Thursday, 9 October 2014

How To Add Natural Flavor To Your Water

With the many high end gadgets around you today, it should no longer be new and surprising to you to find one innovation after another. Well, from classroom instruction materials and office technology to your own household items, you can find several advancements that have made your life way easier than before. After all, that is basically what Science is for: to enhance the quality of life.

The most common ones are normally found at home. Imagine how your living room would be without a TV to entertain you. Imagine how a bedroom would be without an air conditioner to make you feel comfortable.

Or perhaps, imagine a kitchen without an oven, a heater, or even just a water bottle to make cooking and dining a pleasurable experience. Yes, you can now find water bottles that are creatively and intelligently designed to innovate the way you quench your thirst.

One really good example is a flavor infuser water bottle.

As simple as it sounds, but having this type of water bottle can make a lot of difference to how you hydrate yourself every day. Surely, you can go on with water alone but that would get boring eventually to the point that you may forget drinking sometimes. Mainly, the bottle allows you to drink in fashion by enabling you to infuse flavor in your water. You do not only stay hydrated but also healthy for having the ability to energize yourself with flavored water.

You can actually choose the naturally flavored water. This is a lot safer than choosing the processed one because the processed flavored water has high sugar content with chemicals and food coloring that are not only safe for you but may also keep you from flattening your belly. Get the right amount of sugar and with your fresh ingredients to refresh you according to your preferences for taste.

With the bottle, personalizing your drink can go crazy but fun as you can create a concoction of flavors, fruity in particular. Choose from the citrusy ones which include oranges, lemon and lime. You may also go with coconut water and kiwi for a more tropical taste. Try mango, limes and mint to get that mojito taste instantly.

You need a water bottle that has BPA-free plastic and leak-proof lid for its features. Double check if it is easy to use and secure. Again, you can be very creative with your mixes and explore different spices and ingredients to add to your water, refreshment and enjoyment.

Thursday, 11 September 2014

Good Lunch Tips With Margarine

Packing sandwiches for your lunch break or kids' midday energy boost can seem like a challenge, especially when you're trying to keep it healthy and interesting. But never fear! Here are some great tips on how using healthy margarine in your lunches can help keep you and your family happy and well.

When lunches are dull it's tempting for the kids to sneak off to the local fast food restaurant around the corner, or even the sweet shop. Using margarine as a spread in your everyday sandwich is an enticing incentive to get munching and is a great way to ensure your kids are getting some extra goodness into them at school.

Margarine is high in the good fats our body need, but can't make by itself such as omega 3 and 6. It also contains extra vitamins such as A and D, for healthy eyes and bones.. Furthermore, it has less saturated fats than butter and only traces of trans fats. Simply making some basic changes in your eating habits could have a major impact on your lifestyle as well as making sure your little ones are getting more of the goodness they need.

Replacing your mid-afternoon chocolate bar with a healthy snack, such as fresh vegetables with hummus and a thick slice of bread lightly spread with your favourite margarine blend is the ideal way to beat the blues and to avoid that sugar crash we've all come to expect at 3.00 in the afternoon! Swapping the kids' crisps for cereal bars for healthy margarine-and-jam sandwiches is a good way to keep their energy up and their tummies full.

But lunches aren't always about sandwiches. In the winter it can be such a treat to heat up a bowl of fresh, home-made soup. There are oodles of recipes that'll do just the trick, such as creamy leek and potato soup with a bit of a difference.

Vegetarian and margarine lover Kim shared her day healthy, home-cooked food with us and her Turnip Greens and Caramelised Onion lunch recipe from My Recipes is just divine:

Just melt 2 teaspoons of margarine over medium-high heat. Add 4 cups of sliced onion then sauté for about 7 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar and ½ a teaspoon of pepper. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 20 minutes. Make sure you keep stirring frequently. Remove onion mixture from the pan and set aside. Place a pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Gradually add you 2lbs of chopped turnip greens, and cook until wilted, stirring frequently. Add onion mixture to turnip greens and stir gently. If you're feeling daring you could try a dash of hot pepper sauce to add excitement!

Wednesday, 3 September 2014

Travel to Asia by Learning to Cook Their Meals

Imagine if you could explore the tastes of Asia without going on a plane ride, wouldn't that be amazing? You know what's extra amazing? Knowing how to do it without booking a single reservation in a restaurant. That's the advantage of knowing how to cook Asian dishes, you get to experience the exotic flavors of these countries, and you're doing it in the convenience of your own home. Admittedly, learning to cook Asian meals can be quite intimidating. To begin with, you are not used to working with their usual ingredients and spices. The exotic flavors can be quite daunting for you, so it is truly important to enroll yourself in a cooking class that specializes in this.

Learn how to cook Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Chinese and Indian. Asia is a continent filled with rich cultures and a variety of cuisine, you will definitely enjoy learning about the different meals and exploring the flavors of all four countries offered in the course.

Take a trip to Japan and enjoy the delicious taste of their freshly-made dishes. If you are not convinced, keep in mind that Japan has more Michelin-starred restaurants as compared to other countries. That accounts for something, right? Since Japanese cuisine is quite diverse, you will learn about several dishes from this country.

Naturally, you will start with sushi, which is one of their more popular dishes. Learn how to make sushi with different ingredients. Next you will learn how to make a nice Japanese pancake. Do not be misled, this "pancake" is more than your typical pan-flipped, breakfast pancakes. You can also try your hand with cooking chicken, which are Japanese steamed dumplings.

