Cooking Tips

You open the cookbook and see a recipe title or a photo that tempts your taste buds. Then you start to read the recipe, realize the preparation is more difficult than you first thought, and put the book back on the shelf.

Sound Familiar? Well here’s a simple cooking tip to help get you started:

1. Abbreviations for Measuring

Tsp. = teaspoon
Tbsp. = tablespoon, which equals 3 teaspoons
C = cup.

Cooking Tip:
Get a set of measuring spoons. The set will usually have 1/4 tsp., 1/3 tsp., 1/2 tsp., 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon.

Dry measure cups look like little saucepans and can be leveled off with a knife or other straight-edged tool. They come in sets like the measuring spoons. Liquid measuring cups have ounce marking lines so you can measure however many ounces you need.

Cooking Tip: Some recipes require exact measurements to turn out right so learn to measure correctly.

2. Common Ingredients

Make sure you know what you need.

Cooking Tips:
Baking powder and baking soda are not the same.

Ask the produce manager at the market about fruits and vegetables, the meat manager about cuts of meat.

When trying something new, buy ONE. You can always go back for more if it turns out well.

3. Common Terminology

Bake:
Dry heat in the oven. Set oven control to the desired temperature while you’re preparing the dish to be baked. Once the light that says it’s heating turns off, the oven is at the proper temperature. Then put in the food–for best results, center it in the oven.

Boil:
Heat a liquid until it bubbles. The faster the bubbles rise and the more bubbles you get, the hotter the liquid. Some recipes call for a gentle boil–barely bubbling–or a rolling boil–just short of boiling over. Watch so it doesn’t boil over.

Braise:
A moist cooking method using a little liquid that barely bubbles on the top of the stove or in the oven. This is a good way to tenderize cheaper cuts of meat. The pan should be heavy and shallow with a tight-fitting lid to keep the liquid from boiling away. There’s a lot that can be done for flavoring in your choice of liquid and of vegetables to cook with the meat.

Broil:
Turn the oven to its highest setting. Put the food on broiler pan–a 2 piece pan that allows the grease to drain away from the food. In an electric oven on the broil setting only the upper element heats, and you can regulate how fast the food cooks by how close to the element you place it. Watch your cooking time–it’s easy to overcook food in the broiler.

Brown:
Cook until the food gets light brown. Usually used for frying or baking. Ground beef should usually be browned (use a frying pan) and have the grease drained before adding it to a casserole or meat sauce.

Fold:
A gentle mixing method that moves the spoon down to the bottom of the bowl and then sweeps up, folding what was on the bottom up over the top. This is used to mix delicate ingredients such as whipped cream or beaten egg whites. These ingredients just had air whipped into them, so you don’t want to reverse that process by mixing too vigorously.

Simmer:
Heat to just the start of a boil and keep it at that point for as long as the recipe requires. The recipe will usually call for either constant stirring or stirring at certain intervals.

Now you are ready to do the shopping and prepare that recipe that you’ve always wanted to try!

Happy cooking…

Ronald Yip
Please visit my website at: http://www.recipeslovers.com
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[tags]all recipes, cooking tips, cooking, healthy food, culinary, broil bake, boil, simmer, braise[/tags]

Low Fat Salmon Recipes

Finding delicious low fat salmon recipes has just become easier since you found our website. There are many wonderful low fat salmon recipes that will please your palate plus the palates of your dinner guests or family.

This first low fat salmon recipe uses yummy ingredients such as low or non-fat sour cream and low or non-fat mayonnaise to create a delectable creamy salmon recipe that is perfect for any occasion.

For this recipe you will need:

2 pounds of salmon filets,

Avocado Pasta Recipe for the Summer

Summer Avocado Pasta
My wife just made the most fabulous pasta dish for me. It’s ten o clock at night and I never like to eat that late so I told her I would just have a taste. I am now about to finish my second bowl ! This is a simple recipe that anyone can make, but the complexity of flavors is excellent. This is good for those who avoid meat as well.

These are the reasons I like this. We are experiencing 100+ degree temperatures where we live. The last thing I like when it’s this hot is a big heavy meal with a thick sauce. This one is nice and light for days like this. Her choice of a Linguine for the pasta kept it light too. My wife and a few other great chefs have opened my initially skeptical eyes to the world of and importance of textures in cooking. Now I notice that much more in a dish. I noticed right away with this one how well the cool juicy texture of the tomatoes complimented the warmer more dry avocado chunks. Just as you are experiencing this combination of flavors and textures you hit a bit of the crumbly Feta cheese, and lookout ! This combination just really works.

