Best Kitchen Appliances

By Sidney Stone Baking is a scientific art that eludes many home cooks. Baking at home is much different than baking in a professional kitchen. However, there are a few tricks that professional bakers rely on that can be applied to home baking. I have been baking at home for over 20 years, and in a professional kitchen for the last 10 years, so here's a few tips and tricks I have come to depend on. Antique Touch To achieve an antique look on the top of your cake, especially a chocolate cake, take a lace paper doily and lay on top of your cake. Then, sprinkle powdered sugar on it, and remove the doily. This technique adds a sophisticated look to your cake and is much less work than frosting it. It is easiest to sprinkle powdered sugar from a shaker. I keep shakers of powdered sugar and cocoa on hand always for these sorts of tasks. Baking Powder Life Expectancy Most bread products are usually leavened with either yeast or baking powder. If your recipe calls for bakin...

Increasingly we're buying as many of our Christmas gifts online as possible. This makes perfect sense of course because it saves the hassles of busy shops, carrying armfulls of presents, the difficulties of comparing prices and so on. However this is the last time of year you want to have any problems with your credit card details getting "borrowed" or your gifts not getting to you in time so in this article we're going to take a look at a few ways in which you can ensure you stay safe online while shopping this Christmas. 1) Use Secure Websites Telling whether an order page is reasonably easy. In Internet Explorer look for a small yellow padlock image showing at the bottom of your browser. If you can see it then the page you are on is safe. Really only yhr order form needs this level of encryption so don't worry if it's absent from a page that displays potential gifts you're interested in, but when it comes to entering your personal detail...

By Susan Hamilton So, you have gone to the grocery store, and purchased the finest ingredients for a delicious pie. Now what? Finding recipes is easy, creating a kitchen to support your new "pastry habit" is different. Let's go over some of the essentials to making a picture perfect pie or pastry right in your kitchen. We are going to reasonable about the tools and keep it simple, starting with the rolling pin. Rolling pins: It seems uncomplicated, right? But, there are actually a couple of different styles out there, some that may fit your own personal cooking style a little better. There are two basic types of rolling pins; the traditional rolling pin with handles and the rolling rod. The rolling rod does not have handles and you use your palms to roll it forward over the dough. Personally, I prefer the rolling rod. It is less clunky and you can really create really even dough. I find the process goes a little faster because you have more control with t...

Do you want to join your neighbors in this ongoing kitchen remodeling craze? Yet you're worried that you don't really have the artistic talent to put your beautiful kitchen design in paper? Plus, you don't have extra funds to pay a designer to work on it, nor do you have the time to sketch it out. Definitely you're looking for a fast, cheap, and convenient help. Thanks to technology, there are thousands of kitchen remodeling software out in the market today. Just choose which one is most useful in your kitchen renovation; these kitchen remodeling software kits are actually equipped with various programs that are beneficial to your kitchen remodeling. With the different companies, manufacturers, and brands, you'll surely drown with the different software products they offer. One thing you must bear in mind is that, you have to read the labels and features of that software package before you buy it. There are several kitchen remodeling software that are ...

If you are remodeling your home or having a new home built, sooner or later you will have to turn to the kitchen. A great kitchen design can add value to your home and make it more attractive to you. A great kitchen design starts with a great floor plan. Whether you have interior design experience or not, with a little thought and effort you can come up with an effective floor plan. First of all, think of what you want to accomplish. Will the space have an eating area or is it for cooking only? If you are remodeling, are you hoping to enlarge it? What problems are you having in your current kitchen? Do you need more storage space? Do you need more work space? Do you have enough room to open cabinets and doors? These factors all need to be considered when designing your floor plan. Pick up home design and remodeling magazines for ideas. Consider what you like in other kitchens you have seen. Consider also what you don't like. The idea phase is one of the most fun in ...

Southern cornbread is a great favorite in the South of the United States. It is also popular around the world. I have had request for my recipe from Germany, India and the Philippine Islands. I suspect that many of these request are from Americans living in these countries. But probably, not all. You can go on the Internet and find dozens of recipes for Southern Cornbread. Unfortunately, most are not authentic Southern recipes. It saddens me that many people use these recipes thinking they are cooking the real deal when, in fact, they are not. So, let us first determine what is real Southern Cornbread. The real deal: 1. DOES NOT CONTAIN SUGAR. It is not sweet, it is bread...not cake. 2. Is crunchy and crumbly. It does not have a cake texture. 3. Is white not yellow. (Uses white corn meal) So, what's wrong with your Southern Cornbread? You are probably making one or more of these mistakes. Here are some tips for making this old, classic favorite. Sweet Cornbread Many...

