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I am a stay at home mother of two, an 8 year old boy, and a 6 year old girl. Both my kids are pretty adventurous, though, like most kids they can be a little picky when it comes to food.
On a recent camping adventure, we took along a supply of MREs, or Meals Ready to Eat. These are all-in-one military rations kits complete with main course, side dish, snack items, dessert, and water activated heater.
I wasn't sure what the children would think. After all, the MREs are packaged in tan bags, with no fun cartoon characters on the sides, and little flavor.
They are perfect for camping, hunting, and for stocking in your emergency food pantry, but would probably be difficult to eat day in day out for any length of time. Being as they were the only main course food items we brought along on the trip, I was concerned the kids wouldn't like them.
We set up our tent, set up a nice campfire and prepared for the meal. I prayed for the best, all the while trying to remember where I saw the closest restaurant on the way into the campground, in case I was met with abject refusal.
But I was wrong indeed! When handed their own spaghetti MRE, both kids thought the experience was a blast.
They had fun opening all the nondescript packages, playing with the water activated chemical heater (with help from mom, of course), and devouring all the snack items. It was their favorite part of the whole trip.
The rest of the night and into the next day, they both had fun pretending they were in the Army, and that their MREs were special rations on a secret mission. They stuck leaves in their shirts for camouflage and used sticks as weapons.
It was nice to see that the trip and the MREs brought out the creative side in them. A hard thing to find nowadays.
I'm not sure if they would enjoy the MREs nearly as much at home, or once the novelty wore off, but for now, they are asking for more. We keep a few MREs in our trunk for an emergency situation, and the kids have seen them in there. They've asked to have a picnic with them.
I'm glad they like them. I've just ordered a few cases for our hurricane pantry, as storm season is fast approaching. Their size and completeness make them the ideal food to have on hand if the big one hits.
Rayven Perkins is a stay home mom who has put together a resource on MREs, including where to find the best prices for purchasing them. Visit her website at:
Discount MREs
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How many people can get through life without ever being on, or considering a diet? We are bombarded with information from the so-called experts about what foods are good for us and what aren't, just to have it all change the following week. There are daily TV programmes about how to be healthy and how to lose weight and for those of us who have accepted the inevitable 'norm', there is a programme on how to look good naked and accept what we are - now there's a novelty!
According to some diet guru's, we are what we eat. So, today I'm a bowl of cornflakes (started the day with good intentions) but by lunch time I'll probably be a cream cake or bag of chips. I just know inside me somewhere is a skinny person trying to get out but I always manage to shut her up with chocolate.
Diets have come and gone with fashions. We've had the cabbage soup diet, the Atkins diet, a phase of slimming clubs enjoying popularity and endless miracle diet pills if you still want to eat junk.
Always, always beware the miracle diet pills. There is no substitute for eating in moderation and anything that tells you otherwise is probably a marketing scam. You cannot pop a pill, eat that chocolate and have the work done for you. On the market at any given time is a plethora of pills that will promise you instant weight loss often accompanied with anything from increased libido and increased breast size to weight that literally melts off.
A doctor can prescribe diet pills for the obese but these have some horrible side effects, such as turning everything you eat to waste and making that waste come out of orifices unannounced. During research for this article I found diet pills that promise to make you lose 12lb in 3 days! Surely, you would be disappearing before your very eyes? How is this possible I hear you ask?
Basically, it isn't. You will lose water and this will be replaced as soon as you stop the pills. There really is no quick fix and the longer route has to be taken to stay healthy and lose weight that can stay off.
Sensible eating and a moderate exercise plan will work and the weight will stay off as long as you want it to. You cannot buy will power.
However, for those desperate to see that their diet is working, here are some tips.
Stepping on the scales should not be undertaken more than once a week. This is because weight fluctuates with hormone levels, water retention and many other factors so not seeing what you want on the scales does not necessarily mean that is your true weight.
Before your weekly weighing ritual, try removing all unnecessary clothing, remove contact lens, have a wee, have a haircut and exhale all spare air. Then, in a process that quickly becomes second nature, step on the scales one foot at a time whilst supporting your weight on a nearby prop and sucking in your stomach. When you get to the number you want, quickly step off again.
This will leave you feeling happy for the rest of the day, secure in the knowledge that your diet is working well and you can treat yourself to that cream cake or bar of chocolate without feeling guilty.
