Seven Tips To Make Your Salsa Recipe Better

Creating the perfect salsa takes more than just throwing some ingredients in a food processor. These seven tips will help turn a good salsa recipe into an extraordinary salsa recipe.

So, you have what you think is the perfect salsa recipe and it is still not turning out the way it should when you make it? Or maybe you are looking for ways to make your fresh garden salsa even better? Well, here are seven tips to get the best out of your salsa recipe and turn an ordinary salsa into an extraordinary salsa.

1. Have the proper equipment and keep them in good shape. Make sure your knives are sharp and your cutting boards are clean. Keep several large bowls on hand. If you are using tomatoes, avoid metal bowls since the metal will interact with the acids in the tomatoes. A food processor is also a handy gadget to have and will decrease your salsa making time.

2. Always use fresh rip vegetables. Use local produce whenever you can. Vegetables grown in your or your neighbor's garden will always taste better. Explore your local farmers market for fresh produce. If you must buy from your local grocery store, experiment with organic produce if available.

3. Learn to chop food correctly. Take a class on food chopping and you can learn how to quickly and safely chop a wide variety of foods. Practice makes perfect in this regard.

4. Chop your salsa ingredients finely. Every scoop of salsa should have a little bit of each salsa ingredient in it. Finely chopped produce will ensure this. A food processor can help with this but be careful that you don't overdo it.

5. Always use fresh spices. The flavor and strength of spices deteriorate over time. Keep your spices in a lidded container away from sunlight. Write on the spice container the data that you opened it and throw away any spices older than six months. Whole spices can last longer.

6. Always use fresh oils. Like spices, oils lose their flavor over time and some can go rancid if kept too long. Oils kept in a closed container away from sunlight can last for up to 6 months. Oils high in monosaturated fats can last up to a year if stored in the refrigerator.

7. Once you have made your salsa, don't serve it immediately. Store the salsa in a sealed container in your refrigerator for two or more hours, overnight is best. This allows the different flavors in the salsa to "marry" creating a much better flavor. Your patience will be rewarded.

Following these seven tips will help make your fresh salsa the best it can be. Picking a good salsa recipe is only half of what makes a good salsa. With a great salsa recipe, fresh quality ingredients, the right tools in top shape, and a few basic cooking skills you can make salsa that people will talk about for a long time.

About the Author:
Daniel Lanicek is a salsa fanatic. He still wonders why no company wants to make and sell his salsa flavored cereal. You can learn more about salsa and get some great salsa recipes at http://www.everythingsalsa.com
Added: 16 Sep 2006
Article Source: http://articles.simplysearch4it.com/article/36941.html

Converting a Recipe for your CrockPot

Crockpots vary but the low setting is typically around 100 degrees and its high setting is around 300 degrees.

Knowing this, it is fairly easy to convert most recipes for use in your slow cooker. Some adjusments to cooking times will be a judgement call on your part, but some simple guidelines should help. Just follow a few simple rules and you're on your way.

You should decrease the liquid since it does not boil away in a crockpot.

Add cheeses and other milk product towards the end of your cooking since they tend to break down if they are cooked for too long.

Brown any ground beef before adding to the crockpot. It will taste better and have better texture this way.

Add rice and noodles at the end of your cooking as well. They will turn mushy if they are cooked too long. You can cook these separately and then combine them when it's time to serve.

Add your spices at the end.

If a stovetop recipe calls for 15-30 minutes, the crockpot should cook it for 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hrs at a high temperature and 4 - 8 hours at its low temperature setting.

If a stovetop recipe calls for 35-45 minutes, the crockpot should cook it for 3-4 hrs at a high temperature setting and 6 - 10 hours at its low temperature setting.

If a stovetop recipe calls for 50 min to 3 hours, the crockpot should cook it for 4 - 6 hrs at a high temperature setting and 8 - 16 hours at its low temperature setting.

Following these guidelines will allow you to be able to convert a stovetop recipe to its delicious slow cooking counterpart!

Tony
http://www.my-crockpot-recipes.com

About the author:
Tony Buel
Tony has been working diligently to provide free cooking related resources for the chef in all of us. His website www.my-crockpot-recipes.com is a labor of love which provides delicious and easy to make crockpot recipes and related tips and advice.
www.my-crockpot-recipes.com
Circulated by Article Emporium

Lobster Bisque Soup Recipe

The lobster bisque is very rich, so a small serving (about two-thirds cup per person) is plenty. At the restaurant, this is baked in individual crocks, with puff pastry on top.

