more cooking techniques and tricks for you. This tips are very helpful because everyday we used to cook vergetables, meats or pastas and We usually fry, steam and saute. It will be easy for the beginners to cook if they know the basic tips in making delicious foods. Happy cooking!
Resources of Cooking Techniques and Tricks for Beginners
Have you ever heard the saying that great chefs have their secrets? Well, it is true: take two people, give them the same ingredients, and make them cook the same recipe, and you'll see that they obtain different results. Sometimes, a few degrees more in the oven, or 5 more minutes of cooking may lead to a completely different taste of the food.
What you need to know to make good food:
1. Don't overcook vegetables: try them with the fork or with a skewer, and take them off the fire in the moment you can penetrate them, but you still feel some resistance. If you cook them too much, their texture will become soft and very unpleasant.
2. Don't overcook meat: this is more tricky, as in the beginning, the best way to see if it is done is to cut it in the middle. If the knife goes in easily, and you don't see any reddish color from the blood, then you know it's done. If you continue cooking after that moment, the meat will resemble more and more to the shoe leather, it will become dry and very hard to chew.
3. Cook separately veggies and meat. If you cook a recipe which includes veggies and meat, first you have to cook the meat until it is done (try it with the fork), then take another pan and cook the veggies, but make sure they remain hard, then mix everything together and cook for some more 10 minutes. In this way, meat will preserve its flavor, and so will the veggies.
4. Tomatoes should be the last addition to a meal. It has been proven that tomatoes added to a meal in the beginning of the cooking process result in hardening all other ingredients, so you'll never be able to have a properly cooked food. Save tomatoes for the last 10 minutes of cooking, when all other ingredients are already almost done.
5. Add the salt from the beginning. Cooking without salt and adding it only before the moment of eating, will result in uneven distribution of the salt, and in a strange taste. If you have guests who have medical interdiction to eat salt, then you can cook with no salt, put away a part of the food for those guests, then add salt and cook for 10 more minutes the rest of the food.
6. Don't overcook pasta: there is nothing more unpleasant than overcooked pasta. An otherwise very nice meal will turn into a sticky mass with flour taste. Hint: add a little bit of oil in the cooking water, and don't let the pasta boil more than 6-7 minutes.
7. Mayonnaise is tricky: if you want to prepare the mayonnaise at home, use boiled eggs yellow, as this will prevent the mayonnaise from "cutting" (separating the oil molecules from the water). Stir always in the same sense, and use a lot of lemon juice. For a special savor, you can add a teaspoonfull of mustard.
8. Steam cooking is healthier. Over the past few years, steam cookers became widely available. They have the advantage of preserving food's vitamins, and not mixing the aromas. You could consider investing in your health and get yourself a steam cooker.
9. Use spices. The spices offer in groceries is huge. I bet you don't know how many types of spices exist and what you can use them for. Why not trying them? Buy a small quantity of each, and try them in various combinations. You may discover new tastes and a revolutionary way of cooking and playing with flavors.
10. Match the wine with the food. Get yourself a wine catalogue and try to transform your meals in a perfect assortment for your senses. Your guests will be amazed by your cooking talents.
--------
Here's more cooking techniques and tricks for you. This tips are very helpful because everyday we used to cook vergetables, meats or pastas and We usually fry, steam and saute. It will be easy for the beginners to cook if they know the basic tips in making delicious foods. Happy cooking!
Resources of Cooking Techniques and Tricks for Beginners
Friday, September 4, 2009
Looking For Information About Beginners Cooking Tips?
Preparing The Food
Sometimes, the tiny and seemingly insignificant tips that you can get for cooking can turn you from being a good cook into a great one. Preparing dishes and avoiding obstacles in cooking is easily done with cooking suggestions. While it has been said that experience, patience and knowledge are key when cooking, a few practical suggestions can fortunately make many good cooks look like master chefs. In order to improve your skills, try a few of the following cooking suggestions.
Cooking
Food Preparation Safety Tips
Having food that tastes its best is most easily accomplished when you make sure that the products you buy are fresh. As you shop in the supermarket (or produce market, or farmer’s market) you should closely examine each of the items you purchase to make sure it is the highest quality freshness or ripeness. Take the time to look at the fruits and vegetables so you can look them over for signs of freshness, but for the packaged items, simply go by the expiration date. You should also make yourself familiar with the general produce and the ability to spot quality produce in your local market. When picking your meat selections of poultry, beef, or fish, you want to make sure it is as fresh as your other items. Additionally, when preparing meat for a meal keep all meats refrigerated until using, any utensils you use with the meat or that come into contact with the meat should be cleaned with soap and water.