There are, of course, many other diet tricks to make yourself feel better. And feeling good is what it's all about. All those who have ever tried to diet will know that a depressive mood is the worst possible thing that will have you reaching for all the high fat, high sugar foods. So, how to eat without the guilt?
Eat low fat healthy meals three times a day. After that, apply the following: Other people's food does not contain calories. Only intentional calories count. If you steal a chip or twelve from your mates plate, the calories will go on her hips, not yours, as she ordered the food. It also tastes so much better than when you order it for yourself and this is because of the free calories.
Cleaning up leftovers on your children's plates will not count as they were not meant for you. There are many starving people in the world who would appreciate these leftovers but as you can't get it to them you should ease the guilt by eating it for them and not committing the cardinal sin of wasting food.
Squaring food off is a chore, it is not greedy. Sandwiches and snacks should be neatened up before serving as a matter of good manners and etiquette. Of course, these calories will not count.
Of course, when you are on a diet you will do well to remember that there is a reason specific diet foods taste bad. This is because bad tasting food does not contain calories. This also goes for food cut into small pieces, such as small pieces of cheese. When a bar of chocolate is the only thing that will do it, ensure it is broken into small pieces and sucked. This removes all calories.
Food that other people make 'just for you' has to be eaten - diet or no diet. This is because you will deeply offend if you refuse it. The calories in this cannot be counted as you didn't intend to eat it. I can guarantee that all these diet tips will work. I have spent many years perfecting them and I am proof that they work as I am only two stone overweight when it might have been four!
Nutrition expert Catherine Harvey looks at how to eat whilst on a diet without feeling guilty.
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Much of what we eat today has had all the beneficial vitamins taken from it. One can go on and on, through the whole gamut of dishes cooked with excessive heat, canned foods, toasted cereals, vitamin plied flour and milk, which have been robbed of all or almost all of the original vitality, cooked out desserts and candies.
These products are so ingeniously advertised that the public is convinced they are musts for their growing children. So strong has become the faith in these foods, that natural, raw food is seldom given a thought. In fact, it is often a matter of controversy among our most listened-to nutrition authorities.
The result has been a deplorable deterioration and progressive undermining of the health of American youth. The proof lies bare in a recent government publication which gives startling figures on the number of rejections of our youth for the armed forces. Considering that these "rejects" are our teen-agers, our most select age group, and that the percentage is higher today than it was either in World Wars I or II, there must be something radically wrong. Moreover, this is most typical of America - not other countries. It behooves us to look into it!
Below are some valuable recipes for vegetables which preserve all the vital vitamins and minerals. Prepare some today for the sake of your health.
Asparagus Saute
2 cups fresh asparagus 1 teaspoon grated onion or 1 garlic clove 2 tablespoons olive or peanut oil Coarse salt and coarse black pepper, as desired
Vitamins A, B and C, as well as calcium, phosphorus, iron and other minerals are found here. These vitamins make the necessary co-enzymes that control the important enzyme-controlled reaction, that establishes good health. The eyes are aided by the large amount of Vitamin A here.
Break asparagus into pieces 2 inches long, place in saucepan with oil, season. Add garlic section or grated onion and warm quickly over low heat for about two minutes.
Keep turning pieces over and over in pan. Serve in a covered casserole.
Artichokes 4 whole artichokes, small 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 small onion, grated 1/2 cup water
Coarse salt and coarse black pepper, as desired
Chlorophyll plus innumerable vitamins and minerals make this a valuable as well as challenging vegetable. The natural sugar is recommended for quick energy.
Heat water, season, and place artichokes sprinkled with oil in pan containing water and onion. Sizzle for five minutes using very low heat. Remove from heat keeping cover on for another minute.
Lima Beans And Fresh Tomato Combine 2 cups lima beans, soaked 48 hours 4 fresh tomatoes 1 onion, chopped fine 1 teaspoon honey 4 slices raw lean bacon, minced 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 2 tablespoons olive, corn or peanut oil Coarse salt and red crushed pepper, as desired
The combination of tomatoes with its high Vitamin C content converts this dish into a richer ABC and mineral reserve for the body.
Saute the beans in oil over slow heat, stirring constantly until warm. Add tomatoes, onion, bacon and parsley and continue to saute until all of the vegetables are warm. Add seasoning to taste, and serve in a covered casserole.
Chile 2 cups red beans 4 tablespoons coarse salt 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 green pepper, diced 4 teaspoons chile powder
The important bean again. The chile and vegetables convert this into a high Vitamin C product. A dish to aid the vigorous working man.
