Saturday, January 30, 2010

Kitchen Set

Guide and Tips on How to Buy a Kitchen Cookware Set
By Ray Xu


Kitchen Set
In order to cook well, it is very essential to have a reliable set of pots and pans. With all of the different brands, shapes, and materials, buying cookware won't be an easy decision. But, with a little bit of knowledge of cookware shapes and terms, and a little thinking about your own cooking style, you will be able to outfit your kitchen with a selection of pots and pans that will be most useful to you.

Cookware sets can be made out of several materials. Copper is considered the best material for cookware, as it conducts heat uniformly and quickly, but it is the most expensive. Aluminum is widely used in cookware as it performs almost as well as copper and is generally cheaper, but it can be scratched easily. If you buy aluminum, go for the thicker gauge. Cast iron cookware can be even cheaper than aluminum, but it is very heavy and a poor conductor of heat. Alternatively, enamel coated cast iron does not interact with food and requires no seasoning, but the price is a bit higher. Nonstick cookware have manmade coatings that keep foods from sticking to the pan. Finally, there are stainless steel cookware, which are easier to maintain than aluminum or copper, however, it is a poor conductor of heat too.


Kitchen SetNow that you have some basic knowledge about cookware set materials, think about how you cook. You will want to make sure the cookware sets you consider have the pots and pans you need for your style of cooking.

A good basic cookware set should have four components. A 5-quart sauce pan will help you heat liquids and reheat soup and stew leftovers. A frying pan is essential for cooking eggs, saute onions, and pan frying fish. A saute pan, on the other hand, has higher edges than a frying pan, so it comes in handy for cooking meats on the stove, and for creating thick dishes. Other pots and pans that you might want to have in your cookware set include a stock pot and a roasting pan. You might also consider a chef's pan, which is something of a stylized wok.


Kitchen SetThe decision on which cookware set to buy is based on your cooking styles. If you care more about convenience and appearance, consider a matched set of cookware. If you care more about the quality of the cooking process, consider mixing cookware pieces and metals such as cast iron skillets, copper sauce and saute pans, stainless steel stock pots and aluminum / anodized aluminum frying pans.

Knowing what pieces you'll need, and the best materials to choose, will go a long way in helping you outfit your kitchen with the best cookware for your needs and make a delicious dish, of course!


Kitchen Set

Mom Kitchen

Owning a Kitchen Knife Today
By James Cerebe James

Friday, January 29, 2010

Mom Cooking

Cooking For Working Moms
By Tracy Falbe


Mom CookingSuper mom is supposed to bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan, but that old song is a tired joke for working moms who need to put dinner on the table. Too often working moms resort to fast food or microwave dinners to feed their families, but these options if used too much lead to poor nutrition and even obesity.

Fatigue and stress usually cause working moms to forsake the kitchen, but with a change in attitude toward cooking, you could enjoy more time at home, better nutrition, and even save money.


Mom CookingOvercoming the time barrier

Busy moms (and dads) think that their schedules do not allow time for cooking. Dealing with time issues usually becomes easier once you step back and examine how you are actually using your time. If you are picking up a take out dinner five nights a week, then you are likely spending 20 to 30 minutes after work performing this chore by driving to a take out food place, waiting in line, ordering, and then going home. With even the conservative 20 minute estimate, you have used 100 minutes (close to 2 hours) in one work week that could have been spent cooking nutritious food and saving money. Wouldn't it be nicer to drive home, put your feet up for a few minutes, then make some dinner?

Time barriers to cooking are also overcome by planning and accepting that many foods do not require very much time to prepare. To cook efficiently you need to find meals that you like and that do not require much time to cook. Next, you will decide what meals you want for the week and then make one trip to the grocery store to buy the necessary food supplies.


Mom CookingMy kids don't like my cooking

If you have a family that is accustomed to fast food, then your family may need time to adjust to a healthier lifestyle. Kids often prefer fast food to home cooking, but that is all the more reason to make fast food a treat. It can be something they earn instead of simply expect. Also, as your cooking skills improve, your kids will come to like real food better because most fast food is rather distasteful to people who are used to good food.


Mom CookingAsking for help

For working moms with older kids, you should ask them to help you cook. The kids could even have specific days in which they prepare dinner. Although kids will likely complain about having to do anything, teaching them the important skill of cooking is important to their future independence and health. Some kids will even enjoy cooking and take pride in contributing to the family's needs. And allowing them to be involved in food preparation will get them excited about their food instead of whining for fast food.

Tips to make cooking easy

* Keep it simply on most days. You do not need to try anything extravagant.
* Cook meats ahead of time. This is often a simple task that can be accomplished with minimal effort in the couple hours before you go to bed. Browning and seasoning some ground beef the night before and putting it in the refrigerator will allow you to have a speedy taco dinner or nachos the next night. And having some cooked chicken in the refrigerator makes it easy to put together a casserole after work.
* Get a slow cooker and find some recipes you like for it. After some prep time in the morning, you can go to work, and then have a hot dinner ready to dish up when you walk in the door.


