Best Kitchen Appliances

I keep garbage on my kitchen counter and I'm proud of it. Used coffee grinds, tea bags, vegetable peels, leftovers and even some of my junk mail. No, I'm not a disgusting slob, I'm a kitchen composter. During the winter, it's not always fun to take food scraps out to the compost bin. Most people keep their compost bins far away from their houses. Usually they're hidden in a corner of the yard somewhere. This means that you can't just poke your head outside and toss stuff in. During the winter taking kitchen scraps out to the compost bin definitely becomes a shoes and coat required affair. Buying a Compost Crock is a great way cut down on the wintery treks through snow and ice to your compost bin. It's nice to have a container right there on your counter to toss garbage into. Mostly I use it for coffee grinds and egg shells but other kitchen waste stuff would be fine too. Just avoid things like meat and fat. Most crocks kind of look like cookie

Remodeling Your Kitchen Can Really Be Expensive, But Not With Ikea Cooking is all the rage these days and having the perfect kitchen means a lot to homeowners these days. Thanks to Ikea you can have a kitchen that you can be proud of. Are you without cupboard space and looking for an alternative to your drab old kitchen design? Then I think an Ikea store is where you may want to look first at for a total remodel. If you want to start slow and build it to your specifications They have the products you need to make that remodel picture perfect. One of the first steps is to get a rough idea of what you what and need in your kitchen. Is it more cupboard space, more room, or just something different than you have right now? Ikea catalogs can give you many ideas that you may think never existed. Let's get started on your dream kitchen with some simple tips to get you started. First and foremost if you are going to having anything done to your kitchen using Ikea products you

By Craig Rowe If you ever thought kitchen cabinets were all the same, think again. Even if you choose to resurface your kitchen cabinets instead of replacing them, you'll find a genuine smorgasbord of options to choose from. To make the selection process easier, here are a few specifics you might want to focus on. Kitchen Cabinet Wood Varieties All natural woods lend a warm and rich feel to your kitchen, but these are the best of the best. Maple - Durable and light-hued, the close grain of maple gives your kitchen a natural, earthy appeal. Hickory - A hard wood, hickory boasts dramatic color variations that give your kitchen a one-of-a-kind flavor. Oak - The red variety of this hardwood has a colorful open grain to it that is often streaked with colorful striations. The traditional beauty oak lends to a kitchen is timeless. Cherry - There's nothing more elegant than a kitchen finished in cherry. The pin knots and streaks and gum pockets

By Ray Andrew "Aging appears to be due in large part to the drastic decline of growth hormone in the body after adulthood", Dr Ronald Klatz. Once the natural lifespan of our cells is done, our body start to degenerate. Another cause are the oxidizing substances that we are expose every day. The only way to make a faster regeneration of our cells is to produce more Human Growth Hormones. Once our cells die, new ones are created, this is a natural procedure in our body. So, we cant prevent aging but what an anti aging treatment can do, is to balance the gain and loss of cells in our body. One of the most beneficial ways to keep your body young, is to eat the right food. But first lets analyze some anti aging myths that have been around for a while: Eat a lot of Vegetables and fruits Its important to eat fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, but its not necessary to eat a lot ot them. A census from American population, said that vegetarians die younger. Teena

By Quy Le The focal point of every dining room has to be the dining table. Without its presence, the dining room is essentially just a game - think musical chairs: a bunch of chairs in a circle, with nothing in the middle. If that was the case, then quick! Grab a chair or you'll be left to eat while standing. Starting to see why dining tables make such an impact in our daily lives? Let's face it, without them we wouldn't be able to have a nice family dinner, or entertain guests at a house party. Luckily, dining tables are available at just about any furniture store or online furniture retailer. They also come in a variety of finishes, materials and features; therefore the amount of possibilities available to you is limitless. However, with this many options, deciding on which table to get can get confusing. So here is a small list of things to cover when shopping for a dining table. The Type of Dining Table: Believe it or not, furniture manufacturers actuall

