Cooking Meat In The Microwave During Those Hot Summer Months

Summer is here and if you are anything like me, you don't want to turn on your oven or stove unless absolutely necessary. I do most of my cooking in the microwave during the summer months. It helps keep my home cooler and cuts down on my cooling bill. I have found that many people don't like to cook meat in the microwave. I was once one of those people. Chicken would come out like rubber and I always worried that ground beef didn't cook thoroughly. I have since found that the trick is to use the right cooking utensils.

My preference in microwave cooking is Tupperware. Their cookware is specifically designed for the microwave so you don't have to worry about the chemicals. Their Oval Cooker is designed to retain the moisture of your meat so that your meat does't come out dry and rubbery. It also has a colander so you can brown your meat and let the grease drip to the bottom. That makes it easy to dispose of the grease drippings or use them for gravy. Tupperware also backs it cooker with a lifetime warranty so if it breaks I can just replace it with a new one, which seems like a good investment to me. So the instructions I am providing below apply to the Tupperware Oval Cooker. If you feel confident using a different type of microwave cooker, of course, try that, but please make sure you follow the guidelines I stated above.

Cooking Ground Beef : Place the ground beef with your favorite seasoning in the colander of the cooker. Cover and cook for 6 minutes per pound. Let sit a few minutes then remove from the microwave. By using the colander all the grease will drain to the bottom of the cooker.

Cooking a Whole Chicken : If using the Oval Cooker you will need to use the extender piece for your average size chicken. Then place the chicken in the cooker. Pour about half a cup of water on the bottom of the cooker. Sprinkle your chicken with your favorites seasonings. Place the cover on the cooker and cook for 6 minutes per pound. I think you will be surprised at how moist your chicken comes out.

Cooking Cut Up Chicken : After cutting up your chicken use the same instructions for cooking a whole chicken. Determine by how high the chicken stacks if you will need to use the extender or not.

Cooking Chicken Pieces : You can use the colander to cook chicken pieces. Cut the chicken into bit size pieces. I usually use chicken breast cutlets for this. Place the cutup chicken pieces in the colander. Season with your favorite seasonings. Place the cover on the cooker and microwave for 6 minutes per pound.

Cooking Pork : I have not yet tried cooking pork in the microwave. Pork is tricky and my family doesn't eat pork so that is one reason I have never tried cooking it in the microwave. However, there are plenty of beef and chicken recipes out there, so I hope the above suggestions will help you keep your kitchen cooler during the hot summer months.

Cooking - Cookware information Posted by : Blueshoots.com
Orignal Source : http://www.goarticles.com/

Cooking Ahead of Time

There are just a few principles needed to master the technique of cooking ahead, and once you know them, you'll have faster, better-tasting, healthier and safer meals to show for it.

The biggest boon to food preparation ahead is the freezer. Everything freezes from the point of view of food safety, but there's a lot of variation in palatability. For best flavor and texture, don't freeze the following foods in your home freezer:

Milk products: they'll curdle.

Boiled eggs: the whites get watery.

Custards: they'll lose texture, get lumpy.

Mayonnaise: it may separate.

Most foods that you fry at home: (except french fries and onions) they can get an unattractive "warmed-over" taste. It's actually the fats turning slightly rancid.

Cooked potatoes: they darken and get an unattractive texture. (If you're going to freeze stew, add cooked potatoes later on when you're reheating the stew.)
Fresh greens, celery, and carrots: they get limp.

Fresh tomatoes: their high water content causes them to collapse when thawed. (However, you can freeze tomatoes if you're going to use them in a cooked form, such as in a pasta sauce.)

Gravy: the fat will separate out and puddle. (If you must freeze gravy, cut way back on the fat when you're making the gravy, and stir constantly when you're reheating it so as to keep the fat from separating.)

Heavily spiced foods: most herbs, salts, onions, fade away, but garlic and cloves will seem more intense. Pepper has a tendency to turn bitter. Curry takes on a musty flavor.

Synthetic flavors: use real vanilla rather than synthetic because synthetic vanilla can have an off-flavor after freezing.

Highly salted foods: salt tends to attract moisture and uneven freezing may result because salt slows down the freezing process.

Cooking - Cookware information Posted by: Blueshoots.com

Orignal Source : cookingtips.cookingcache.com

COFFEE

Remove bitterness from percolators and other coffee pots by filling with water, adding four tablespoons of salt and percolating or boiling as usual.

Coffee from: 'Kitchen Directory and American Housewife' (1844)
"Use a tablespoonful ground to a pint of boiling water [less than a quarter of what we would use today]. Boil in tin pot twenty to twenty-five minutes. If boiled longer it will not taste fresh and lively. Let stand four or five minutes to settle, pour off grounds into a coffee pot or urn. Put fish skin or isinglass size of a nine-pence in pot when put on to boil or else the white and shell of half an egg to a couple of quarts of coffee."

Cooking - Cookware information Posted by: Blueshoots.com

Orignal Source :http://www.foodreference.com/html/tcoffee.html

COCONUTS

Coconut juice or coconut water is the liquid inside a coconut. Coconut milk is produced by steeping grated coconut in hot water then straining; coconut cream is coconut milk cooked down until it thickens, or grated coconut steeped in hot milk instead of water.

One fresh coconut yields about 2 cups chopped
Shredded coconut: 1 pound equals about 5 - 6 cups

The easiest way to open a coconut is to pierce the 3 'eye' with a nail or an ice pick and drain the liquid. Bake the shell at 350 degrees F. for about 20 minutes. Then put it on a firm surface and tap it with a hammer in several places to crack it.

One cup of unsweetened shredded coconut has 26 grams fat and 283 calories.

