Best Kitchen Appliances

Every year as summer draws to a close I find myself looking ahead to heating up the kitchen and filling the house with the wonderful aromas of hearty soups and stews. It is enjoyable to change our meal planning from lighter summer menus to traditional autumn foods. Eating seasonally means enjoying certain foods when they are at their ripest and freshest. Autumn is the height of harvest time for many fruits and vegetables. At the end of summer, the gardens are loaded with ingredients for creating tasty, one-pot meals such as Garden Patch Soup . This soup is full of nutritious and flavorful vegetables. It has been a restaurant customer favorite soup for well over twenty years. That's right. For over 20 years my restaurant customers have counted on this soup being featured every fall. The restaurant never quits serving customers favorite recipes. The soup recipe calls for beef, but you can use chicken or pork or you can leave out the meat altogether, adding more beans ...

Funnel cakes always make me think of Knott's Berry Farm, which is the first place I ever had one when I was a kid. Funnel cakes, a long time staple at carnivals, fairs and ballparks, get their name from how they are made. A runny batter is poured through a funnel into hot oil in a circular pattern and then is cooked on both sides until it is crispy and golden-brown. Traditionally funnel cakes are either coated with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar to make a sweet treat, or are topped with jam. Here's a recipe I have for making your own funnel cakes to enjoy at home: Funnel Cakes 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups milk 2 cups sifted flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 2 cups vegetable oil cinnamon sugar Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir together the eggs and milk in a large mixing bowl. Add flour mixture to the egg mixture. Beat with a mixer until smooth; the consistency should be thin enough to run through a small kitchen funnel. Tes...

By Shannon Tani If you've got a large family, then you know how expensive it can be to feed all those mouths. What you need is a good game plan to help you keep costs down while still serving delicious foods. Check out the following 10 tips: Bake your own bread. If you bake your own bread, it costs just pennies on the dollar. Sure, it's hard to perfect the techniques, but it's well worth it. If you don't want to go through that much trouble, try buying a bread maker. It's an initial investment that will pay off in the long run. Grow a garden. If you grow some of your own foods, then you'll have a great supply of healthy foods available. Make sure that you work out a plan to store any extras for the winter. Reduce the amount of meat that you eat. Meat is fairly expensive and the more you eat, the more you have to pay. Eat some vegetarian meals and save some money. Use a crockpot. Most crockpot meals are inexpensive and the...

By Jonathan Andrew If you want to give your kitchen a much-needed facelift without calling in a team of design professionals and taking on a budget breaking project, a great place to begin is with your kitchen racks. Your kitchen almira are the single largest feature of your kitchen décor, and painting kitchen cabinets can be one of the simplest ways to make your kitchen look like an entirely new room. The best thing about painting kitchen cabinets is that if you are careful, you can do a professional looking job without ever consulting a professional. Preparing To Paint The proper way to begin painting cabinets is to remove their doors, and if at all possible, take the cabinets off the walls. You will have to put the cabinet hardware--their hinges, knobs or drawer pulls, and screws, aside in a safe place; using a separate baggie for the hardware from each cabinet, labeled so you know where it came from, is a foolproof way to keep track of all the separate pieces. Once...

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 taug...

Lotus Roots Soup. Mmm.. This soup has never failed to make my taste bud tinkle with excitement. Lotus root is full of nutrient that benefit our health. It contains iron, vitamins B & C. The rich fiber content of lotus roots stimulates peristalsis and relieves constipation. As a soup lover, I love to consume all kind of soup regardless the type of cuisine. The most importance is the taste ! If you are a soup lover too, you would love this simple yet nutritious soup that would strengthen your body. Ingredients Serving size: 3 1 lotus root (about 500g) 500g of lean pork rib (short length) 10 - 15 dried red dates 1 - 2 dried scallops optional 6 cups of water salt to taste (1/2 teaspoon depending on individual's preference) Notes: Other dried ingredients such as dried mussel, dried cuttlefish can be included into the soup. However, please avoid adding too many of these ingredient as it might spoil the origina...

