Every home chef wants the perfect kitchen. It has to be perfect for cooking and baking, outfitted with the best equipment and appliances. Yet is all of it worth it?Or will it just be a room full of unused junk? What makes a kitchen want and kitchen need?
Writing about food makes one want every gadget and appliance under the sun. That's what happened to me. I read and saw what professional and home chefs have and instantly craved their gadgets and gewgaws. I still have a madeleine pan from four or five years ago. I really wanted to make them but never got around to making them. The recipe is very labor intensive, involving melting butter and high speed beating. Now I recently bought two doughnut pans, one for plain baked ones and the other for fancier ones. Will I use them? Hopefully. Should home bakers have all these fancy pans? Yes, if you're really into baking. The pans and the molds are not that expensive and if you have the room go for them. What home bakers really need is two cookie sheets, especially around the holidays and for bake sales.Also a roll or two of parchment paper will always be needed, especially if you make a lot of meringues or meringue based desserts such as pavlovas and Eton mess.Do you need icing and cookie guns? Again if you do a lot of baking. Cookie guns are great for making those buttery bakery style cookies and they can create a variety of pretty shapes. Sturdy , long lasting loaf and cake pans are a must. One loaf pan will suffice while two or three simple cake pans are all you need.
What about those gadgets that are more or less like appliances? All home chefs should have a crock pot. That's a given.It's wonderful in making homemade tomato sauce and slow cooked chili.It's also good for making homemade soups and chowders like minestrone and corn chowder. Many have embraced the all encompassing Insta-Pot which is like a crock pot on steroids. Using it a lot will pay off the price which can range anywhere from $59.00 to $99.00, depending on the make and the store selling it. They can cook everything from pasta to pot roast. Some can even be used for baking - a boon for those who have participate in bake sales and cookie exchanges. Assess your needs before springing for one. If you feel you need something that can do a lot freeing you from the kitchen , then buy one. However if it's just one or two people or you need slow cooking once or twice a month then opt for the crock pot. Air fryers are another popular kitchen must have. I'm a big fan of them , using mine at least three or four times a week. Air frying is a lot easier than oven roasting and stove top frying. My favorite part is the beeping timer , letting you know when the food is done. Another plus is that air fryers cook in half the time of a regular oven.Get one. You won't regret adding it to your arsenal of gadgets. Now there are smaller versions of these pods , and they 're selling for only $29.99 at Target.
It's up to you to decide what you want and need for your kitchen. As with any purchase think about if it's a need or a want. If you can use it buy it. Make that your rule for future kitchen buys.
Showing posts with label chowders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chowders. Show all posts
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Monday, June 6, 2016
The Ultimate Bacon Cookbook
Bacon lovers are a rare breed. Their lives revolve those mouthwatering cured strips and will do anything to incorporate it into their diets. Luckily, here is a great new cookbook out there with all sorts of savory and sweet recipes that feature bacon.
101 More Things To Do With Bacon (Gibbs-Smith Publishing} is a fun cookbook and a great Father's Day gift for those bacon loving paters. The book was written Eliza Cross, who has penned several of these little cookbooks featuring such diverse ingredients as pickles and beer.She is also a bacon lover and the founder of BENSA, the bacon enthusiast society. It is a slim cookbook (122 pages) but chock full of interesting recipes from breakfast to candy(!). She also includes two pages of helpful hints that help in cooking it. Home cooks will appreciate such facts as nitrate free bacon is sometimes saltier than regular bacon due to processing. She recommends adjusting the salt accordingly if using nitrate free slices. There is more advice regarding artisanal bacon, now a standard in some kitchens and being made by many adventurous home chefs.Also sweet flavored bacon, such as the ones flavored with apple cider, brown sugar or maple syrup may cook up faster than the regular kind and could burn quicker There are also tips on freezing and microwaving it as well as what to do with bacon grease. She gives smart advice on disposing it - never pour the down the sink.It solidifies quick and creates clogs. Instead put in into a can and dispose of it through the garbage. Bacon fat can also be reused in several recipes too and used to fry up hotcakes.
