The Secrets To Successful Cooking

Cooking is the process of using heat to prepare foods for consumption. Many common cooking methods involve the use of oil. Frying is cooking in hot oil, sautéing is cooking in a small amount of oil, stir-frying is a Chinese technique of frying quickly in small amounts of oil in a wok, deep frying is completely submerging the food in large amounts of fat, etc.

As people have become more health conscious, preparing foods in oil has become less desirable. With the advent of nonstick cookware, sautéing can be done at lower heats using vegetable broth and fruit juices instead of oil. Stewing refers to cooking slowly in a small amount of liquid in a closed container. Slow stewing tenderizes tough cuts of meat and allows flavors to mingle.

Another slow-cooking method is braising, in which meat is first browned, then cooked slowly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pan. Poaching is cooking food in liquid below the boiling point, while steaming is cooking food that has been placed above boiling water. Roasting means baking in hot dry air, generally in an oven. Baking refers to cooking in an oven and differs from roasting mainly in its reference to the type of food cooked-for example, one bakes a cake, but roasts a chicken. Another form called broiling means to cook by direct exposure to heat, while barbecue refers to cooking marinated food by grilling.

Dining with others is one of the most common and frequent social activities. It can involve a family dinner, a meal with friends, or form part of a ceremony or celebration, such as a wedding or holiday. More and more people study cooking in schools, watch how-to programs on television, and read specialty magazines and cookbooks. In fact, cookbooks as a group outsell any other kind of book except for religious works.

Cooking is the act of preparing food for consumption. It encompasses a vast range of methods, tools and combinations of ingredients to improve the flavor and digestibility of food. It generally requires the selection, measurement and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure in an effort to achieve the desired result. Constraints on success include the variability of ingredients, ambient conditions, tools and the skill of the person cooking.

The diversity of cooking worldwide is a reflection of the myriad nutritional, aesthetic, agricultural, economic, cultural and religious considerations that impact upon it. Cooking frequently, though not always, involves applying heat in order to chemically transform a food, thus changing its flavor, texture, appearance, or nutritional properties. There is archaeological evidence of cooked foodstuffs (both animal and vegetable) in human settlements dating from the earliest known use of fire.

While cooking if heating is used, this can disinfect and soften the food depending on temperature, cooking time, and technique used. 4 to 60°C (41 to 140°F) is the "danger zone" in which many food spoilage bacteria thrive, and which must be avoided for safe handling of meat, poultry and dairy products. Refrigeration and freezing do not kill bacteria, but slow their growth.

About the author:
cusine dumatre is the owner of N Cooking which is a premier resource for Cooking information. for more information, go to http://www.ncooking.com
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The Art of Cooking Takes Skill and Practice

A healthy dish is the first start to cooking a great meal and about finding the right balance of ingredients to create a succulent meal, which will leave your taste buds craving for more gourmet meals. If you have always dreamed of becoming a culinary chef there are endless possibilities in making your dreams come true.

You can take advantage of cooking schools located across the world which will provide you with the tips and pointers on how to make a great meal. It is about knowing how and when to baste turkey to make moist and juicy or how to sift your flour to get your biscuits nice and fluffy. All of this and more you can learn from an accredited cooking school based on the fundamentals of cooking to help master your culinary feats.

Most cooking schools will provide you with the understanding that getting started isn’t easy and will provide you with information and resource so you don’t feel overwhelmed about cooking. Cooking is enjoyment in life and indulging in fine foods that enhance your senses to a new level. You should love every minute of cooking and enjoy the time and preparation it takes to make the perfect meal.

A healthy dish is the first start to cook a great gourmet meal and will leave you feeling good about yourself after you are full from a dish of nutritious value. It is about taking the time to invest in the research to help you succeed in cooking in the right cooking school that will teach you the important basics to healthy eating. Cooking is a lifestyle and you should understand the basics of nutritious content in each meal you cook.

At the cooking school you select they should keep you motivated to explore new dishes and try new flavors in all of your meals. A great chef understands the value of a good recipe and the right resources to make you’re cooking great. It is about taking the time to learn the small tricks to enhance the flavors of your foods, and how to cook them slowly to bring out the best taste in aromatic spices.