Mom CookingSaving money

Buying take out food all the time eats into your wallet every day. That money would be much more efficiently used with a big trip to the grocery store. A roast on sale for $7 can feed a family of four and give some leftovers for a sandwich or two. That same $7 might be only one or two fast food meals. And staples for side dishes like potatoes and rice are easily under $1 a pound. Frozen vegetables are also very affordable and they don't wither in the refrigerator. They might not be as nutritious as fresh, but they are much better than no vegetables and they taste good.

Cooking skills come with practice, but the effort is rewarding. Spending some time in your kitchen with the kids helping or doing their homework at the table is far better than sitting in a car at a drive-through restaurant.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Mom Kitchen

Baking Tips – 5 Lessons Learned In Mom's Kitchen
By Jill Borash Platinum Quality Author


Mom Kitchen1. Good baking requires patience. If you try to rush it, you will end up with a mess. A good cake, pie, cookie, the list goes on and on, cannot be rushed. Things tend to turn out half-baked (yes, literally) or so badly that they are not edible. People tend to frown at you when serve them burnt cookies. (Hey, at least I tried.)

2. You do not have to always follow the recipe. I have started to learn to cook and bake by feel and taste more than by following a recipe. If you do not like one thing that is in the recipe but you do like everything else that is in it, take out the thing you do not like. I tend to add more of things I like into a recipe (chocolate) and take out things I don’t (not chocolate). I have been known to add double the amount of chocolate chips to a cookie recipe and omit the nuts entirely. (Really, who needs all those nuts getting in the way of a good chocolate chip cookie!)

Mom Kitchen3. The devil is in the details. Little things like adding ingredients in the proper order can make all the difference. I have learned from very painful experience that putting the ingredients in the wrong way can easily ruin a baking recipe. The baking powder has to go in before you put it in the oven. (Who knew?)


Mom Kitchen4. It does not have to be complicated to taste good. Some of the best baking recipes that my mom ever made were ones that had five ingredients or less. If you are like me and do not have the patience to squeeze a million tiny dots onto a cake in order to make pretty frosting, it is nice to know that I can make something that is simpler and still tastes good. (Anyone have a recipe for dipable (yes, I just made up that word) frosting? Lets skip that whole thing of having to frost the cake entirely.)

5. Always mix in some love. I am convinced that this is why store bought sweets never taste as good as homemade ones. Machines do not know how to inject this special ingredient. All baking recipes at the very minimum need at least one cup of love to be any good at all.

I wish you all happy baking with lots of love baked in!

Mom Kitchen

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Mom's a cook

Mom's Rules on How to Cook Corned Beef
By Sturat Mitchel


 Mom's  a cookThe standard you'll hear in my mother's kitchen on how to cook corned beef is the slower, the better. This cut of meat comes from the brisket, right above the shank portion of the front leg of a cow. It is not particularly tender and cooking it quickly will result in shoe leather not fit for eating. Always cooked in water, many do it atop the range and some in a pressure cooker. This author recommends using your slow cooker or crock pot. When utilizing this method, you can prepare the entire meal in one pan and it doesn't need watching.


 Mom's  a cookWhat you put in the slow cooker with your brisket is important. When my mother taught me how to cook corned beef she always added mustard seed, coarse salt and a bit of dill to the water. I have adapted all of my mom's tricks to my crock pot version. Just place the brisket in the bottom of the slow cooker and fill with water so the water is at least a full inch over the meat. Add in a cupped handful of mustard seed, one teaspoons of coarse salt and one teaspoon of chopped dill. Put the cover on, set it to low and let it cook for no less than fourteen hours.


 Mom's  a cookAn hour before serving, remove the corned beef and cover with foil. Place a head of cabbage cut in quarters with peeled carrots and onions in corned beef water in the slow cooker. You may even add some potatoes, if you'd like. Change the setting to high and cook for one hour. Serve with delicious stone ground mustard and a bottle of sweet apple cider vinegar. You now have a complete corned beef dinner prepared in one pot. Now that you have a recipe for to how cook corned beef, perhaps it's time to learn how to cook beef cheek?


 Mom's  a cook

 Mom's  a cook

Mom Cooking

Gourmet Cooking Stores - Tips To Delight Your Mom On Mother's Day
By Abhishek Agarwal


Mom CookingRemember the last Mother's Day when Dad did the barbeque. It must have been fun. But then, at the end of the celebration your Mom smiled, thanked everybody and got busy cleaning the mess! Her special day went in veins doing all that extra cleaning job and adding to her toil!


Mom Cooking
Father's often love to put up the barbeque to help a day's meal; and Mom's, though they appreciate it, are made to do loads of extra work in place of the promised relaxation. Some families, who are smart enough to foresee the problem, move out to the nearby restaurant and waste hours together in waiting.


Mom CookingGourmet cooking stores read through the problem and have come up with quite interesting solutions.