2 lb boiled lobsters, medium sized
2 1/2 c fish or chicken stock
1 onion, sliced
4 celery stalks, with leaves
2 cloves, whole
1 bay leaf
1/4 c soft butter
1/4 c flour
3 c milk; heated
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 c cream; hot but not boiling
2 tablespoons sherry
1/8 teaspoon parsley; minced
1/8 teaspoon paprika

Remove the meat from boiled lobsters. Dice and reserve the body meat and mince the tail and claw meat. Crush the shells and add them to the stock along with the onion, celery, cloves and bay leaf. Simmer these ingredients for about 30 minutes and strain the stock.

Combine the flour and soft butter in a small saucepan and cook for about 5 minutes, but do not let flour begin to color. Gradually pour the heated milk into this mixture. Whisk to combine thoroughly then add nutmeg. If there is coral roe, force it through a fine sieve into the mixture. Stir in the strained stock.

When the soup is smooth and boiling, add the lobster and simmer the bisque, adding the sherry and cover for 5 min. turning off the heat after that. Stir in the cream and season to taste. Serve at once with minced parsley and paprika, if desired.

About the Author:
Ray Torres is an IT consultant by day and a gourmet aficionado by nigth, and founder of Great Free Online Recipes.com and it's recipes and cooking blog. "A celebration of cooking and great food!"
Article Source: http://www.articles411.com

Turkey the Old-Fashioned Way

There are many delicious ways to prepare and serve turkey. It might be deep-fried, brined, poached, grilled...to mention just a few methods of preparation. This article, however, will focus strictly on tips and techniques for preparing perfect turkey the old-fashioned way –- oven roasted.

Basic Technique for Roasting a Turkey...

1. The safest method for thawing a frozen turkey is by allowing the turkey to thaw in the refrigerator. Be certain to plan ahead...it will take approximately 3 days for a 20 pound turkey to defrost.

2. Everyone wants to prepare enough turkey for the number of guests they serve, and generally desire to have some turkey left over. To determine the correct turkey size that will be needed, see the section below entitled 'How Much Turkey is Enough?'

3. Cooking time will differ depending on whether the turkey was purchased fresh or frozen. Calculate approximate cooking time in a 350F (175C) oven based on the following: 20 minutes per pound for a defrosted turkey, and 10 to 15 minutes per pound for fresh.

4. A turkey will cook more evenly if it is not densely stuffed. As an alternative, flavor may be added by loosely filling the cavity with aromatic vegetables and/or fruit -- carrots, celery, onions, apples, oranges, kumquats or garlic. Carefully tucking fresh herbs underneath the breast skin will also add flavor.

5. Before roasting, coat the outside of the turkey with vegetable or olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

6. For even roasting, it is best to truss the turkey, and especially so if roasting stuffed poultry. (See 'How to Truss a Turkey' below.)

7. Set the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan to promote maximum air and heat circulation and to ensure that it cooks evenly. To yield moister, juicier white meat, place the turkey 'breast-down' on the rack. This technique will prevent the turkey breast from overcooking and becoming dry.

8. Set the roasting pan on the lowest rack of the oven to keep the turkey away from the top, which is the hottest part of the oven.

9. Once the turkey is cooking in the oven, resist the temptation to 'peek' inside by opening the oven door. Opening and closing the oven door will cause the temperature to fluctuate, which will only increase the likelihood of a dry turkey. Avoid opening the oven door until approximately 45 minutes before the turkey expected to be done.

10. After checking for doneness (see 'When is the Turkey Done?' guidelines below), remove roasting pan from the oven, tent the turkey with foil and let it 'rest' for approximately 15 minutes before carving (see tips on 'How to Carve a Turkey' below). If additional time is needed to prepare gravy, heat up side dishes, etc., the turkey may be allowed to sit at room temperature (covered) for up to an hour without losing too much heat.

11. Refrigerate any leftover turkey within 2 to 3 hours of preparation. Store in airtight, shallow containers to allow adequate circulation of cool air; date and label the containers. Turkey may be safely stored refrigerated for approximately 5 days and frozen for up to 4 months.

================================

How Much Turkey is Enough?

On average, to provide 2 servings of turkey for each guest (and allowing for leftovers), the suggested weights are as follows:

10 pound turkey for 6 people

12 pound turkey for 8 people

15 pound turkey for 10 people

18 pound turkey for 12 people

21 pound turkey for 14 people

24 pound turkey for 16 people

- If you will be serving more than 16 guests (a recommended turkey size of more than 24 pounds), buy two turkeys that equal the total suggested weights.