Bacon recipes are fun and these are no exception. The book is divided into different chapters, from breakfast - of course - to desserts. The breakfast ones are not what you would think, There are some truly original ones such as apple bacon strata, a layered breakfast casserole that features Granny Smith apples and pecans and the jalapeno bacon popper quiche, an egg pie loaded with heavy cream and cheese along with the strips and peppers. The appetizers are also varied . There is slow cooker bacon cheeseburger dip that not only uses a pound (!) of it but also a pound of lean ground beef for a fun and flavorful dip.Bacon batons are a neat way to start a party. These are spiced and sugar bacon strips wrapped around the thin Torinese breadsticks, or grissini, Bacon is also a fine addition to soups and Ms. Cross does add it to tomato bisque along to a wild rice and chicken chowder.. Bacon cheeseburger makes it way into soup with a dash of beer.There are also a chapter on salads, from macaroni to potato along with a chapter on sandwiches. Try the bacon cheese melts instead of the usual grilled cheese or the bacon cheese dogs.for a fun barbecue treat. The strips also make their way into such sides as bacon asparagus saute and bacon and mushroom dressing. Bacon is a wonderful addition to any main meal and compliments the flavor of other meats, poultry and seafood. There's even a BLT pasts with it and arugula gracing bowtie pasta. Bacon in dessert is also wonderful. There is the yummy man candy that also has dark beer as well as a bacon maple fudge. Try the bacon bread pudding with vanillas sauce.
101 More Things To Do With Bacon is a fun cookbook, perfect for any bacon lover. It is a fun mix of sweet and savory recipes.. Get it today to get more joy out of those cured strips of heaven.
,he books comes out in August but you can preorder it and others on Amazon.
101 More Things To Do With Bacon (Gibbs-Smith Publishing} is a fun cookbook and a great Father's Day gift for those bacon loving paters. The book was written Eliza Cross, who has penned several of these little cookbooks featuring such diverse ingredients as pickles and beer.She is also a bacon lover and the founder of BENSA, the bacon enthusiast society. It is a slim cookbook (122 pages) but chock full of interesting recipes from breakfast to candy(!). She also includes two pages of helpful hints that help in cooking it. Home cooks will appreciate such facts as nitrate free bacon is sometimes saltier than regular bacon due to processing. She recommends adjusting the salt accordingly if using nitrate free slices. There is more advice regarding artisanal bacon, now a standard in some kitchens and being made by many adventurous home chefs.Also sweet flavored bacon, such as the ones flavored with apple cider, brown sugar or maple syrup may cook up faster than the regular kind and could burn quicker There are also tips on freezing and microwaving it as well as what to do with bacon grease. She gives smart advice on disposing it - never pour the down the sink.It solidifies quick and creates clogs. Instead put in into a can and dispose of it through the garbage. Bacon fat can also be reused in several recipes too and used to fry up hotcakes.
Bacon recipes are fun and these are no exception. The book is divided into different chapters, from breakfast - of course - to desserts. The breakfast ones are not what you would think, There are some truly original ones such as apple bacon strata, a layered breakfast casserole that features Granny Smith apples and pecans and the jalapeno bacon popper quiche, an egg pie loaded with heavy cream and cheese along with the strips and peppers. The appetizers are also varied . There is slow cooker bacon cheeseburger dip that not only uses a pound (!) of it but also a pound of lean ground beef for a fun and flavorful dip.Bacon batons are a neat way to start a party. These are spiced and sugar bacon strips wrapped around the thin Torinese breadsticks, or grissini, Bacon is also a fine addition to soups and Ms. Cross does add it to tomato bisque along to a wild rice and chicken chowder.. Bacon cheeseburger makes it way into soup with a dash of beer.There are also a chapter on salads, from macaroni to potato along with a chapter on sandwiches. Try the bacon cheese melts instead of the usual grilled cheese or the bacon cheese dogs.for a fun barbecue treat. The strips also make their way into such sides as bacon asparagus saute and bacon and mushroom dressing. Bacon is a wonderful addition to any main meal and compliments the flavor of other meats, poultry and seafood. There's even a BLT pasts with it and arugula gracing bowtie pasta. Bacon in dessert is also wonderful. There is the yummy man candy that also has dark beer as well as a bacon maple fudge. Try the bacon bread pudding with vanillas sauce.
