Sunday, February 22, 2009

Food Tips - Different Types of Barbeque Grills

By Claudia Bauer

Summer is here, which means that it is time to begin grilling and preparing awesome barbeque parties. The only problem is, you have not bought your barbeque grill yet. When purchasing your first grill, you will find that you have a large array of options available to you. It may seem overwhelming at first due to the almost endless amount of possibilities and options available.

Barbeque grills can range from extremely cheap to very expensive depending on the type and features acquirable on it. If you are looking for a cheaper grill, then you should probably consider a charcoal grill. While larger charcoal grills are available, smaller grills can be purchased for as little as $10 to $15 at your local department store. Fancier, large charcoal grills can be purchased for about $60 to $75. Charcoal requires purchasing charcoal and lighter fluid apiece time you, so you must remember this when considering the cost.

Natural gas grills on the higher end of cost. The mechanical part of this grill make it larger and more complex. The Natural gas grills are meant to be hooked up to your home line. Typically these types of grills start at about $300. Multiple fuel grills are the most expensive at about $450 and up. Multiple fuel grills allow you to grill using one or a combination of fuels.The easiest grill to use is by far the natural gas grill. Natural gas grills are designed to hook directly into your home?s natural gas line, eliminating the need to provide the fuel source. Natural gas grills are also one of the easiest grills to clean since you do not have to worry about cleaning out the charcoal or wood.

The next in line would be the propane grills, as they have similar features of the natural gas grills. The only issue keeping Propane grills from being equal to natural gas grills is the fact that you must provide the propane somehow.

The hardest grills to use are charcoal and smoker grills. Both types of grills require additional purchases of supplies, and then requires extra cleaning once grilling is complete. Remember that bigger grills require more space to store and more time to clean. Bigger is not always better when it comes to grills.

If you are concerned with flavor, you first choice should be a charcoal or smoker grill. Both of these grills allow you to replicate a true ?smoked? flavor. Smokers are especially nice because you can also control the flavor by changing the type of wood or wood chips you use.

If you are wanting to cook something a little quicker, you may want to stick with the charcoal grill. A Charcoal grill will cook quickly if you want it too, and it will still wage a good ?smoked? taste. Finally, the space you have acquirable should be a consideration. When you grill is not in use, you must have a proper place to store it. Charcoal and Propane grills are saint for smaller areas such as apartments and city homes. If you have a large amount of space available, then you may want to consider the larger options.

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Saturday, February 21, 2009

Fresh Lobsters Taste Great, and is a Great Deal

By Shannon Linnen

If you grew up on the coast, you know the great memories that a fresh seafood dinner can bring. Whether a clam bake or a gumbo or even just some delicious fried fish, the family all came together for a great home cooked meal. It sounds like something you'd love to bring to your family, but if you don't live on the coast, it can be impossible to find fresh seafood in the store. And even when you do, it's usually a budget buster. It doesn't have to be though. Why not try ordering some fresh lobsters online?

It can be painful to try to find fresh lobsters when you don't live close to the coast. When you take the trip to the store, you know that you're most likely only going to find a few scrawny old specimens, and that's if they're alive at all. The packaged lobster meat sold behind the counter doesn't really hit the spot in the same way that a fresh lobster you prepared yourself does. And really, who wants to pay an arm and a leg for something you know won't taste its best any longer.

This is where buying fresh lobsters on the internet comes in. Instead of waiting for your grocery store's supply chain to bring you lobsters though middlemen who can take weeks, why not go directly to the source. You can buy lobsters straight from the people who get them from the fisherman, and instead of waiting to have them trucked, you can have them shipped fresh to your door the next day. That's how you know that you're getting the best quality fresh seafood available.

Buying fresh lobsters online is a great way to ensure that you get the highest quality lobsters available. it's also a great way to stay within your budget. That's right, when you order online, not only will you get higher quality lobsters, you'll also save money while doing it. When you buy from the store, there are surcharges tacked onto your order for the shipping of the lobsters, to pay the middlemen who buy it, and for the store's expenses. When you buy online, all you have to pay is the fisherman and the shipping cost! And the next day, you have fresh lobsters, at your door.

When you're able to order your own fresh lobsters online, a world of possibilities for entertaining comes alive. Why not steam lobsters for your friends and family? You'll have your choice of sizes, from one to three pounds, meaning that everyone can have their own, or there can be one huge lobster to share. Now that it's getting cold outside, why not try a creamy and rich lobster bisque to warm up your loved ones?

Fresh lobsters are a great way to share delicious seafood with your family. And with online ordering, you'll be able to do so at a fraction of the cost of a grocery store, without sacrificing any freshness.

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The Type of Features You Need in a Good Food Mixer

By Moses Harun

There are many different food mixer features which could help make your appliance a very effective timesaver in any kitchen. These can range from features that are built into the mixer to the capacity to use several accessories that could help it become even more versatile. These food mixer features can really define the difference between a glorified blender and a world-class piece of kitchen technology. You can also consider getting a hand mixer such as the Kitchenaid hand mixer.

