Archive for June, 2010
Stack Cooking with Waterless Cookware
You can actually cook an entire meal on one burner with a waterless cookware pots and pan set. For instance, you could take a beef roast (like a chuck roast) and put it in a waterless stainless steel 6 quart roaster and sear all sides, season, place vegetables around the roast(always make it a good fitting pan always,it will cook better and quicker) cover and turn heat down to low. Then maybe take a smaller waterless stainless steel frying pan and preheat frozen vegetables or cored apples or other fruit and heat covered on medium heat until the lid gets hot. Turn off heat and place on top of the pan with the roast and other vegetables. Then cook away. the two pans will cook on one burner on low in about 50 minutes or less. You could even add cake in a double boiler pan or other goodies even in a third Waterless cookware pan,Of course middle size pots in the middle. All will cook evenly at the same temperature.
Table Manners
I just have some thoughts about manners at the family table or even in more formal settings. When dining, even at home but at the table, don’t act barbaric if possible. Keep your elbows off the table, always ask for the serving plate that you desire, don’t grab across the table. It then, can be passed to you across the table by the person nearest or possibly passed left to right until it reaches you. If you are not being served(like at home), The serving platters are always passed left to right to the next person. Generally the serving spoons and forks from your flatware set are in place in the serving dishes. And please don’t take the serving spoon or fork and put in on your plate. My family had great manners but couldn’t ever get this passing thing correct, and platters generally went in a chaotic manner in both directions. It worked but made life a little interesting.
Also never place the flatware, back on the table once it has been used. Place it on the side of the plate. That’s about it for now. And most of all eat with enjoyment and humor and good taste buds.
The Forgotten Piece of Cutlery
When most people think of kitchen cutlery, they immediately conjure up images of finely honed knives and intricately serrated edges. And while these implements are ideal for most culinary endeavors, they do fall short in many areas. For example, you wouldn’t want to use a knife for opening packages, cutting kitchen twine or other peripheral cooking tasks.
Cutlery makers are well aware of this fact, which is why most cutlery sets will include a set of kitchen shears. Not only are the shears ideal for opening packages and similar tasks, they have manifold culinary uses as well. For example, cutting through chicken skin and other squishy or yielding substances is infinitely easier with the two blades of kitchen shears.
Salmon Soufflé Cassarole
This recipe has been in my family since I found it while trying to cook something other than hamburgers and hot dogs in college. Whipping eggs with a french wisk instead of mixer to me is always best. Make certain your kitchen accessories include the wisk.
Ingredients:
1 large can salmon
1 can mushroom soup condensed
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 TBS. minced onions (more if desire)
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. tobasco sauce (being in Southern CA and married to a Latina-1 would suggest 1/2 tsp. good chile sauce)
1/4 cup mayonaise
4 eggs separated
Preheat oven to 325 degrees C. Drain salmon,and debone if necessary. Blend 1/2 can mushroom soup with the salmon(a purest would use a mushroom white sauce). Add breadcrumbs, onion, tobasco/hot sauce, mayonaise, a little salt and pepper, and egg yolks. Beat egg whites stiff with your wisk from your kitchen accessories. Then fold the egg whites into the ingredients. Place in a 1 1/2 quart baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes. /Dilute remaining soup with water or milk and heat. Pour the sauce over the soufflé if desired before serving.With souffles, always serve immediately or they will go flat. Enloy.
Type 2 Diabetes and Cooking Healthy with Waterless Cookware
Type 2 diabetes, once known as adult-onset diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes sugar or carbohydrates, your body’s main source of fuel. The body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin or may reduce the output of insulin as well. There is no cure for type 2 diabetes but you can manage or even prevent the disease by eating healthy, exercise and weight control management. If these measures don’t work than at times glucose(or sugar) lowering medications and at times even insulin therapy will be needed.
However often the proper diet, exercise and weight management will fend it off or at least control the problem, of course with close medical management from your doctor. Waterless Cookware and the waterless, greaseless(or reduced oil) method of cooking makes the preparation of the low fat, healthy diets easy and delicious. Waterless cookware allows you to preserve the nutrients and vitamins of your meat and vegetables while cutting out the need for the extra oils often needed to cook your meals. The moisture of the meats and vegetables are often sufficient to cook the meal.