Almost all cooking schools are accredited throughout the world and will train you to be the head chef of your own fabulous restaurant. They will not only teach you the necessary skills to making a great meal but also provide the basics to running your own business. If you are ready to make a career choice in cooking you need to do the research to decide which school is right for you and how it will help to be the best chef in your own restaurant.

The valuable resources you will learn from cooking school are priceless in teaching you about the necessary tasks to succeed at being a great chef in your own home or restaurant. They understand the importance of cooking and love to cook themselves which is why they provide you with the best resources to learn to cook satisfying meals.

About the Author:
Terry Baeseman is a freelance writer, contributor, and editor of Cooking School World and can be reached at http://www.cookingschoolworld.com/www.cookingschoolworld.com
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"How to cook an omelette"

Cooking an omelette is as easy as beaking eggs. In a few easy steps I will show you 'how to cook an omelette" First: Make sure your eggs are room temperature,cold eggs sliding into a hot pan will contract and end up tough and springy. Second: Allow the pan to heat on medium for a minute or two to make sure its ready to go.placing the palm of your hand above the surface of the pan will tell you when it is hot enough to start. Third:Whisk 2 or 3 eggs together in a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Fourth: Gently pour the eggs into the pan and swirl them gently to allow some of the mixtue to go up the sides of the pan. Five: Gently fold the mixture with a spatula over and on top of itself for about 30 or 40 seconds. Six: Finally allow the omelette to cook for a further minute or so till the bottom just biegins to brown.The top should still be a bit moist. Finally: Add your cheese or other flavorings and gently tip the omelette out onto a plate folding it over on itself. And there you have it, the perfect omelette in 7 easy steps. Bon Appetite Click Here!

About the Author:
Chrissy Jordan
Did you find those tips on cooking omelettes useful? you can learn alot more about how Chrissy can help you cook here. Also included are 3 free courses with this book
Submitted: 2006-07-07
Article Source: GO Articles

Fusion Cooking – Blended Cuisines

What do you get when you cross hot Indian food with the English love of tomatoes and all things creamy? Chicken Tikka Masala is a famous combination of chicken tikka and masala.Chicken tikka is a marinated piece of meat cooked in a tandoor, an Indian oven made of clay and coal-fired. Masala is gravy commonly made out of some kind of tomato gravy or puree with cream and various Indian spices.It is technically a mild curry dish, though the addition of sometimes large amounts of tartrazine causes the dish to often look orange.In other recipes, it can look anything from red to orange to green.

Chicken Tikka Masala is possibly the most popular Indian dish in the world, and has arguably replaced tandoori chicken as the flagship of Indian food, including on the subcontinent itself; it even has a musical written singing its praises.In the United Kingdom alone, Marks & Spencer, the famous English retailer, claims to sell 18 tons a week of the chicken in Tikka Masala Sandwiches, while 23 million servings a year are sold at Indian restaurants. Sainsbury’s, another retailer, sells 1.6 million dishes every year, and stocks 16 different products containing what is affectionately known as CTM.10 tons a day are manufactured by Noon Products to later be sold at supermarkets.

The chicken, though widely considered an Indian dish, does not hail from India. Kitchens from London to Glasgow claim to have originated the dish, which was first seen in the late 1960s.According to urban legend, the dish was created by a Bangladeshi chef in Britain when he served chicken tandoor to an Englishman only to be asked, “where’s my gravy?” The result? A mixture of cream of tomato soup and spices, which he called masala.And like that, chicken tikka masala was born, an early example of what we would now call fusion cooking.It is now so popular that British politician and Foreign Secretary Robin Cook once described it as, “a true British national dish,” citing its combination of authentic Indian cooking with the British desire to have their meat served with gravy.

What goes into a chicken tikka masala? Well, a 1998 survey indicated that of 48 versions, the only common ingredient was chicken.A common recipe includes chicken marinated overnight in yogurt, ginger, garlic, cardamom powder, cumin, white pepper, and other spices.The chicken is cooked briefly in the hot tandoor, and is then served with a sauce made of tomato, ginger, garlic, cream, green and red pepper, and an assortment of spices.The sauce is poured over the chicken after it is cooked. In contrast to tandoori chicken, on which it is based, the taste is mild and creamy, rather than spicy.