There are many types of microwave ovens available for you in the market. Many brands are competing to get your attention and buy their kind of microwave. They offer different features and special functions that offer you a lot of things such as convenience, efficiency and affordability. But how would you be able to know what is the best? How would you be able to know how to find that microwave oven that is right for you? Every consumer can have a difficult time in trying to look for the best microwave oven in the market. One way fore them to have an idea of how a certain brand performs is by checking out a microwave oven review. Such reviews can help consumers know about how well a certain brand of microwave oven functions. There are many types of product reviews that are available in a variety of media forms that consumers can readily check out. Product reviews can be available through some magazines that offer useful reviews to help consumers know about the pros and cons

By Edgar Dapremont I am going to give you my gumbo recipe. I learned to cook from my mother and grandmother who were born and raised in New Orleans and really knew how to cook. Most of the time, you could not get them to write down their recipes because they used a "pinch" of this and "just enough of that" and "two fingers of water" and so on. This recipe is a combination of both of their recipes which I have added to over the years. My brother cooks his gumbo a little different than mine and like all good cooks; he will tell you his is better. You need a large pot. I like to use Magnalite brand pots which are what my mother always used for everything. I have cooked gumbo in other types of pots and it still tastes good. The magic of any good Creole dish is the "roux". This is flour which is browned to a rich mahogany color. A lot of people try making the roux while they are cooking the vegetables in the bacon grease. My mother taugh

Need some extra storage space in your kitchen since your cupboards are overflowing with canned goods, pots and pans, and everything else you use to cook with? Okay so you might be thinking that you have to spend a lot of money and take on this whole remodeling project to make it happen. Well, you don't. In fact, a cost-effective way to give yourself more space to put thing is kitchen carts. One is the solution that you've been looking for. The reason why kitchen carts are so ideal for storing things in them is because of their lovely design. You see one will generally come with shelves, drawers, and cabinets where you can put a ton of different things from non-perishable food items to cookbooks, and all those pots and pans. There are a few options that also come with spice and utensil caddies, towel and wine racks, and wheels so you can move it about if you want. Along with providing you with that extra storage space, kitchen carts are also perfect for adding more

By Joseph Then Many people misuse the term barbecue, they label to anything cooked on a grill, or even in the oven, if a spicy tomato based sauce is applied. Barbecue is not a dish, or a cooking device, it is a method of cooking. There is a distinct difference between grilling and barbecuing, however. Grilling is done over the direct heat of a fire. The object is to sear the outside and concentrate the juices on the inside the searing, or browning, of the outside of the food causes the grilled flavor. The process is similar to that which forms the brown crust on a loaf of baked bread. Grilling is a healthful method of cooking because additional oils or fats are seldom used, and as the food cooks, the fat renders out and drips through the cooking grate. Barbecue on the other hand is the process of cooking meat at low temperatures for long periods, of time. Barbecue short ribs Three to four pounds beef short ribs, which you can substitute with pork ribs also. Ingredient

Well, Apple Brie Appetizer Soup certainly surprised me! It's reminiscent of a Brie appetizer that's garnished with apples, but this recipe, made into a soup appetizer is a new twist on an old theme. Serve your guests this delicious appetizer and they'll want to skip dinner (just kidding!) It's delicate in nature and the riper the Brie cheese, the deeper the flavor. The sweetness of the apples makes for a nice contrast and the combination of the flavors usually pleases ever the pickiest of eaters. What you'll need for Apple Brie Appetizer Soup: - 2 Tablespoons of butter - 1 medium onion (chopped) - 2 celery stalks with chopped leaves - 3 cups of chicken stock - 2 apples (cored and peeled - reserve the peels for garnish) - 2 Tablespoon flour - 1 8-ounce Brie round - 1/4 cup of heavy cream - salt (to taste) - ground white pepper (to taste) - Toasted almonds (sliced - used for garnish) First, slowly melt the butter in a medium saucepan and stir in the ce

By Dede Purneim The 7 day cabbage soup diet is based on the assumption that diets that contain high fiber but low in fat can help the body lose weight. The cabbage soup is usually made of cabbage, onions and tomatoes. The soup is supposed to fat-burning as it has a high fiber content. In the world today, there are millions of people who are overweight. Obesity is on the rise, and many people are looking for a way to shed a few unwanted pounds quickly. The 7 day cabbage soup diet Plan: #1: Cabbage soup and fruit except bananas. For drinks, you can go for water and tea without sugar. #2: Cabbage soup and vegetables. You have to stay away from dry beans, peas and corn. You can have one baked pot with your diet. #3: Cabbage soup, fruits, and vegetables. #4: Cabbage soup, bananas, and milk. No sweets. #5: Cabbage soup, tomatoes, and meat or fish. Also you should drink at least 6 glasses of water today. #6: Cabbage soup, meat, and vegetables. Prefer leafy green vegeta