Soak beans 48 hours in salt water, changing it 3 or 4 times. Sear quickly in oil over high flame (2-3 minutes until hot and firm), the celery, onion and green pepper. Add the chile powder, salt, and, if desired, 4 crushed tomatoes. In another pan, warm the beans in oil over slow heat, turning constantly until warm. Blend both mixtures together and serve in a covered casserole.
Enjoy these tasty vegetables prepared in such a healthy way!
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Only nature can perform the complete life process - the transformation of inorganic substances from out of the earth into organic plants and their eventual consumption by animals and human beings. Unfortunately, "civilization" has, through many generations contributed to the development of today's average man, whose vital chemistry frequently is denatured, deficient and unbalanced.
This "feat" modern man has accomplished to a large degree by overcooking the natural food elements in his diet and eating the denatured, devitalized results. This is something that is not to be found in lower creatures regardless of what one element they may eat, for they eat as nature provides.
The principal law of life, that LIFE SUSTAINS LIFE, whether in the vegetable or animal kingdom, is strictly adhered to in the following recipes. The first and most important requisite for good health is the correct use of vital foods.
Those few who know these truths about the urgent importance of correct eating and living are often considered to put it mildly, ODD. While people, in general, are pitifully uninformed where true knowledge is concerned, they are full of firmly implanted, erroneous conceptions that are tremendously difficult to dislodge from their minds, even when these conceptions are obviously distortions of fact.
For instance, we are told that there is nothing more nourishing, more complete as a food than milk. But the processes which the milk that we drink undergoes these days are completely overlooked. Whether pasteurized, homogenized, vitalized or what have you, the vital substances are wholly or partially destroyed. Although some organic chemicals are only partly affected, very few of them can still be used by the blood in its functions.
Pasteurization was perhaps imperative when hygienic conditions left much to be desired and the inspection of cows and their attendants was not legally enforced. In removing the danger of infection by germs and bacteria from raw milk, pasteurization destroyed its life and, by extension, that of all milk products: butter, cheese, cream, and ice cream. Therefore, to be a source of vitamins, milk should be consumed "certified raw". It is made available to the public in many large cities and some small farm areas as "certified raw".
The following are four appetizers which are full of wonderful vitamins and are truly health giving.
Fresh Tomato Juice
8 large fresh tomatoes, ripe 1 stalk celery
1 teaspoon coarse salt or sea salt
1 tablespoon onion
1/2 lime (or lemon), juiced
The vital vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins A, B, and C, abound in this drink. The water soluble quality of vitamin B makes this juice a valuable cache of important values. The A vitamin as a provitamin can be converted and stored in the body.
Cut up the tomatoes, mince celery and onion fine, and, along with the balance of ingredients, mix in an electric mixer. Chill.
Sauerkraut Juice
3 lb. head of cabbage
1 tablespoon coarse salt or sea salt
1 or 2 lemons, juiced
Low in calories, high in vitamin C and minerals. Keeps small blood vessels strong. Helps strengthen nervous systems. (Magnesium and iron.) Good source of vitamin C so beneficial for gums.
Grate the cabbage and combine with the salt and lemon juice. Place in earthenware jar and press down with a clean stone. Cover and let contents ferment for about two weeks. Use the juice for cocktails and the bulk for sauerkraut.
Fresh Sauerkraut With Fresh Tomato Juice
Chill sauerkraut juice, as made above, and blend with fresh tomato juice. Garnish with lemon or lime peel, as desired.
Fresh Cranberry Juice
6 cups fresh cranberries, crushed
1 cup honey
Dash of coarse salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
A source of vitamins A and C. Rich in ascorbic acid. Strengthens small blood vessels, helps to heal bruises, prevent bleeding gums.
Crush the cranberries, or put into blender. Mix with honey. Dilute with water or orange juice to taste, and garnish with fresh peppermint leaves. Serve chilled or with ice.
These recipes are delicious and healthy.
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Candy making can be fun, especially once the art of boiling the sugar has been mastered. The syrup made by boiling sugar and water is the basis of most candies, and on the quality of this syrup depends the quality of the candy.
For a certain kind of candy the sugar is boiled to a certain degree. For another kind of candy the sugar is boiled to a greater or lesser degree, as the case may be; hence, it is of prime importance that the art of boiling sugar be thoroughly understood by the amateur; otherwise, he is apt to be surprised when he strives for a certain result and does not get it.
There are seven degrees, some of which are subdivided. We give them below in their regular order, together with the various methods of testing.
