Cooking Tips

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Have you been frustrated by cracks in the top of your cheesecakes? Would you like tips to make flaky biscuits? Or would you just like to know a bit more about sweet potatoes? Try these cooking tips from the Good Cooking Central website today for better results in your kitchen endeavors:

BISCUIT TIPS:

If you want biscuits that are crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside, you roll the dough thinly and fold it over once before cutting out the biscuits. They will then split open easily when you’re ready to butter them.

To re- heat biscuits, put them in a well-dampened paper bag. Twist the bag closed and put in a 300 oven for several minutes or until warm.

For soft-sided biscuits, bake them in a pan with sides and put the biscuits close together. For crusty biscuits, bake them on a cookie sheet and separate them from each other.

PREVENTING CHEESECAKE CRACKS:

Grease the sides of the pan before adding batter. The surface will not stick to the sides of the pan and crack when the cheesecake starts shrinking as it cools.

Run a knife or a metal spatula around the edges of the pan immediately after removing the cheesecake from the oven.

Drastic temperature changes can also cause a cheesecake to crack. Avoid putting a warm cheesecake from the oven into the refrigerator.

To disguise cracks, top the cheesecake with fruit or some other topping.

SOUR MILK:

Since sour milk is not really sold in the grocery stores, when a recipe calls for sour milk, simply add 1 TBSP. of vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk. You can also use buttermilk to replace the sour milk called for in a recipes.

BAKING POWDER:

If you use too much baking powder in a recipe it will produce a product with a coarse grain, and will cause the product to eventually fall. If you use too little baking powder, the product will not rise enough and be heavy.

Baking powder tends to lose its strength over time and should be kept in a tightly covered container. Moisture will cause the baking powder to deteriorate faster.

When increasing the amount of eggs in a recipe, decrease the baking powder by 1/2 teaspoon for each extra egg added.

CUTTING FAT WITH APPLESAUCE:

To reduce the fat content in your baking recipes, substitute applesauce for half of the amount of vegetable oil called for in the recipe. Using all applesauce produces a low-calorie, moist product.

ADJUST TEMPERATURE FOR DIFFERENT PANS:

Keep in mind that the type of pan you use when baking can determine the outcome of your finished product. For glass pans, turn down baking temperature by 25?. If you substitute a shallow pan, reduce the overall baking time by one quarter. If you use a deeper pan than suggested in the recipe, increase the overall baking time by one quarter.

ALTERNATIVES TO COOKING WITH BUTTER:

When browning or sauting onions, hamburger, etc., replace the butter by spraying your skillet with non-stick spray or use chicken or beef broth instead.

Tips for grilling chicken

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One of the most preferred ways of eating any meat is by grilling it. Of all the meat options available, the most far reaching and delicious one has to be the chicken. Grilled chicken has many nutritional benefits, variety of flavors and can be cooked in a various ways. Chicken is easy to cook, doesnt require much prep, and if done right grilled chicken can be absolutely spectacular, making it a mouthwatering option! For this to happen though, you will need the best tips for grilling chicken! You cannot expect to just snap your fingers and your grilled chicken will just knock the socks off of your guests. Grilling chicken is just not that simple. Here are some tips for grilling spectacular grilled chicken.

Grilling chicken the right way!

Even though chicken is one of the most commonly cooked meat products, it is still very easy to go wrong while cooking it. Most people either end up overcooking the meat, making it stringy and tough or under cooking it and leaving it raw and smelly. Grilling chicken might not be a science but tips for grilling chicken, if followed correctly, will help you make the most delightfully cooked grilled chicken every single time.

Best Tips for Grilling Chicken

Buy FRESH ingredients! One of the all-time favorite tips for grilling chicken is to use the finest and most fresh ingredients! If you have the option to buy fresh chicken from the butcher or frozen chicken pieces from the cold storage, pick FRESH chicken every single time. There is nothing like a fresh chicken for a successful grilling experience. The taste and texture differ so much that you will feel like you are eating two different meats altogether.

POUND the chicken! If you are grilling boneless pieces of chicken as is mostly the case, an even thick slice of tender meat is what you are looking for. Pound the piece of chicken till it reaches a uniform thickness. One of the most important tips for grilling chicken is to cook the chicken all the way through without allowing the sides and ends of the piece to become dry and this is much easier to achieve if you follow the previous steps.

