Mixed Nuts: how to cook

05 February 2015

27 January 2015

Meat Done-ness Hand Test

If you never know just how long to cook your meat to get the perfect doneness try using the hand test. By poking the meat of your hand and then comparing that to the feel of your meat you can see if your meat is safe to be eaten.

22 January 2015

Encyclopedia of Pasta

Have you ever stood in the pasta aisle at the grocery store and thought to yourself, “why are there so many damn pasta shapes?” If so, you’re not alone. But before I answer that question (hint: the answer is sauce – spoiler alert), let’s look at where pasta came from, and what makes up pasta.

WHAT IS PASTA

Pasta is, at its most basic, a kneaded mixture of flour and water. Pasta, at its most exuberant, is still essentially a kneaded mixture of flour and water – okay, and oil, egg, salt, and other flavorings. Like all great dishes however, the possibilities are endless. Most pastas use a semolina dough. Semolina dough and water makes a simple dough. Semolina dough with water, egg, and oil makes a rich pasta dough. Flavored and colored doughs can use herbs, vegetables, fruits, and more.

20 January 2015

Guide to Flavoring with Spices

What makes spices so exciting? Let’s use the analogy of an artist. You as the cook are the artist and spices are your paints – they can bring a blank canvas (or dish) to life! They allow you to be creative and adventurous with your cooking and best of all, they prevent you from eating another bland meal.

Spices serve several purposes in cooking and can be used to:

Add Flavor and Aroma. Spices can transform a meal by adding a range of flavors, from a hint of sweetness to a kick of heat. They also give beautiful aromas that are often our first determining factor for whether we want to eat a meal or not.

Enhance taste of food. We always think of salt as our go-to when a meal tastes too bland, but there are other spices, like cumin, that bring out the natural flavors of food.

Change or enhance color. If you’ve ever eaten at an Indian restaurant you may have noticed that many of the dishes have a deep yellow, orange or red color. That’s because the spices used in typical Indian cooking, such as turmeric and paprika, give color to the foods making them more bright and appealing.

Seasoning with spices can be intimidating if you’re not familiar with it but – like painting – with the right tools and practice, you’ll be cooking up a masterpiece in no time.

We created our ‘Guide to Flavoring with Spices’ infographic to show you some of the most common spices that are hiding in your cupboard and how to use them. This chart gives you an idea of the flavor each spice will add to your meal, what spices go well together, and what foods to add them to.

15 January 2015

Grill Master: Properly Cook Meats and Veggies Everytime

There are a few different factors that go into determining when those burgers are good and done (direct vs. indirect heat, heat intensity, time, etc.) but the most important thing to keep an eye on is the actual internal temperature of the meat. A seasoned grill-master will probably be comfortable eyeballing the quality of the food, but for those less experienced it’s recommended to have a meat thermometer on hand to thoroughly check the food’s internal temperature to keep everyone safe and healthy.

This graphic, with its variety of meats and veggies and their appropriate cooking times/heats, should be a handy guide for anyone looking to have good cookout.