Before you serve your meat, make sure that they have been cooked to the recommended temperature. Always use a cooking thermometer to make sure your meats reach a temperature of 140 degrees F. Likewise, if you are preparing a chilled food, you should do so at a temperature that is less than 40 degrees F.
It All Gets Easier With the Correct Tools
Proper mechanics will use proper tools to fix the exact type of car they are working on. Thus, a cooking suggestion is to make sure your kitchen is stocked with items that will help you prepare your dishes easily and properly. What exactly you need depends on what kinds of dishes you want to prepare, but knives, pots, pans, and measuring cups are standard, and most dishes require the use of a blender or a food processor as well.
Cooking Healthily
Many people believe that low fat food is automatically tasteless. This is absolutely false - in fact, low fat cooking can be colorful, vibrant and extremely tasty. Fresh herbs, fresh spices, a decent amount of olive oil, and plenty of thought are the tricks to making a tasty low fat dish. Any dish can be made low fat simply through careful selection of lean beef or pork, and by using common sense on the amount of oil you use. Changing your meats to chicken, turkey or fish will save you both fat content and calorie content.
Choosing The Beverage
As a final cooking suggestion, always remember that a meal includes a beverage as a well as food. Using the right beverage, you can pretty much improve just about any meal. You might choose wine, mineral water, or even a cocktail, you can make your meal turn outstanding.
--------
Cooking is really fun. I hope you'll gain more knowledge in reading my blog about Cooking Techniques and Tricks for Beginners. Just follow the cooking tips and surely you'll enjoy cooking and you'll be able to cook a very delicious meal.
Resources of Cooking Techniques and Tricks For Beginners
Sometimes, the tiny and seemingly insignificant tips that you can get for cooking can turn you from being a good cook into a great one. Preparing dishes and avoiding obstacles in cooking is easily done with cooking suggestions. While it has been said that experience, patience and knowledge are key when cooking, a few practical suggestions can fortunately make many good cooks look like master chefs. In order to improve your skills, try a few of the following cooking suggestions.
Cooking
Food Preparation Safety Tips
Having food that tastes its best is most easily accomplished when you make sure that the products you buy are fresh. As you shop in the supermarket (or produce market, or farmer’s market) you should closely examine each of the items you purchase to make sure it is the highest quality freshness or ripeness. Take the time to look at the fruits and vegetables so you can look them over for signs of freshness, but for the packaged items, simply go by the expiration date. You should also make yourself familiar with the general produce and the ability to spot quality produce in your local market. When picking your meat selections of poultry, beef, or fish, you want to make sure it is as fresh as your other items. Additionally, when preparing meat for a meal keep all meats refrigerated until using, any utensils you use with the meat or that come into contact with the meat should be cleaned with soap and water.
Before you serve your meat, make sure that they have been cooked to the recommended temperature. Always use a cooking thermometer to make sure your meats reach a temperature of 140 degrees F. Likewise, if you are preparing a chilled food, you should do so at a temperature that is less than 40 degrees F.
It All Gets Easier With the Correct Tools
Proper mechanics will use proper tools to fix the exact type of car they are working on. Thus, a cooking suggestion is to make sure your kitchen is stocked with items that will help you prepare your dishes easily and properly. What exactly you need depends on what kinds of dishes you want to prepare, but knives, pots, pans, and measuring cups are standard, and most dishes require the use of a blender or a food processor as well.
Cooking Healthily
Many people believe that low fat food is automatically tasteless. This is absolutely false - in fact, low fat cooking can be colorful, vibrant and extremely tasty. Fresh herbs, fresh spices, a decent amount of olive oil, and plenty of thought are the tricks to making a tasty low fat dish. Any dish can be made low fat simply through careful selection of lean beef or pork, and by using common sense on the amount of oil you use. Changing your meats to chicken, turkey or fish will save you both fat content and calorie content.
Choosing The Beverage
As a final cooking suggestion, always remember that a meal includes a beverage as a well as food. Using the right beverage, you can pretty much improve just about any meal. You might choose wine, mineral water, or even a cocktail, you can make your meal turn outstanding.
