"War is a series of catastrophes which result in victory."Albert Pike
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Losing Weight During the Holiday Season
By now, I am assuming your schedule is pretty hectic in preparation for the Holiday Festivities. So its only inevitable that I ask of you to take a few moments to ponder on how you will handle the vast amounts of food involved with this holiday season. ...
Sweet & Sour Pork (Gu Lao Rou)
Sweet & Sour Pork is the most well known Chinese food abroad. According to a Cantonese chef, the primitive or the authentic cooking method of the dish is to add Cantonese pickled vegetables. When cooking, simply sauté the pickled vegetables along ...
Which Grill Should You Buy, Charcoal Or Gas?
If you are considering purchasing a new grill, or barbecue, you will be faced with a multitude of options to choose between. However, there is one choice which you will need to make fairly quickly in your quest for the perfect grill for you. That decision ...
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Nothing is more frustrating than trying to cook a delicious meal and having it stick to the bottom of the pan. A well season or cured pan will make cooking more fun, easier to clean and create better tasting food. There is a saying in the restaurant business; Hot pan – Cold oil. Meaning never put the oil in a cold pan and then heat it up. By heating the pan first and then adding the oil, then immediately the food, you'll have much less sticking. Furthermore if you season the pan when you first purchase it, you will have even better results.
Curing by metal types
Stainless Steel – Unfortunately stainless steel cannot be seasoned because of the hardness of the metal. A matter of fact I don't know of a single restaurant which uses stainless steel pan. They are great for storing food because the food won't react with the metal, but horrible for cooking. My advice is just stay away from them altogether.
Aluminum – First wash the pan with soup and water using a sponge or cloth (no steel sponge). Rinse and dry thoroughly. Heat the pan until hot then add two ounces of oil to the pan. Carefully swirl the pan so the oil coats every part of the pan. Let the pan cool. Remove the oil and repeat the process one more time. From this point on, never use soap again. Wash with warm water and dry with a paper towel. If some food does stick us a little salt with oil and a paper towel to remove it.
Teflon and other non stick surfaces – Non stick technology has come a long way over the years and there are dozens of infomercials to prove it. But the truth is even non stick pans will eventually stick. Follow the steps for seasoning aluminum pans and your non stick pans will last longer and perform better. Remember after the first time, never wash with soup again.
Cast iron and wok's – For cast iron and wok's the process is similar, but because of the nature of the metal you'll heat the pans to a much higher temperature. Fist wash the pan with soup and water then dry thoroughly. Heat the pan up until it is very hot. Add two ounces of oil and swirl to coat all sides. Let cool and remove excess oil. Heat the pan up again until it begins to smoke. Add more oil and repeat the process until you've done this three times. Never wash again and always store you pans at any angle or by hanging so they won't rust.
By taking the time to properly season you pans, you will enjoy cooking much more and increase the life of your investment. I recommend spending a little extra money and buying good quality pans and take care of them, in the long run you'll be much happier. Another tip is to never buy pans with plastic or wooden handles because you can't place them in the oven. As you increase you cooking skills you'll find many recipes start on the burner then move to the oven. By having an all metal pan this transition is flawless.
Chef Richard has worked for some of the top fine dining restaurants in Washington State and is the author of the ebook "Chef's Special". You can find free recipes, informative articles and order the ebook at http://www.csrecipes.com
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 Slow cookers are a change of pace - State Journal-Register
If you’ve been slow to warm up to slow cookers, it probably wasn’t the incredible convenience that turned you off. The abundance of recipes relying on processed cheese and canned cream-of-whatever soup, on the other hand … But what if your slow ...
No-fuss meals - Slow cooker makes the most of time, budget - Charleston Post & Courier
Natalie Haughton, author of the new "Slow & Easy" cookbook, lists dishes that are most conducive for slow cookers, ones that won't be compromised by a little extra cooking or warming time: --Beef and pork chilis. --Beef, pork and lamb stews. --Drinks ...
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AUSTIN, Texas – Angela Shelf Medearis sees big changes in African-American cuisine over the last decade or so. Changes in attitude – moving away from the old stereotypes about “soul food,” – changes in ingredients and changes in diet have ...
Getting to the root of the matter - Anniston Star
Martha came to my house this Christmas. The doyenne of American entertaining showed up in the form of Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook, a gift from my mother that encapsulates the core of Martha's cooking world ...
What to do with leftover bubbly - San Francisco Examiner
Look into your fridge after New Year's, and there's bound to be some leftover bubbly lurking there somewhere. It's flat now, barely corked at best, yet you don't want to just throw it out--you paid money, after all. There is a way. In one of its food ...
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