Category: Food

January 30, 2017

What is the Secret to Smoking Meats Well?

Smoking meats is something that a lot of people love to do. It’s a tradition in many families, and with good reason – smoked meats taste great! Smoking meats at home makes them last for longer, and adds a flavor that is hard to beat.

If you want to smoke meats and get great results, then you need to buy the highest quality meat that you can afford. If you’re buying beef, for example, look for prime or choice cuts – these are ones that have plenty of marbling. This means that the meat is quite fatty – but that fat running through the meat actually makes it taste amazing.

The meat should be as fresh as possible, but the cut doesn’t matter too much. Pick whatever your favorite is, and look for your favorite recipe. Pork ribs are a popular choice, and pork shoulders are good too. If you have to buy frozen meats, then don’t worry too much about that, just make sure that you get the highest quality that you can find.

If you have space for it, a backyard smoker made from stainless steel is the best choice, but if you have a smaller, portable smoker, don’t despair.

The most important thing, after the meat, is the wood. Use seasoned wood rather than green wood. The type of wood you use will affect the flavor. Hickory, oak, maple or cherry is a really good choice. Stay away from softwoods because not only do they tend to taste bitter, some of them can actually make you ill! Smoke with the traditional woods used by the pros.

Patience is essential. Trying to rush the smoking process won’t help you to get nice tasting meats, it will just leave you with under-flavored, poorly cooked cuts.

January 11, 2017

Asian Fusion Food: A Perfectly Exotic Blend of Flavors

Very often when people first hear of the concept of Asian Fusion food, they assume that it is a particular cooking style much the same way as Tandoori Chicken is cooked in a traditional Tandoori oven. It actually refers more to a concept rather than any particular method of food preparation. Essentially Fusion cooking is the melding together of two or more cooking traditions, disciplines, or techniques to create an entirely new finished dish.

There are many reasons why people enjoy Fusion cooking. Many top chefs use the technique to expand their culinary offerings and to build a reputation for the unique dishes that they produce. It is a great way to set themselves apart from their peers. It is also a technique that is used to introduce a food concept to groups of people unaccustomed to eating it. For example, some Chinese restaurants will offer french fries with Asian stir fry to make it more attractive to Western customers.

Asian cooking mixes well with many different cooking traditions, particularly Chinese stir frying. The method has been so widely blended with other food traditions that confusion now exists on what is traditional Chinese and what is not. It’s fairly common to find Western-style steaks served with Asian rice or noodles, but it is not a dish that would have been traditionally eaten in Chinese homes.

Someone wanting to attempt Asian Fusion cooking will need to proceed with caution. Careful attention to how particular ingredients will compliment others is essential to preparing a unique, delicious meal. Attempting a new form of Fusion cooking while hosting important guests for a dinner party is certainly not advisable. However, a well-prepared Asian Fusion meal can make a meal a more memorable experience.

Asian Fusion food is a great choice to serve guests when you want to add a little exotic flair to your dinner party.

November 19, 2016

Determining What Is A Winter Vegetable In The USA

For people who want to eat in season, finding out the vegetables that go with the seasons can be extremely important. This is one of the best ways to avoid eating vegetables with a much lower concentration of nutrients. It is also a great way to ensure that you eat more local food and that you are taking care of your health in a way that is sustainable year after year.

There are a number of different winter vegetables available in the USA and they tend to fall into three different categories. These categories are squash, tubers, and green.

The first category, squash, includes everything from pumpkins to yellow squash and are some of the longest lasting options for your pantry and some of the easiest to keep as well. Storing them in a cool dry place can see them lasting for several months at a time.

The next category, the tubers, is the one with the most variety during the winter. Foods like potatoes and sweet potatoes are well known, but things like turnips, parsnips, and other root vegetables are a little less known. They go well in soups but can still be used as a stand alone dish as well. Most of these are very cheap, and you can usually get them in bulk from farmers around the area.

The final category, greens, is much harder to come by than the others. Brussels sprouts, kale, leeks, and collard greens are some of the most popular options. These all have intense flavor, but can generally be mellowed by roasting and are extremely nutritious.

Knowing what is in reason allows you to make good choices and to keep yourself health during the winter. It’s also a way for you to get the most out of your budget as in season vegetables are going to be the cheapest.