Use a MARINADE! Chicken pieces make for wonderful and marvelous grilling meats. One of the most supreme tips for grilling chicken is to use a marinade that will not allow the chicken to become dry and stringy which we already mentioned. Since chicken doesnt have any layers of fat it cooks fast and can easily become dry. While this makes it a healthy meat to eat, you might end up with dry bits and using tips for grilling chicken like making a marinade or brine which will reduce the chances of this occurring.

Prevent FLARE UPS & CHARRED chicken! Another tip for grilling chicken is to cook it fast on high heat! Trying to expedite the process by increasing the quantity and intensifying the quality of flames might lead to a flare up and nobody likes to eat scorched or charred chicken. Chicken will cook fast; this doesnt mean it needs high flames, just high temperature. Generally grill your chicken 3-4 minutes per side on high heat. If you want to add BBQ sauce waits until the last minute, if you add it too soon it will create a burnt skin that is unpleasant to eat.

Grocery Shop to Cook on a Budget

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Cooking at home is certainly more cost effective than eating out. But in order to cook on a budget, it doesnt mean that you have to buy cheaper food. Generally, cheaper food is less healthy for you, and everyday cooking should call for the most wholesome ingredients you can find.

If you have stress over cooking at home while still cooking on a budget, the first place to start is in the grocery store where your food bill originates. There are some simple ways that you can lower your grocery bill without having to buy inferior products and still make cooking at home nutritious and fun.

First, know your basic portions for the people for whom you cook. The following list gives you the averages for each type of food product that Im going to discuss today (per meal): Protein = 5 ounces raw protein Vegetable = 4 ounces raw vegetable Starch = 3 ounces raw starch

What this means is that if youre cooking for four people, 5 ounces of raw protein times 4 people is 20 total ounces. Thats less than a pound and a half total. Now, you have a quantifiable number to buy. Dont buy the three pound container of chicken breasts, youll over-cook, over-portion and waste food and money.

Be able to do some simple math while in the grocery store, because packages are down-sizing. Notice that many boxes of pasta are no longer a full pound. Many have been down-sized to 12 ounces, but the price not down-sized appropriately. You need to figure out the cost per ounce, or some common denominator so you can compare the products correctly.

However, you also have to keep this in mind when you are thinking about portion sizes. In my household, I prepare 5.3 ounces of dry pasta for two people. This gives me three meals out of a 1 pound box. However, if I can only buy a 12 ounce box, its easy to just make the whole box. Dont! The result will either be that you overeat or have to throw leftovers away. Be aware of the portions and save the uncooked leftovers in the box for another day. Your stomach and your pocket will thank you.

Cooking at home can save you more money than ever when you know your portions. Knowing your portions and paying attention to package sizes will make you able to purchase with your cooking in mind and not over-buy, pay the highest price per ounce, or throw the leftovers away. Your goal for cooking on a budget is to purchase only what youll cook, and cook only what you purchase. This is everyday cooking with your budget in mind.

Flavor from the Far East-How to Add Asian Flare to Your Cooking

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Asian countries have a long and rich culinary tradition. Throughout the vast continent, it is possible to see all manner of ingredients and tastes. There is something unmistakably delicious about certain foods and flavors that capture the imagination of any cook. Dishes from Asian countries often satisfy the appetite without an uncomfortable feeling of fullness that one often finds in Western cuisine.

Every country in the continent has its own unique perspective on Asian cooking. Though the customs from different regions can seem quite different, their commonality is unmistakable. Those who would like to add some of this exquisite experience to their own dining can start by incorporating some of the most important ingredients from Asian cooking into their own kitchen.

Asian Staples

There are a few elements found repeatedly in Asian cooking that are essential to capturing the essence of the cuisine.
Most dishes include rice, because it is the main crop of many Asian countries and is used in almost every capacity. Not only steamed rice, but rice paper and noodles can be included in a meal.
Tofu is often used in vegetarian meals, because it is high in protein. It is used heavily in regions with a tradition of Buddhism.
Sauces are important to flavor rice and stir-fry. Soy sauce, oyster sauce, black bean sauce, and fish sauces are easy to keep on hand.
Tea is not only good for the body; it is the perfect accompaniment to Asian cuisine. Japanese Cooking

The island nation of Japan has an illustrious tradition. Their cuisine is full of fish and other consumables from the sea. Japanese cooking utilizes noodles made of wheat and other materials much more than other Asian dishes.