This is a nice light pasta dish filled with great flavors and textures for a hot summer day! I hope you enjoy this one as much as I have!

1 Package of a flavored pasta (We used Trader Joe’s Spinach & Chive Linguine Pasta)
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 14.5 oz. can of S&W Ready-Cut Tomatoes diced with roasted garlic
1-2 Diced Avocados
1 4 oz. Package Crumbled Traditional Feta Cheese

Cook pasta according to directions. When the pasta is done, drain and put it back in the pot. Add the chopped tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and heat. Plate the pasta and add the avocados and feta cheese on top. If you desire, you can add some parmesan cheese on top as well.

My name is Mike Kazmark. I am a Longshoreman in LA. I enjoy going to eat at family run hole-in-the-wall places where they really know how to cook. My wife and I found such a place in Orange County, CA. This particular chef inspired me to start a website where incredibly tasting dishes could be presented in a manner that the average person would feel confident preparing. That is how http://www.bestpastarecipes.com was started. What I am most looking forward to is hearing someone take one of our incredible dishes, go through the steps and exclaim, “I did it!”, and to know that they have just mastered the preparation of a fabulous meal for their family. There is a process I really like that happens when someone submits a recipe they’ve developed for others to freely use. The care and love that went into the original now gets passed on so that other chefs can give back that same care and love in the act of serving their own families. Other families get to enjoy the same meal and build their own memories together. I like that!

[tags]pasta, linguine,recipe,recipes,avocado,feta,cheese,italian,italy, parmessan,[/tags]

Awesome Omelette and Pancake Recipes

Awesome omelette
Ingredients

4 eggs
A few shots of hot sauce
Half a green pepper (sliced into bits)
One onion (chopped)
Oil
Two tablespoons Butter
Half cup Sliced ham (or another meat – in bits)
Half cup Cheddar cheese grated

Cooking Instructions

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl except the oil and onions. Heat a pan at a
little above medium heat and put oil in it. Add the onions and once they’re
browned add the ingredients from the bowl. When the bottom of the omelette is
cooked, flip it over and cook the other side.

Classic Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp melted butter
2 cups milk

Directions:

Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and melted butter into the bowl that has the dry ingredients. Now blend that together while gradually adding all the milk into the mixture. Fry on a lightly oiled pan. The size of the pancake can be any size but should be about 1 – 1

Making New York Style Cheesecake Recipes Your Own

So you’ve done your research on the Web or through cookbooks and finally, after much trial and error, you’ve settled on one recipe that not only produces the results you want, but provides the taste you’ve looked for. You’ve made it a dozen or so times, and are fairly confident you know the ins and outs and all the potential pitfalls.

Don’t be surprised to find yourself getting a little bit bored. It’s hard to believe you could ever grow discontented with the creamy perfection that is the New York style cheesecake, but it is human nature to seek out variety in all things. However, the base structure of the recipe is in such perfect balance that it does not invite much in the way of real change. You can add the occasional chocolate chip, a touch of amaretto or other flavoring, but that’s about it.

Of course, you could spend months exploring the various add-ins, and that’s all well and fine. But why not go outside the structure of the cheesecake and look at some of the sauces you can create? Let’s look at the three main types:

Chocolate: Who doesn’t like a good chocolate sauce? There really is no “making” to the sauce, really. Once you’ve got your double boiler going and a little heavy cream to mix with your chocolate, you’re in business. Don’t forget that you aren’t limited to milk chocolate. Dark and bittersweet chocolates can add variety!

Caramel: This sauce is tricky to make, involving molten sugar that has the same characteristics (and damage abilities) as lava. However, once made, it will keep just about forever and the flavor is unlike anything else.

Fruit: From blueberries and strawberries to peaches and mangos, there are as many different kinds of fruit sauces as there are fruits in the market. Let your imagination run wild!

So remember, the next time you want to do something different with your cheesecake build on top, not inside to make your New York style cheesecake recipes your own.

Andrew Krause is a Chef and Pastry Chef for over 30 years, at present I am retired, I owned a Gourmet Bakery called The Cheese Confectioner. You can visit my site at http://www.andies.cashhosters2.com

NOTE: You are welcome to reprint this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the about the author info at the end).

