Eat Food at Home

Are these Alkaline Food Experts for Real?

// April 2nd, 2012 // No Comments » // Cooking Experts, Dairy, Drinking, Fish, Food

Is this alkaline diet thingamajig for real? Heck, I’ve read all about it and got incredibly excited but then after looking around at a few alkaline food charts online, they all seem to have conflicting information. I mean, what’s acid on one charts shoes up as alkaline on another. Then there might be 2 charts that have a certain food in the same column but one will say it’s very alkaline (or acid), and the other will say it’s slightly alkaline (or acid). Then we have the food and cooking experts who are also on different pages. One will say avoid eating dead animals period, including fish, and another will say eat all animal products (including dairy), in moderation because they still have some nutritional benefits despite being classed as acid. The rule of thumb is 1 third acid food to2 thirds alkaline, but once again, no 2 reports giving advice are the same, yet all those who write about this diet claim to be experts.

That’s it, I’m going back on the Atkins diet, sod them all. At least I will be able to keep my weight down and that on its own is a huge benefit to health

Some tasty bites from the kadai

// March 16th, 2012 // No Comments » // Chicken Recipes, Cooking, Cooking Experts, Food, Recipes

Tandoor does give us some tasty bites that make the collection of Indian non vegetarian snacks really proud. Modern day tandoors for home use or restaurant use are operated on electricity or gas. Only a few of us these days, however, are lucky enough to have our own charcoal tandoor. Barbecues can be pretty good, especially where cooking can be done over a grill that lets food juices run onto the burners or coals. The effect is not quite that of the tandoor, but the resulting flavour is acceptable.

You could choose a conventional oven to cook tandoori dishes. The similarity here is that both the oven and the tandoor have an enclosed space where heat is trapped, but the former does not produce the trademark smoky flavouring of real tandoori food. This method is the best alternative for cooking tandoori breads (naan, roti, kulcha etc), when a tandoor is not available because the bread is surrounded by heat.

A grill can be used when cooking food like lamb chops or chicken tikka even though the concept of grill cooking is really the reverse of tandoori cooking. A grill does not have an enclosed space and food is heated by elements from above. Nevertheless, we can cook some tasty food on the grill. The grill is good for quick cooking especially when the barbecue is not an option.

But there is another technique to make Indian non vegetarian snacks and that is by frying them. It might sound like we are stating the obvious but it’s so true…that the world loves deep fried food! Even if we are aware of the implications of having too much oil in our daily diet, our taste buds clamour for tasty and crisp fried foods. Now that times are changing the awareness about having less oil in the diet is becoming more evident. The emergence of microwave cooking has brought in a new wave of healthful modes of preparing food and it is justified because in this sedentary but stressed lifestyle of today it is better to feed the body what the heart will need to remain fit and ticking. But then remember I said that the taste buds need to be tickled now and then? Nothing wrong with that provided it is once in a blue moon affair and exercise is treated as a serious daily activity.

Here are some recipes of Indian non vegetarian snacks that come from the kadai.
CHOTI KABAB
In a bowl mix 250 grams mutton mince, 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste, 2 chopped onions, tsp red chilli paste, 1 tablespoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon pepper powder, 1 tablespoon garam masala powder, teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, cup breadcrumbs, salt. Make a thick batter with 6 tablespoons gram flour, salt, water, a pinch of red chilli powder. Make marble sized mutton balls. Dip in the batter and deep fry in hot oil till golden. Drain on paper and serve hot.

AMRITSARI FISH

Marinate 1 inch cubes of 600 grams surmai fillets for 20 minutes in cup malt vinegar. Drain, pat dry. Whisk 1 cup gram flour, cup dahi, 1 egg, 1 tsp ajwain, salt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon red chilli powder, 4 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste. Add fish, marinate for 20 minutes. Deep fry few pieces at a time, in hot oil, till brown and crisp. Drain, sprinkle 1 teaspoon chaat maala, serve with 8 lemon wedges.

As we progress we will also dwell on the techniques of cooking Indian non vegetarian snacks in the microwave. Till then, check out some more recipes of fish starters: Chilli Fish Bhajji, Crispy Fried Fish, Fish in Banana Leaves.