Sugar is usually mixed with water in the proportions of a pound and a half of sugar to a half a pint of water. Now, suppose we put over a fire this amount of sugar and water, and stir it until the sugar dissolves, and then let it boil for a few minutes. It will commence to look smooth and slippery and is already approaching the first degree.
THREAD DEGREE
When the sugar is dissolved, and has boiled for a few minutes, and commences to look smooth and slippery, dip in a stick, moisten the thumb, and touch the syrup adhering to the stick; then touch the forefinger to the thumb, draw them apart, and if a fine thread spins out the syrup has reached the small thread degree. Boil it a little longer, use the thumb and forefinger as before, and a little heavier and longer thread will be the result. This is called the large thread.
PEARL DEGREE
This is a continuation of the "thread" degree. The syrup commences to show bubbles and has an oily consistency. If tested in the same way as for the first degree, a large thread may be drawn out without breaking as far as the fingers can stretch.
BLOW DEGREE
Use a skimmer, dip it into the syrup, empty it, and blow through the holes. If the blow has been reached, small bubbles will appear on the other side of the skimmer.
FEATHER DEGREE This degree is a continuation of the "blow" and as soon as you finish that test, dip in the skimmer again, draw it out, give it a sudden jerk and the remaining syrup will fly off in strings or feathers. This is the stage at which the syrup has a tendency to grain, because of the evaporation of the water, and care must be taken not to disturb it by jarring the kettle.
BALL DEGREE
Put the forefinger in ice water until it gets cold, quickly take it out, plunge it into the syrup, and plunge it back into the ice water. There is no danger of burning the finger by this test if the operation is done quickly. Roll the adhering syrup between the thumb and finger; if it forms a soft ball it has reached the soft ball degree; if it forms a hard ball, which sticks the teeth together on being bitten, it has reached the hard ball.
CRACK DEGREE
This quickly follows the "ball". Test in the same way, and bite; if it does not adhere to the teeth and breaks with a slight noise, the soft crack has been reached. Test again at once; if a clean, brittle candy is formed, which breaks sharply, the hard crack-has been reached.
CARAMEL DEGREE
This degree is noticed at once, because the syrup loses its clearness and assumes a straw color. As soon as the change commences to take place remove it from the fire, and set the bottom of the kettle in cold water in order to prevent it from burning. There is no time in which to test this degree, because as soon as it changes to a straw color it will speedily turn to a dark brown color, and burn.
Once the above techniques are learned thoroughly, any manner of delicious candy can be made and enjoyed. Good luck!
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From the first lollipop at the first children's party to the gold-wrapped cherry cordial at a golden anniversary all of the festive occasions of a lifetime are associated with candy.
There is no holiday that is not enhanced by candy and if it isn't a holiday, candy will make it one. There are the candies that set off every holiday throughout the year: candied popcorn stars and marzipan.
strawberries at Christmas time, pink and red hearts on Valentine's Day, chocolate-covered eggs at Easter time, marshmallows to roast at the Fourth of July picnic and candied fruits and nuts on Thanksgiving Day.
To make candy is to assist at a miracle. Starting with sugar and water you can make fondant, white taffy, lollipops and barley sugar merely by boiling the syrup to higher and higher temperatures and adding flavoring. The change that takes place with each degree is the miracle.
It's important to read through an entire recipe before you begin to make your candy. Then you will know just what equipment to use, how long the process will take, how much attention you need to give it at each stage, and whether you can take time out to peel the potatoes for supper. In making candy, timing is as important as it is in a comedy act. Doing the right thing at the right moment according to the readings of your thermometer is what will ensure consistent success for your efforts.
Equipment for candy making need not be elaborate, but must include a candy thermometer if you expect good results.
There are really only three essentials for becoming an expert candy cook - a candy thermometer, a willingness to do precisely what must be done if the sugar and chocolate in your batches are to stay under control, and recipes that are detailed enough so you will know what must be done and how and when to do it. The following recipe is an example of why candy making is such fun!
CANDIED POPCORN IN FANCY SHAPES
1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, 1/3 cup light corn syrup, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup water, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 quarts popped corn
Measure 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup light corn syrup, 1/3 cup water and 2 tablespoons butter into a saucepan and blend well together. Place over low heat and stir until mixture boils. Now put in the candy thermometer and continue boiling without stirring until thermometer registers 270 degrees. Remove from heat and add 14 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Have ready a bowl of freshly popped corn - about 8 cups will be sufficient for the amount of syrup cooked. Pour the hot syrup over the popcorn stirring well and quickly so that all the kernels are covered.