101 More Things To Do With Bacon is a fun cookbook, perfect for any bacon lover. It is a fun mix of sweet and savory recipes.. Get it today to get more joy out of those cured strips of heaven.
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Just A Simple Bowl Of Soup
The week between Christmas and New Year's is always full of rich treats and party foods. This can be fun for the palate but havoc on the stomach. It's best to take a break from all this and go for a simple bowl of soup - or even better broth.Have a day or two of just eating simple foods - nothing fancy . Think a hot bowl or mug with crackers- nothing else.
One of the most detoxifying meals is a simple, clear broth. Nothing beats either a homemade or a bouillon cubed one. If you have leftover turkey you can easily make a broth out of it. The carcass does need to be cut up and cooked with celery , carrots and onion, typical stock ingredients. Home chefs can also do this with leftover chicken too. Serve as a light supper with Saltines or oyster crackers. You can make a light soup too, using whatever meat is still on the bone, more carrots, onions and celery. Add rice or noodles for more substance. More oomph can be added with a cup of barley or orzo.Another good plain soup is pasta fagioli, . This is a bean soup, originating in Naples, Italy .It is chicken broth with the addition of tomatoes and sauce. Spinach is added for nutrients and flavor along with celery and onions. The recipe calls for red pepper flakes but if you want a tamer soup, then nix them. White cannellini beans are also added for protein and more flavor.This is a great recipe to make for New Year's Day, after a night of rich feasting.
A simple soup can be hearty as well.Chowders are always a welcome change .Most are vegetable or seafood, usually thickened up with cream or for a more basic fare, milk. One of the most famous is Manhattan clam which is a light meal in itself. It starts off with a tomato based broth along with the addition of clams and their broth. You can get fresh clams right now but canned ones will also do.Add in potatoes and carrots along with garlic and more tomatoes. Spicing is everything with the Manhattan version so make sure you have plenty of thyme, clove and celery seed. You can also make the original New England version which is truer to the original chowder recipe of the late 1700's and early 1800s. This requires bacon, milk or cream (preferably milk) along with bottled clam juice and chopped razor clams. You can add Worcester sauce for some zing. A milder version is corn chowder which subs in kernels for clams. This is filling without being heavy and it's a perfect supper for these between holiday meals.
Treat your palate and stomach to a light supper of soup. A bowl is a nice change from the usual wild and heavy holiday fare. Have some for a tasty yet soothing respite .
One of the most detoxifying meals is a simple, clear broth. Nothing beats either a homemade or a bouillon cubed one. If you have leftover turkey you can easily make a broth out of it. The carcass does need to be cut up and cooked with celery , carrots and onion, typical stock ingredients. Home chefs can also do this with leftover chicken too. Serve as a light supper with Saltines or oyster crackers. You can make a light soup too, using whatever meat is still on the bone, more carrots, onions and celery. Add rice or noodles for more substance. More oomph can be added with a cup of barley or orzo.Another good plain soup is pasta fagioli, . This is a bean soup, originating in Naples, Italy .It is chicken broth with the addition of tomatoes and sauce. Spinach is added for nutrients and flavor along with celery and onions. The recipe calls for red pepper flakes but if you want a tamer soup, then nix them. White cannellini beans are also added for protein and more flavor.This is a great recipe to make for New Year's Day, after a night of rich feasting.