I don't know about you, but I personally have a strong liking for Apple Tarts. To me, they are very delicious. The following are instructions for the making of a typical Apple Tart. Ingredient: 2 lbs. of apples 2 oz. of chopped almonds 1 cupful of sultanas and currants 12 oz. of fine wheat meal 1 teaspoonful of ground cinnamon 4 and 1/2 oz. of butter Some Sugar Peel the pieces of apples. After that, divide each of them into four equal parts. Next take out the core from them. Stew them in a small amount of water that is just enough to prevent them from burning. When the apples are sufficiently tender, introduce the almonds, cinnamon currants and sultanas into the stew. Add sugar as well. Let the stew simmer until the apple pieces becomes a pulp. Allow the mixture to cool down. Using the wheat meal, butter and a little bit of water, make the combination into a paste. Next roll out the paste and lay it round a flat dish. Brush the paste over with white of...

By Josh Neumann UV water purification is one of the most popular forms of purifying water today. However, just because a system is popular doesn't necessarily make it the best option for your health. Is UV water purification really the best alternative to help you achieve good health? Believe it or not, there are very few water purifiers that stack up to UV water purification. Why? Here is the reason. Just about every cities' tap water is infected with hundreds of harmful chemicals and bacteria that, when you drink it, has a devastating effect on your health. However, no matter how good our purification and filtration systems are, there is no system in place that can remove 100% of the harmful substances that seep through. In recent studies it was proven that even chlorine was not 100% effective at removing all the substances necessary from our water supply. Not only this, but chlorine also has adverse effects on a persons' health as it can cause skin blotche...

Everybody knows that food is important for strong and healthy growth. Eating the right type of food will help in boosting the immune system and enabling the body to perform at its peak. However, not many people are aware that eating the right type of food is also essential in keeping the mind sharp. The brain needs certain vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in order to function well. If you do not feed your brain with the right types of food, then you are depriving it of the things it needs to maintain optimum health. If you do not want to lose your marbles at an early age or if you want to keep your mind astute even when you are in your 90s, then you ought to include the following foods and herbs in your diet regularly: Fish Many studies have confirmed that eating fish regularly helps boost concentration and improve the performance of brain waves. Eating fatty fishes, such as salmon, tuna and mackerel, can give you added brain power because they contain essential f...

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 ...

By Anna Woodward Between the Internet and television cooking programs, it is easy for anyone to get started cooking. For any kind of chef, the equipment you use is as important as the food you prepare. Without quality stoves, refrigerators, and other kitchen appliances, it would be impossible to explore the varied ways of preparing meals. Every good cook enjoys working in a kitchen with quality equipment. Second rate appliances just don't cut it. Having reliable tools is mandatory. Imagine trying to prepare satisfying meals with a stove that doesn't heat properly or storing fresh fish in a fridge that is barely cold enough to keep a soda chilled. That would be a kitchen nightmare! Treat yourself the way you treat your meals - only get the best. From stoves to refrigerators, there are a variety of options available to you. There are professional grade appliances and those of high quality but designed specifically for the home. Your level of experience and your vis...

Many fine restaurants offer crab cakes on their menu, now you can create perfect crab cakes in your own kitchen for family and friends. Crab cakes are popular for brunch, lunch or dinner, served as appetizers and as a main dish. Crab cakes are delicate cakes made from fine crab meat and a few select ingredients, notably eggs and breadcrumbs that help bind the cakes together and help the crab cakes from breaking apart during pan frying or baking. Start with the finest crabmeat and freshest ingredients you can find. Blue crab from the Atlantic, dungeness from the Pacific, and king crab from Alaska are all excellent varieties to make crab cakes. Jumbo lump and backfin crab meat are two excellent choices of meat to use from whichever variety you choose. Jumbo and backfin are premium meat from the crab and will have the best texture and flavor in your cakes. Fresh eggs, fresh herbs, fresh breadcrumbs, and fresh spices will all impact the flavor of your crab cakes. Crab cake p...