By Rebecca Osborn The general guidelines for the anti-aging diet are to keep your calorie consumption and saturated fat intake down, eat plenty of wholegrains, oily fish and fresh fruit and vegetables; and cut down on salt and sugar. In addition to these general guidelines, there are specific foods that have a roll in anti-aging and that you should regularly include in your diet. Avocado: This fruit is an excellent source of healthy monounsaturated fat that may help to reduce level of a bad type of cholesterol in body. Avocado is a good source of vitamin E and can help to maintain healthy skin and prevent skin aging (vitamin E may also help alleviate menopausal hot flushes). It is rich in potassium which helps prevent fluid retention and high blood pressure. It is nice to cut in half, remove the stone, sprinkle with lemon juice and eat that way! Or it is also great cut up in salad. Berries: All black and blue berries such as blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants and

By Robin OBrien To be fair, Zojirushi bread machines are good and customer reviews give them an excellent rating overall. But, these machine aren't cheap and I' not sure the cost is always justified. Personally, I wouldn't buy the BB-HAC10 - it's way overpriced and you can buy other, better machines for far less. Zojirushi is one of those brands that sells on its name alone. Everyone pretty much agrees that it makes excellent kitchen products and one could do far worse than buying one of its high-spec appliances. However, its products aren't cheap and I sometimes wonder if buyers are paying top dollar more for the product's name rather than its functionality and reliability. The BB-HAC10 is the cheapest Zojirushi bread machine and retails from upwards of $175. For this price you could buy several machines from other companies, so you have to ask yourself if this Zo bread maker is several times better in terms of functionality, reliability - not to

By Ilse Hagen There are few things worse than opening your lunch box on a camping trip only to find your food spoiled. A food dehydrator can save you from this situation – it works better than a cooler and is lighter than a portable refrigerator. Read on to understand how they work and get some tips on buying them. But first, how do food dehydrators work? Heat plus moisture – the perfect formula for ruining perfectly good food – can be your worst enemies on outdoor trips. Food dehydrators work by removing moisture from food by heating them at 140 degrees Farenheit. You can get food dehydrators at most appliance centers or department stores from $50 to $350. You don't need a high-end food dehydrator for camping, but it does have to be light, efficient, and simple to use. Here are some of the features to look for: 1. Double wall construction Food dehydrators heat up quickly on the outside, and they can burn you if you're not careful. To stay safe, choose a food de

By Carol A Hill Eating steak has always been a symbol of prosperity. During the turn of the century, steak houses were patronized by the elite. The cattle and the oil barons ate their thick cuts of sirloins smothered with oysters or stuffed with them making it too expensive of a place for the common folk. Nowadays, steaks are as popular a meat item as a hamburger. From the various cuts of steaks cooked rare or medium and also done, everyone has their own way of enjoying them. The steak eaters meal begins with a Steak And Potato Soup that is made with sirloin tips that have been sliced very thin. Steak And Potato Soup (Serves 6) 6- sirloin tips , tenderized and cut into thin strips 1-medium yellow or white onion, chopped 2-cups potatoes, cut into chunks 2- cups green beans, fresh or frozen, 1-cup stewed tomatoes, chopped 3-cups chicken broth or stock 3-cups water 3-Tlbs. cooking oil 1/2-cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper 2-Tablespoons parsley flakes Directions: Sa

There is a category of food that does just what overweight people want it to do. There are actually foods that are natural fat burners. Amazingly, they are not difficult to find. The thing is that some of these foods may actually surprise you. There is a concept that has been around for some time. It is called negative calorie foods. What this means is that there are foods that require more energy to burn than they provide. Some of these are celery, spinach and apples. These are just some of the natural foods that are fat burners. There is another group of natural foods that are not fat burners. Citrus fruits are not negative calorie food burners. However, they perform a helpful function in weight loss programs. Citrus fruits aid your body in the release of fats. It also helps your body to process the fat more efficiently and quickly. Coconuts and coconut oil is another natural food that is a fat burner. This natural food is helpful in many ways. It has been used by the w

