George Foreman Fryer
The idea of a deep fryer that produces healthier fried food is a tempting one. And who better to develop such a product than George Foreman, who revolutionized healthy cooking with a line of fat-reducing grills?
Unlike a traditional deep fryer, the machine has a round fry basket that lifts out of the oil and spins rapidly, using centrifugal force to pull excess oil off food. The company put the product through its paces at an independent laboratory test to determine that the fryer did indeed remove more fat than traditional deep fryers. According to the test, onion rings had up to 38 percent less fat and breaded chicken, 55 percent less.
With a number of parts, the machine looks a bit intimidating and complicated, but a detailed instruction booklet makes it easy to assemble and use, and the booklet also contains helpful tips, a chart of cooking times for different types of food, and a few recipes.
A handle lifts and lowers the fry basket and locks it into position, all without having to open the lid. Dials set the temperature and cooking timer. The spin cycle has low and high speeds, and another dial sets the timer for the spin cycle, turning it off when time runs out.
The food I fried in this fryer (one recipe I tried: Fried Chicken Tenders with Creamy Salsa Cilantro Sauce) turned out crisp and perfectly cooked, and it did seem less greasy. What's more, the cover, with its built in vent, helped to cut down on the usual "fried" odor, and kept grease from spattering the area. On the spin cycle, the machine wobbled precariously, but nonskid feet kept it firmly in place on my counter. The George Foreman Lean Mean Spin Frying Machine sells for around $150, and is a good option for those who like to fry (slightly healthier) food with minimal mess.
The design of the machine presents a few drawbacks. For one, the cooking area is small, and the spindle in the middle (which holds the fry basket in place) cuts down on the capacity even more, and you can forget about frying anything very large, like a fish fillet.
The design of the machine makes it necessary to close the cover when you're frying, which takes some getting used to if you are accustomed to the open fryers. The cover makes it a little difficult to monitor the cooking process, and the viewing window quickly gets covered with condensation, which makes it impossible to see through.
I also wasn't fond of the dials that set the timers, because it seemed hard to know if you were setting them accurately. The button that opens the lid is also difficult to push, requiring a lot of effort, or requiring you to grip the sides of the machine in order to push it hard enough.
High Altitude Bread Machine
If you live in a high altitude area (elevation of 3,000 feet and up), you already know that there are certain changes you need to make when you're cooking and baking. The air pressure is lower and the atmosphere is drier, which means that many factors are different, from the temperature at which water boils, the cooking or baking times of certain foods, and temperature at which certain foods should be cooked.
Bread machine baking is no different. A spokesperson for Zojirushi (Maker of the Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme) suggests trying the following changes individually or together until you achieve success: Decrease the yeast by 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Decrease the liquid by 1 to 2 tablespoons Decrease the sugar, honey or other sweetener by 1/2 teaspoon
Meanwhile, according to the Home Economics Department at the University of Wyoming, additional tips you can try include: Stick to smaller-sized loaves, since the proofing time for larger loaves tends to overproof the loaves in high-altitude climates. For fallen loaves, in addition to decreasing the yeast and/or the sugar as Zojirushi suggested, try increasing the salt by 1/8 teaspoon per 3 cups of flour.
Experimenting with these tips will have you making perfect loaves of bread in no time.
Making Stock: The Basics
But given the importance of stock and its relationship to so many other areas of the culinary arts, it's worth taking the time to understand the purpose of each ingredient, and the properties each one brings to the stock.
White stocks are used as the base for veloute sauce and various derivative sauces like the allemande and supreme sauces.Brown stocks are used for making demiglaze and its derivatives, such as bordelaise and Robert.
Note that beef or veal bones can be used for either white or brown stocks. The difference is that when making white stock, the bones are blanched first, or quickly boiled, then drained and rinsed, before simmering.
For brown stock, the bones are roasted before simmering, and some sort of tomato product is usually added. The roasting and tomato product give the brown stock its darker color.
Choosing a Cutting Board
There's no doubt a cutting board is an indispensable tool in the kitchen, but how do you choose the best one for your needs? Here's what you need to know about choosing a cutting board.
Size: For everyday use, buy the biggest cutting board that you can afford and for which you have counter space. Chopping tasks are so much easier when you have plenty of room on your cutting surface – it gives you not only enough space for the finished chopped veggies or fruit but also for the waste scraps. Plus, if the board's big enough, you can also push chopped ingredients to the edge and keep them there as you're prepping all of your ingredients.
You might also want one or two smaller cutting boards. A tiny one (i.e. 6 inches square) is ideal for cutting a piece of fruit for breakfast or lime wedges for drinks, and a medium-sized one is also good for smaller jobs when you don't want to haul out the larger board.