These stores allow guests to join in like a family and prepare the meals for their family using all fresh ingredients. They are given explicit instructions and are allowed close examination. Hence, you are able to prepare a nutritious & delicious meal for the family. You can carry it back home and freeze it. While serving, just heat it in the oven and serve it fresh and fragrant. It can also be packed in various sizes to suit one's individual needs. The dishes you can prepare enlist a good long variety, to name a few:
i. Coconut Shrimp
ii. Caribbean Pork Roast
iii. Pasta Dishes

This sort of arrangement calls for some prior planning, but once you are determined to do it, it shall certainly be a boon for the family during the special occasions. Such as the Mother's Day - it shall extremely lessen her cleaning job within no cooking utensils. Also while cooking she does not have to rush fetching things from all around the kitchen and gathering the ingredients.

Yet, if you want to become a hero still, after the gourmet cooked meal, try pitching in with all the family and clean up the mess after the meal. Let your Mom sit back and relax, and indeed enjoy the big day.


Mom CookingGourmet cooking might not be as inexpensive. Still as compared to the six servings at your choicest restaurant (until & unless it's McDonald's) this would be far easier. Above all, it would give your mother a feel of your thoughtfulness, love and affection. Also, cooking at the gourmet store with your brother and father who are almost kitchen impaired could be great fun and collect some moments to remember for ever.

There are several gourmet cooking stores with varied names. Find one near your place. For this simply, punch in the keywords - Meal Preparation Centers - on the search engines on internet. And what next, plan a grand meal for all special family occasions like Father's Day, Mother's Day or other holidays or birthdays. These meals are surely a good idea for the nights when you want to just laze around and remain hassle-free.

Mom Kitchen

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Mom Kitchen

A Little Gift of Appreciation For Your Mom
By Kate Adams


Mom Kitchen
Giving a present for your Mom may be one of the most difficult things for a person. Aside from it is difficult to find a perfect gift for anybody; you know that a gift for your mom should be something extra ordinary. It should be able to match the appreciation that you have for your mother but most of the time you are limited in money and time to search for the suitable gift.


Mom KitchenOne of the choices for you would be to search through the mall and find a little kitchen utensil that your mother will probably use. Although a lot of people might think that this can be a perfect gift since moms are known to spend more time in the kitchen, this can be too typical.


Mom KitchenNow you see your mom wearing classic clothing and you might wonder how to add a little design to your mom's look without getting too much attention. This is where you can think of a jewelry that can augment your mom's look while keeping the classic aura.

An engraved mother bracelet can be a gift that your mom would not commonly get but this is something that your mother would like to receive. You will only have to make sure that you pick the right design so that your mom's personality would match the bracelet that you are going to buy for her and to ensure that your mom would wear them often. This kind of gift is something that your mom can use and appreciate a little more than a plain kitchen utensil that you will find in the malls.


Mom KitchenAside from the bracelets, you can also find some engraved mother necklaces to match and complete your mom's shape. It will enhance the everyday look of your mom while reminding her that this little gift is something that can show her your love. You would know that something special and unique would also be the perfect gift for someone who is equally special.

With the engraved mother bracelets and necklaces, you will be able to show your thoughtfulness as well as your own personality while matching the taste of your mom. You will have to pick the design that you think suits your mom and you can also put the name of your mom or any symbol that will make the jewelry piece more personalized.

Most of the necklaces that you will find at the malls are alluring indeed. However, the appeal of the personalized engraved mother necklaces and bracelets have are more likely to be appreciated. Moms are special and this little gift can relay to her what you feel.


Mom KitchenAside from giving these gifts to your mother, the designs of the necklaces can also be perfect gifts for your friends or even to yourself. The key would be to find the design that can match your character and the engravings would do the trick in making it more personalized. The detail of the gift is something that you can play on and you can make use of your imagination to end up with the jewelry that can show your character.

Mom's a cook

Cooking For Working Moms
By Tracy Falbe


 Mom's  a cook
Super mom is supposed to bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan, but that old song is a tired joke for working moms who need to put dinner on the table. Too often working moms resort to fast food or microwave dinners to feed their families, but these options if used too much lead to poor nutrition and even obesity.

Fatigue and stress usually cause working moms to forsake the kitchen, but with a change in attitude toward cooking, you could enjoy more time at home, better nutrition, and even save money.



 Mom's a cook
Overcoming the time barrier

Busy moms (and dads) think that their schedules do not allow time for cooking. Dealing with time issues usually becomes easier once you step back and examine how you are actually using your time. If you are picking up a take out dinner five nights a week, then you are likely spending 20 to 30 minutes after work performing this chore by driving to a take out food place, waiting in line, ordering, and then going home. With even the conservative 20 minute estimate, you have used 100 minutes (close to 2 hours) in one work week that could have been spent cooking nutritious food and saving money. Wouldn't it be nicer to drive home, put your feet up for a few minutes, then make some dinner?