Is chicken tikka masala an English or an Indian dish? The answer is unclear, as it has been adopted so readily that it is served in almost every Indian restaurant, an indication that Indians have accepted it as their own.Several English firms now specialize in exporting the dish back to India.Whatever its origins, however, it is now enjoyed by millions each year.

About the Author:
Kirsten Hawkins is a food and nutrition expert specializing the Mexican, Chinese, and Italian food. Visit http://www.food-and-nutrition.com/ for more information on cooking delicious and healthy meals.
Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Frugal Breakfast Ideas

I am always trying to cut down my grocery bill and Breakfast can be one of the most expensive meals of the day…depending on what you serve. Here you will find some inexpensive breakfast ideas that are good and healthy for your family.

1. Cut out all prepared, cold breakfast cereals. Instead use Oatmeal, grits or other hot cereals. These are better for us and are really easy to fix. Your family can "decorate" them to their tastes and your family's budget. My family loves oatmeal with butter and jelly or grits with butter and a bit of grated cheese.

2. We don't use expensive juices. We use frozen juice concentrates. This saves a lot of money for us every month. I also only allow juices to be drunk at breakfast and 1 serving per person. This way the juice will last 2-3 days for my family of four.

3. Plan a menu with the same few breakfasts repeated through out the week. You can then stock up on ingredients when they are on sale or buy in bulk.

4. If you can buy some chickens and have some homegrown eggs! We have an abundance of eggs most of the time so we eat a lot of egg based meals. Eggs are high in protein and most kids love them. We mostly eat them for breakfast scrambled or hard-boiled.

5. We buy our bread at the day old bread store. We get 3 loaves for $1.00 that way. We use the bread to make toast for breakfast, topped with butter, jelly or peanut butter and sometimes cheese.

6. Grow a garden, plant fruit trees, or gather what you can from your property. Pretty much anyone can grow a garden. I have a friend who lives in an apartment, and she grows container gardens on her balcony. We have wild mustang grapes that can be made into raisins and jelly, prickly pear cactus (we make jelly out of the cactus pears), mesquite beans (we make a jelly out of them), 2 peach trees (for fresh peaches in season and jelly), and wild pecans. I'm sure there are more items around our property that can be used, but this is what we've found so far. We're also continually adding fruits, berries and nuts to our place. Use fresh when you can or freeze and can for when you can't use fresh.

7. We make breakfast from left over rice. Whenever I fix rice for dinner, I make enough for breakfast the next morning and put in the refrigerator or freezer. I warm up the rice and add butter, sugar and cinnamon. This is one of my husband's favorites. Rice is really inexpensive. I don't use instant rice, but I use long grain brown rice. It has to cook for around 20 minutes.

8. I make milk from powdered milk. My family hasn't noticed the difference since I did it gradually. I did it like this…I at first made 1/2 whole milk, 1/2 prepared powdered milk, and then kept watering down the whole milk with prepared powdered milk. By doing this, my family has gradually gotten use to powdered milk and now will drink it without any problems. We're planning on getting a milk cow some day soon, so then we'll be drinking raw cow milk and also using it to make butter and cheese.

Well, I hope you have found these tips helpful! These have been things that I have done to help trim my grocery bill down and I hope you can use them to help lower your grocery bill too!

About the Author:
~ Susan Godfrey is a Christian wife, mom and homemaker. She is also the owner of Homekeeper's Heart, http://www.freewebtown.com/homekeepersheart, a Titus 2 Ministry to encourage Christian women to be the wives, mothers and homemakers that God wants them to be! She has her own blog at http://www.susangodfrey.blogspot.com and also is the owner of the Homesteader's Heart Blog at http://www.homesteadersheart.blogspot.com where she shares homesteading, gardening and country living articles.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Article Submitted On: July 21, 2006

Preparing Lobster Tails

Lobster, once the food of poor farmers, is now considered a special treat for many. Although some people prefer the meaty claws, I think that lobster tails are the best tasting part of this delicious creature. A great meal of lobster tails might seem like a gourmet feast to your guests, but they are actually quite easy to prepare. Add a little sprig of garnish and a fancy side dish and you’re sure to impress even your mother in law.

