Are You Roast Ready?

 The weather is getting cooler. That means roasts either on a weeknight or weekend.Are you ready for them? You should be if you;re well prepared.

A good roast requires a good roasting pan.Keep in mind that roasting pans have various life spans, Some such as Teflon coated ones last only three to five years.It may be a  steal at twelve or thirteen dollars but there are a lot of caveats. It scratches and sticks as well as losing it's non stick properties due to high heat.Another metal to avoid is aluminum and hard anodized aluminum/.It too has problems in warping bending and degrading with intense oven heat. It'd better to spend a few more dollars and buy stainless steel which is the best or cast iron and enameled cast iron.The first lasts a good fifty or more years while the last two can serve you  anywhere from fifteen to twenty years and beyond. Stainless steel resists warping and rusting and just requires basic cleaning.Cast ironed just has to be seasoned and dried  with really no washing.It can be handed down for generations. Are they expensive? Yes A good one from Crate and Barrel can be $179 but you can find much cheaper ones for twenty dollars or more at Wal-mart.

What else do you need? A meat thermometer is a must.These can be found anywhere from Target to Wal-mart.one of the best tis the seventy-four dollar Thermopen,It has professional grade speed and precision. However you can also buy the Thermopen for twenty dollars and still have the same result.You should also have a roll of aluminum foil at hand too. It prevents the meat from burning as well as trapping in moisture for a juicy  bite.It also speeds up cooking and makes clean up a lot of easier. Roasting pans can be a pain to clean thanks to all that cooking on crust and fat.Of course you bypass all this and roast a small cut in your air fryer after. marinating in usually olive oil, lemon juice and spices the roast can be cooked at four hundred degrees Farenheit for fifteen minutes.Reduce the temperature to 320 to 360 degrees Farenheit for another thirty to sixty minutes.Keep in mind you can cook small cuts that are only two to four pounds. Think Cormish hens and pot roast along with a small pork roast.

We;re heading into roast season.Be ready with the pans and meat thermometers. Have the ring foil ready.Or just use the air fryer for an easier cook.It'll make for a hot and hearty dinner.

Rediscovering Your Broiler

For many home chef broiling is a rare experience. It's usually not thought of for cooking steaks, even now when the weather is still warm enough to grill outside. Yet broiling adds to meat,poultry  and fish , giving them a  nice juiciness without all that overpowering smoky flavor. It's time to rediscover this important part of the oven.

John Willoughby did just that and wrote about it in yesterday's New York Times Food section Sixty years ago broiling was de rigeur for home chefs.It was used mostly for chops and steaks and they were usually over broiled until they were dry and flavorless. The method  fell out of favor with only restaurants using them and being renamed as the salamander. (this from the Greeks who attributed the animal with fire producing ability). Luckily a new generation is discovering broilers and using them to create a variety of dishes. His friend and cooking partner, Chris Schlesinger started with steaks, namely because his girlfriend, Suzanne wanted them and the time of year was not agreeable to outdoor cooking. Her craving happened in the middle of a snowstorm. The stomach wants what the stomach wants and Chef Schlesinger decided that pan cooked steak would end up in a smoky kitchen. That's when his broiler snobbery had to be over come and the broiler was the only method left to produced perfectly grilled filet. He was hooked, graduating from beef to chicken to fish.

There are a few warnings to heed before trying out your oven's boiler. Remember that every broiler has its' quirks and peculiarities. Different ones heat to different temperatures and the distance between heat and rack varies from oven to oven. Home chefs have to be active in the cooking process.As with outdoor grilling, it's important to check in often on the food and move it around to avoid one side getting burned or cooked before the other side. Before even starting the broiler needs to be preheated  for five to ten minutes, preferably for the longer period of time. As with grilling select tender and thin pieces of meat to broil.Fish steaks, chicken and steak strips are all fine. Stay away from whole chickens ( although you can broil Cornish hens thanks to their small size) and wholes roasts. Save those for the oven. Pay attention to where the food is positioned. (this doesn't apply to the old fashioned under the oven type). The meat has to be close enough , namely three to four inches away to cook properly. Also nix the Pyrex or any glass  container because they will break. Buy  those aluminum  a roasting pans which can be used many times and then discarded without cleaning.

Home chefs should rediscover broiling. It's a lost method of cooking that should be resurrected. It produces  deliciously broiled meats, that are juicy and succulent,

Cookina Cooking Mats A Home CHef's Friend

Cooking indoors and out can be a home chef's and griller's nightmare. Grilling is a double one because food can slip through the grills and land on hot coals. Everyone can relate to losing a dog or even small filet to hungry coals . Luckily there is Cookina to save the day  - and the barbecue.

Two Canadians, Robert R Richards and Jacques Poirier came up with the ingenious idea of cooking mats to create fuss free baking and cooking back in 1996. The sheets, which can be cut to size eliminate the need for butter or flour if you're using them for baking. The grilling ones are a boon for those grillers who have had to do battle with any grill or hibachi. The material is a polymer that can easily be cleaned and then rolled up to be stored, One of the best aspects is that it is safe to use. Aluminum foil always comes with the warning that it can cause Alzheimer's disease. This is due  to it cracking and flaking off into the food. Cooking at high temps, such as barbecuing causes this deterioration. using Cookina sheets reduces the risk to zero. Another good thing about the mats are that they are affordable. The grill ones are only $19.99 while the baking ones are$12.99. There are even Cookina Gards that help keep your oven splatter free and clean for $12.99 too.