Time barriers to cooking are also overcome by planning and accepting that many foods do not require very much time to prepare. To cook efficiently you need to find meals that you like and that do not require much time to cook. Next, you will decide what meals you want for the week and then make one trip to the grocery store to buy the necessary food supplies.



 Mom's a cook
My kids don't like my cooking

If you have a family that is accustomed to fast food, then your family may need time to adjust to a healthier lifestyle. Kids often prefer fast food to home cooking, but that is all the more reason to make fast food a treat. It can be something they earn instead of simply expect. Also, as your cooking skills improve, your kids will come to like real food better because most fast food is rather distasteful to people who are used to good food.

Asking for help

For working moms with older kids, you should ask them to help you cook. The kids could even have specific days in which they prepare dinner. Although kids will likely complain about having to do anything, teaching them the important skill of cooking is important to their future independence and health. Some kids will even enjoy cooking and take pride in contributing to the family's needs. And allowing them to be involved in food preparation will get them excited about their food instead of whining for fast food.

Tips to make cooking easy

* Keep it simply on most days. You do not need to try anything extravagant.
* Cook meats ahead of time. This is often a simple task that can be accomplished with minimal effort in the couple hours before you go to bed. Browning and seasoning some ground beef the night before and putting it in the refrigerator will allow you to have a speedy taco dinner or nachos the next night. And having some cooked chicken in the refrigerator makes it easy to put together a casserole after work.
* Get a slow cooker and find some recipes you like for it. After some prep time in the morning, you can go to work, and then have a hot dinner ready to dish up when you walk in the door.

Saving money

Buying take out food all the time eats into your wallet every day. That money would be much more efficiently used with a big trip to the grocery store. A roast on sale for $7 can feed a family of four and give some leftovers for a sandwich or two. That same $7 might be only one or two fast food meals. And staples for side dishes like potatoes and rice are easily under $1 a pound. Frozen vegetables are also very affordable and they don't wither in the refrigerator. They might not be as nutritious as fresh, but they are much better than no vegetables and they taste good.

Cooking skills come with practice, but the effort is rewarding. Spending some time in your kitchen with the kids helping or doing their homework at the table is far better than sitting in a car at a drive-through restaurant.

Mom Cooking

Mom Help! Dad's Cooking Again!
By Joe Bingham


Mom Cooking"Dear Lord, we thank you for this food, and we ask you to bless it --- especially tonight because Daddy cooked it. Amen."

All right, so perhaps I'm not quite as good of a cook as my wife. You have to understand, though, back in the old days, when I was single, there really wasn't much of a demand for me to do any cooking.

My main foods at that time were cereal, peanut butter, pizza, and burritos. Not all together, of course --- well maybe in certain combinations --- but generally I ate them separately.

Now, suddenly, I'm married with four kids and...

Well, I guess that didn't exactly happen suddenly, but...

Anyway, my wife and I both work, but since I work at home I'm often the one that does the cooking.

I had to do some learning in the beginning. I remember my wife used to come into the kitchen while I was cooking and say, "Smells like you scorched the food."

About the first ten times this happened, I just sort of ignored her. Eventually, however, I got curious.

"What do you mean by 'scorching'?" I asked.

"Scorching is when the food on the bottom of the pan sticks and burns to an inedible crisp," she answered coldly. It seemed to me she was implying that it was a bad thing, too.

"It makes the whole pot full taste burned," she continued with a look of disgust on her face. To which I replied, "What? You can prevent that?"

After that, I started taking a few lessons from her on how to cook. She taught me about stirring the food while it's in the pot, not cooking everything on high, greasing pans before putting food in them, blowing the foam off of the pot when the macaroni starts boiling over, and other advanced techniques. Eventually, I started getting pretty good at a few things so I decided to try something a little more complicated.


Mom CookingI tried making bread.

Now, I'm really good at making biscuits. In fact, they are one of my specialties, but they're not quite as complicated as making bread.

First, there was this whole idea of "kneading" the bread. My wife came up to me just after I'd broken my second wooden spoon while trying to stir more flour into an already thick lump of dough.

"No, no, no!" she cried, obviously distressed over the death of the spoon. "You are supposed to KNEAD the bread!"

"Of course I NEED the bread!" I replied. "Why do you think I'm making it?"

However, it's the whole idea of letting it "raise" that has proven to be the most difficult for me to master. You wouldn't think it would be all that hard. I mean, all that is required is to simply let the dough sit around by itself for a while. And in fact, that's really not the problem. It's the coming back on time later that I find so challenging.

The last time I tried to make bread I set it aside to let it raise, just like I was supposed to do, and went about my business.

Some time later, I just happened to be walking through the kitchen when I noticed this giant balloon sitting in a bread pan with a towel thrown over the top of it.

"What have the kids done now?" I thought to myself as I lifted the towel. "Oh yeah! I'm making bread today," I concluded.

I hadn't noticed that the recipe was called "Balloon Bread", but apparently that's what it was. So, I threw it in the oven and proceeded to cook it. A giant loaf of bread for all my hungry kids to feed on for a few days sounded good to me.