Every 83 seconds a residential fire breaks out in the United States. Each year, residential fires injure over 39,000 American children under the age of 14. In two-thirds of these homes, the smoke detector either doesn't work or doesn't exist. Statistics show that installing a smoke detector saves lives. According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), "Homes with a smoke detector typically have a death rate that is 40 to 50 percent less than the rate for homes without a smoke detector." The NFPA sets the rules and regulations pertaining to residential smoke detectors, but most people aren't aware of these policies. The NFPA also provides the public with information on smoke detector maintenance and when you should replace them. Regulations for Smoke Detectors Because a smoke detector is usually hardwired into the electrical systems of many older homes, retrofitting these residences with a new smoke detector is often difficult. But, upgrading yo...

By Bret Spottke As kitchen remodeling budgets have bloated over the past three years to the point of absurdity, savvy homeowners are realizing they don't necessarily need to take out a second mortgage on their home or liquidate their life savings to get the kitchen of their dreams. What these homeowners have realized is Ikea kitchens are every bit as stylish and durable as those high priced custom cabinets from the big box retailers, but come with a price tag that even first time home buyers can easily stomach. If you're willing to put in a little "DIY" by rolling up your sleeves and grabbing a few simple tools like a drill, screws and a level, you too can have a high end European style kitchen in your home thanks to Ikea kitchen cabinets. Follow these 5 tips for a perfect Ikea kitchen remodeling project: 1. Keep A Tight Grip On Your Budget You'd be surprised how fast your kitchen remodeling budget can spin out of control if you're not careful...

Kitchen Appliances Install energy efficient labelled kitchen appliances (refrigerators, dishwashers, and clothes washers). Every kitchen appliance has two price tags – a purchase price and the operating cost. Energy efficient models will save you money and use less energy. b) Lighting - Install energy efficient labelled lighting (e.g., light fixtures: suspended lights, ceiling-mounted lights, cabinet lights, recessed lights, and compact fluorescent bulbs). c) Refrigerator - In most households, the refrigerator is the single biggest energy consuming kitchen appliance. Energy efficient refrigerator models use high efficiency compressors, improved insulation, and more precise temperature and defrost mechanisms to improve energy efficiency. Energy efficient refrigerators provide energy savings without sacrificing the features you want. - Keep your refrigerator and freezer filled for most economical operation. Less cold air is lost when the door is opened in a filled refrigerat...

By Josh Neumann To install a water purifier unit house filter, one must understand what it is and how it works. There is a one solution to all your residential water problems. It is an ideal choice for homes affected by heavy sediment problems as a whole house system will prevent contaminant build up from damaging water heaters and soiling laundry or dishes, in addition to creating clean drinking water. The water purifier unit house filter also treats certain special contaminants such as iron or microbes such as bacteria and viruses. It might also be possible that your plumbing system may be contributing contaminants to your water supply. A water purifier unit house filter consists of at least one filter, at least one filter cartridge, and a spanner wrench. It is recommended that a whole house water filtration system be comprised of two housings in series. The first serves as a course sediment filter to rid the water of large particles and sediment (sand, dirt, debris, ...

Coffee lovers will tell you that the best coffee comes from beans grounded immediately before the coffee is brewed. Old Time coffee drinkers know this by heart. That's why No kitchen is complete without a coffee grinder. Waking up in the morning and grinding up a fresh batch of coffee beans and throwing it into the coffee maker and then anticipating that first sip of fresh hot coffee! Now that is the good life! What Makes a Great Coffee Grinder? When it comes to coffee grinders, there to basic types. One is called burr grinders and the other is called blade grinders. The difference between these two is basically how the beans are processed. Blade coffee grinders use a spinning blade to grind up the coffee beans. Burr grinders use burrs to grind up coffee beans. Burrs resemble plates with gears on them. One of the burrs is stationary, while the other one spins and grinds up the coffee beans. When trying to make a great cup of coffee, one has to keep a couple things in ...

You are probably familiar with the naughty children’s rhyme: “Beans, beans, good for the heart/The more you eat, the more you…� The first part is true, and as for the second, well, it can now be cut by up to 70 percent. Beans deserve their reputation for causing flatulence. Flatulence results when carbohydrates (scratches and sugars) arrive in the colon incompletely digested and are fermented by the bacteria there. The fermentation process releases gas. Any incompletely digested carbohydrate ��" from bagels to pasta ��" can ferment in the colon and cause gas. But beans are the richest sources of two particular carbohydrates, raffinose and stachyose, that the body cannot digest because humans lack the enzyme to do it. If gas is a problem for you, do not swear off beans. Instead, boil, rinse and soak them. Boil dried beans in a covered pot for three minutes, then let them stand for two hours. Next pour off the water, add enough new water to cover the...

