How to measure food

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Cooking Tips

Food Poisoning is a infection of foods that affect people of all age groups. Food poisoning is very common nowadays as people consume more and more street foods, which are not processed maintaining proper cooking hygiene. The foods also house host of germs and bacteria the enter in the blood cells directly with the food consumption. Bacteria multiply within minutes and affect important organs of the body like digestive tract, abdomen and kidney. Hence one must keep away from the lure of street foods to the best possible extent.

Certain cooking tips can followed in home cooking to be immune from various food borne disease. Our site sitagita provides healthy cooking tips that ensure hygienic and germ free cooking leading to nutrition and growth of those having them.

The cooking tips are general tips that will make for hygienic cooking and reduce the chance of getting the foods affected with toxins and pathogens. During the time of marketing collect the vegetables and non-veg products in separate packets. When storing them in the refrigerator try to store them in separate selfs. While preparing rich non-veg foods from meat, fish, poultry and other animal products first wash it throughly with clean water. The germs and bacteria in the product may stay with it even after the wash. So it is better to clean it with warm water.

Always wash your hands before coming to the kitchen. The utensils and devices of cooking should also be cleaned with soap before cooking. Some common utensils and devices fro cooking include forks, spoons, spatula, dishes, bowls, cutters, grinders, slicers, smashers and frying pan. Separate cutting boards are advisable for animal products and other non-animal products.

The cooked food should be placed on a clean dish or bowl and covered. Most of the food infections occur from unclean utensils and uncovering of the foods. It is very necessary to see that the animal foods are not undercooked. Undercooked foods are susceptible to infections as bacteria and germs are not completely destructed. The animal food and seafood should be boiled at a specific temperature for the complete destruction of the bacteria. The foods remain better if they are kept warm on the oven.

It is better to avoid cooking foods with products having synthetic colors in them. Bright colors like red, blue and green have the high risk of having fungus in them. Colored food items like cream, cheese and other dairy products are vulnerable to fungi. If there is any sign of toxins in the products, they should at once be removed. Sometimes the green vegetables and fruits are sold with synthetic colors in them. The leafy greens have small warms entangling them. In such cases the vegetables should be washed thoroughly and cooked after complete removal of colors and worms. It is wiser to avoid puffed food cans, which may have harmful micro-organisms in them. It is due to the toxic gases the container of the cans may have swelling in them. Hope these cooking tips will make for a hygienic treat for you. Happy eating.


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In cooking, you should always make sure you wash your hands thoroughly. Clean your utensils before using to avoid dirt and bacteria.

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Friday, October 2, 2009

How To Sweat Vegetables

Sweating is supposed to be something we do when we play sports. What in the world does it have to do with cooking?

Actually, there is somewhat of a parallel. When a person begins to exert themselves and their body temperature begins to go up, we sweat. Sweating is our body’s defense to overheating. Likewise, when we put some diced vegetables into a pan with a little oil and begin to cook them, moisture rises to the cut surfaces, making the vegetables look like they are sweating.

A sweat is similar to a sauté in that the goal is to cook small, uniform pieces of food in an open pan in a small amount of fat. The difference between the two techniques lies in the temperature. A sauté should be done over medium-high to high heat, and the goal is to cook quickly while browning the food. While a sauté can produce a finished meal, a sweat is almost always a preliminary step in a longer cooking method.

Why? Because in a sweat, you don’t want the food to brown, and we all know that that golden brown color of the Maillard reactions mean great flavor.

So, what is the point of sweating then, if it’s only a preliminary step? Is it really necessary at all? In my opinion, the answer is “Yes.”

In cooking, we take the time to sweat aromatics—onions, carrots, celery, garlic, shallots, etc—before adding other ingredients in order to start building flavors. Most aromatics are pretty crunchy when they are raw. This translates into strong cell walls.

Sweating helps to draw out moisture from the aromatics and weaken and soften the cell walls. Once the aromatics are translucent, which is easiest to see in the onions, you can add more ingredients and continue with the recipe knowing that you’ve given the aromatics a head start in cooking and drawing out flavors.

Steps to Sweating Vegetables

1. Dice or chop onions, carrots and celery to roughly ¼” pieces. The more uniform your pieces, the more evenly they will cook, so dicing is preferable to chopping.
2. Mince garlic and/or shallot.
3. Heat a pan over medium low heat until hot.
4. Add a small amount of oil (no more than 2 tablespoons) to the pan and swirl to coat.
5. Let the oil heat for a few seconds.
6. Add the diced vegetables to the pan along with a healthy pinch of salt. The salt will help to draw out water from the vegetables.
7. Adjust the heat so you can only hear a gentle sizzle. You should not hear loud sizzling or popping, if you do, turn down the heat to maintain the gentle sizzle.
8. Stir the food frequently—remember, you don’t want to brown the food, so keep it moving.
9. Add the minced garlic and/or shallot (if using), and continue to cook and stir.
10. Once the vegetables are softened and translucent, about five to ten minutes, you are finished with the sweat and can then continue with the recipe.



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Sweating your vegetables releases it natural flavors it will make your dish more delicious.

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