--------
Cooking is really fun. I hope you'll gain more knowledge in reading my blog about Cooking Techniques and Tricks for Beginners. Just follow the cooking tips and surely you'll enjoy cooking and you'll be able to cook a very delicious meal.
Resources of Cooking Techniques and Tricks For Beginners
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Salmon and Sweet Potatoes
Clean up is a breeze with this meal--just wrap seasoned sweet potatoes, onion and salmon in foil then bake until tender.
Ingredients
* 4 5 ounce fresh or frozen skinless salmon fillets
* 2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/8 inch slices
* 1 small yellow onion, diced
* 2 teaspoons cooking oil
* Cooking spray
* 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon ground chili powder
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 medium orange, peeled and coarsely chopped
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels then set aside. In a medium bowl, toss sweet potato slices and diced onion with oil. In a small bowl, combine oregano, chili pepper, cumin, salt and black pepper. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of oregano mixture evenly on salmon. Add remaining oregano mixture to sweet potatoes and onion then toss to coat. Lightly coat one side each of four 18 inch squares of foil with cooking spray. On each square, arrange 1/4 of sweet potato slices, diced onion, and place on top of filet. Add orange pieces. Fold ends of foil squares to completely enclose, leaving space for steam to build. Place seam sides up on a large baking sheet. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until fish flakes easily, and potatoes are soft.
Number of Servings: 4
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Why not try a more healthier recipe? Try this one and I'm sure you'll love it even your kids will enjoy this dish. It's easy to prepare and very healthy.
Resources of Cooking Techniques and Tricks for Beginners
Ingredients
* 4 5 ounce fresh or frozen skinless salmon fillets
* 2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/8 inch slices
* 1 small yellow onion, diced
* 2 teaspoons cooking oil
* Cooking spray
* 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon ground chili powder
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 medium orange, peeled and coarsely chopped
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels then set aside. In a medium bowl, toss sweet potato slices and diced onion with oil. In a small bowl, combine oregano, chili pepper, cumin, salt and black pepper. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of oregano mixture evenly on salmon. Add remaining oregano mixture to sweet potatoes and onion then toss to coat. Lightly coat one side each of four 18 inch squares of foil with cooking spray. On each square, arrange 1/4 of sweet potato slices, diced onion, and place on top of filet. Add orange pieces. Fold ends of foil squares to completely enclose, leaving space for steam to build. Place seam sides up on a large baking sheet. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until fish flakes easily, and potatoes are soft.
Number of Servings: 4
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Why not try a more healthier recipe? Try this one and I'm sure you'll love it even your kids will enjoy this dish. It's easy to prepare and very healthy.
Resources of Cooking Techniques and Tricks for Beginners
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Healthy cooking tips
Eating healthy food doesn’t mean giving up your favourite foods and switching only to salads. Healthy cooking is easy. In many cases, your favourite recipes can be modified so they offer a healthier alternative. Non-stick cookware can be used to reduce the need for cooking oil. To keep valuable nutrients, microwave or steam your vegetables instead of boiling them.
Keep fats to a minimum
It’s a good idea to minimise ‘hidden fats’ by choosing lean meats and reduced fat dairy products. Processed foods can also have lots of hidden fats. Dietary fats are best when they come from the unrefined natural fats found in nuts, seeds, fish, soy, olives and avocado. Fat from these foods includes the essential long-chain fatty acids and this fat is accompanied by other good nutrients.
If you add fats when cooking, keep them to a minimum and use monounsaturated oils such as olive and canola oil. A little added oil can be a good thing.
At the shop
Low fat cooking begins when you are shopping:
* Choose the low fat version of a food if it exists – for example milk, cheese, yoghurt, salad dressings and gravies.
* Choose leaner meat cuts. If unsure, look for the Heart Foundation tick of approval.
* Choose skinless chicken breasts.
General suggestions
General suggestions on healthy cooking methods include:
* Steam, bake, grill, braise, boil or microwave your foods.
* Modify or eliminate recipes that include butter or ask you to deep fry or saute in animal fat.
* Avoid using oils and butter as lubricants. Use non-stick cookware instead.
* Don’t add salt to food as it is cooking.
* Remove chicken skin, which is high in fat.
* Eat more fresh vegetables and legumes.
* Eat more fish, which is high in protein, low in fats and loaded with essential omega-3 fatty acids.