Your lobster tails might start off a fresh or frozen, being in New England, fresh lobster is easy to come by but frozen might be all you can get in some parts of the country and in the off season. If your lobster tails are frozen, you need to thaw them out (you can cook them frozen but they will not be as tender). Put them in the fridge for 10 hours or so or thaw them in the microwave on defrost – be very careful if you choose this method as you don’t want them to start cooking in the microwave.

After they are thawed, remove the meat from the shell by cutting open the back of the shell – split it down the middle and open it up to reveal the meat. Lift the meat out – you can leave the fan part of the tail on for show or not. Remove the vein.

Boiling Lobster Tails

Boil a pot of water large enough for all the tails to float in, add 1 tsp salt for each quart of water. Drop the tails in the boiling water and cook for about 1 minute per oz thawed (so 10 0z of tails needs to cook for 10 minutes). If you are cooking a lot of tails, add a minute or two on to the total time.

Cooking Lobster Tails in the Oven
Lobster tails can be baked or broiled in the oven. To cook thawed lobster in the oven,set the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush the tails with butter and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. If broiling, place the tails 4 or 5 inches from the heat and broil for 2 – 5 minutes. When broiling keep a very close eye on them so that they don’t burn on the tops.

Cooking Lobster Tails On The Grill
Oil the grill to keep the lobsters from sticking. Put the grill on medium heat. Brush the lobster tails with butter and place on the grill. Make sure that the tails do not burn – if there are any flames on the grill move the lobster away from it. Grill on each side for 4-5 minutes.

Take care not to overcook your lobster or it will be rubbery and tasteless. Lobster is cooked when it is no longer transparent.

About the author:
Lee Dobbins is owner and editor of Online Gourmet Foods where you can find out about your favorite foods, including gourmet seafood and lobster
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Mom's Easy Cooking - Fast Meal Ideas For Busy Moms

Every busy mom worries about how to prepare fast, nutritious meals for her family. Working moms often find they have very little time for meal planning and preparation. After a long day at work, the last thing on your mind is spending an hour or more cooking and cleaning up afterwards. A little advance preparation and some creative menus are all you need to make mealtime less stressful. You will save a lot of time and energy if you plan an entire week's meals in advance, and do your shopping all in one trip instead of making several trips to the grocery store each week.

A simple online search will give you some great recipes and meal ideas, most of which you can prepare in less than fifteen minutes. You will be able to find delicious recipes for family favorites such as spaghetti, meatloaf, and stroganoff, all of which can be partially prepared in advance, saving you valuable time in the evenings. Most busy moms worry about nutritious, fast breakfasts. Consider keeping frozen waffles, yogurts, cereal, and microwave items such as Hot Pockets on hand to save precious time in the mornings and still send your kids off to school with a good breakfast.

If your children take their lunch to school, prepare them the night before. You will have more time to make sure your kids are taking nutritious lunches and you will save yourself a lot of time and hassle in the mornings. Lunch items can include vegetable sticks, fruit snacks, cheese, crackers, and convenient juice boxes. Your kids will love the variety and will often be able to prepare their own lunches for the next day.

If you want to save additional time in the evenings, try cooking in a Crockpot. You can cook meat and vegetables in one convenient location, and the best part is your food will be ready when you get home. Your family will love coming home to the smells of delicious Crockpot meals that have been cooking all day. Another helpful idea would be to purchase a bread machine with a timer. You can place the ingredients in the bread machine and set the timer so that the bread will be ready upon your return home from your busy day.

About the Author:
Jennifer Houck
Head on over to the ever growing Online Resource Guide for Mothers at http://www.ilovebeingamom.com today!
Article Source: www.iSnare.com

How To Choose An Italian Wine

Wine connoisseurs regularly boast about their fine Italian wine collections and rightly so. Even if you’re not a connoisseur, by the end of this article you’ll be able to put your best Italian wine forward.

Italy is best known for its Moscato, Barolo, Chianti, and Soave; but there are numerous varieties just waiting to be enjoyed. Italy produces more wine than any other country and it produces the largest selection of wines. When you choose an Italian wine, even if you have no wine buying skills, the odds of finding a poor one are very slim so relax!

Wine from the Piedmont region provides red wines that are light bodied and refreshing. This is where the famous Barolo and Barbaresco wines come from.

The Barbera grape appears in full body reds. The Dolcetto grape is light bodied and distinctly dry. The Nebbiolo grape is responsible for the dry, full body wines of the area. The Moscato Bianco is the grape responsible for the sparkling white wines from the area.