My Sister’s Italian Sausage on Pasta Recipe
My sister Sheila’s Italian Sausage recipe is delicious and easy to do in your stainless steel cookware.
Ingredients:
1 package of Italian Sausage
1 large onion
1 large green pepper (can always also chop up jalapeño or serano chiles to pep it up)
olive oil
1 large can of tomato sauce
1 large can italian tomatoes
oregano
garlic powder (no, I prefer crush cloves (1-2) garlic)
salt and pepper
angel-hair pasta
Cut up the Italian sausage links into medium pieces. Chop up one large onion and one large green peppers, and if want, the chile peppers as well. Sautée all three ingredients in 1 TBS olive oil in a stainless steel frying pan from your stainless steel cookware set or your electric oil core skillet. Then add tomato sauce and tomatoes. Sprinkle generously to taste with oregano, crushed garlic, salt and pepper(only enough salt to perk up taste). Simmer for 20 minutes. Boil the angel-hair pasta in lightly salted water(I add a little olive oil to water to keep it from clumping).
Serve the sauce over the pasta with a nice dry red wine, Italian bread or French baguette and a nice salad.
Proper use of your knife and fork American style
In the American style of the proper use of your flatware, you should hold the knife in your right hand, and the fork is held in your left hand with the prongs held upright. You pick up your food with your fork and cut the food with the knife into a bite sized portion. Then you switch the fork to your right hand (unless your left handed like me. Then don’t switch). Pick up the food with the fork and eat. Remember to chew with a closed mouth and never rest your elbows on the table.
Your flatware, once used should not touch the table again (including the handles). Always rest forks, knives, and spoons on the side of your plate or in the bowl.
Barbecue Kabobs on Your Gas Barbecue Grill
Prepare the Kabob as directed by whatever recipe you are following remembering to marinate the ingredients in the sauce. Take the skewers from your stainless barbecue grill set, and alternately thread the ingredients. That is place, meat and vegetables alternately(meat, mushrooms, onion, potato, pepper, meat etc. depending on ingredients.) Always leave space between pieces to ensure even grilling.
Place the kabobs on the barbecue cooking grill. Barbecue 10 to 12 minutes or until meat, vegetables and/or fruit are tender. Turn the kabobs once brushing with the sauce halfway through the cooking time.
With your gas barbecue you can barbecue as above or with the indirect grilling method. With this (or really with direct) close the grill and preheat to 500-550 degreesF (260-288 degrees C). Place the skewers from your barbecue grill accessories over the middle unlit burner for indirect and cook as above. The kabobs are not as likely to char this way.
Barbecue Kabobs on your Charcoal Barbecue Grill
Prepare the Kabob as directed by whatever recipe you are following remembering to marinate the ingredients in the sauce. Take the skewers from your stainless barbecue grill set, and alternately thread the ingredients. That is place, meat and vegetables alternately (meat, mushrooms, onion, potato, pepper, meat etc. depending on ingredients.) Always leave space between pieces to ensure even grilling.
Place the kabobs on the barbecue cooking grill. Barbecue 10 to 12 minutes or until meat, vegetables and/or fruit are tender. Turn the kabobs once brushing with the sauce halfway through the cooking time.
With the charcoal barbecue make certain you spread the charcoal out with your barbecue tools like the thong so that there is only one layer of charcoal briquettes. Put on the cooking grill, the kabobs and Enjoy!
Safety reminders for Gas Barbecue
When lighting your gas barbecue grill please be careful. There are many, many serious accidents caused by flare ups when lighting gas barbecues.
Turn on the propane tank 1/4 turn, wait and turn on the lighting element. Use the electric or mechanical starter or long neck lighter as soon as your turn on the burner. If it doesn’t ignite for some reason, turn off the burner and the tank. Wait for several minutes before repeating the process. Gas traps in the barbecue and if you don’t allow it to clear, it can and will explode and possibly cause you severe burn injury.
Also once the barbecue is hot, only readjust the barbecue cooking grill with your long handled barbecue tools 
and never touch the hot grill or use short handles cooking unensils.