Low fat cooking
Suggestions include:
* If you need to use oil, try cooking sprays or apply oil with a pastry brush.
* Cook in liquids (such as stock, wine, lemon juice, fruit juice, vinegar or water) instead of oil.
* When a recipe calls for cream as a thickener, use low fat yoghurt, low fat soymilk, evaporated skim milk or cornstarch.
* When browning vegetables, put them in a hot pan then spray with oil, rather than adding the oil first to the pan. This reduces the amount of oil that vegetables (such as mushrooms) can absorb during cooking.
* An alternative to browning vegetables by pan-frying is to cook them first in the microwave, then crisp them under the griller for a minute or two.
* When serving meat and fish, use pesto, salsas, chutneys and vinegars in place of sour creams, butter and creamy sauces.
Retaining the nutrients
Water soluble vitamins are delicate and easily destroyed during preparation and cooking. Suggestions include:
* Scrub vegetables rather than peel them, as many nutrients are found close to the skin.
* Microwave or steam vegetables instead of boiling them.
* If you like to boil vegetables, use a small amount of water and do not overboil them.
* Include more stir-fry recipes in your diet. Stir-fried vegetables are cooked quickly to retain their crunch (and associated nutrients).
Cutting out salt
Salt is a traditional flavour enhancer, but research suggests that a high salt diet could contribute to a range of health problems including high blood pressure. Suggestions include:
* Don’t automatically add salt to your food – taste it first.
* Add a splash of olive oil or lemon juice close to the end of cooking time or to cooked vegetables – it can enhance flavours in the same way as salt.
* Choose fresh or frozen vegetables, since canned and pickled vegetables tend to be packaged with salt.
* Limit your consumption of salty processed meats such as salami, ham, corned beef, bacon, smoked salmon, frankfurters and chicken loaf.
* Choose reduced salt bread and breakfast cereals. Breads and cereals are a major source of salt in the diet.
* Iodised salt is best. A major dietary source of iodine is plant foods. Yet there is emerging evidence that Australian soil may be low in iodine and so plants grown in it are also low in iodine. If you eat fish regularly (at least once a week), the need for iodised salt is reduced.
* Avoid salt-laden processed foods, such as flavoured instant pasta or noodles, canned or dehydrated soup mixes, chips and salted nuts.
* Margarine and butter contain a lot of salt but ‘no added salt’ varieties are available.
* Most cheeses are very high in salt so limit your intake or choose lower salt varieties.
* Reduce your use of soy sauce, tomato sauce and processed sauces and condiments (for example mayonnaise and salad dressings) because they contain high levels of salt.
* Use herbs, spices, vinegar or lemon juice to add extra zing to your recipe and reduce the need for salt.
Herbs
Culinary herbs are leafy plants that add flavour and colour to all types of meals. They are also rich in health-protective phyto-oestrogens (plant compounds that have some similar effects to the female hormone, oestrogen). In many cases, herbs can replace the flavour of salt and oil.
Remember:
* Herbs are delicately flavoured, so add them to your cooking in the last few minutes.
* Dried herbs are more strongly flavoured than fresh. As a general rule, one teaspoon of dried herbs equals four teaspoons of fresh.
* Apart from boosting meat dishes, herbs can be added to soups, breads, mustards, salad dressings, vinegars, desserts and drinks.
* Herbs such as coriander, ginger, garlic, chilli and lemongrass are especially complimentary in vegetable-based stir-fry recipes.
Sandwich suggestions
To make a sandwich even healthier:
* Switch to reduced salt wholemeal or wholegrain bread – for example, some brands of soy linseed bread.
* Don’t butter the bread. You won’t miss butter if your sandwich has a few tasty ingredients already.
* Limit your use of spreads high in saturated fat like butter and cream cheese. Replace them with a thin spread of nut spread, hummus, low fat cheese spreads or avocado.
* Choose reduced fat ingredients when you can, such as low fat cheese or mayonnaise.
Other tips
Suggestions include:
* Spend a little time on presentation. You are more likely to enjoy a meal if it’s visually appealing as well as tasty.
* Make every meal an occasion. Set the table. Eat with your family. Give yourself the opportunity to enjoy your food without distractions like television.
* Long-term deprivation, such as crash dieting, doesn’t work. Allow yourself the occasional guilt-free treat.
* You are less likely to overeat if you eat slowly and savour every mouthful.