Some time later, I just happened to be walking through the kitchen past the oven when I thought to myself, "Why is it so hot over here? What have the kids been messing with now?"

"Oh yeah! I'm cooking bread today!" I corrected myself.

Amazingly, it wasn't burned, too badly anyway. You see, once in a while I just happen to come along at roughly the right time. In the end, though, I wasn't all that impressed with the Balloon Bread recipe. To be honest, it tasted more like sour air than bread. I don't really remember pumping it full of carbon dioxide myself, but I'd swear that was what was in there. Hmmm, carbonated bread. What will they think of next?

One day, however, I decided to put forth a tremendous effort into my bread making. I worked hard, set timers so I'd remember what I was doing, and everything. Plus, I scrapped the Carbonated Balloon Bread recipe, and went with one from another cook book.

In the end, I had what I thought was a rather decent product. It was of normal size, not burned, and I could even cut it with a regular bread knife instead of a hacksaw this time.

So, I asked my kids for their opinion, after coaxing them into eating it with a promise of ice cream afterward, of course. On a scale from one to ten, they gave me a resounding two.

I've since gone back to making biscuits.

Then there's cookies. I love making cookies. I'm really fairly good at making cookies, too. At least, I used to be. That was before my kids all decided they wanted to learn to make cookies, too. (This may have had something to do with the fact that only the cook, being me, was ever allowed to eat any of the cookie dough.)

Sure, it's fun to have my kids "help" me make cookies. It's just that, well, with an average of 2-3 helpers, sometimes I get a little confused.

"OK kids, we're making a double batch of cookies so there's enough for us all. Now, the recipe says we need 2 cups of flour, so doubled that's..."

"Can I put in the flour?"

"No, I want to put in the flour."

"Dad already said I could help him!"

"Well, I can help him, too!"

"Wait a minute, you can both help. One of you get the flour, and one of you get the sugar."

"I'll get the sugar!"

"No, I'll get the sugar!"

"We need the flour first actually."

"I know, I'm getting it."

"How much flour, Dad?"

"Well, let's see 2 cups doubled is..."

"I'm putting it in, give me the cup!"

"I went and got it! You wanted to do the sugar."

"Fine, but I'm going to put in the eggs."

"How much flour, Dad?"

"...3 cups. Now get me two eggs and a cup of sugar."

"I've got the eggs."

"You can't crack them right. You'll get shells in the cookies."

"No, I won't. How many eggs, Dad?"

"I said one cup. Now, somebody get the baking salt and the soda."

"Which kind? Root Beer or Sprite?"

"What?"

Anyway, you can see how it goes sometimes, but honestly, I USED to be quite good at making cookies.

Meanwhile, my kids are still growing, so I must be doing something right. Either that or they are sneaking food out of the storage room while I'm asleep.

Ah, but let me tell you about the most amazing product on the market today. It's one that no cooking dad should be without.

It's called a slow cooker, also known as a Crock Pot.

These things are amazing! You can throw anything you want in them, turn them on, come back anywhere from 6-9 hours later, and it still tastes good!

I don't recommend waiting for 12 hours to return, however. If you do, DO NOT stir the bottom of the pot. I know it's tempting, but after 12 hours the food on the bottom of the pot is best left for the dishwasher. I know it sounds confusing, but it has something to do with that "scorching" thing again --- I think.

My wife is the best, though. She makes everything taste good, except for mushrooms, but then that's impossible. She usually doesn't even look at the directions on anything either. I guess it's all just natural with her.

There is one area of cooking that I'm MUCH better at handling than she is, however, and that's grease fires. She doesn't handle those well, especially when they occur inside the frying pan while she happens to be holding on to it. I know she tries, but I've never known throwing, running, and screaming to be very effective in such situations.

But then, that's another story for another time. (Preferably sometime when there's absolutely NO chance my wife will be around to read it.)

Mom Cooking

Mom is Very busy in the kitchen

Everyday my mom very busy at home.In the morning my mom cooking for breakfast and than she cleaning all room by self.She is women strong,she do it.she is not fell tired although do everything by self.She is cooking for our family.She can do it happynes.I love my mom and I want like her.




Mom Cooking

Mom Cooking

Mom Cooking

Mom Cooking

Friday, January 22, 2010

Mom Cooking

Mom Loves Cooking; I Love Baking
By Siew Wen Chua



Mom Cooking

Cooking is a spontaneous cooking nature while baking is more to precision cooking or engineering cooking. This is a 40th year old lady, my mom philosophy. My mom, housewife for twenty five years always enjoy cooking but not baking. To her, cooking is an easy and spontaneous process. As long as there are raw ingredients ready, she can cook. Cooking is straightforward, the methods involve, basically throw everything in the skillet, add some salt, sugar to enhance the taste and fry for sometimes, it is ready. So she gets pleasure from cooking and doing it for couple of years.


