Fine Old Recipes

When the air is so hot and heavy in Summer that you are sweating whilst standing perfectly still, then you know it’s hot, hot, hot outside.

Predictably, Summer comes once a year. Why we act surprised as the weather starts to swelter, I don’t know. Every year like clock work, the thermometer starts to rise. Every year, like clock work, we start complaining about the weather. Geesh!

The good news is that somehow we have managed to adapt our cuisine to the elevated temperatures, and we have yet to starve. Your kitchen and cooking style adapts. If you are now to warm climates, though, you might need to learn a bit about all this.

First of all, for a newbie to hot weather, give up the idea of cooking a full-fledged Sunday dinner in the Summer. Put that idea in a box, and put the box on a shelf until Fall. You do not, should not, must not turn on the oven when it is already hot outside. Even if you have air conditioning, you do not want to tax your AC system with more heat from an oven.

Here are a few more tips for you and your Summer cookery:

Simple – Look at it this way. All you have to do is take in enough calories to keep you chugging along. It does not have to be a fancy meal composed of dozens of dishes.

Garnish – Even though you will be serving simle meals, don’t hesitate to dress them up. A bit of parsley or some carrot curls will go a long way towards adding eye appeal to your dishes.

Fresh – Now is the time to eat food that is fresh, fresh, fresh. Try a tomato sandwich. No meat necessary. Lucious!

Local – Eat what comes from the area and you will find that your body and your meals get right in synch with the weather. There’s a reason cooked cold shrimp tastes so good in the South. It was made to be eaten by residents of the area.

Grocery – Try not to go out to the store so often when the weather is warm. Conserve your energy. Use the items on your pantry shelf, like canned tuna. Today we have the opportunity to go shopping online.

Summer weather is transitory. The hottest of it will be over in no time. Then you can start serving up your seasonal heavier soups and roasts. In the meantime, enjoy the pure delights of a light and fresh menu.

Cake is essential for birthday parties, wedding reception, graduation celebrations, and just about any celebration out there.  Cake is fairly easy to make, it tastes great, and you can decorate it however you want.  Decorations can be elaborate or simple.  There are many possibilities.

When you decide to bake or buy a cake for an event or get together, you have to decide what kind of cake to get.  There are lots of different kinds out there, but the most common are chocolate cake and yellow cake.  If you absolutely love one over the other or another flavor such as white cake, then your decision is easy.  Otherwise, you have some decisions to make.

One thing you have to keep in mind is the people you are serving the cake to.  Some people don’t like or are allergic to chocolate cake.  If you know this ahead of time, you should go with yellow cake.  If not, chocolate does go very well with a lot of different frostings and fillings.  On the other hand, yellow cake is classic and delicious as well.  You can serve it with chocolate frosting and not feel like you’re eating too much chocolate.

A great idea if you are trying to choose between the two is to go with half and half.  If you just love either too much to choose, do one layer chocolate and one layer yellow.  If you want to give people an option, make half of the cake chocolate and half of it yellow.  This way they can have either chocolate or vanilla.  Of course, make sure you remember which half is which.

In the end, you have a pretty nice dilemma.  You have to choose between one delicious cake and another.  It can’t get much better than that.  Enjoy your celebration cake with the people you care about!

A deep fat fryer has always been an easy way to prepare deep fried foods at home. But more recently deep frying itself has been associated with negative health issues, such as high cholesterol and obesity. This has forced many families concerned about their health and overall weight to think twice before cooking a plate of fries. But is it really necessary to eliminate deep fried foods from your diet completely?

Thankfully, it is possible to reduce the unhealthy characteristics of deep fat frying by using the right equipment, and understanding some basic principles on how foods cook in hot oil. The right combination of equipment and technique can make a big difference in the end result.

For the healthiest deep fried foods possible, you need to carefully control three things: cooking agent, temperature and time. The cooking agent is the oil that will be used to fry the food item. The best oils from a health standpoint are monounsaturated, such as peanut and canola. You also want an oil with a high ‘smoke point’. This is the temperature at which the oil will begin to smoke and break down chemically. Smoke points of at least 400 degrees are good choices.

After you have selected a suitable cooking oil, the next thing to address is cooking temperature. Maintaining the correct temperature throughout the frying process is probably the single most important factor in producing that perfect deep fried taste. Oil that is not hot enough to begin with, or overloading the fryer with too much food are common mistakes that will produce soggy, oil soaked results.

Since deep fat frying is such a fast cooking method, optimal results can only be achieved by carefully monitoring the food item as it cooks. Times listed in the recipe can be used as a guide, but other factors such as the fryer and starting temperature of the food will all impact the timing. Foods at room temperature tend to cook faster than those from the freezer. The characteristic golden brown color of perfectly cooked fries can best be achieved by careful observation and continued practice.

A modern deep fat fryer allows virtually anyone to make a variety of deep fried foods quickly and easily for a lot less. Careful selection of cooking oils and mastering some simple techniques can produce the healthiest deep fried foods possible, while still maintaining the texture and taste characteristics that deep frying is famous for.

A deep fat fryer in your kitchen allows you to satisfy your family’s craving for deep fried foods while at the same time remaining health conscious. Start by reading the latest deep fat fryer reviews.