Popcorn balls can be formed if desired. Moisten the hands with cold water and quickly take a small amount of the candied corn and gently press into a ball. If other shapes such as Christmas trees, stars and wreaths are to be made, molds or cookie cutters may be used.
Press the candied corn into the mold, making sure that the corn is in all the small parts of the design. While the candied popcorn is still warm, place small pieces of colored candies to resemble the ornaments on a tree. Red and green colors are most effective and will make the popcorn Christmas tree a gay centerpiece for a children's holiday party.
For wreaths and stars the candied corn is pressed in the cookie cutters. The points of the stars must be well filled to have the formation distinct. A doughnut cutter is good for the wreath, with colored pieces of candy added for holiday festiveness. If the candied corn becomes too hard to work into the molds, it may be placed in a warm oven and softened. For caramel corn use any preferred caramel recipe, cooking only to 242 degrees. This will be stickier and is not good for molding into shapes.
This recipe is delicious and easy to make. Enjoy!
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Cooking has always been an extremely important part of the Chinese culture. One of the duties of a good housewife is to appreciate the importance of cooking and its close relation to domestic happiness. This opinion prevailed even in the days of Confucius. We learn from the Classics that Confucius was particularly fastidious as regards food for we are told that:
1. He refused to partake of wine and dried meat bought in the market.
2. He refused to eat meat, which was not cut properly, nor what was served without the correct sauce.
3. He refused to eat anything badly cooked or not in season.
4. He liked his rice polished white and his meat minced finely.
Had there been such conveniences as are now available - the equipment of a modern kitchen - and had there been properly conducted schools of cookery where the necessary knowledge might be acquired, Chinese housewives in ancient times would have been able to maintain satisfactorily a high standard of culinary art in their households.
The modern housewife is more fortunately situated. She can employ a good cook and supervise his work, thus doing away with the necessity of purchasing food from outside herself. She can procure a mincing machine to mince meat to any desired fineness; she can buy perfectly white machine-milled rice and she can easily procure any sauce to suit any taste thanks to the skill and experience of modern organizations. In fact she has everything in her flavor these days; all she has to do is to learn how to cook.
One would expect then that there should be less friction in modern households. Unfortunately this is not so. Perhaps it is that Confucius, being wise, was exacting only in the matter of food, while modern husbands are fastidious and troublesome in other directions as well. However, experience tells us that, by eliminating one cause of domestic disturbance - the food question - the modern housewife has gone far towards securing domestic peace.
"Good appetite brings happiness" is an old saying worthy of the housewife's attention. To stimulate the appetite is the one object of our culinary art, the knowledge of which enables the housewife to produce dishes so deliciously flavored and so attractively served, that they would tempt even the most fastidious husband. The same knowledge will also help her to bring the changes in the diet, which, like a change of air, can only be beneficial to the appetite and health.
To the conscientious housewife then, who is solicitous of domestic peace and happiness, the science and art of cooking should have a definite appeal. The servant problem fortunately is not so acute in this country; so the housewife, once she has acquired proficiency in the art of cooking, needs to have less uneasiness of mind in regard to the menial work of the kitchen. Her part will merely consist of direction and supervision, if necessary. The Chinese say, with truth, that just as those who live near water know the nature of fishes, and those near mountains learn the melody of birds, so those who remain close to the kitchen acquire the knowledge of good food.
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Stag parties are different than other parties because the hostess usually leaves after the guests are comfortable. However, that doesn't mean that the guests need to feel abandoned.
For a Stag Party, buffet service is usually staged. This is almost always necessary, as the hostess disappears (by request) after she has made all the preparation. She will have made sure that all of the necessary serving dishes have been arranged on the buffet table. Unless the group is too large, places will be already set at the dining table, as one of the privileges that men demand at a stag party is firm anchorage for elbows as well as for plates. The host will usually insist that large linen napkins be furnished, although he may settle for the large non-flimsy double paper napkin.
Menus for stag parties differ little from those planned for any buffet meal (see previous section), except perhaps a larger variety of hearty foods may be offered. Boiled franks and sauerkraut are always popular, flanked by a bubbling bean pot - or the meal might consist of cold turkey, ham, tongue, a variety of other cold cuts, and a casserole of scalloped or creamed potatoes or potato salad.