Cooking - Cookware information Posted by: Blueshoots.com

Orignal Source :http://www.foodreference.com/html/tcoconuts.html

CICELY, SWEET

Sweet cicely leaves have a sweet anise taste, and are good in salads, dressings, stews, and in desserts, especially those that contain tart fruits. The cooked root may be sliced and served cold in salads or by itself with oil and vinegar.

Cooking - Cookware information Posted by: Blueshoots.com

Orig Source :http://www.foodreference.com/html/tcicelysweet.html

Kitchen Sliced

Some frozen and canned vegetables now are labeled as "kitchen sliced" (beans, carrots, potatoes, etc.) Manufacturers use the term to refer to random sized pieces that supposedly give the illusion of being cut at home in the kitchen. The assumption being that home cooks cannot cut food in uniform pieces.

Cooking - Cookware information Posted by: Blueshoots.com

Orig Source :http://www.foodreference.com/html/t-kitchen-slice.html

KETCHUP

There is more to ketchup than just tomato ketchup. Some of the many varieties that have been popular include lobster, walnut, mushroom, cucumber, cranberry, oyster, lemon, grape, and anchovy.

Unopened bottles of ketchup can be stored for 1 year on a cool, dark, dry shelf. Tightly covered opened bottles will last a month in a cool, dark, dry place.

Tomato Catsup has a high acid content (due to both the tomatoes and vinegar in it) and therefore does not have to be refrigerated after opening. It is safe to store it at room temperature, but it will taste better if kept refrigerated.

Cooking - Cookware information Posted by: Blueshoots.com

Orig Source :http://www.foodreference.com/html/tketchup.html

WANT A RECIPE for a great kitchen? That's easy, says Julia Child: You need a few good knives, some serviceable pots, a decent frying pan and several small appliances. Maida Heatter, grande dame of dessert cookbooks, adds a perfectly flat baking sheet to the list. Throw in a couple of gadgets and one beautiful bowl, and now you're cooking.

Such restraint goes against the nature of most Americans, who spent $1.5 billion in 1999 to add a few more gewgaws to their batterie de cuisine. Professional chefs may scoff under their big poufy hats at such indulgences, but they are in remarkable agreement about what constitutes a minimalist kitchen, and how to spend their money where it counts. Here's what well-known cooking experts reach for in their own kitchens--and what you should consider for yours.

Cooking - Cookware information Posted by: Blueshoots.com

Orig Source :http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1318/is_3_55/

Cooking Tips

Prepare what you need before you start. It’s how the pros do it and it simplifies the process when you are scrambling to put it all together.

When using a broiler to cook steaks, pre-heat oven until it's really hot. This will sear the outside of the meat and keep the juices in. And don’t use a fork to turn the steaks, use thongs or a spatula to prevent juices from leaking out.

Buy yourself a potato ricer for mashed potatoes. It a great gadget to have in your kitchen, it looks like a giant garlic press, costs about six bucks, but there’s nothing better for smooth airy mashed potatoes.

A folding steamer platform that sits in almost any pot works great for your steamed veggies. Important, be careful not to overcook the broccoli, you want it to be crisp but tender.

Invest in a salad spinner. They’re inexpensive and work great. There’s nothing more unappealing than soggy lettuce. And speaking of lettuce, you may have grown up on iceberg, but try some red or green leaf lettuce for a little diversity.

Never cook with any wine you wouldn't drink!

You can substitute 1 tbl. of fresh rosemary leaves with 1 tsp. of dried, but fresh is better.

Try using a spray olive oil to coat your roasting pan.

Any brine-cured black olives can be substituted for Kalmata and remember to tell your guests there are pits so they don't break a tooth.

To roast garlic, sprinkle the bulb with a little olive oil and white wine, salt and pepper, wrap it in tin foil and roast in a 350 degree oven for approximately one hour.

Try using a hand blender to puree the soup....it's easier than transferring to food processor.

Mushrooms should be wiped off with a damp cloth and not washed under the faucet since they are like sponges and will absorb the water.

Make sure your roasting pan is the correct size and is placed on the middle rack.
When roasting, save the pan juices for your gravy.

Leeks are full of hard to get at sand and dirt, chop them first, then give them a bath in cold water and drain in a colander.

Try using carrots instead of sugar to sweeten your sauces.

Cracked pepper corns: I opt for putting the peppercorns in a zip lock bag and cracking them on my cutting board with a hammer. Noisy, but it worked. Otherwise, set your pepper mill to course grain instead.

When buying cabbage, look for heads that appear heavier than their size with crisp leaves.

Cooking - Cookware information Posted by: Blueshoots.com

Orignal Source :http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/tips.htm

How to hard cook eggs without cracking

Cold water method or hot? Room temperature eggs or cold eggs? Cold water plunge or no cold water plunge? Here in the foodies kitchen, we tested every possible permutation-- this is how to hard cook an egg:

Use fresh eggs, preferably organic or grain fed, as they peel more easily once cooked. They also have better texture
and flavor.

Handle like eggs. Or nitroglycerin.

Bring eggs to room temperature before cooking. This helps prevent cracking due to the sudden shock of temperature change and ensures a properly cooked egg. If you do use eggs right out of the refrigerator, add a minute or two to the cooking time.
Simmer eggs. A roiling boil is too violent. Call them "hard cooked" instead of "hard boiled" and you'll remember this hint.

Don't crowd the pan. The eggs will knock each other and crack.

In a saucepan, bring enough water to cover the eggs to a boil. With a slotted spoon, lower the eggs into the water. Quickly, bring the water back to a boil. Lower the temperature to medium heat and simmer exactly 10 minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of cold tap water. The cold water will stop further cooking and create a gap between shell and egg for easier peeling. You may put the eggs right into a color bath now if you wish.

Cooking - Cookware information Posted by: Blueshoots.com