[tags]New York Style Cheesecake Recipes[/tags]

Modifying Your Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Recipe

Just like the traditional New York cheesecake, the chocolate chip cheesecake recipe is ripe for modification. It basically involves just one modification to the traditional recipe: adding chocolate chips.

Once you’ve broken that “addition barrier,” the dam can break.

Think about the first time you added applesauce to pancakes (or even the aforementioned chocolate chips). It was as if you’d been standing in front of a white canvas and suddenly gotten the courage to pick up a paint brush full of red paint and make a few bold strokes, marring the previously pristine surface but at the same time making it something infinitely more interesting. Suddenly, you had the refrigerator open, pondering.

How about pecan pancakes? They eat those down South, right? Maybe some savory pancakes! I could add some ham and cheese or maybe some jalapenos or habanero peppers! Do you remember the rush of creativity? Do you remember how you made pancakes for dinner on a weeknight just so you could test out eight or nine different flavors?

Well, you likely won’t be making eight or nine chocolate chip cheesecakes on a weeknight, but once you start experimenting you might find yourself buying a spare spring form pan to allow for double batches.

If, by chance, you’re stuck for ideas, head back to basics. What do you know that goes with chocolate? I seem to recall a certain oft-parodied commercial from years ago, wherein one person eating a chocolate bar slammed into another person eating peanut butter. (Did people always walk around eating peanut butter out of the jar?) The result of the collision was the confection now known as the Reese’s Cup.

What else goes with chocolate? Mint chocolate chip is traditionally one of the more popular ice cream flavors. Snickers bars have chocolate and caramel matched together. Are you getting any ideas? You should be!

Now, go cook!

Andrew Krause is a Chef and Pastry Chef for over 30 years, at present I am retired, I owned a Gourmet Bakery called The Cheese Confectioner. You can visit my site at http://www.andies.cashhosters2.com.

NOTE: You are welcome to reprint this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the about the author info at the end).

[tags]Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Recipe[/tags]

Cheesecake Recipes

A cheesecake may seem simple enough, but it can actually be one of the hardest pastries to whip up for someone with no experience. And no matter how closely you follow cheesecake recipes, your cake could still fall apart if you don’t know the secret steps. Here are some less-popular, but very effective, cheesecake recipe tips to make your cheesecake a big hit.

Use only the best ingredients. Your cheesecake is just as good as the eggs you use to make it, so be sure to buy only the freshest. You should also be very careful about the cheese you choose – unless you’re on a strict diet, ditch the fat-free cream version and go for the real cream cheese. No matter what health buffs say, the real pastereurized kind still tastes better.

Be sure the ingredients are at room temperature, especially the cream cheese and the eggs. Otherwise, no matter how hard you try, your cheesecake will never be smooth. How do you bake when your cream cheese is frozen? Just microwave it on high for a little less than a minute or until it softens up. If you overdo it and the cream cheese melts, refrigerate it until it is just the right temperature.

Don’t bake the fruit. This tip seems simple enough, and yet many people forget about it. Just add in the fruits as toppings later so they can retain their freshness, flavor, and color.

Don’t peek! Opening the oven door when the cheesecake is not yet baked can ruin it. Your cheesecake can have cracks, or worse, may even fall apart. So restrain yourself until it’s done.

Wait thirty minutes before removing the cheesecake from the oven. After baking, just turn off the oven and let your cheesecake sit for another half hour. This waiting time will make it perfectly puffed and moist.

Cheesecake provides detailed information on Cheesecake, Cheesecake Recipes, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Cherry Cheesecake and more. Cheesecake is affiliated with French Cheese.

[tags]Cheesecake, Cheesecake Recipes, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Cherry Cheesecake[/tags]

Bobotie, Traditional South African Cooking!

Bobotie is one of the proudest and oldest South African recipes. It was influenced and inspired by the slaves that came to South Africa. They brought with them their great spices and flavours, and Bobotie was invented!

Ingredients:

2 large onions
2 tablespoons butter
1 thick slice of white bread
1 cup milk
1 kg mutton (minced beef can be used as substitute)
2

Do You Love Cooking, Food Or Italian Recipes

A couple of centuries from now, this will be referred to as the Golden Age of the Foodie, without a doubt. Never before have so many cuisines, ingredients and cooking methods been so readily available to so many people. Even the most exotic ingredients can be found, the most obscure of kitchen gadgets located. If you’re into cooking, food or even Italian recipes, you’ll find a wealth of information available.

Where is this treasure trove? If you’re reading this, you’re standing knee-deep in it right now. It’s the Internet.