- If the recommended turkey size is less than 12 pounds, you may wish to buy a turkey breast to roast.

================================

How to Truss a Turkey...

To 'truss' means to secure poultry or meat into a compact shape. Trussing will ensure even roasting. The following technique is recommended when roasting poultry, especially a stuffed turkey.

1. To truss with string, take a piece of butcher's string about three times the length of the turkey. Place the turkey on its back, tail end nearest to you. Slide the string underneath so that it is cradling the turkey in the center of its back.

2. Gently pull the string up the sides...then around the wings. Pull the strings toward you, close to the breast, so that the wings are held against the body.

3. Cross the strings at the base of the breast, then wrap each string around the end of a drumstick.

4. Tie the ends of the string together, cinching it tightly so that the legs cross.

5. Finally, lift the turkey so that the tail end is up and wrap the string around the tail. Tie the string, pulling tightly so that the cavity is covered by the tail.

================================

When is the Turkey Done?

<> You will want to test your instant-read or traditional meat thermometer a few days before preparing the turkey to ensure it is properly calibrated. Place the thermometer in a pot of boiling water. It should register 212F (100C) -- water's boiling point at sea level. If the reading does not reach the desired temperature, you will want to buy a new thermometer.

<> Keep a careful eye on the thermometer during the last half hour of cooking since the internal temperature may rise rapidly toward the end.

<> Using a meat thermometer, test for doneness in the thickest, meatiest parts of the turkey:

Test the widest section of the breast near the wing joint; the temperature should be 165F (73C).

Test the legs at the top of the thigh, near the hip joint; the temperature should be 180 (82C).

If cooking a stuffed turkey, determine the internal temperature of the stuffing as well; it should be at least 165F (73C).

<> If using an instant-read thermometer, insert it deep enough to reach the heat sensor (the indentation about two-inches from the tip).

<> Also examine the juices and oils at the bottom of the pan that are released during cooking. If they have a pinkish tinge, continue roasting; if they are clear, the turkey is probably done. (Try to insert the thermometer as infrequently as possible, to prevent the juices from escaping.)

<> Another way of checking for doneness is to move the leg up and down. The looser it becomes, the closer it is to being done.

================================

How to Carve a Turkey...

To carve a turkey, it is essential that you use a sharp carving knife and a good, heavy-weight fork. The following instructions will make carving a turkey almost effortless.

1. Begin by cutting through the skin where the leg meets the breast. Pull the leg away from the body with the fork and continue to cut down, close to the body, to find the joint where the thigh meets the body. Pull the leg out further and slice right through the joint to remove the leg and thigh.

2. Place the leg skin-side down and locate the line at the joint where the thigh and the drumstick meet. Holding your knife along this line of the thigh, you can slice easily through the joint. If you hit resistance, adjust your angle and try again. Cut down through the line and separate the thigh from the drumstick. Repeat this process with the other leg.

3. Remove the wishbone (actually the collarbone) from the turkey. Removing the bone will prevent it from splintering when you carve the breast meat.

4. Next, run your knife through the skin along one side of the breastbone. Then cut down along the ribs, pulling the meat gently away from the bones in one large piece, leaving behind as little meat as possible.

5. When you reach the wing joint, cut through it and continue to remove the breast from the body. Repeat with the other side.

6. Finally, remove the wings and slice the breast meat before serving. (For even, attractive slices, cut the meat against the grain.)

================================

So, there you have it...everything you need to know about successfully roasting a turkey.

As you can see, preparing a turkey by adhering to the techniques above is not at all difficult. The small amount of effort you invest will be well rewarded when the final product reaches the serving table and your guests rave about how absolutely marvelous it is. Just remember one thing: serving a juicy, flavorful roasted turkey does not have to be reserved solely for the holiday season -- it's wonderful anytime of the year.

Copyright ©2005 Janice Faulk Duplantis

About the Author:
Janice Faulk Duplantis, author and publisher, currently maintains a web site that focuses on both Easy Gourmet and French/Cajun Cuisine. Visit www.bedrockpress.com to see all that Bedrock Press has to offer. Janice also publishes 4 free monthly ezines: Gourmet Bytes, Lagniappe Recipe, Favorite Recipes and Cooking 101. Visit www.bedrockpress.com/subscribe.html to subscribe.
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com