How are the sheets? Perfect for any kind of grilling. One is all you need for  roasting small, loose  veggies such as carrots and asparagus,. It is excellent for roasting potatoes and of course  cookout classics such as dogs and burgers. There is one caveat with the Cookina mat however. You cannot use sharp cooking implements like grilling forks or knives or you will tear or puncture the material.. Stick to tongs and spatulas to turn meat. One of the neatest  extras is the Cookina ring a small but heavy metal circle. This has a dual purpose, one to hold the mat together in a tight roll between uses  and also used to make mini pizzas and baby sliders. The recipes for these are included and are great to make for parties.They are super easy to follow  and a snap to now make over the grill thanks to the mat. Each Cookina mat comes with  a scrubber to help clean it. Mat cleaning is a breeze because you can just use regular dish  soap to clean it .


Make grilling season that much more easier with the Cookina grilling mat. It cuts down on fuss and mess , making for a fun, stress free cookout. Get one today and enjoy fun outdoor cooking and eatung

Repurposing Those Old Pots And Pans

The old adage that they knew how to make stuff in the old days is true.Many pots and pans made before the second World War can still be used today.They are tough , strong enough to withstand countless flames or heavy duty priming. There is only one problem: cleaning them up. Rust and old food is hard to get rid of but with the right cleaners, these gems can be restored to almost brand new again.

It's sad when home chefs throw out a beloved family heirloom because they 're having trouble cleaning it. However there are various solutions to make it usable.If there is still food on it then the first step is to bake it off. This sounds almost counterproductive but it works.Put the oven on self cleaning mode which reduces the baked on gunk to a fine ash..If you don't have a self cleaning oven then you'll need the aerosol spray oven cleaners along with rubber gloves (this is a must because the spray cleaners are mostly lye, a dangerous corrosive). The best  place to do this is a well ventilated area or better yet, outside. Spray the pan generously with the cleaner and then put the whole thing in a plastic garbage bag. Surprisingly leave it for two days . This will give the cleaner enough time to eat away at the rust and food. The following step is washing it again in a mixture of eight parts water to one part vinegar. Priming is next and again this require a hot oven. This is the seasoning part which makes  it ready for use again.

Those discolored aluminum pots can also be scrubbed brand new again.Remember that it's not s sturdy as cast iron and a more gentler cleaning method has to be employed. Start by simply boiling water in it and then letting it soak. You can add a few tablespoons of cream of tartar to remove any dark stains left by certain foods.You can also use different cleansing spray like Dawn Power Dissolver  and allow it to sit on the surface for 30 minutes.Be very careful around the handles , especially if they are wood.A simple soaping and rinse will usually get them clean.Polishing requires different grits of sandpaper as well as You also will need a rubbing compound and a damp rag (similar to silver polish) to bring back the pot's luster.You can also go a more natural route by using cream of tartar, vinegar and lemon juice along with baking soda. You can also clean aluminum utensils with this mixture too.Finish with a non abrasive silver cleaner for luster and shine,

Don't throw out those old pots and pans. These heirlooms can be tidied up and made new again. It just takes some cleaner and elbow grease to get them back to their original sparkle.

A Good Homemade Soup

With the temps being icy, it;s nice to come home to a bowl of homemade soup.There's nothing like a fresh made minestrone or tomato to ward off the chill. Another plus is that homemade soup is free of any chemicals and  high amounts of sodium, making it much more healthier fare. It's not only good for your spirit but also your body.

What do you need for homemade soup. Start off with a good stockpot. If you don't have one get a cast aluminum one, preferably a two quart pot. This allows you to make enough soup to have and then freeze for a few meals. Cheesecloth is another must. This allows you to strain out any seeds or pulp. Food processors  are another have to have for soup makers. You can also go old school with a blender as well.Use both of these  for pureeing veggies or beans .Doing such makes for a smoother creamier texture for your soup. You may want to buy a small strainer too if you're thinking of making your own soup.it gets rid of  any scum that may appear when you're creating the stock.

As for basic ingredients, it pays to have various homemade stocks.It's is labor intensive to make any stock however most can be made and frozen for up to three months.Beef stock does require roasting beef bones along with onions and carrots fir half an hour. Simmering it needs usually five hours. Chicken is also labor intensive as it requires two to three carcasses chopped up. Even something as easy as vegetable requires a lot of slicing and dicing however any work is worth it. The simplest is fish stock which takes about fifteen minutes to prep and 45 minutes to boil. As for adding other ingredients, ask yourself if you want to add whole cream or skinned milk, sea salt or regular salt. How healthy you make it is up to you .

A good homemade soup is  the best bet on a cold winter's day.It's soothing and tasty. Even better it was made with love and concern - something you can't get out of a can.