Weight: If you take my advice and buy a large cutting board, make sure that its weight is manageable. Thick wooden boards are especially heavy, which is good in that they won't slide much on the countertop, but they can be cumbersome to take out, wash and put away. If hefting a heavy board is an issue, then choose a lighter, thinner material for your largest board, such as a resin-paper composite or plastic.
Extras: Today's cutting boards aren't just boring slabs of wood; many of them have added features. These can be as basic and traditional as a channel to capture juices as you're carving a steak or a turkey, or more innovative, such as built-in prep bowls or measuring cups. Some boards even can fit right over your sink, which helps create space in a counter space-starved kitchen, and often these types of boards have colanders that fit right into the board. Features like this are great, just be sure that the bells and whistles don't infringe too much on the space of your board, and also that the features are ones you'll actually use. (For some great
How Many: So how many boards do you actually need? As I said before, it's nice to have a large board, plus one or two smaller ones. I also have a smaller board that is reserved only for cutting fruits or bread, so that I won't risk eating a piece of sliced fruit that has absorbed onion or garlic flavor that has seeped into the board. Then, of course, there are the sets of coded cutting boards or mats intended to be used for different types of foods, to avoid cross-contamination. If you are concerned about bacteria, these are a great option, and usually these types of boards are made of flexible plastic so they're lightweight and don't take up much space. Ultimately, only you will be able to determine how many boards you need, and of what sizes – just make sure that you're actually using the ones you have; if you have a size that you never use, give it away so it won't continue to take up space in your kitchen.
Cutting boards are available in a wide range of materials. Here's what you need to know about each type.
Wood
Pros: The traditional material used to make cutting boards, wood is attractive, seasons nicely, and is a gentle surface for knives. Although some believe that wooden cutting surfaces are unsanitary, studies (like one done by researchers at University of California – Davis) have shown that bacteria on wooden cutting boards is absorbed beneath the surface, where it dies without, making it unlikely that the bacteria would spread afterward (Still, you should take caution and wash a cutting board after each use – and when you're about to switch to cutting a different type of food – with hot, soapy water. You can sanitize it with a mild bleach solution of 1 teaspoon bleach per 1 quart of water).
Cons:Wood warps easily, particularly if it gets submerged in water for a length of time. Also, boards that are joined together with glue can separate or break apart. Wood absorbs odors and can scorch if something very hot is put on it. A good wooden cutting board can also be fairly expensive.
Plastic
Pros: Plastic cutting boards are inexpensive and lightweight. Plus, they're usually dishwasher-safe, which makes them a snap to clean. They're readily available in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors.
Cons: The aforementioned UC-Davis study found that although new plastic cutting boards can be sanitized thoroughly, those that have been scarred by knives, are not as easy to keep bacteria-free because of the small, deep cut marks. Plastic boards also stain and show signs of wear easily.
Glass
Pros: Glass cutting boards often come in decorative designs.
Cons: Glass boards will dull knives quickly. What's more, the surface is so slick that knives can easily slip. Not recommended.
Bamboo
Pros: If you're concerned about the environment, bamboo is a great choice for a cutting surface because it is made from a sustainable, fast-growing resource. Bamboo does not absorb as much moisture as wood, so it won't warp, shrink or swell as much.
Cons: Bamboo is a harder surface than wood, so it could dull your knives faster.
Composite
Pros: Made of a range of materials, composite cutting boards typically combine natural materials, such as paper or wood, with synthetic materials like plastic (One example is Epicurean's recycled paper and resin cutting boards). This often gives the best of both worlds – a gentle-on-knives cutting surface that is still durable enough to go in the dishwasher.
Cons: Usually these boards are thin, so they might slide around on your work surface.
Still undecided? Check out some of the coolest cutting boards for more inspiration.
Basic Mayonnaise Recipe
For more detailed instructions, see this illustrated tutorial on how to make mayonnaise.
Also, here's a tutorial on how to separate eggs.
A light, neutral-flavored oil like safflower, canola or soybean oil will give the best results, but any blended oil labeled "vegetable oil" or "salad oil" will do the trick.
Finally, it can't be said too often: For safety reasons, use pasteurized eggs for this and any other preparation that contains raw eggs.
Let all your ingredients come to room temperature before you begin.Using an electric hand mixer, stand mixer or a wire whisk, whip the egg yolks for a minute or two, until they're thoroughly beaten.
Add the 2 tsp vinegar and whisk for about half a minute. Then add the salt, and the cayenne if you're using it, and beat for another 30 seconds or so.
Now, with the mixer going full speed (or with your arm whisking as hard as it can) add the oil very slowly, as little as a drop at a time.
When the emulsion starts to form, you can add the oil more quickly, but keep it at a fairly moderate stream. Adding the oil too fast will break your mayonnaise.
When the emulsion thickens, add a teaspoon or so of vinegar to thin it out. Continue adding oil, stopping occasionally to add more vinegar if the mixture gets too thick.