• 7-8 Potatoes peeled and sliced in ¼ inch "chips" • 3 cloves Garlic , minced • ½ cup fresh or dried Parsley Flakes • 2 large organic Carrots , grated • ½ cup of Pesto (I make my own, but it is available in stores now) • ¼ to ½ pound Bacon cut into ¼ inch strips and fried crisp (discard fat) • 3 cups Leeks chopped into ¼ inch rounds (I use about ½ of the green top as well. It gives the soup a nice color.) • Celtic Sea Salt to taste • 1/3 teaspoon of Crushed Red Pepper flakes • enough Water to just cover the tops of the vegetables (not too much, or you will have to pour too much off after they cook) Put all ingredients into a 12-quart saucepan. Simmer on Medium heat about 30-40 minutes until leeks are soft and potatoes fall apart. Discard half the water, or save it for a high-potassium breakfast drink. Mash the potatoes if you like smooth soup or leave it kind of chunky. Whichever you prefer. • Add 2 cups 1% Milk • ½ to 1 cup crumbled Feta Cheese • Celti

by Edmund Jarvis The cuisine of Haiti is influenced in a large part by French cuisine as well as some native staples such as cassava (kasav), yam, and maize (mayi). Haitian food, though unique in its own right, shares much in common with the rest of Latin America. The French cuisine is good and the Creole specialties combine French, tropical and African influences. Dishes include Guinea hen with sour orange sauce, tassot de dinde (dried turkey), grillot (fried island pork), diri et djondjon (rice and black mushrooms), riz et pois (rice and peas), langouste flambé (local lobster), ti malice (sauce of onions and herbs), piment oiseau (hot sauce) and grillot et banane pese (pork chops and island bananas). Sweets include sweet potato pudding, mango pie, fresh coconut ice cream, cashew nuts and island fruits. French wine is also popular. The island drink is rum and the best is probably 'Barbancourt', made by a branch of Haiti's oldest family of rum and brandy disti

Kitchen cabinet remodelling is one of the hardest jobs for many of home owners. In fact, it is not only difficult in terms of managing and looking for someone to do it, but also it is cost about 60% of total amount that you spent for the whole kitchen works. Moreover, it can be said that remodelling kitchen is the project that you have to spend most of your money if compare to other home renovation project of other rooms. Therefore when you are considering about remodelling kitchen design, you have to be careful about it, especially if you want to renovate kitchen cabinet, which is the most expensive part. Basically, the thing that you have to consider is about quality levels, joinery, hardware styles, trims, and finishes. The reason that you have to consider it carefully is generally, most of kitchen cabinet installation has lifetime about 30 years in average, so it is very important to learn about characteristics and requirements in order for you to make sure that they ar

By Brandy Summers This is a recipe for the classic style Pennsylvania Dutch shoefly pie. It's name comes from the fact that pesky flies would have to be shoed away from this tempting sugary treat. 1/2 cup molasses 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup boiling water 1 pinch salt 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup butter 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, dissolve the baking soda into the molasses; stir until the mixure foams. Stir in the boiling water and add the salt. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and the butter; mix until texture is crumbly. Pour 1/3 of the molasses mixture into the unbaked pie crust. Sprinkle 1/3 of the brown sugar crumbs on top of molasses. Alternate between molasses and crumb mixture until all is used up. Crumb mixture should be your last layer. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden brown. => Recipe for Shoefly Pie:

By Sunil Tanna Korean food is based on noodles, rices, meat, vegetables and tofu (known in Korea as "dubu"). Meals are usually served with many side dishes ("banchan"), as well as steamed rice, soup and kimchi (fermented vegetables, most often cabbage but sometimes cucumber or radish). Spices and seasonings are widely used, including doenjang (fermented soybean paste), garlic, ginger, gochujang (red chili paste), salt and soy sauce. Some popular Korean dishes include: - Gamjatang - A spicy soup made using pork spine, potatoes and other vegetables, and green onions, hot peppers and sesame seeds. - Kimchi jjigae - A soup made using kimchi, pork and tofu. - Kongnamul-guk - A soup made from soybean sprouts. - Jeongol - A stew made using seafood and vegetables. - Maeuntang - Hot and spicy fish soup. - Bulgogi - Literally translated from Korean, Bulgogi means "fire meat". The dish consists of beef, shredded or thinly sliced, then cooked on a gril