In order to add some Japanese flavor to meal, try using soy sauce or wasabi. Also, Japanese dishes are characterized by their ordered appearance. Sauces, rice, and main courses are all served in their own individual bowls. This can be seen in popular Japanese foods like sushi and tempura.

The Tastes of China

Traditional Chinese food can be quite different than what is labeled as Chinese in the United States. Many recipes contain large amounts of vegetables like corn, bean sprouts, and shitake mushrooms. Peanuts are also found in many Chinese foods.

The most distinct part of Chinese dining is the serving style. Food should be pre-cut into small pieces. Every diner should get a rice bowl, but other foods should be communal so that the diners may pick what they wish to sample with their chopsticks.

Southeast Asian Dining

Though they are often grouped together, the Southeast Asian countries include Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, and Vietnam among others. These countries all have their own strong dishes and techniques to bring to the kitchen, but have many similarities.

Cooks who want to capture the flavor of this region should look to fish sauces, lemon grass, and spices like turmeric and garlic. These elements are used all over this region because of the high concentration of fishing communities. Most dishes are served with fresh herbs, vegetables and dipping sauces.

Foods Eaten in Nigeria and how to make fried rice.

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There are lots of foods eaten in Nigeria and I want to list the few popular ones and then a detailed guide on how to make fried rice – one of my favorites.

Are you married to a Nigerian man and finds yourself in a tight corner when it comes to making foods for him or worried about his appetite or yearning for home made foods, do you find it confusing that Nigerians in Diaspora often feel excited when they find Nigeria foods? The reason is simple; we used to say that – there is no place like home or home made food.

Most foods eaten in Nigerian are easy and often straight forward to make. The most popular food in Nigeria is Eba popularly called (garri). Eba goes with any of the many Nigerian soups and could be substituted with fufu, semo, amarla or wheat meal.

Eba and fufu are by-products of cassava, while fufu is made by fermenting cassava for 3 to 4 day and sieving out the chaff, eba is often simpler in making. Eba which is also called (garri) is made by peeling off the back of cassava, then grounding and frying on a dry hot pot.

There are lots of soups eaten in Nigerian that can go with eba, fufu, or semo. The most popular Nigerian soup is the egusi soup (melon) it is often very easy to prepare or at least very easy for me to prepare. Egusi soup can also be eaten with white rice.

That’s just about few of the Nigerian popular foods I just want to focus specifically on how to cook fried rice – The most popular Nigerian recipe. Fried rice takes about one to two hour to prepare and the real work is the preparation of things used in making fried rice instead of the actual cooking.

Ingredients include:

3 cups of rice
1 to 2 table spoon-full of curry powder
2 ball of onions
Medium sized cabbage
2 to 3 medium sized carrot
11/2 cups of chopped green beans
About 1/5 kg of liver
Meat of choice (beef, turkey, chicken) most people prefer chicken in Nigeria
2 to 3 cubes of maggi
green peas (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste.

The preparation:
Parboil the meat with meat ingredients (curry/thyme powder, 1 maggi cube, 1 ball of onions and salt) for about 10 to 15 minutes. It is often necessary to parboil this meat with these ingredients just to end up with a tasteful meat.

Add more water to the meat and cook until it is soft for consumption. then pick out from the water and deep-fry in groundnut/vegetable oil (leaving out the meat water on the pot)

Chop the carrot, cabbage, green beans, green pepper, and liver then set aside on different bowls.

Then parboil the 3 cups of rice and cook white till it is about 75% done.

How To Make Fried Rice:

Like I stated initially that the cooking of fried rice in Nigeria is quite simple, the most tedious aspect is the preparation of things used in cooking it.

Set your cooking pot on fire, allow drying before adding groundnut/vegetable oil (the one used in frying the meat would do) use about 15 to 20 cl of oil, allow to heat then add the chopped carrot and green beans.

Fry for two to three minutes and add the peas (optional), add the curry powder to get a very yellowish mixture. (the curry powder actually give Nigerian fried rice its yellowish color.

Add the chopped cabbage, stir and add the liver and green pepper. Pour in the left over water from the parboiled meat, add maggi/salt and pepper to taste, make them a bit in excess because the rice will absorb most of the ingredients.

At this point you are almost done. Add the white rice, stir/turn very well, cover your pot and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with the fried meat and soft drink of choice.
This is how to make Nigerian fried rice; I told you it is easy.

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