Mom Cooking
My mom cooking is very unique. She can cook well, can cook so many dishes but she can’t write out any recipes. Expert in cooking, but can’t teach! Why this happened? Because she had her own feast of recipes, she doesn’t cook based on measurement. She cooks freely and spontaneously. She will cook according to her taste; add in the salt, sugar or any flavour enhancement material based on her own measurement. So, she will not know how to explain her cooking to the others. She can tell you roughly what will be need in her cooking but not exactly what she uses. Because when she found out that the dish is not tasty enough, she will add in something that she feels like. So there is no standard in her world of cooking.

Before I left home to study, I learn to cook few dishes from her. It is a hand on teaching, but due do all the estimation method she use I can’t cook without her hand on coaching. There is no standard measurement in all the raw materials or ingredients use. This make me headache as I am someone who is rarely walk into the kitchen since young. End up, I learning nothing! But still, my mom cooking is the best cooking.

Leaving home from study made me miss home cook dishes so much. I started to search for recipes and learn to cook on my own. In my cooking world, I need accurate measurement on the ingredients I used. I realize that I can cook if I have clear step by step instructions and accurate measurement of the ingredients. I can’t cook with the estimation method my mom applies. With the step by step clear and direct instructions, then only I can cook!



Mom Cooking
I am dessert lover, I love cake and pudding so much. One day I come across a home made cheese cake recipe in newspaper. I try it out. It is cool. Simple, easy and taste delicious. I share this with my mom, she feel so excited for me. Ask me to bake one for her to try. My mom never enjoys baking cake or pudding because she hates those precision in cake making principle. Step by step instructions need to be follow and no any single step need can be miss out.

My mom hates what I love. So she enjoys cooking while I enjoy baking. My mom hates to follow step by step instructions while I can’t miss the step by step instructions. So I enjoy baking more than cooking. I realize that cooking and baking reflect someone character. I am an engineering background student, in engineering everything must be precise, accurate. So I apply the same principle in baking. So it is comfortable for me to just follow the technique, trouble-free and simple.

Mom Cooking

Frugal Mom's Guide to Once a Month Cooking Review
By Patricia Harris



Mom Cooking
Do you have the right ingredients for cooking the family meal tonight? Or have you just walked into the kitchen wondering what you are going to cook and feeling like it is just another chore to tackle? This is how so many people feel because their lives are so full and busy. The last meal of the day is the one last thought on their mind, until it is time to prepare.



Mom Cooking
Now comes the biggest challenge. Will you serve up a scrumptious healthy meal that may take another hour of your precious time, or will you opt for the quick and easy packet meal, or perhaps reach for the phone and ring for delivery!

There is a solution. It is not one you can do for tonight's meal but it is a solution to the next months worth of meals. A lady by the name of Candace Anderson is the author of 'Frugal Mom's Guide to Once a Month Cooking.' She lays out a plan where you spend one day a month cooking and preparing for the next 30 days.


Mom CookingIf that sounds daunting, it's not, because she explains everything so easily and step by simple step. Not only does she provide you with over 70 recipes to cook, but she guides you from the shopping list to the freezer labeling. This way you are shown how to save time and money. If you have children old enough to help in the kitchen, you can spend one day a month teaching them how to be frugal and productive too.

Imagine every month not having to think about what you are going to do for dinner. Look at the list on your freezer for the day's 'take-out' and you're done.

There is one more thing that is different to so many menu plans. How many times have you bought a beautiful cookbook only to find that half the ingredients you have never heard of, let alone know where to buy them? These recipes come with ingredients for you and me. Ones you can find in your local store and ones for 'frugal moms', so they don't cost a small fortune. What a bonus that is. You won't be spending your shopping day looking for an ingredient that doesn't seem to exist.

This is the best plan I have followed and having ready-cooked meals ready in the freezer is a very comforting feeling. The every night challenge of choosing a healthy recipe can be a simple solution now.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Toy Kitchen For Child

Creative Pretend Play With a Toy Kitchen
By Omri Dotan


Toy Kitchen For ChildWhen it comes to children and their pretend games, many adults do not seem to be able to understand the benefits that come from playing in such a manner. Some even dare to say that children should be in the "real world" and not pretend play so much. But the thing is, pretend play really does a lot of good for the child. Children learn about life through experiences. When they touch, feel, and play with a toy kitchen, they are learning a lot about life and the things around them.

Children absorb the world and the experiences they see in it through pretend play. A toy kitchen gives the child the chance to re-enact experiences that he or she has seen play out in real life. By re-enacting such experiences, your child is able to reinforce the things that he or she has learned through the real life experiences. There are many ways a child can do this but the use of Play Kitchens is usually very popular.

Above and beyond the fact the pretend playing helps to stimulate the intellectual development of your child, he or she will also benefit in several other ways. The most obvious would be that the child is able to learn a lot and expand their skills in imagination and creativity all thanks to a simple Toy Kitchen. Since the child is able to be anyone or anything during their pretend play there is a lot that they can learn and develop.