Give this garlic soup to a family member or friend when they are sick or just to warm their heart. The properties contained in these tiny little bulbs of garlic are the greatest for lowering cholesterol and increasing immunities. Note : If you are taking a blood thinning medication, I would suggest not including the garlic in your recipe because it also effectively thins the blood. This includes the "one a day" preventative medications. You can store this soup in the freezer, for future use. If that is what you are going to do, please note that the noodles will absorb even more water after they have been cooked. What are you going to do? Simply add more water and a little more spices and you are ready for your soup to make you better! What you will need: I use a wok to make my soups as they are bigger and give me more freedom to work. 2 or 3 Bulbs of Garlic Dill Parsley Jalapeños (McCormick's makes a great crushed pepper in a jar, but using real is best. J

Cooking with a Dutch Oven is fun and easy. Any meal can be cooked in a Dutch Oven that would normally be prepared indoors. The Dutch Oven is a great addition to camping and can be very handy in a power outage. In many parts of the country you can even join club that is designed for fun, cooking, sharing recipes, teaching Dutch Oven cooking, and Dutch Oven Cook offs. Cooking is simple and easy to master. All you need is a good oven, charcoal, and practice. Dutch Ovens can be purchased in most any sporting goods store and most ovens come with a complete instruction book, a small book of recipes, and a guide for oven temperatures when using charcoal briquettes. Many accessories are available but not necessary to get started cooking. Choose a Dutch Oven with legs that will stand up over the charcoal and a lid that has a lip to hold the charcoal on the lids surface. Several brands of ovens are available and vary in quality. When purchasing your oven you should check for smooth

By David W Miller Wood burning stoves the comparison between steel and cast iron. Steel stoves heat up quick and start giving off heat right away. When the fire in the steel stove cools down so does the stove. A cast iron wood stove can take a couple hours to heat up, but when the fire dies down the cast iron will radiate out heat for hours. When comparable sized stoves are heated and operating both generate comparable heat into your home. What we will look at is the time it takes a wood stove to heat up and the time it takes to cool down. If you plan to purchase a wood stove and burn it 24-7 late fall till early spring either stove will heat the same. Where the heat up and cool down times play into the comparison is the home owner who burns a wood stove just a few times a week and wants to heat up a cold home quickly. Many people have cabins or cottages that the sole source of heat is a wood stove. When entering a cold cabin in the dead of winter you want heat right away

In today's world of ecoli scares and pet food recalls the concept of "eat locally, eat seasonally" is more popular than ever. You may be eating locally grown, seasonal food but are you seasoning your food with the same concept in mind? During the summer when so many wonderful fresh ingredients are available, why not enhance the flavor experience using fresh herbs. Obviously, nothing is better than fresh picked from your own garden, but for those lacking a green thumb or the space to grow, many Farmer's Markets are now featuring fresh herbs Basil is the official herb of summer. Barely tolerating temperatures below 60o , Basil begins its life while spring is waning and begins to fade as the coolness of fall sets in. In June 2007 the NPR program All Things Considered asked its listeners to share their thoughts on summer foods and flavors. Many responded that the flavor of fresh pesto was the embodiment of summer. Pesto might be the most well known and commo

By Clint Warri Jerk chicken to me is one of the most delicious dishes from the Caribbean this type of chicken is usually quite hot - modify the heat to your taste by adjusting the amount of chili. The Correct way to prepare this chicken is to wood-smoke the chicken so it gets that authentic flavour it's sensational. This Jamaican Jerk Chicken is marinated unlike other recipes that simply call for a jerk rub. Jerk Chicken is great served with baked sweet potatoes, and we also suggest serving this with Ice-cold Jamaican beer. If your interest in Jerk Chicken is its history, I will talk about that as we go along , some other time. This isn't exactly authentic, and true jerk chicken is actually more smoke cooked than it is grilled; and it's often falling off the bone tender. The assembly of the Jerk Chicken is simple. Jerk chicken is tasty, I usually ask for more sauce as I think it can be a little dry. Our infamous jerk chicken is marinated for 24 hours in our o