--------
Cooking is fun! Even kids enjoy cooking which is also a bonding moment with their parents. Always remember that you should cook healthy food. Follow the rips above to create a delicious and healhty foods.
More on Cooking Techniques and Tricks for Beginners Click Here
Keep fats to a minimum
It’s a good idea to minimise ‘hidden fats’ by choosing lean meats and reduced fat dairy products. Processed foods can also have lots of hidden fats. Dietary fats are best when they come from the unrefined natural fats found in nuts, seeds, fish, soy, olives and avocado. Fat from these foods includes the essential long-chain fatty acids and this fat is accompanied by other good nutrients.
If you add fats when cooking, keep them to a minimum and use monounsaturated oils such as olive and canola oil. A little added oil can be a good thing.
At the shop
Low fat cooking begins when you are shopping:
* Choose the low fat version of a food if it exists – for example milk, cheese, yoghurt, salad dressings and gravies.
* Choose leaner meat cuts. If unsure, look for the Heart Foundation tick of approval.
* Choose skinless chicken breasts.
General suggestions
General suggestions on healthy cooking methods include:
* Steam, bake, grill, braise, boil or microwave your foods.
* Modify or eliminate recipes that include butter or ask you to deep fry or saute in animal fat.
* Avoid using oils and butter as lubricants. Use non-stick cookware instead.
* Don’t add salt to food as it is cooking.
* Remove chicken skin, which is high in fat.
* Eat more fresh vegetables and legumes.
* Eat more fish, which is high in protein, low in fats and loaded with essential omega-3 fatty acids.
Low fat cooking
Suggestions include:
* If you need to use oil, try cooking sprays or apply oil with a pastry brush.
* Cook in liquids (such as stock, wine, lemon juice, fruit juice, vinegar or water) instead of oil.
* When a recipe calls for cream as a thickener, use low fat yoghurt, low fat soymilk, evaporated skim milk or cornstarch.
* When browning vegetables, put them in a hot pan then spray with oil, rather than adding the oil first to the pan. This reduces the amount of oil that vegetables (such as mushrooms) can absorb during cooking.
* An alternative to browning vegetables by pan-frying is to cook them first in the microwave, then crisp them under the griller for a minute or two.
* When serving meat and fish, use pesto, salsas, chutneys and vinegars in place of sour creams, butter and creamy sauces.
Retaining the nutrients
Water soluble vitamins are delicate and easily destroyed during preparation and cooking. Suggestions include:
* Scrub vegetables rather than peel them, as many nutrients are found close to the skin.
* Microwave or steam vegetables instead of boiling them.
* If you like to boil vegetables, use a small amount of water and do not overboil them.
* Include more stir-fry recipes in your diet. Stir-fried vegetables are cooked quickly to retain their crunch (and associated nutrients).
Cutting out salt
Salt is a traditional flavour enhancer, but research suggests that a high salt diet could contribute to a range of health problems including high blood pressure. Suggestions include:
* Don’t automatically add salt to your food – taste it first.
* Add a splash of olive oil or lemon juice close to the end of cooking time or to cooked vegetables – it can enhance flavours in the same way as salt.
* Choose fresh or frozen vegetables, since canned and pickled vegetables tend to be packaged with salt.
* Limit your consumption of salty processed meats such as salami, ham, corned beef, bacon, smoked salmon, frankfurters and chicken loaf.
* Choose reduced salt bread and breakfast cereals. Breads and cereals are a major source of salt in the diet.
* Iodised salt is best. A major dietary source of iodine is plant foods. Yet there is emerging evidence that Australian soil may be low in iodine and so plants grown in it are also low in iodine. If you eat fish regularly (at least once a week), the need for iodised salt is reduced.
* Avoid salt-laden processed foods, such as flavoured instant pasta or noodles, canned or dehydrated soup mixes, chips and salted nuts.
* Margarine and butter contain a lot of salt but ‘no added salt’ varieties are available.
* Most cheeses are very high in salt so limit your intake or choose lower salt varieties.
* Reduce your use of soy sauce, tomato sauce and processed sauces and condiments (for example mayonnaise and salad dressings) because they contain high levels of salt.
* Use herbs, spices, vinegar or lemon juice to add extra zing to your recipe and reduce the need for salt.
Herbs
Culinary herbs are leafy plants that add flavour and colour to all types of meals. They are also rich in health-protective phyto-oestrogens (plant compounds that have some similar effects to the female hormone, oestrogen). In many cases, herbs can replace the flavour of salt and oil.
