Posts

Showing posts from June 14, 2009

Cooking Tips for Gas Grills to make Grilling Quicker, Easier and Tastier

by: Chef Todd Mohr Grilling, like any basic cooking method, can be mastered. These cooking tips for gas grills will get you started on the road to expert grilling any time of year. Although most people see it as easy, grilling is actually one of the most challenging basic cooking methods. If cooking is like driving a car, grilling is like being strapped to a rocket ship! Since grilling is an intense form of direct heat cooking, controlling the heat can be tricky. This presents the greatest challenge to home cooks. As the weather starts to get nicer and the great outdoors beckons, attention starts to turn to outdoor cooking - and gas barbeque grills can't be beat for simplicity and convenience. Now more than ever, smart home cooks are looking for the best cooking tips for gas grills to make their work faster and easier - and their results better. But grilling only becomes EASY when you know these simple cooking tips for gas grills that are guaranteed to improve your results. Prepari

Why Organic Coffee Beans Make All The Difference In The World

by: Dickson Yan There are many opinions about organic coffee beans. The reason there are so many opinions is because there are many reasons you would want to buy organic. There is a major shift nationally to go to all organic products and coffee is no different. Farming methods that don’t use harsh chemicals and other materials that aren’t good for the environment are becoming increasingly popular and coffee beans are no different. It should be very simple to know whether a coffee grower is organic or not. Coffee carrying the organic name must follow strict USDA standards, accreditation, and certification. One of the requirements is that a farm grow coffee for over three years without any harsh chemicals or artificial pesticides. They also must prove that they have a viable plan for crop rotation. This way they will maintain the fertility of the soil and reduce erosion down to a minimum. If you are interested in organic coffee, it is becoming increasingly popular in the supermarket. In

How to Have a Healthy Meal at Resturants

by: Michael Koh If you love to eat at restaurants, you may think that this is not good for a healthy diet lifestyle. In many cases, you would be correct. However, you can still enjoy restaurants occasionally while maintaining your healthy diet. Its all about making good food choices, and this starts with learning about the nutrition you need to stay physically healthy, mentally well, active and cheerful! When you pick up the menu, firstly, skip over the drink section. Although you may be tempted to enjoy mixed beverage or a beer with your dinner, these usually have many empty calories, which is bad for your body. The exception to this rule is wine, especially red wine, which can be fine if you have a single glass. It can actually help prevent heart disease for some patients. Also skip over the appetizer menu, unless it is to over a side salad. The appetizers at restaurants are usually high-fat foods that are by no means to fill you up and can in fact make you crave even more high fat f

Homemade Chocolate Recipes for Health and Well-Being

Eating chocolate usually means steering away from a sensitive diet be it weight loss diet or any other "health-conscious" one. Homemade chocolate recipes can help dispel this myth. First of all, why chocolate has a negative image? Commercially made chocolate contains very little cocoa, the important and healthy ingredient of chocolate, lots of sugar, artificial flavors, coloring and preservatives. This is definitely not something a health-conscious individual would dream about. Even if you buy a chocolate that contains over 60% of cocoa, in most of the cases it is still loaded with other unwanted ingredients. Second, why we should include cocoa in a healthy diet? Cocoa contains lots of vitamins and minerals. It contains more antioxidants than red wine, for example. It has also mood-elevating properties that help combat depressions, mood swings and junk food cravings. So, it is not only a healthy food but can also help lose weight. Since it contains lots of fat, it should be c

Coffee Lifecycle

by: Rogers Estate Coffees There are two basic types of coffee trees: Arabicas and Robustas. Robustas are hardy, high-yielding trees that grow at lower elevations in the tropics. They yield low-quality coffee with a harsh astringent taste, so Robustas are generally blended with other coffees to mask their poor flavor. Most gourmet coffee roasters will not buy Robustas. Arabicas, however, are delicate trees that yield top-quality coffee. They are grown in high elevations, usually above 3,000 feet, in partly cloudy or shady climates, where the coffee cherry develops slowly. The ripe, red cherry of Arabica trees are harvested by hand, so only the ripest, highest quality beans are processed. Indeed, since coffee trees have cherries that are in various stages of development, this is the only way to insure consistency and quality. After harvesting, the coffee beans (actually the seeds of the cherry) are processed to remove them from the cherries. They are then sorted both by machine and by ha

Cooking with Fresh Herbs: Add Savory Flair to Your Favorite Recipes with These Simple Tricks

by: Jamie Jefferson Fresh herbs add such savory flair to recipes, but if you don't know the basic rules for cooking with them, it can seem overwhelming. Here's what you need to know to start using herbs to liven up your favorite recipes. Using Fresh Herbs First, fresh herbs can be used in your baking, cooking and salads. They pack a lot more flavor than dried herbs. You can even grow the herbs yourself so that they are organic. You'll also save a lot of money because store-bought fresh herbs can get rather expensive. When you use fresh herbs in a recipe, you need to make sure to use more than you would for dried herbs. Generally speaking, one teaspoon of dried herbs equals one tablespoon of fresh herbs. With this conversion measurement, you can use fresh herbs in any of the recipes that you currently make. You'll notice the difference in flavor right away. If you're creating your own recipes you should know that some herbs are traditionally paired with certain dishe