See The World as a Pastry Chef
3 Jul
Now I have know the pleasures that are salty plums for many yeas I first discovered them years ago while traveling thru Asia. These humble little treat comes in a wide range of varieties, including some that are not that salty.
They come in sugar coated , dried and flavored and of coarse salted, it seemed that you could pretty much salt any type of fruit you wanted. There was preserved mango and paw paw as well as some other interesting salty plums choices.
Salting is actually another method of preserving foods and has been used to preserve foodstuffs for centuries. Aside from its preserving effect it also adds a characteristic taste.
Benefits of the salt in salty plum
While you may think that salt is bad for you, you are in fact wrong salt is a great preservative which when consumed in moderation preserves cells and vessels, mind you this is just my theory .
Salt if consumed in too great a quantity has been shown to contribute to hypertension as well as other health problems but when consumed in moderation you don’t have to worry about high blood pressure and its associated problems.
Salt actually helps with peoples who work in hot climates to replace what is lost by sweating ie: isotonic drinks and salt tablets.
Health Benefits of Plums
Every body knows how good prunes are and that they have a great antioxidant effect well a salty plum is actually basically a prune but dried with a lot of salt. They increase Iron absorption which seems to be associated with the vitamin c in the fruit.
Putting it all together.
Now that you know the basic to get an actual feel for the humble salty plum you just add the combined benefits together and you get a sweet that is not only a great lolly alternative but a semi healthy one as well.
Salty plums are also used around the world to treat digestion, colds and flu’s, morning sickness and hangovers. In fact in Japan it is a salty plum a day that keeps the doctor away.
2 Jul
Dehydrated potatoes are actually the same as instant potatoes, and this latter term is probably more familiar to you. If you are like thousands of other US people, you purchase dehydrated potatoes on a constant basis and frequently use them in your cooking.
Think about how many times you have gone to the local greengrocer to buy dehydrated potatoes. Once a week? Twice a month? In those times that you have got a pack that says “Instant Potatoes,” have you checked the package for the list of ingredients contained in the pack? The next time you go out to buy your favorite brand of dehydrated potatoes, you must try taking a look at the list of ingredients. You could be in for a shock.
Actually, we have done that to one of the less expensive types of dehydrated products - check out its ingredients, that is. We went to our local Aldi’s and grabbed a box of “Great Value Instant Potatoes.” You would expect the package to contain potatoes, and nothing else right? After all, it’s just instant potatoes, so what else should be in there?
Here is a listing of the ingredients that are essentially included in the pack of dehydrated potatoes:
- potato (you would actually be shocked if this wasn’t included )
- monocerides ( these are fats )
- diglycerides ( another sort of fats)
- sodium acid pyrophosphate ( this is actually a chemical employed in electroplating)
- sodium metabisulfate ( this chemical is employed with antioxidants )
- citric acid (a weak acid used for flavoring)
- BHT or butylated hydroxytoluene ( a fat and oil antioxidant which has been quite debatable in the food-processing industry)
Out of all these listed ingredients, the sole one that actually has business being in a pack of dehydrated potatoes is the potato itself. So what are all the other stuff doing in there? Just seeing the amount of chemicals concerned in making dehydrated potatoes will make you would like to think carefully about purchasing them again.
You do have the choice of making your own dehydrated potatoes. You may be certain that there are no harmful chemicals added, and you can even have a good time making them. The method is reasonably easy, and you can make it into a fun activity for the family, particularly if you have youngsters around. For more info see http://www.dehydratedfoodguide.com/Articles/Dehydrated_Mushroom.php on Dehydrated Mushroom.
When making dehydrated potatoes at home, just follow these simple steps:
1. Cut your potatoes into thin slices.
2. Place them in a warm oven.
3. Keep turning them till they become crispy and dry.
4. Mash them into powder and store them in airtight containers.
You can ask your children to help in this last part. Simply make sure that everything is orderly so you won’t have to wash up too much afterwards.
If you find this article useful, you should also check out cooking101.org to learn more about some easy techniques of cooking all sorts of quality meals, including roasted potatoes.
Many companies have increased sales with the higher demand for natural organic products, in fact the shopper is much more aware what he/she buys and makes the selection more rigorously. Natural organic products bring a quality and health promise because of the special non-processed form of the ingredients. Presently, there are special sections in supermarkets where shoppers can read the organic certification for fruits, vegetables, dairy products and meat, which is a guarantee of the product origin and production specifics. In fact, lots of supermarket chains have developed long-term contract-based business relationships with suppliers of natural organic products.
Moreover, consumers are more and more interested to read and learn about natural organic products, they need to know what they pay their money for. Market studies reveal the fact that there is quite a number of people who do not know how to shop for natural organic products because of this very improper access to information. The advantages of organic foods are the main aspects one should be aware of in order to make a smart purchase. Thus, it suffices to say that the nutritional value of organic food is much higher than that of regular products. Thus, there are more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and healthier proteins.
There are other specifics closely related with the purchase of natural organic products. When organic food is favored, you are not the only one to benefit from its advantages: thus, the environment suffers from a lot less pressure, for instance. This is the reason why so many green life supporters focus on the organic side of food and ban anything that has been highly processed, fertilized or treated with insecticides. With the emphasis on natural organic products we may wonder on the possible evolution of the food market in the coming years.