The ability of the appliance to work with useful sizes of bowls can be a vital option. Your perfect mixer will be able to work with bowls that are large enough for the types of meals that you will make. A few mixers can even fit many different bowl sizes.

A second useful feature is the range of speeds that are able to be used. All sorts of different speeds are likely to be required for different sorts of foods. Faster speeds are normally required for foods that require more time to get mixed completely. The range of speed you think you need should be balanced with the the soundness of the machinery. The transmission on a mixer ought to be direct drive with steel gears and shafts. When the pieces of the mixer are manufactured out of steel the appliance will be serviceable longer and will be less likely to suffer from rusting.

Different types of mixer attachments are offered that will give you other ways to use the mixer. There are many different food mixer functions that may be employed depending on the attachments that go with these functions. It always is recommended to employ many different attachments to mix different foods. A dough hook and flat beater are especially appreciated when using any mixer. Additionally, a steel wire whip can be used in many kinds of mixers. A hand mixer is another option you can go with, and a good product is the Kitchenaid hand mixer.

There are still some more accessories that could be used with certain mixers. A range of food mixer accessories could assist you to work with other varieties of foods. These accessories can generally go onto the top of the mixer and help with fixing foods that a average mixer might have trouble with. Some of these features are meat grinders, citrus juicers and grain mills. Useful accessories like a can opener could be used on a few of these mixers, too. The thing about these is that every accessory will be designed for use with specific mixers.

Every one of these food mixer functions are important to think about if you are looking at the various mixers that are available nowadays. Useful mixers will ideally be able to accomodate various bowl sizes and speeds. Whether or not it has a useful collection of built in and detachable functions can establish a mixer's value for you as well. By using these considerations it will be easier to find the best mixer for the home. As a cheaper alternative, you can also go with a Kitchenaid hand mixer for lighter jobs.

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Friday, February 20, 2009

Mexican Food Secrets

By Ida Feihoa

The Mexican table is usually filled with a large assortment of foodstuffs from soups, sauces to stews. Most of the Mexican food recipes are prepared in a wide range of ways, anywhere from slow roasting to quick-fry. Mexican food recipes have some key elements that can be found in virtually all Mexican diets.

Corn is one of the key elements in Mexican food recipes. Some of the recipes that use corn are tortillas and tacos. Tacos are prepared by stuffing tortillas with beef, chicken, fish or cheese. Tamales are also prepared by using corn. They are first stuffed with meat or vegetables and then steamed.

Another key ingredient in almost all Mexican food recipes are chilies. Chilies can be prepared while still fresh or after drying them. The hottest parts of chilies are the seed pods and the white veins. The hotness of Mexican dishes as a result of the chili is a distinguishing mark of Mexican food and most Mexicans regard it as part of the flavor. Some varieties of chilies used include chipotle, poblana, ancho, habanero, jalapeno and cascabel.

Beans are also a common add-on to Mexican food recipes. Bean varieties run from lentils, fava beans to kidney beans and they can be found in many Mexican stews and soups. Some small bean types are served in light broths.

Tomatoes are also another key ingredient in Mexican dishes. Their common usage is in beef and fish servings as well as in salsa Mexican where they are used to spice up the food. Tomatillo salsa is also prepared by use of tomatillos, a type of small green tomato that has a rigid husk. Tomatillo salsa also includes a lot of chilies in it.

Fruits are another key element in Mexican dishes. Fruits are mostly used in desserts and fruit sauces. Common fruit types are papaya, coconut, pineapple and others. In most cases, they are eaten raw. Some fruit types like nopales are used as a vegetable of sorts and are used to add a sweet taste to desserts. Other ingredients in Mexican foods are squash blossoms, pungent herbs like romeritos and epazote, and pumpkin seeds.

When preparing food, Mexican food recipes stipulate how such things as chilies and sauce ingredients need to be cooked. When preparing chilies to be used on a wide variety of foods, roast, clean and peel them, ensuring it is done only along one side so that they can be reconstructed after stuffing. After meat is boiled, add garlic and spices and wait for about 15 minutes after which the chilies are added prior to serving.

Mexican food recipes also demand that water be boiled first and then spices like garlic and onions added during the preparation of sauce. After cooking for approximately 30 minutes, the mixture is drained and the resulting liquid reserved. After this, other ingredients may be added, according to the recipe. This mode of cooking is for both green and red sauce. Mexican foods are thus a favorite for many food enthusiasts.

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No Fat, Low Fat, and Wo Fat

By Dr. Bill

You must be the same age as me if you get the Hawaii 5-0 reference to Wo Fat, a villain from the old television show. A medical school classmate of mine got stuck with that for a nickname, and it fit him perfectly.

I've never been a fan of "low fat" dishes, or ingredients, and the few "no fat" items that have crossed my lips usually fell in the "disgusting" category. Usually they ended up in the garbage disposal as soon as no one was looking.

I will say there are a few low or no fat foods that actually make the grade. You find them by sticking to foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. Take Jersey tomatoes for instance, with a couple drops of olive oil, some balsamic vinegar, and a hint of salt and pepper.