Sometimes the man's choice will be mashed sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, for oddly enough it seems to be men rather than women who like this sweet dish with a main course. All hot foods can be prepared beforehand and kept hot in the warming oven until the group is hungry enough for the meal.
A salad may be omitted if a variety of relishes are supplied although the host may enjoy showing his ability at mixing and tossing a salad. All the ingredients may be ready and assembled on a tray. Or, an old-fashioned coleslaw is a practical choice, as all men seem to like it, and it can be made beforehand and stored in the refrigerator without danger of wilting.
Buttered rolls or garlic bread may be wrapped in foil or heavy paper and placed in the warming oven. Sliced buttered rye bread may be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator for service with a cheese tray, which may be part of the main course or else served as the dessert. In the latter case, a bowl of mixed fruit may be already in place on the buffet table. If a sweet dessert is planned, it should be the host's favorite - and this usually turns out to be some form of pie.
Coffee can be prepared ahead of time in an automatic electric coffee maker, otherwise, in order that coffee may be quickly and easily made to serve either with the main course or with dessert, it is a good idea to have the ground coffee measured and in the pot or pots, and to have the kettle filled with fresh cold water ready for boiling. A supply of beer and soft drinks should be chilling in the refrigerator and arrangements should, of course, be made to have plenty of ice on hand for other types of drinks.
The host will need no suggestions about mixing the pre-dinner drinks or arranging on the bar the ingredients for short and long drinks that the guests may mix themselves. Bowls of popcorn, potato chips, plates of dill pickles and olives and a variety of salty appetizers such as herring and anchovies may also be on the bar.
A well pre-planned and pre-prepped stag party will make the transition from hostess to host that much easier.
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These days, nothing is more fun - nor more socially acceptable than - "messing about in the kitchen." What with pressure cookers, electric broilers and blenders, packaged mixes, bottled sauces, every possible herb or spice from the Indies, and something new every day in the frozen food section of any supermarket, Cookery is the latest game, the newest fad.
Now that women find it's fun to cook, and men are remembering that every great name in gastronomy from Epicurus to Escoffier is masculine, the next step is Gourmet Cookery - and turning yourself into a Cordon Bleu is no longer difficult.
We are presenting a selection of great traditional dishes, as well as some "novelties." All are designed to be prepared in a limited time for the modern-day reproduction of a Lucullan Feast - and all are proportioned for four hungry gourmets.
Even ten years ago, many of these recipes could not have been included, and there is no denying that some great culinary masterpieces still cannot be prepared in only thirty minutes. Even with a pressure cooker, the true Coq au Vin, Blanquette de Veau or Boeuf BourguigNonne, while edible cannot possess the suave blend of flavors that comes from leisurely simmering.
Time is essential, too, for chilling or resting of some dishes that can easily be prepared in a few minutes. Therefore, recipes should require 30 minutes or less to prepare - but which must be allowed to stand overnight before the final minutes or preparation and service.
Here are some basic tips for a new cook:
1. It may actually be easier to prepare a glamorous dish (foreign name and all), than the run-of-the-mill dishes you've been eating all your life.
2. Read all the way through a recipe first; check to be sure ingredients are at hand. You will save time and achieve better results if you understand, in general terms, what you are going to do before you start to do it.
3. Never try to make more than one unfamiliar recipe for the same meal! A wise chef never tries a new recipe when there is "company," either. Always get the recipe under your belt at least once before you attempt to produce it with eclat for strangers.
4. Accurate measurements are essential; accurate timing is essential. Never hesitate to make your personal penciled comments next to the recipe; the annotated cookbook is a chefs most valuable possession.
5. Gourmet cookery requires the best quality in ingredient. Please, no substitutions for Real butter, real cream, the freshest mushrooms, the best olive oil - all are essential for a gourmet dish.
6. When there are four or six people for dinner, the chef dictates the schedule: Finish the drinks, wash the hands, and sit down! But for more than six people (even if they will be formally seated at the table), it's wise to plan a main dish that can only improve with overcooking!
7. Wipe meats, poultry and fish on paper toweling, rather than washing - and never season before cooking, as this toughens the flesh. Seasonings go into sauces, or should be added at the end of the plain-cooking.
8. Spaghetti sauces, curries and stews are easy ways to use up leftovers - the easiest things to stretch for unexpected guests - and the simplest things to prepare when the cook wants to enjoy the fun as well as set a distinguished meal on the table.
The Gourmet Shop Online Shows You How To Cook Gourmet Meals And Impress Your Family And Friends
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