Finish with the lemon juice, both to add a bit of tang as well as to achieve the right consistency.
Store unused portion in the refrigerator, where it should keep for a day or two.Makes 1 pint of mayonnaise.
5 New Kitchen Appliances
America's favorite TV chef, Emeril Lagasse, helped design this three-in-one machine, which is a food processor, blender and citrus juicer. The BAM! Machine has a 550-watt motor and a buit-in storage drawer for the many blades, cutting discs and other attachments. The 12-cup food processor includes a chopping blade, slicing and shredding discs, emulsifying disc and dough hook. The blender has a 40-ounce jar, and the citrus press lets you juice citrus fruits right into a glass. Available in May, the BAM! Machine comes with 7 recipes created by Emeril himself.
George Foreman Evolve Grill
One of the latest in the vast family of George Foreman Grills is the Evolve: a grill that comes with a multitude of interchangeable plates (and more can be purchased separately). Different versions come with different configurations, depending on what store you buy them from; along with the traditional grill plate, you could get a waffle plate, a deep dish bake plate, a muffin pan or a slider plate.
It's a neat idea, being able to do so much with a countertop appliance, especially one that takes up a significant amount of space. But are you really going to pull out your countertop grill the next time you want to bake some muffins?
The grill itself is designed similarly to many of the other George Foreman grills. There's a lever that can switch the grill from being flat (for sandwiches or small pieces of food) to angled (for meat, so that fat can drain into the included drip tray). The hinges "float" to accommodate large pieces of food.
The controls are a bit mystifying. To turn the grill on, you have to set a timer and the temperature, both are digital, with up and down buttons to control. There appears to be no way to override the timer and just have the grill be "on" until you turn it off, which means you also have to factor in five minutes for the grill to warm up (The temperature display flashes until the grill is at temperature, and a soft beep also chimes when it's heated). Then again, when the timer reaches zero, it just beeps, and the grill remains on. Still, I found myself wishing that you could deactivate the timer, and also that the timer wouldn't begin its countdown until the grill has reached the right temperature. The display and controls are on top of the grill, so if you're using the grill open, you'll have to close the lid in order to use the controls.
Another complaint: the actual surface of the grill is not very large; about 11 by 8 inches (Other Foreman Grills, including the Stainless Steel model have larger cooking surfaces). If you're cooking for more than 2 people you might have to work in batches. And while the fat did indeed drain away while I was cooking a steak, the design of the grill plate also caused small pieces of onions and peppers to fall of the edge, since there was no rim to contain them.
I liked the grill marks of the special top "Crosshatch" grill, which gave pieces of food a picture-perfect criss-cross look. But later I discovered that while the bottom grill is a breeze to clean, that top half has lots of crevices that can trap grease, making it laborious to clean.
But complaints aside, I felt like the grill got plenty hot enough to nicely sear the food I was cooking, something that other countertop grills don't always accomplish. The grill was most effective when the lid was closed, so that food was cooked from both top and bottom.
Even though the idea of baking brownies or muffins in your grill might seem preposterous, it's not ill-advised: I baked brownies in the grill, and they turned out moist, with deliciously crunchy edges. The baking option would be great for a small apartment or for the summer months when turning on the oven can heat up the whole house.
On the George Foreman web site, you can buy a range of other plates, including a a deep dish baking pan, an omelet and snack plate set, a shallow griddle pan, a waffle plate set, and a cupcake or muffin pan set.
Herbed Vinaigrette Recipe
Place the mustard-vinegar mixture along with the oil, herbs and seasonings in a blender and mix for about 10 seconds or until fully combined.
Transfer to a glass bowl and let stand for 30 minutes to let the flavors meld. Give the dressing a good whisk immediately before serving.Makes 1 cup of dressing.
NOTE: Any oil labeled "vegetable oil" or "salad oil" is fine for this basic recipe. You can also use any light, neutral-flavored oil like safflower, canola or soybean oil.
How to Use A Chef's Knife
This photo illustrates the proper chef's knife grip as seen from the inside or thumb-side of the cutting hand. The thumb grips the knife around the top of the blade, with the hand wrapped around the bolster of the knife.
While beginners find that this takes some getting used to, it definitely provides extra control over the blade.
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Basic Folded Omelet
Danilo, Your egg recipes were perfectly simple and wonderful! All of them ""Keepers"" for my recipe file. There really is an art to making perfect eggs. I have had so many egg dishes served all wrong. Thank you. kathyb
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Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
all these home made ice creams, especially if you are trying to make them in a hot summer climate, will NOT WORK unless you have an ice cream maker with its own built in freezer - i.e. not a glorified bowl which you have to 'pre-freeze' in your refrigerator. All that happens is that the ice cream mixture warms up the ice cream 'maker'!
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