California Culinary Classes: Acquiring Your Education To The Next Level

// January 4th, 2012 // No Comments » // Cooking Experts, Cuisines

At this time there are a considerable amount of culinary school choices in Ca that are increasing their recognition. This might be due to the growing demand in this field. A vocation in the field of culinary arts is a lot more than just cooking, baking, or grilling, as there are a lot of job alternatives that can go considerably further more than cooking a nice cuisine, such as restaurant management. It is extremely vital that you understand accurately what your interested in before deciding on a specific culinary school to enroll in, as there are lots of different schools that offer distinct culinary programs and classes.

There are several fantastic universities all around the world in places such as The country of Italy, France, Asia, and London, and not to mention the United States Of America in places such as Nyc, Sarasota, and Ca. Generally there are a number of culinary arts schools in California that offers great programs in this field. In simple fact, these universities are really good that they are in a position to contend with other educational institutions throughout the world.

Generally there are a lot of culinary arts schools that you can choose from, that supply a excellent education for soon to be culinary chefs in the California location . The state of California has some of the most well known culinary schools and helped shaped the ability of plenty of the top chefs all around the globe. If you are fresh out of senior high school, or a season cook or chef, who want to further their schooling, your consideration of going to a culinary arts schools in the state of California, is one that will most certainly send you on your way to educating and mastering advance culinary arts competencies.

The tuition for going to a culinary art school may well vary depending on which school you determine to attend. There are those schools that have higher tuition rate than that of the others due to the line-up of the instructors that they have.

Another factor that can maximize the schools educational costs is the components that the individuals are going to. If you do not have a sufficient amount of amount of grants, financial aid, and/or money to enter these schools no need to worry. There are various culinary schools that provide more inexpensive tuition rates. There are also educational institutions that offer scholarships or school funding additionally.

Attending a culinary arts school to acquire a culinary degree is becoming really popular for various purposes and factors. One of these aspects is the increasing job options that’s available world-wide for cooks and chef’s, and the point that you will be able to expand your culinary career, by pursing your own eating venue, choose to become a culinary instructor in the culinary education field, or perhaps land a cooking show on television or the Net!. It all would depend on what you’re most interested in pursing, but the reality of the matter is it all begins with earning a culinary degree and studying at a culinary arts institution. You can also get a substantial volume of money if you are a graduate student of this course.

Filipino Food: Meet “The Pinay” Tondi’s Brand Of The Filipino Wine

// November 29th, 2011 // No Comments » // Chefs, Cooking, Cooking Experts, Drinks, Food

Know Tondi Navarrete-Bolkan, a Filipina winemaker coming from Francis Ford Coppola Winery whose mission is to uncork the Filipino’s adoration for wine.

Pansit, galantina, lechon, cheese, crackers and cold-cuts; a serenade of love melodies; friends and family abound-a timeless image of a Filipino get together around a spread of delectable Filipino food. In that feast, the center are 6 fine bottles of wine vintaged in Napa Valley and Sonoma, California by Tondi Navarrete-Bolkan, a Filipina associate winemaker from the Francis Ford Coppola Winery and co-owner of Alejos Cellars.

The gathering is really a wine sampling for Tondi’s wine creations such as the Tondi Bolkan Merlot (red), Pinay Muscato (white) and Pinay Pastel (port style wine), flagship bottles of wine of the Alejos Cellars; and Francis Ford Coppola Winery concoctions which includes Su Yuen (Riesling), Coppola’s Diamond Series Claret (red) and Sofia (a sparkling wine branded after Sofia Coppola).

Having a degree on Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior out of UC Davis California, Tondi initially intended to study medicine to follow her sister and father’s path. “Throughout my senior year attending college, I got my internship at the University Medical Center. After I saw blood, I instantly passed out.” Fortunately UC Davis is likewise renowned for viniculture and grape growing.

Much was her family’s support that they actually partnered with her to start Alejos Cellars to make her very own line of wines. “I am just very happy to be part of a business which allows me to venture outside. In 2006, we started off Alejos Cellars with the Pinay Muscato, followed by the merlot and then the port. It takes lots of patience to produce wine. It is money intensive and time consuming.”

Tondi decided to label her brand “Pinay”, slang for Filipina. “We preferred a concept that catches attention and defines what our wines are, uniquely inspired by the Filipino palate.” The Pinay Muscato hints of fruity aromas of peaches and lychee. It’s smooth, light, and as promised, fairly sweet. She suggests pairing the Muscato with less damp meals or Filipino recipes for instance crispy pata or chicken adobo. The Merlot can be dished up with the caldereta and kare kare whilst the Pinay Pastel is really a dessert wine beverage with a perfect combination of spice and sweet.