With the explosion in Internet content, a huge amount of information has become available free of charge to anyone interested in cooking. With the click of a mouse, you can open huge recipe collections, read cooking tips and even see video demonstrations of basic cooking procedures, if your computer is beefy enough to handle such things.

When it comes to food, the options are even more limitless. In years past, if a food maker wanted to get his product to the public, he had basically two options. He could hit the farmer’s markets, running a booth and selling directly to the public on a small scale, or he could go through the torturous process of getting his products into grocery stores. This can be a very time-consuming and frustrating process, and once the products are in they require constant attention to ensure they are properly shelved, labeled and stocked.

Now, with the Internet, small food producers can sell their products directly to the public. Some of them have even banded together to form the electronic equivalent of a farmer’s market, with many producers under one Web site’s banner.

For Italian recipes, the growth has been just as explosive. There are vast databases of recipes with special sections devoted to Italy, and even sites devoted solely to the cuisine of the country.

Whether you’re into cooking, food, Italian recipes or all of the above, your computer can bring you an almost endless menu of options.

Andrew Krause is a Chef and Pastry Chef for over 30 years, at persent I own a Gourmet Bakery called The Cheese Confectioner. You can visit my site at http://www.andies.cashhosters2.com

NOTE: You are welcome to reprint this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the about the author info at the end).

[tags] Cooking Food Italian Recipes[/tags]

Italian Recipes That Say Come Again

This article tells you some great unique recipes from Italy.

-Great Meat Sauce with Spaghetti

-You will need a 1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef.
-2 jars of pasta sauce (any kind is good)
-1 1/2 white or yellow onions (small diced)
-1 teaspoon of oil (corn oil or olive oil)
-1/2 teaspoon of salt
-some pepper
-spaghetti or any pasta you like
-Parmesano cheese grated
-fresh sweet basil

First sautee the ground beef with the oil and finely diced onion
salt and pepper until there is no more red in the meat.Add the
pasta sauce and 1 half of jar of water from the pasta sauce
jar. Add sweet basil leaves. And cook about 35 to 40 minutes stirring often.

Meanwhile put to boil a quart of water in large pan and add
some salt about almost 1 tablespoon. Add pasta when water boils.
Cook as directed but don’t cook too long because you will want
you’re pasta cooked right not too soft. Taste to see.
When it’s done add cool water to pasta water about 2 cups to stop the cooking process and stir and drain. Mix the meat sauce to the pasta and serve. Sprinkle with grated parmesano cheese.
And there you have it. A spaghetti/pasta dinner to remember!

Country Style Pork Spare Ribs:

-Pork spare ribs with little bone and meaty.
-salt & pepper
-1 can of tomatoe sauce or some barbecue sauce.
-1 cup of wine (any kind)

Cook the spare ribs in a large baking pan with salt & pepper to taste. Temperature must be 350 degrees in oven.
After a half an hour add tomato sauce (like contadina is optional)
Or brush on your favorite barbecue sauce over spare ribs.
Cook until tender and before they are done add the cup of wine.
Cook a couple of minutes more. And take them out of oven and let them stand for 15 minutes.
Served best with corn or potatoes.

Breaded Meat Country Style:

-Cube steaks
-bread crumbs seasoned or plain
-parsley fresh or dried parsley seasoning
-1 clove of garlic
-3 tablespoons corn oil
-grated parmesano cheese
-a dash of salt & pepper
-2 eggs

In a bowl combine the bread crumbs add parsley salt & pepper to taste, the garlic crushed & parmesano cheese.

In a separate bowl beat eggs.

Meanwhile put about 3 tablespoons of corn oil on medium heat in a skillet. Dip the steak one at a time into the egg mixture
and then in the bread crumb mixture and when oil is hot add the
breaded steak into oil and fry and turn over and cook on both sides until they are golden brown. You don’t want to cook them too much just until they are cooked with no more red in the meat.

And serve with potatoes or rice this dish is sure to please.

These are the 3 Best Recipes.
Try these recipes I’m sure you’ll love ‘em.

Written by Frangesca D’Antoni
I like cooking. I live with my husband which I’ve been with 7 years now. We are both Italian. And enjoy rides at the beach.
And a good car. And a good cup of tea after a long day.
Or email:fdantoni80@hotmail.com

Visit her website: http://www.dontforgettotakeyourvitamins.com/folco

[tags]recipes,different recipes,yummy, eutentic, like mamma used to make,tasting recipes,good[/tags]