And then there is the indulgence of Chianti from the Tuscany region. Chances are you’ve indulged in this lovely wine if you’ve ever dined in an Italian restaurant. The popular region wines include Chianti, Brunello, Vino Nobile di Monepulciano, and Vernaccia de San Giminagno.

The Sangiovese grape with its robust flavor is used in medium and full bodied red wines. Vernaccia is the grape of choice for a variety of sweet and dry white wines.

You can order wines from Italy in any color, style, or flavor; but if you want to be sure you are choosing a good Italian wine look for the DOCG classification. This doesn’t guarantee a better tasting wine, it just indicates level of quality that’s been maintained for at least 5 years which puts the odds in your favor.

Remember this easy rule of thumb. Reds go with red meats and whites go with white meats. It’s a simple rule that goes a long way in helping choose a wine for your meal.

Italians strictly regulate their wines within four classification from tightly regulated superior wines to lenient regulations and creative innovation. The are as follows:

1. DOCG is the strictest of the regulation levels. Output yield is regulated; the wine’s composition is analyzed; there is a minimum alcohol content; and there are minimum aging periods.

2. DOC is the qualification of all quality wines. Output yield is regulated; origin is regulated; there is a minimum alcohol content; there are minimum aging periods; and grape variety is regulated.

3. IGT is classified as excellent value for the cost. There are less quality restrictions, as well as wider territories; and grape ratios are not regulated.

4. Table Wine is the wine that is consumed on a daily basis in Italy. It includes some of the most expensive wines and some of the least expensive wines. The level of alcohol is regulated and so are the wine making techniques.

That’s it. Now wasn’t that simple? You are on your way to being a connoisseur of Italian wine!

About the Author:
Gray Rollins is a featured writer for Saloto.com. To learn more about Italian wine and buying wine, visit us. Content Provider: http://www.my-articles.com

Cooking Tip

You open the cookbook and see a recipe title or a photo that tempts your taste buds. Then you start to read the recipe, realize the preparation is more difficult than you first thought, and put the book back on the shelf.

Sound Familiar? Well here's a simple cooking tip to help get you started:

1. Abbreviations for Measuring

Tsp. = teaspoon
Tbsp. = tablespoon, which equals 3 teaspoons
C = cup.

Cooking Tip:
Get a set of measuring spoons. The set will usually have 1/4 tsp., 1/3 tsp., 1/2 tsp., 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon.
Dry measure cups look like little saucepans and can be leveled off with a knife or other straight-edged tool. They come in sets like the measuring spoons. Liquid measuring cups have ounce marking lines so you can measure however many ounces you need.

Cooking Tip: Some recipes require exact measurements to turn out right so learn to measure correctly.

2. Common Ingredients

Make sure you know what you need.

Cooking Tips:
Baking powder and baking soda are not the same.

Ask the produce manager at the market about fruits and vegetables, the meat manager about cuts of meat.

When trying something new, buy ONE. You can always go back for more if it turns out well.

3. Common Terminology

Bake:
Dry heat in the oven. Set oven control to the desired temperature while you're preparing the dish to be baked. Once the light that says it's heating turns off, the oven is at the proper temperature. Then put in the food--for best results, center it in the oven.

Boil:
Heat a liquid until it bubbles. The faster the bubbles rise and the more bubbles you get, the hotter the liquid. Some recipes call for a gentle boil--barely bubbling--or a rolling boil--just short of boiling over. Watch so it doesn't boil over.

Braise:
A moist cooking method using a little liquid that barely bubbles on the top of the stove or in the oven. This is a good way to tenderize cheaper cuts of meat. The pan should be heavy and shallow with a tight-fitting lid to keep the liquid from boiling away. There's a lot that can be done for flavoring in your choice of liquid and of vegetables to cook with the meat.

Broil:
Turn the oven to its highest setting. Put the food on broiler pan--a 2 piece pan that allows the grease to drain away from the food. In an electric oven on the broil setting only the upper element heats, and you can regulate how fast the food cooks by how close to the element you place it. Watch your cooking time--it's easy to overcook food in the broiler.
Brown:
Cook until the food gets light brown. Usually used for frying or baking. Ground beef should usually be browned (use a frying pan) and have the grease drained before adding it to a casserole or meat sauce.