You can enjoy the flavors of Thailand by learning how to prepare their traditional Thai dishes such as Panda n leaf fried chicken and the like. You can also experiment by trying Thai hawker food which includes their famous hot sour soup.

Learn how to create Vietnamese noodles, and top it off with delicious spring rolls and grilled chicken. This fusion of sweet, sour and spice flavors will leave you craving for Vietnamese food all the time.

Finally, learn to cook Indian dishes. If you think Indian food is complicated, you will soon find out that once you get the hang of it, it is quite easy to prepare. Learn how to use those traditional Indian spices, by cooking classic dishes such as Chickpea Curry, Punjabi Fried Bread and the ever-faithful Tandoori Chicken. You will also learn to create an authentic Punjabi Butter Chicken dish, samosas and an Indian Tamarind Chutney. You will be blown away by the explosion of flavors that Indian dishes are well-known for.

Once you've completed this Asian cooking classes, you can now enjoy Asian cuisine any time you want to. It will now be a great time to invite your friends for a night of feasting on Asian dishes. It's a great way to show off your newly-learned kitchen tricks, and of course, the perfect way to enjoy great food.

Thursday, 21 August 2014

Cooking Ways of Slow Smoked Pulled Pork BBQ

Barbecues are great for making non vegetarian recipes. The barbeque pork lovers are increasing day by day from every part of the globe as it adds a different smoky flavor to the pulled pork meat. The smoke infused inside the meat appeals every barbecue lover. With the advent of modern charcoal smokers, barbeque is still considered much better for cooking at home and in restaurants.

Slow cooked barbeque smoker cooking allows preparing pork at slow temperatures which makes it tender enough so that the meat falls right apart as you pick it up. The technique of barbecuing makes it much tastier and adds crispy texture to it.

The cut of meat for pulled pork is called pork shoulder or shredded pork as the cut of meat comes from the shoulder.

Many crowd pleaser recipes can be made with BBQ pulled pork. It can be easily served to the guests without taking much time. And, you will be amazed at how easy it is to cook and present to your guests.

Before using the barbecue it's recommended to remove dirt from it. Use soap and water to clean the grill and remove any leftovers as it might change the taste of your pork meat.

Take your pork meat from the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature prior cooking it. The reward for planning ahead will be a juicier piece of meat.

Always pick your pork meat properly. The pork butt is less skinny so it can be smoked very easily.

Rub your pork meat with spices and herbs, salts which will add a tinge of taste to it. Use oil all over the front and back beforehand so that it is absorbed into the pork meat properly. You can also put some good amount of seasoning over the pork which will add flavors to it.

You can use a meat temperature checker which can help in keeping the temperature constant throughout the BBQ smoking process and result into good cooking of pork from inside.

Once the barbecuing process starts use indirect heat otherwise it won't be able to cook it properly and it will remain uncooked at the center.

The pork can be barbequed in two ways actually one is the slow cooker and other is low heat. By using the barbeque method of slow cooking the pork will not be over cooked and will never dry up eventually. Other method of cooking on low heat or smoker cooking is to place the pork on the racks so that the smoke will start to form meats own juice.

Once the smoking is over which ends the cooking process. Now pull the pork pieces with fork and hence your BBQ pulled pork is ready to be served with bun or rolls or your favourite sauces. Some can enjoy them with the sandwiches or can be served alone.

Sunday, 17 August 2014

How I Make Scrambled Eggs

First, I start with a large pan pre-heated to low. Next, I get the eggs. For a smaller pan, two or three is enough. For a large one, you can do as many as six. Crack those suckers open and pour them into the pan evenly spaced. Don't worry too much about any tiny pieces of eggshell. You won't even notice with the finished product anyways. Wick the goop to an even consistency and turn the pan up to low-med.

Now is your chance to add a little something to the mix, along with the milk of course. Personally, I've used vanilla extract, maple syrup(real), and other more sugary additives with good results. Don't try chocolate milk though, it's nasty! I don't believe in carefully measuring ingredients, just trust your cooking instincts and fee it out.

Wick it even again and let the heat do it's thing. Resist the urge to turn it up. If you do it'll start to burn on the bottom before you see any signs up it on top.

You know what goes good with eggs? Bacon!! I won't go over every minor detail but I will share one secret with you. When dry, the bacon is always a lot harder than when it was on the pan. Therefore you should take it off when it is still fairly soft. Again this is a feeling out/ instinct process and like most things, perfect bacon is all about perfect timing.

So, once your eggs start to get a bit of consistency, you have to start wicking them again to keep the bottom from burning. Do this slowly and in decreasing intervals. Once again it's all about going by instinct.

When the eggs are ready to take off the pan, they should be just starting to dry out, but still fluffy and a little creamy. If you pick them up and they drip, they're still to wet. If there's any crispiness at all, you overdid it. Making mistakes at this stage can be quite frustrating and you're probably going to eat your mistakes anyways.

Now here's how I would serve up my eggs. I'd eat them with bacon, toast, and a nice glass of orange juice. I hope I don't have to tell anyone how to make toast. Orange juice is a better choice than milk because when you get older, your body loses the ability to digest the sugar lactose found in dairy products.