How about watermelon with a touch of salt? Or not?

Fresh peaches? Or cherries?

Even salad makes a tasty treat if it's fresh enough.

I know these aren't the most convenient options, but if you leave yourself open you'd be surpised how easy it is to get some healthy natural foods worked into your daily routine. And the extra effort is definitely worth it compared to microwaved mac and cheese or Pop Tarts.

The other thing is, most low fat and no fat items are really not food, but a sort of chemical construct. See if you recognize any of the ingredients. And most of them contain artificial sweeteners, which are just plain bad for you.

I like to take a page from Julia Childs, who once said, "If you want to lose some weight, eat a little less. You don't need to eat a 16 ounce steak, or a one pound potato. Butter isn't your enemy, gluttony is!" My kind of woman - sort of.

And really, it doesn't take Larry The Cable Guy to explain to you that Hot Pockets really aren't good for you. Although his explanation of what they did to his system is hilarious.

Eating food in its natural state is also key to long-term weight loss. If you ever have the chance to see how a group of chefs eat, you'd be surprised. Everything on the plates would be simple yet with pristine ingredients.

In years past it was tough to get good ingredients.

But these days with a minimum effort, we can. So gradually introducing more natural stuff into your diet can be easy.

I just finished reading a study showing that people who make simple changes in their diets and take pharmaceutical grade fish oil, lose weight and keep it off.

That's good news. Simple changes in diet, combined with an ultra pure pharmaceutical grade fish oil are a dynamite combination.

So get started now and you won't have to spend any time reading old magazines in an overcrowded waiting room, if you know what I mean.

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Use of spices explained for foodies

By Bill Troy

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach as they say. Well not only is this true for man it is true for everyone. Good tasting food is a must for it being palatable. Purely bland food is a tough nut to crack. You can have the bland food for a day and not more than that and will crave for something tastier than that.

Spices and herbs actually provide that very much needed taste to the food. Now for the spices to be added you need to make sure that the spices are fresh and also the adequate quantities to be added.

Proper mix or proportion is very important for the addition of spices. Most of the spices come in the powdered form or in the leaves form.

As far as the usability of the spices goes the important thing to learn is compatibility of a particular type of food with a particular type of spice. This is the same way as you should know which wine to serve with what kind of food.

There is no sure shot method of the quantity which can be used in the food. Your help for the quantity is the online food sites as well as recipe books available all over. Make sure that you do not add more spices because more is generally not acceptable but less is acceptable.

If you are reading the recipe books they generally tend to border on more commercial side of things which means the quantities and styles are more over the top. You may need use you own estimate for the home cooked food.

Packaging of spices is very important as that retains the freshness, taste and the flavor of the spices. So make sure that you buy spices of a good brand and once if you opened them make sure to close them properly or seal the mouth of the bottle or the pack correctly

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Top Tips to Ensure a Great AND Tasty Barbecue

By Ashley T Cassell

The barbecue is a great way to enjoy a meal

The warm breeze on your face, the gentle drift of aromatic smoke accompanied by a chilled glass of chablis. Pure heaven!

There are however some rules you should follow to guarantee everything goes smoothly. You don't want phone calls from all your neighbours next day regaling you with stories of their tummy upsets. Following these rules should make sure the event goes off OK.

Getting the barbecue lit can usually be relied upon to set the pulse running for more than one reason.

After it's lit the next thing to remember is that it will take the barbecue a goodly amount of time to heat up. Make sure you allow for that.

If the whole process of getting the thing going is just too much for you the answer is a Gas or Electric barbecue which simplifies the whole lighting process and is the usual grounds for choosing that type.

Charcoal barbecues can be a nightmare to light but don't be tempted to use lighter fluid or God forbid, petrol. At best the food will taste awful. At worst you will have the Fire Brigade enjoying your barbecue alongside your friends and guests.

For something that will really impress your guests I'd go for cooking over wood chips. If you're a veteran of the barbecue you're probably already well aware of this.

For those not as seasoned in the art, you cannot beat the smell and flavour that goes with adding wood chips to the mix.

Adding BBQ wood chips will promote you into the super league of barbecuers.

Whether you have an electric, gas or charcoal BBQ you can add wood chips to get an authentic barbecue flavour

Soaking the wood chips for about 10-15 minutes earlier will ensure they don't burn so quickly or give off too much smoke. You ideally want your wood chips damp but not soaking.

You can choose from a multitude of flavours of wood chips for your barbecue. Mesquite, hickory, cabernet and more. I'd suggest that the more delicate the meat the milder the wood chip you use.

Apple wood chips are superb with veal poultry and pork whilst you could try Alder Wood with seafood. The stalwarts of maple and hickory are ideally matched to meats like lamb, duck and chicken.

At the end of the day however it's what you serve your guest that counts. Make sure it's decent grub and everyone will be satisfied

Sit back and enjoy the barbecue! Now where did I put that glass of Chablis?

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