By Penny Day Turkey baster Basting every 30 minutes or so during cooking will stop the meat drying out and help keep in the flavour. Large forks Don't risk disaster when lifting the bird from the tray to the serving dish. Insert extra-wide forks in the base of the bird - they provide a stable way to lift it. Roasting tin You'll need two: a smaller size for potatoes, and an extra-large one for the bird. The best kind has handles to make moving it easy, and a non-stick coating for quick cleaning. Timer Use the cooker's timer by all means, but as you'll be spending time away from the kitchen opening presents, a handy portable design - either electric or wind up - could prevent disaster. Oven glove and tea towel Don't try and lift hot, heavy items with just a tea towel - always have a padded oven glove to hand. Tea towels are useful for creating a non-slip surface to rest the roasting tin on while checking and basting. Extra-wide foil The extra width w...

Just about every Fayetteville restaurant has something unique on their menu to tempt your palate. No matter what cuisine you desire, you can find it in Fayetteville, North Carolina. For some fantastic Thai food, check out the Thai Pepper Restaurant. Here you can get exotic, Thai food at a reasonable price in the heart of a charming, southern community. The Thai Pepper Restaurant is located on North Reilly Road and has a very extensive menu, including vegetarian fare. In addition to such Thai favorites as Mee Grob and Pad See Ew, which are Thai noodle dishes, you can also enjoy some Chinese favorites such as Sweet and Sour Shrimp, Beef and Broccoli and Moo Goo Gai Pan. The menu is so extensive at this Fayetteville restaurant that you will have a difficult time making up your mind on what to eat. The Barn is considered one of Fayetteville's leading restaurants. This historical landmark offers charming atmosphere and fine food. For starters, try some delicious Calamari ...

Gelatin or jello is a common household food that Americans love. In fact it is the most favorite dessert of America. Jell-O is a brand that has become popular and it has become a generic household name for gelatin dessert. Jell-O is sold pre-made in powder form or ready to eat. It is normally refrigerated until served and eaten with a spoon. Daycare supply Jell-O is really a good idea because children just love to eat jello. Gelatin is used as a considerable ingredient in many well known desserts; it comes in many fruity flavors. Daycare supply Jell-O comes in lime, lemon, apple, orange, mango, grape, raspberry, strawberry, black cherry, cherry, peach, watermelon, pina colada, apricot, pineapple and many more fruits to mention. Pudding for childcare centers is very popular as well. You can buy bulk ready to serve 7 pound cans of pudding which feeds up to 40 children per can. Most daycares buy vanilla, chocolate, banana, or tapioca pudding for their kids. So what do child...

A marshmallow cloud floating on top of a tasty chocolate cookie. 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1/4 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour 1/3 cup baking cocoa 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 16 to 18 large marshmallows Pecan halves Cookie Icing Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, milk and vanilla; mix well. In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; beat into the creamed mixture. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the marshmallows in half. Press a marshmallow half (cut side down) onto each cookie. Return cookies to the oven for 2 minutes. Let cool completely. Cookie Icing 6 tablespoons butter, softened 2 tablespoons baking cocoa 1/4 cup milk 1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions In a small saucepan, combine butter, cocoa and milk...

Baking can be a truly happy experience, bringing back memories from childhood, thanks to our olfactory senses. From cakes, muffins, meat pies, and lasagne to breads, pancakes, tarts, and brownies, baking can be a fun thing to do, especially if you and your family are food-lovers. However, baking can be a cruel pastime and when results don't go according to plan, such as a case of a cake not rising or having a soggy bottom, it is particularly annoying. But this may not be your fault. As Delia Smith said: "....there is a lot of pile-it high, sell-it-cheap rubbish out there, that claims to be baking equipment..." and "...tin size is where 99% of cake making goes wrong...." Hence, to avoid turning a great dish into a heartrending failure, here are a few tips and pointers that will help you select the ideal bakeware. The Materials Bakeware comes in various sizes, shapes and materials. Each material will have a varying effect on the dish. Some of the ma...