Fold:
A gentle mixing method that moves the spoon down to the bottom of the bowl and then sweeps up, folding what was on the bottom up over the top. This is used to mix delicate ingredients such as whipped cream or beaten egg whites. These ingredients just had air whipped into them, so you don't want to reverse that process by mixing too vigorously.

Simmer:
Heat to just the start of a boil and keep it at that point for as long as the recipe requires. The recipe will usually call for either constant stirring or stirring at certain intervals.

Now you are ready to do the shopping and prepare that recipe that you've always wanted to try!

Happy cooking..

About the Author:

Ronald Yip is an electronic engineer by profession. He became active in internet marketing since 1999 and also has a passion for cooking. Please visit RecipeseLovers.- http://www.recipeslovers.com for more information and articles on recipes, cooking tips and all about food.

Added: September 30, 2005
Article Source: http://articles.simplysearch4it.com/article/12007.html

Best Cookies: Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are a delightful chocolaty twist on the traditional oatmeal cookie.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 ½ (1 oz.) squares unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine sugar and butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add eggs, chocolate and vanilla; continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until well mixed. Stir in oats and chocolate chips by hand.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2-inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until set. Do Not Overbake.


About the author:
© Donna Monday
Love Cookies? All your favorites here http://www.best-cookie-jar-recipes.com
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How to Use Herbs in Everyday Cooking?

When first experimenting, easy does it! Use just enough herb to heighten natural food flavors. One strongly seasoned dish per meal is generally a good rule of thumb. Following is a list of guides for your everyday cooking needs:

- Start with 1/4 tsp dried herbs to four servings, or to one pound of meat, poultry, or fish, or to 2 cups sauce or vegetables.

- If substituting fresh herbs for dried, use 3-4 times as much fresh herbs.

- Measure dried herbs; then crush them in the palm of your hand before adding - this helps hasten the flavor release.

- Add herbs at the same time as salt and pepper to meats, vegetables, and sauces.

- In long-cooking foods, such as stews, add herbs during last half hour of cooking.

- Add herbs to juices or cold sauces ahead of time - let stand overnight if possible.

- Many herbs are compatible, so don't hesitate to use several herbs together.

- A rich spicy ginger cake that will last for weeks in a cake tin, if you are able to resist it for that long.

- Try some of these ideas for herbs, then experiment on your own and taste the delicious difference that herbs make.

- Basil is a natural for tomato and potato dishes. Try 1/4 tsp for each cup of tomato juice for a quick appetizer.

- When making potato salad, cook potatoes with a bay leaf and some onion.

- Sprinkle caraway seed over coleslaw.

- Add a dash of chili powder to corn.

- Chives are great in cottage and cream cheeses, and also in scrambled eggs.

- Add curry powder to deviled eggs.

- Oregano gives character to meat loaf, stew, chili, and tomato mixtures.

- Spark seafood and chicken dishes with tarragon. Also gives tang to tartar sauce.

- Thyme is popular for soups and chowders.

- Sage is best liked with pork and in stuffings for turkey and chicken.

About the Author:
Susan Carey
The author is a big fan of cooking recipes. Visit the following website for more info about health and cooking recipes.
http://www.101cookingrecipes.com
http://www.desserts-recipes.com
http://www.herbs-spices-recipes.com
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Article Submitted On: July 30, 2006

Choose Vegetarian Recipes

Whether you are a seasoned chef or someone who has never put together an edible meal, consider expanding your knowledge of cooking by adding vegetarian recipes. Chefs of great restaurants and moms of hungry families will enjoy having more meals to cook, and the customers and children who eat the food will be happy as well.

Exploring vegetarian recipes is great simply to spice up the kitchen with something new. No cook likes to get bored by preparing the same meals over and over. It is always fun to try new ingredients or methods of making the foods you love and it can be just as fun to experiment with vegetarian recipes you have never tried before.

Great vegetarian recipes can be found in many locations. Search online, in cookbooks, or at local health food stores for ideas. If you have friends that have been cooking great dishes try swapping vegetarian recipes with them. Sometimes restaurants will even share vegetarian recipes with their customers for little or no charge.