For Tondi, the rewards for making these mixes are two times as wonderful. “I’ve been getting e-mail messages and phone calls about Pinay, plus the thrills and inspiration from my consumer’s voices are extremely inspiring. They are saying the word Pinay and they raise up a bottle.”

At some point Tondi hopes to develop her brand into other varieties like Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Chenin Blanc.

Best cookery show

// August 18th, 2011 // No Comments » // Chefs, Cooking, Cooking Experts, Food, Healthy Food

The best cookery shows are those shows where the host is consistent, knows his mind and loves to try out different cuisines and cooking styles. Every good cookery show should be innovative and different and make even non-cooks want to try their hand out at cooking.

All good cookery shows should be well presented and the recipes should be both intricate and simple and should be presented in such a way that the viewer feels it is easy to replicate. The ingredients that the cook uses should be easy to obtain and should be available in most markets, using very expensive materials may just put off the viewer.

The host should be charismatic and should be able to catch the pulse of the audience, it is very important to keep your target audience in mind when deciding recipes and other show details. Also it is a good idea to keep an online website where your viewers can download all your recipes and keep in touch with you; connecting with the audience and potential viewers is very important in building viewership and getting better TRP.

The best cookery show is also one where there is repeat telecast so that your audience can keep seeing your show and feel more and more connected to the host. Always choose wholesome recipes that are not too complicated as many first-time cooks many feel intimidated by complicated recipes and may not be tuned in to your show.

A New Approach to Culinary Cooking Schools

// August 3rd, 2011 // No Comments » // Cooking, Cooking Experts, Cuisines

If you are a serious cook who enjoys creating great food and are thinking about improving your skills and attending culinary cooking schools, there is a new and different approach that should be looked at. This approach is online culinary school. You need an online school, however, that has been put together by real professionals and which teaches serious skills. You want to basically have a real culinary school experience replicated online.

This is easy to say but hard to accomplish. Culinary schools teach a lot more than just recipes. They also teach a large number of skills that chefs use which allow them to take a concept and turn that into dozens of recipes. It is possible to find such an experience online just by clicking one of the links on this page. If you are dead serious about actually attending culinary school, however, you will need to figure out how to pay for culinary school. The high costs of education these days make this more than a trivial exercise.

Low fat vegetarian recipes

// June 17th, 2011 // No Comments » // Cooking, Cooking Experts, Food, Recipes For At Home

Low fat vegetarian recipes are easy to make and hardly take any time. It is a good option when you are trying to lose weight to cook some healthy food that aids your weight loss.

Mushroom Baked Noodles

You will need lasagna noodles, low fat ricotta cheese, spinach, oregano, basil, 2 tsp olive oil, cremini mushrooms, low sodium marinara sauce and

Inexpensive Vegan Recipes

// April 19th, 2011 // No Comments » // Cooking Experts, Healthy Cooking, Recipes, Vegetarian

With the flurry of information about food and health and diet and nutrition it’s difficult to know which way to turn. Here are a few tips:

Be aware of what you’re putting into your body. Use fresh and simple ingredients to achieve different and exciting flavors with healthy, tasty results.

If you’re just getting started with your plant-based diet and vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, just try a recipe or two at a time and build up your pantry as you go. Before long, you’ll find you have a good base of reference and an inventory of everything you need on-hand and the confidence you need to branch out and create your own dishes.

Green is good, and be sure to add other colors, flavors and textures to your dishes too! You want to get the very best of everything so don’t skimp on quality and freshness. A great way to eat healthy and save money is to shop at a farmers market or produce stand or keep to the outer edges of your grocery store for your fresh and perishable food once or twice a week. By maintaining a list of all the dried, canned or otherwise packaged items you use regularly, you can look for them on sale and stock up when it’s convenient. You’ll find it easier to cook something spontaneously without all the running around.

The key is to stay organized. You can find the vegan food pyramid, meal menus and grocery lists as well as references and sources for vegan and hard-to-find ingredients on line. We found this website: inexpensive vegan recipes. It also provides health and nutrition information with each recipe and lots of tips, hints and pearls of wisdom.