A Bowie knife today refers to almost any large, wide-bladed knife with a curved and sharpened tip. The fancy presentation blades often carry some reference to Jim Bowie who was famous as the designer of the original knife. Not only are such knives decorative in nature and appearance today, but they are an efficient and comprehensive tool for the outdoorsman, hiker, camper or anyone who hunts recreationally or for food. A number of features help to make this knife style perhaps the most famous of any type of knife in the history of the United States, at least. The first element is the size of the knife. It typically has a blade that is at least six inches in length and may extend to a foot or more in length. In fact, at this size, it resembled a short sword more than a knife. The length of the knife is matched by the width of the blade - usually from one and a half inches to two inches in width. The wide blade makes it usable as a small hatchet or machete for the hunter who...

If you ever stay in an American B&B you will almost certainly be offered a different type of baked good everyday. In an English B&B it's rare to be offered muffins but even though I do offer them "freshly baked at the crack of dawn by my own fair hands" 99% of guests still choose the full english. Finding the perfect muffin recipe has been a bit of a lifelong quest but I think I'm there now. The magic ingredient is really the cinnamony sugary streusel topping! These can also be made using blueberries, whinberries (wild bilberries to those of you that don't live in Shropshire ), raspberries or, in the Autumn when you have a glut, apples. For the muffins 225g self raising flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 60g caster sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 140g fresh or frozen blackberries 55g melted butter 1 beaten egg 200ml milk For the streusel topping 50g soft brown sugar 1 level tsp ground cinnamon 50g plain flour 40g butter, melted Preheat conv...

Does the idea that good food has to take a long time to make keep you from spending time cooking? There are many ways to help speed and efficiency in the kitchen. The arrangement of your kitchen, as well as the tools you use, make all the difference. Don't give up on trying to expand your skills and abilities. Try these suggestions to make gourmet cooking well within your time constraints. You might have heard the old adage, "a place for everything and everything in its place." This is a great time saving practice. Put the same things in the same place in your kitchen and work area. You will not waste time trying to find things and get frustrated. Tools and items that are frequently used should be placed accessible and easy to get. The bowl or platter you only use at Thanksgiving can be placed in the basement or in the back of the cupboard. It is also worth noting that you won't know if something works until you try it and you might make changes as time g...

From the, twice daily, menu changing at the Anchor and Hope to the treasure trove of a wine list at Cambio de Tercio, London really has some special restaurants. Visiting Grosvenor Square you'll find Maze which if you can put up with the noise offers a menu of great small courses or for a romantic retreat Andrew Edmunds in Lexington Street offers efficient service with some food sourced locally. The long-established Italian restaurant Enoteca Turi in Putney High Street offers imaginative sauces with pasta dishes based from the Apulia region, while Locanda Locatelli in Seymour Street offers the traditional four-course Italian meal with bread made beautifully. With stunning river views and 5-star customer care Bateaux London from the Victoria Embankment enjoy the refreshing set-menu with their lunchtime cruise. Only minutes from Wapping Underground, enjoy River View Chinese on New Crane Place for excellent authentic Chinese cuisine or what about Pearl in High Holborn f...

The underlying incident in the emergence of the microwave was rather weird and unexpected sometimes in 1946 by Percy Spenser, who worked for Raytheon. Waves from the radar set he was working on were transmitted to the chocolate he was carrying in his pocket, causing it to melt. By more scrutinizing facts that heat of his body alone was insufficient effect of melting the chocolate, he was able to discern the reality of what was happening, having many exposures on research and experimentations. That same year the Raytheon patented their first Microwave oven and the first set of microwave was out in the market in 1947. Looking back to the "Radarange" that had been the first microwave of Reytheon, it had long since gone on a broader range of development and usage expanded to a great extent to people all over the globe. The "Counter-oven" original Amana brand has been by-passed by two other styles, the (1) on top of the oven and (2) Built-in Style. The Built-...