Stopping into a local health food store is a great way to obtain all of the ingredients and spices you will need to begin cooking vegetarian recipes to perfection. Workers at these stores are often knowledgable resources that you can utilize and learn from.

Incorporating vegetarian recipes into any diet will bring variety and give healthy eating options. Many studies suggest that switching at least some of your weekly diet to vegetarian recipes can be benefical to your health. Let your tastebuds enjoy new things that are good for your body. Vegetarian recipes will often include many of the vitamins, minerals, and sources of nutrition that every body needs. Instead of meat, vegetarian recipes are filled with healthy protein substitutes so that you do not miss out on things you need.

Take a look at your health and at the foods you've been eating. Including a few vegetarian recipes into your diet can quickly improve how you feel and can be part of an overall health plan that will improve your life. Since few things are as important as leading a healthy life, take your time in researching new ways to eat better. Vegetarian recipes are just one of many things that you can consider. And contrary to popular belief, vegetarian recipes are full of the taste and enjoyment of many other foods you eat. The biggest difference is that they are much better for you.

About the Author:

Triston Huntsmin loves to cook and share great vegetarian recipes. Discover some great vegetarian recipes for yourself at www.vegetarianrecipeshub.info.

Content Provider: http://www.my-articles.com

Cooking Meat In The Microwave During Those Hot Summer Months

Summer is here and if you are anything like me, you don't want to turn on your oven or stove unless absolutely necessary. I do most of my cooking in the microwave during the summer months. It helps keep my home cooler and cuts down on my cooling bill.

I have found that many people don't like to cook meat in the microwave. I was once one of those people. Chicken would come out like rubber and I always worried that ground beef didn't cook thoroughly. I have since found that the trick is to use the right cooking utensils.

There has also been some hype about how its not safe to use plastic to cook meat or anything else in the microwave. This is only half true. Certain types of plastic have chemicals that are activated with the extreme heat of the microwave and these chemicals can get into your food. Hence, the key to cooking in your microwave is, once again, to use the correct cooking utensils. Basically, use containers that are specifically designed for cooking in the microwave.

My preference in microwave cooking is Tupperware. Their cookware is specifically designed for the microwave so you don't have to worry about the chemicals. Their Oval Cooker is designed to retain the moisture of your meat so that your meat does't come out dry and rubbery. It also has a colander so you can brown your meat and let the grease drip to the bottom. That makes it easy to dispose of the grease drippings or use them for gravy. Tupperware also backs it cooker with a lifetime warranty so if it breaks I can just replace it with a new one, which seems like a good investment to me.

So the instructions I am providing below apply to the Tupperware Oval Cooker. If you feel confident using a different type of microwave cooker, of course, try that, but please make sure you follow the guidelines I stated above.

Cooking Ground Beef

Place the ground beef with your favorite seasoning in the colander of the cooker. Cover and cook for 6 minutes per pound. Let sit a few minutes then remove from the microwave. By using the colander all the grease will drain to the bottom of the cooker.

Cooking a Whole Chicken

If using the Oval Cooker you will need to use the extender piece for your average size chicken. Then place the chicken in the cooker. Pour about half a cup of water on the bottom of the cooker. Sprinkle your chicken with your favorites seasonings. Place the cover on the cooker and cook for 6 minutes per pound. I think you will be surprised at how moist your chicken comes out.

Cooking Cut Up Chicken

After cutting up your chicken use the same instructions for cooking a whole chicken. Determine by how high the chicken stacks if you will need to use the extender or not.

Cooking Chicken Pieces

You can use the colander to cook chicken pieces. Cut the chicken into bit size pieces. I usually use chicken breast cutlets for this. Place the cutup chicken pieces in the colander. Season with your favorite seasonings. Place the cover on the cooker and microwave for 6 minutes per pound.

Cooking Pork

I have not yet tried cooking pork in the microwave. Pork is tricky and my family doesn't eat pork so that is one reason I have never tried cooking it in the microwave. However, there are plenty of beef and chicken recipes out there, so I hope the above suggestions will help you keep your kitchen cooler during the hot summer months.

About the Author:
Donna Rivera-Loudon has an MBA in information technology and is currently a Tupperware Director and CEO of her own company. Donna designed A Website for the Modern Woman, which contains more tips for cooking in the microwave.
Article Source: www.iSnare.com