Archive for 'Food and Drink'
7 Ways to Make Your BBQ a Success
Posted on March 2, 2009, by Kim Archer, under Food and Drink.
When you think of barbeque, you think of nice weather, tempting aromas and excellent food. A cookout is a great way to relax while honing your cooking skills. In many parts of the country, this experience is only available for a few months. So make the most of it with these great BBQ tips.
1. Start by selecting the right kind of BBQ grill for your needs. You can choose from charcoal, natural or propane gas, or electric. You can buy barbeques in a variety of sizes, some of them portable and others permanently installed. You can get all sorts of extras like side burners, drip pans that can be removed for easy cleaning, and built in thermometers. Using a smoker for long term, slow cooking rather than a barbeque is a great option in many circumstances.
2. Learn about the advantages of using various BBQ sauces and rubs, as well as different kinds of wood chips. When used properly, these will all help to intensify the flavor of a good cut of meat.
3. Get the right barbeque tools that will make your job a pleasure. The right kind of spatula can make flipping a burger seem effortless. To measure internal meat temperature, a good quality BBQ thermometer is a must.
4. Now consider how your food should be prepared for best results. There are two styles of BBQ, slow cooking or grilling, which is faster. Slow cooking in a smoker is best for cuts such as brisket. Slow cooking a hamburger will be a disaster. The cooking style should suit the ingredients.
5. Don’t ruin your outdoor cookout with poor safety habits. For starters, there’s a lot of heat coming from your BBQ and you can easily get burned. However, it’s also possible to sustain an injury from your barbeque tools. Stay alert and keep a firm grip on your tools so you don’t ruin your good time.
6. Insects are an annoyance that can get in the way of enjoying your BBQ. There are some easy solutions for keeping bugs away while you’re cooking. Keep a garden hose handy to spray them away. A hair dryer is also useful for chasing them off. Even a simple fly swatter can keep bugs from ruining your party. Don’t use bug spray in the area where you’re grilling. You don’t want all those chemicals mixing with your food.
7. Having the right tools available for cleanup will make the job easier and motivate you to actually do it. Oven cleaner is very useful for cleaning up a messy grill. There are also barbeques that have easy clean features. If you clean your grill after each use, your food will taste better.
No Comments
The Six Major Kinds of Cookies
Posted on March 2, 2009, by Colin Joss, under Food and Drink.
Cookies are generally easy to make and one of the first things a beginning baker makes. There are only six major types of cookies, each with their own particular methods. Below, I have listed all six types (plus a seventh) and some characteristics and tips to help you make each one.
Molded Cookies
Moulded cookies are made by hand-rolling the dough and forming them into balls. Like peanut butter cookies they can be pressed flat with a fork. To stop the dough from sticking make sure to dust your fingers and utensils with flour.
Dropped Cookies
Dropped cookies are usually the easiest kind of cookie to make. Drop a teaspoonful of cookie dough onto a cookie sheet. Make sure you leave sufficient room between cookies for spreading. A space of about a couple of inches is usually best. If uniform size is important you may wish to use a cookie scoop.
Rolled Cookies
The dough for rolled cookies, or cut out cookies, is rather stiff. It is rolled into a sheet onto a lightly floured board and then cut into shapes with a knife or cookie cutters. Work with only a portion of the dough at a time. Use as little flour as possible to keep your cookies from getting tough. Rolling out thinner will produce a crisper cookie and thicker will make a softer and chewier cookie.
Pressed Cookies
Making pressed cookies - like spritz cookies - is easiest with a cookie press. The dough needs to be soft enough to pass through the press but stiff enough to keep its shape. If the dough is too soft put it in the fridge for some time. If it’s too hard, mix in an egg yolk.
Refrigerator Cookies
Also known as sliced cookies, these cookies are made by rolling the dough into a thick bar. The dough is then chilled in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Make sure you wrap the rolls good so they won’t absorb other odors from your refrigerator. Dough may be kept up to a week like this. After chilling, the dough is thinly sliced with a sharp knife and then baked.
Bar Cookies
Bars or squares are more like cakes and are a softer type of cookie. They may be crisp or chewy. They may also be layered or filled. Brownies are one good example of bar cookie. They are baked in a baking pan with sides. Make sure you use the proper size pan or your bars may not turn out right. When done these cake-type cookies are cut into squares. Most bars will cut better if allowed to cool first.
No Bake Cookies
As the name suggests, these cookies don’t need baking. To be honest, they’re not really a cookie. They’re more like candy. A good example is a no bake chocolate oatmeal cookie. They’re made using a candy thermometer and double boiler.
No Comments