A simple soup can be hearty as well.Chowders are always a welcome change .Most are vegetable or seafood, usually thickened up with cream or for a more basic fare, milk. One of the most famous is Manhattan clam which is a light meal in itself. It starts off with a tomato based broth along with the addition of clams and their broth. You can get fresh clams right now but canned ones will also do.Add in potatoes and carrots along with garlic and more tomatoes. Spicing is everything with the Manhattan version so make sure you have plenty of thyme, clove and celery seed. You can also make the original New England version which is truer to the original chowder recipe of the late 1700's and early 1800s. This requires bacon, milk or cream (preferably milk) along with bottled clam juice and chopped razor clams. You can add Worcester sauce for some zing. A milder version is corn chowder which subs in kernels for clams. This is filling without being heavy and it's a perfect supper for these between holiday meals.
Treat your palate and stomach to a light supper of soup. A bowl is a nice change from the usual wild and heavy holiday fare. Have some for a tasty yet soothing respite .
Friday, November 11, 2011
Hearty Bowlfuls
Now that the weather is once again becoming crisper and nippier, it's time for a good bowl. Not that kind that involves nine pins but bowls of thick, nutritious goodness. Any dish that you can scoop into a big one is perfect, be it chowder, gumbo or stew. They make you feel warm and cozy, the perfect comfort foods on frosty nights.
Chowders are wonderful for any November lunch or dinner. Although it really isn't the season for seafood you can still make a hearty clam or shrimp one using frozen seafood.(although there are some fish stores that do sell freshly caught clams during this time). Corn chowder is another great chill chaser.It is easy to make along with being hearty and filling. You can add some thickly diced potato chunks along with bacon to make it rib sticking and more flavorful. Gumbos are another bowlful of substance and taste. Although they're a little more involved than chowders you can still create an easy one . Again seafood is the traditional way to go however there are also chicken varieties too that have just as much fire and punch.
The most traditional bowl dish is stew.Thanks to the crock pot, stews can be made early in the day and served piping hot at dinner time. The most traditional is lamb stew which can be slow cooked with a hint of sweetness for a North African vibe or with potato chunks and parsley for a more traditional Irish meal. Of course there is also beef stew along with chicken stew. Both call for creativity. For the beef you can add anything from ordinary ketchup to red wine to amp up the taste. For the chicken, think about a splash or white wine to eggplant to a dash of oregano. Serve both with regular or Midwestern dumplings instead of bread or rolls..
This is the season for warm hearty bowlfuls. They can come in the form of chowders, gumbos or stews . All are different yet all have the same goal, to drive away that November chill.
Chowders are wonderful for any November lunch or dinner. Although it really isn't the season for seafood you can still make a hearty clam or shrimp one using frozen seafood.(although there are some fish stores that do sell freshly caught clams during this time). Corn chowder is another great chill chaser.It is easy to make along with being hearty and filling. You can add some thickly diced potato chunks along with bacon to make it rib sticking and more flavorful. Gumbos are another bowlful of substance and taste. Although they're a little more involved than chowders you can still create an easy one . Again seafood is the traditional way to go however there are also chicken varieties too that have just as much fire and punch.
The most traditional bowl dish is stew.Thanks to the crock pot, stews can be made early in the day and served piping hot at dinner time. The most traditional is lamb stew which can be slow cooked with a hint of sweetness for a North African vibe or with potato chunks and parsley for a more traditional Irish meal. Of course there is also beef stew along with chicken stew. Both call for creativity. For the beef you can add anything from ordinary ketchup to red wine to amp up the taste. For the chicken, think about a splash or white wine to eggplant to a dash of oregano. Serve both with regular or Midwestern dumplings instead of bread or rolls..
This is the season for warm hearty bowlfuls. They can come in the form of chowders, gumbos or stews . All are different yet all have the same goal, to drive away that November chill.
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