Remember:
* Herbs are delicately flavoured, so add them to your cooking in the last few minutes.
* Dried herbs are more strongly flavoured than fresh. As a general rule, one teaspoon of dried herbs equals four teaspoons of fresh.
* Apart from boosting meat dishes, herbs can be added to soups, breads, mustards, salad dressings, vinegars, desserts and drinks.
* Herbs such as coriander, ginger, garlic, chilli and lemongrass are especially complimentary in vegetable-based stir-fry recipes.
Sandwich suggestions
To make a sandwich even healthier:
* Switch to reduced salt wholemeal or wholegrain bread – for example, some brands of soy linseed bread.
* Don’t butter the bread. You won’t miss butter if your sandwich has a few tasty ingredients already.
* Limit your use of spreads high in saturated fat like butter and cream cheese. Replace them with a thin spread of nut spread, hummus, low fat cheese spreads or avocado.
* Choose reduced fat ingredients when you can, such as low fat cheese or mayonnaise.
Other tips
Suggestions include:
* Spend a little time on presentation. You are more likely to enjoy a meal if it’s visually appealing as well as tasty.
* Make every meal an occasion. Set the table. Eat with your family. Give yourself the opportunity to enjoy your food without distractions like television.
* Long-term deprivation, such as crash dieting, doesn’t work. Allow yourself the occasional guilt-free treat.
* You are less likely to overeat if you eat slowly and savour every mouthful.
--------
Cooking is fun! Even kids enjoy cooking which is also a bonding moment with their parents. Always remember that you should cook healthy food. Follow the rips above to create a delicious and healhty foods.
More on Cooking Techniques and Tricks for Beginners Click Here
Friday, August 21, 2009
Cooking Tips for Kids and Teens
Ever wish you could head into the kitchen and whip up a delicious dinner? The good news is that if you've read this far, you'll have no problem at all — because if you can read, you can cook! The trick is knowing some kitchen basics, what kinds of recipes are best, and where to find inspiration for making mouth-watering meals. Read on for some ideas about how to get started.
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Learning how to cook is easy. You just learn how to follow and discover your tastes when it comes to food and continue reading cook books. Cooking is also a passion, when you have it you'll enjoy preparing good foods for your loved ones.
More on Cooking Techniques and Tricks For Beginners Click Here
Kitchen 101: The Basics
Even world-class chefs have to start somewhere. Here are some basic tips for getting off on the right foot in the kitchen.- Choose recipes that aren't too complicated when you first start cooking. You don't want to be overwhelmed by a recipe that has unusual ingredients or difficult steps, or that is time consuming. Try one- or two-pot dishes, and be sure to check out our recipe section for some simple meal ideas.
- Read the recipe through from beginning to end before you start. Do you have all the right ingredients? Utensils? Appliances?
- Make sure you understand all the directions.
- Check the clock and make sure you have enough time to make the recipe. You don't want to spend tons of time in the kitchen — and with the right recipe, you won't need to. If you have to get dinner on the table by a certain time, figure out when you'll need to start in order to have the meal ready. Most recipe instructions include the amount of time it takes to prepare the dish. It might be a good idea to add 10 or 15 minutes to that time when you first try to conquer the kitchen — just to be on the safe side.
- Assemble all your ingredients in one place before you start. Some chefs like to measure out each ingredient ahead of time before cooking. Pull out the utensils, measuring cups, and spoons you'll be using and keep them handy so you won't need to run all over the kitchen.
- An apron is a good idea if you want to keep your clothes from getting dirty. (You can skip the chef's hat, but it's smart to tie back long hair.)
- Always wash your hands with warm water and soap before any kind of food preparation. You may need to wash your hands several times as you cook, especially after touching raw meat, poultry (chicken and turkey), fish, and egg products.
- Never put cooked or ready-to-serve foods on plates, cutting boards, counters, or other surfaces where you have placed raw meat, poultry, fish, or egg products without first washing these surfaces with hot, soapy water.
- Don't cook without a parent's permission.
--------
Learning how to cook is easy. You just learn how to follow and discover your tastes when it comes to food and continue reading cook books. Cooking is also a passion, when you have it you'll enjoy preparing good foods for your loved ones.
More on Cooking Techniques and Tricks For Beginners Click Here
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