There are also the added benefits of the child building emotional strength through playing at such settings. By re-enacting certain situations they have come across, the child is able to manage feelings they may have and will be able to understand them better. Also, the child will develop the ability to be able to empathize with other people as a result of this type of play.

Discipline is another great thing that is waiting to be learned by the child through Pretend Play. When playing with a toy kitchen, the child is able to practice making and following rules. He or she can make up all of the Play Kitchens rules about who does dishes and how people should clean up after themselves. This will encourage the child to act more disciplined in his or her own actions.

Then there is also the ability to learn language and social skills through this type of play. Sharing, negotiating, and taking turns are all things that come up during playtime when make believe situations are involved. So even if you never understand why kids naturally are attracted to this type of play, you can now see and understand how it all comes together.


Toy Kitchen For Child
Playing is nature's way of making sure that children are learning everything they need to know in order to understand the world around them a little better. Encourage your child to play all sorts of pretend games. Maybe by getting involved you will be able to see firsthand everything being learned and you will most likely be amazed.

Food For diabetics

Foods For Diabetics - What Kind of Foods to Eat With Type 2 Diabetes?
By Tehmina Mazher



Food For diabetics
Are you in search of the answer of "what kind of foods to eat with type 2 diabetes?" If yes then read on to find more.


Food For diabetics
Brewer's Yeast: It is a wonder food. It is full of chromium. Chromium aids the pancreas to produce excessive insulin. It is the best support for managing blood sugar levels. An article published in Medical World News by Dr. Richard J. Doisy says that Brewer's yeast has successfully lowered down the insulin requirement of diabetics.



Food For diabetics
Broccoli: It comes from the family of cauliflower. It is one of the most popular foods of Europe; it has been proved that it is an effective anti-diabetic food. It is rich in chromium. Chromium has the ability to lower down blood sugar level. It regulates the blood sugar levels and lowers down the medication and insulin requirement of the body. It prevents the pre-diabetics to enter the full-fledged diabetic stage. It helps to control the glucose tolerance of those who are touching borders.


Food For diabetics
Curd: It injects friendly bacteria into the digestive system. These bacteria trigger pancreas. Curd washes the pancreas of wastes and acids. This cleansing action helps the pancreas to perform much better thus helping in the production of insulin.



Food For diabetics
Garlic: Scientific studies have revealed that garlic has the ability to lower down blood sugar level. It is rich in potassium. It replaces the potassium loss in diabetics. It contains sulfur and zinc which are ingredients of insulin. Garlic is also full of manganese; its deficiency is also one reason of diabetes onset.

The ingredients of garlic work by blocking inactivity of insulin in liver. The result is higher level of insulin in blood and lower level of blood sugar. Best idea is to take raw and fresh garlic as the fist thing in the morning.

Bengal Gram: It is also termed chickpea and it is the vital component of many Indian cuisines. It is an anti-diabetic food. Experiments have revealed that ingestion of water extract of chickpeas increases the glucose use in diabetics.

Bitter Gourd: It is a common vegetable and is extensively cultivated. It carries excellent medicinal value. It has been used as folk medicine for diabetics since centuries. Researches have revealed that it contains insulin like ingredients which are favorable in lowering down the level of urine and blood glucose.

Black Gram: It is an expensive pulse of India. It has been found to treat even the severe case of diabetes. It is a healthy food that is used to treat malnutrition of diabetics. Milk of sprouted whole black gram is also a good food for diabetics type 2.

Groundnut: These are valuable nuts for treating diabetes. Eating a handful of groundnuts by diabetics prevents malnutrition specifically the deficiency of niacin.

If you want to have a free diabetic meal plan specifically designed according to your personal requirement check List Of Foods For Diabetics To Eat. This list will help to design a meal plan that has the ability to control the Signs Of Diabetes in a way that you'll end saying where is my blood sugar?

Mom Kitchen

Kitchen Secrets - The Tool You Shouldn't Do Without
By Martin Richardson



Mom KitchenThere is something to be said for collecting kitchen tools. My mother cannot throw any gadget away! Needless to say, the drawers are so full of tools that you can't even open them. Then, when you wiggle the drawer open, you have to empty half of the drawer to even see what's in there....and there's no way you can get them all to fit back in after you're finished! Can you relate? But I digress. The most important tool in your kitchen is a knife.












Mom KitchenAfter 27 years of chopping, slicing and dicing around the globe, and owning two dozen assorted knives...I have a suggestion for you regarding the most important tool in your kitchen drawer. My mom has a knife drawer, which you enter at your own risk, because knives are pointing in both directions and some of the blades are facing up! On the other side of the kitchen is a knife block filled with a knife set, most likely purchased for a Mother's Day long gone by. Enough bustin' on my Mom's kitchen! The point of this article is to tell you that it only takes three really good knives to perform most kitchen jobs. And "really good" in this instance, does NOT mean really expensive!