I am not a professional cook. My expertise exist within computers and Internet marketing but not with creating culinary masterpieces. However, when it comes to the grill, I feel like Emeril! Charcoal grilling is my favorite way to cook most of the meat we purchase. On a regular basis we grill hamburgers, hot dogs, pork chops, chicken, and some specialty meats we get from our local meat market (the bacon-wrapped center-cut chicken breasts marinated in Italian dressing are my favorite). Our recent favorite are chicken kabobs, with the chicken marinated in a garlic cream sauce with onion, bell pepper, and pineapple. Wrap the kabobs in punctured foil, throw on the grill, and have a great main dish or appetizer. When we feel really good, we fire up the smoking pit on the grill and enjoy ribs, ham, or whatever else we feel like smoking. But the world of charcoal grilling can expand beyond just meats. Ever tried "oven fried potatoes?" Essentially, you cook small chunk...

By Yoga Priyakara Ever wondered what makes a restaurant a rollicking hit with customers? Is it about the gastronomical delights on that spicy menu created with passion and served with tremendous verve? Or does the secret lie in the ambience of the place? What about that tantalizing signature dish? Actually, the ingredients that ensure the roaring success of this sumptuous enterprise lie elsewhere - in the kitchen. Needless to add, it's the heart and soul of the restaurant. Espirit De Corps At Its Best It doesn't take too long for a long cherished dream of dishing out delectable delights to turn into a nightmare of sorts. If you're in a soup, and wondering how to run a restaurant kitchen, remember that the success of this venture depends solely on the staff- on their expertise, discipline, motivation, and above all, leadership. It might sound like we're operating a military camp here, but the kitchen too must have an atmosphere that galvanizes each member ...

There is something to be said about being able to take advantage of overhead space if you have it available to you. When you are talking about available space in your kitchen, the best thing you can do to maximize your kitchen experience is to use the space wisely. Instead of breaking your back to bend down into your lower cabinets for your cooking utensils, hang them up by using lovely pot racks! They're a great choice for adding to your kitchen space. Reaching up for your favorite non-stick pan or a copper pot that you would like to use is obviously much easier than rummaging through drawers, pantries or cabinets. By having the pots and pans that you use the most hanging above your cooking space using pot racks, then you can simply reach up and grab for one whenever you may need it. Besides, some of the styles of pot racks are so incredible, you are pretty much adding to the beauty of your kitchen and cooking space at the same time! For instance, you can get one cr...

The ideal kitchen is a compromise between a completely functional space and a room that you can really live in. It is for this reason that kitchen furniture should be both designed and chosen. Because you may need to switch between working and socializing in your kitchen, the advantage of furniture like kitchen carts is to let you reconfigure the layout at any time. Kitchen carts are similar to kitchen islands in that they allow you to use your kitchen space in an optimal way. However, unlike kitchen islands that are typically fixed and may well have power points and even faucets for running water, kitchen carts are mobile. They come in a variety of styles and sizes, which allow you to use them as a workspace or as a serving space and therefore also move them from the kitchen area to the dining room if required. Wood is a popular material for making a kitchen cut. This allows for flexibility in the construction and a certain robustness coupled with lightness for easy mov...

By Janice Duplantis Understanding Fats... While cooking oils are pure fat, they are not created equal. All cooking oils are a combination of saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. It is the concentration of hydrogen that determines how they are categorized. Without getting too technical, the following information will hopefully provide a basic understanding of fats. Saturated Fats: Saturated fats are found in animal products and are converted into cholesterol by the liver. Butter, margarine, meats and dairy products are especially high in saturated fat. Saturated fat will elevate blood cholesterol levels and is associated with increased rates of heart disease and stroke. It is solid at room temperature. Unsaturated Fats: There are two types of unsaturated fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats do not raise blood cholesterol levels. Canola and olive oils contain the highest proportion of monounsaturated fat when...