Will natural organic products preserve a high quality level? Is there any risk of alteration of the system that favors organic items over the conventional ones? Will regular crops disappear? One can definitely predict, but the truth is that we are writing the future ourselves. It is easy to figure out why in the context of a more organic-demanding market, many regular food producers will adapt to the new conditions. However, the problem of this adjustment is the potential deterioration of the high quality of the natural organic products. It therefore remains to be seen which will win the battle of regular vs. organic.
1 Jul
Have you considered the importance of water? Did you know that water accounts for over seventy percent of your body? Our bodies are mostly water. Our blood mineral make up is similar to salt water. So water is more important to us than just something we put in our oral irrigators.
A fully hydrated body can help us in many ways:
- You can pay attention better. A fully hydrated brain actually works better.
- Strength improves. Did you know that your muscles work better when your body is fully hydrated?
- Your immune system will be healthier.
- Flush junk out of your system. A fully hydrated body is better at getting rid of the things it DOESN’T need.
- You might be amazed at how much more energy you can have when you drink adequate amounts of water.
- Water can help to keep your breath fresh, much like therabreath products.
There are a ton of reasons to maintain an adequate intake of water. Needless to say, you can probably see why it is important to have clean water - especially for an oral irrigator.
Advice from experts vary but it is generally agreed that most people probably need to take in 2 liters of water per day. Check with your doctor before changing your intake though.
Once I worked for a company that sold water filters. One of their products was a whole house filter. The interesting thing about this filter was that it had a clear area where you could see what was trapped in the filter.
I hope you are ready for this. Municipal water supplies rely on recycled water. Many people know this but don’t want to think about it.
What this means is that all of your waste water, i.e., when you flush the toilet, goes back into the system. It is filtered and treated and may just come right back at you in the form of a glass of water out of your tap. Not to be too disgusting here, but this is reality. And you should be aware of it.
What was found in that ’see through’ filter mentioned above was little flaky white particles that looked suspiciously like toilet paper.
Now, no chemical analysis was done to validate this and who knows what I was really seeing there. However, it made me interested in learning more about my drinking water.
I use a filter for the water I drink now and I love it. I cook with filtered water as well. Drinking clean filtered water is really great. The taste, or lack thereof, because clean water doesn’t have taste or odor, can be quite a dramatic contrast to what you might be used to.
Not all filters do the same job. Some take out lead and heavy metals, some just filter for taste. So you really have to do a little research and make sure you are getting a filter that is right for you, one that will fulfill your needs.
The food available in supermarkets is often packed with chemicals and in the conditions of a rapid health deterioration of the population, it’s no wonder that more and more consumers turn to natural organic foods. Although analyses between conventional and non-conventional foods show great relevancy, the rule of the common sense is the one that influences the purchase decision. Antibiotics, hormones and pesticides are just a few of the dangers that come from non-organic foods. The non-organic livestock is raised in very harsh conditions, while the fruit and vegetables are synthetically stimulated to look great and take the consumer’s eye. By contrast, natural organic foods are cultivated or grown according to the rules of Mother Nature, with very little human intervention.
Natural organic foods may also have traces of chemical residues, but these are usually drifted from nearby farms that use chemicals to grow crops. Furthermore, with natural organic foods there are a lot more nutrients and fewer threats for the health. If we take the example of organic eggs, analyses indicate that besides the fact that the organic product is free of antibiotics and hormones, there is less cholesterol and saturated fat, huge amounts of beta-carotene, superior levels of vitamin A, twice more Omega3 acids than in non-organic eggs. The difference is therefore huge, not to mention that the quality of the protein is significant too.
The word is spreading about the advantages of natural organic foods, and since direct access to organic retails is not available on all geographic locations, it is good to know that many of the products can be now ordered online from the closest source. If you want to buy natural organic foods, it is more likely to find them at the market than in hypermarkets. Moreover, in case you travel to the country side, the chances to find producers of natural organic foods is a lot higher. Run a basic research and check for supplies.
The only problem with natural organic foods is their price, products will often be 10% or 40% more expensive than non-organic foods. When it comes to vegetables and fruits, the products are very easy to recognize by their look: there will be no huge perfect apples or strawberries, but various fruit sizes, some flawed, others intact. The same thing stays valid for meat, but you will only be able to tell which is which by shopping from the special organic sectors in markets or supermarkets.
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This book will also tell you how to properly use finishing sauces and glazes on your barbecue recipes - the raspberry vinagrette based “secret” recipe for chicken is worth the price of the book by itself. It’s by far the best chicken I have ever tasted and took 9th place out of 50+ of the best teams in the Country - not too shabby! Most people prefer a sweet barbecue sauce and competition judges are people too! Your family and friends can share in these trophy recipes.”
Imagine that you are a bbq competition judge… tasting the same old bbq sauces over and over again. The first thing the judges do is look at your ribs and give it a presentation score. Combine the following ingredients in a large saucepan; beans, coconut mik, bacon, green onion, thyme and habanero. Cook over medium-high heat until it begins to simmer. There’s meat selection, sauces, rubs, marinades, injections, meat preparation, smoker preparation, actual smoking, mopping, checking for doneness, pulling and cutting meats, turn-in box preparation, and a whole lot more than I have room to mention here.
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