I want to discuss the "anatomy" of a knife, so you can comparison shop, or evaluate your own collection. Let's start with the most important part of the knife...the blade. The most common types of metal used in kitchen knives today are carbon steel, stainless steel and high carbon stainless steel. Carbon steel is a composite metal that is typically inexpensive, holds a good edge and is easy to sharpen. The downside is that they can rust and chemically react to acidic foods and onions, which means they are high maintenance. Stainless steel blades are more difficult to sharpen, and tend not to hold the edge as long as carbon steel, but they will not stain or corrode. Taking the best characteristics of both materials, and combining them, led to the high carbon stainless steel knife. It does not rust or corrode and can be easily honed to a razor's edge. So, when you shop for your first, or your next set of knives, remember that the quality of the knife blade is of primary importance.


Mom KitchenThe second distinction to note about knife blades, is whether they are forged or stamped. Forged blades are made by heating up the metals, molding, and pounding it into the shape of a knife, then it's ground and sharpened. The stamped or machined blades are cut out of sheet of metal and ground into the shape of a knife, and then heated. So what's the difference? Forged blades are more substantial, better balanced, hold an edge longer, but cost more. Stamped blades are lighter, and inexpensive, but need more frequent sharpening. The difference extends through to the handle too.

Forged blades have a "tang", which extends to the end of the handle and is typically secured by three rivets. It also has a "bloster", which is a thick finger guard where the blade meets the handle. These two features help to balance the knife and contributes to the overall weight of the knife. With repeated sharpening, the blade is worn down, but the bolster remains unaffected, meaning half of the blade no longer makes contact with the cutting surface. Stamped blades typically don't run the length of the handle and some times the attachment loosens causing problems. They also have no bolster, which is why they are lighter and less balanced. Without the bolster, the entire blade can be sharpened.

With regards to the handles, size does matter! If you have dainty little hands or large bear claws, chosing the right handle is a matter of preference. I suggest you pick up the knife before you buy it online. It may not have the shape that fits your hand comfortably. Sanitation and resistance to water are two more considerations. Time for a quick rant on how to wash your knife! Although most knives are made to be dishwasher safe, I recommend that you hand wash them for three reasons. First, the agitation of the dishwasher exposes the blade to potential damage. Second, the high temperature and humidity inside the dishwasher may eventually cause the handle to separate from the blade, and the third reason is safety related. Dishwasher features vary between machines, but often, there is no place dedicated for this purpose. Also, be sure the knife is NSF(National Science Foundation) certified, which means it is safe to use and has passed sanitation standards.



Mom KitchenThe single most important knife is your Chef's knife (or Cook's knife, or French knife). This one knife, properly handled, can be used on 9 out of 10 cutting jobs from chopping delicate herbs, to that juicy onion that brings tears to your eyes, to butchering bones for homemade stock. The second, is an all purpose paring knife. This smaller knife has a much shorter blade of 4 inches or less. There are many jobs in the kitchen that require more detail and knife control like peeling round fruits and vegetables, segmenting citrus, and deveining shrimp. The blade is also more flexible than a chef's knife. The third, is a serrated, or bread knife. This is the highly specialized knife of the group. Due to its saw-like blade, they always seem to be sharp. The wavy cutting edges create multiple surfaces which are equally effective for cutting through the crusty exterior of a loaf of bread as well as the soft interior. Tomato and eggplant skins can also be particularly challenging to conventional blades if your knife is slightly dull.


There are many other specialty knives that you can buy, but most of them are specifically for meat processing. A boning knife, for instance, has a long, thin flexible blade that is useful for cutting through joints, trimming silverskin, and separating flesh from the bones. Slicing, or carving knives make it easy to carve thin slices from large roasts. Cleavers are generally used for processing bones for making stock.

Now, being a professional chef, I tended to buy very substantial, expensive, imported blades by Wustof, Henckels and Tojiro. No one was allowed to use my knives, as most cost more than $100 each and I have owned some of them for more than twenty years. Over the years, I have used countless numbers of brands and styles of knives, and I'm passing on what I've learned to you.

There are four basic factors to consider. First, how much money are you willing to spend on kitchen tools. Second, how much use will the knife get and on what types of food? Third, will you sharpen your knives regularly and what will you use to do that? Finally, how does the knife feel in your hand? Obviously, these questions suggest that buying the most important tool in your kitchen comes down to your choice! If on the other hand, you think that is a cop out...

My recommendation to you, is to buy a trio of Forschner Fibrox knives, a Chef, a Paring, and a Bread knife. All three of these knives can be purchased for less than $70 total. They have been highly rated by Cook's Illustrated magazine and they are commonly used in many commercial kitchens. The handles are slip resistant, even when wet. The blades are stamped out of high carbon stainless steel. They are certified by the National Science Foundation, and they come with a lifetime guarantee. They would be a great choice if you are just starting out, or don't want to spend a small fortune. I love my "high end" knives, but that comes down to what I'm used to. Buy the best knife you're willing to afford that has the right feel, then learn how to clean, sharpen, and otherwise, care for it, because if my Mother's kitchen drawer is any indication...you could own that knife for the rest of your life!