People are struggling with maintaining healthy food choices. It is not surprising because they are constantly bombarded with conflicting information about what's healthy and what's not and they are also given numerous choices when it comes to food products. With all these choices and information, it is not inevitable that people will end up confused. You probably share the same confusion. Who can blame you?
If you would visit a local grocery store, you would find numerous aisles of different foods. If you would go to a restaurant, you would find pages after pages of menus. With so man food choices, you probably are finding it hard to stick to your "healthy foods only" diet. To make sure that you would go home with a bag full of healthy food choices, here are some tips that you should definitely take note of.
Shop Only When You're Not Hungry
Go to the grocery store only when your stomach is full. This does not need much explanation. Doing your grocery when your stomach is empty would definitely tempt you to buy anything that catches your fancy. You'd be practically throwing your "healthy food choices" list out of the window. It is best to do your grocery shopping after you have eaten your breakfast in the morning or your dinner in the evening.
Choose Canned or Bottled Products Carefully
First of all, if you are going to buy meat, vegetables and fruits, do not buy those that are packed with oil. If you need to buy these food products, make sure that you buy those that are packed in water. Chances are the water will likely reduce the calories in meat products. Do not buy products that are labeled "hydrogenated". These products practically scream, "Fats!" You need to have a discerning and careful eye when it comes to sneaky wordings in packages. This is one way to make sure that you only end up with healthy food choices.
You should also avoid products with high fructose or glucose content. Many products like juices and soft drinks are loaded with high fructose content. When you see these words "high fructose" in a grocery product, you should definitely stay away from it. These words basically mean that you would be drinking something with 100% pure sugar in it.
Many manufacturers add high fructose to their products in order to save money. Unfortunately, this causes obesity and diabetes. Examples of this are pancake corn syrups. This is why it is very important that you first check product labels before you buy anything. To be able to make healthy food choices, you need to make sure that you are making informed choices.
Buy Organic Meat and Poultry
When purchasing meat products like beef, pork and poultry, you should definitely consider opting for organic products. These are free from growth hormones, steroids and other chemicals. When buying poultry, you should look for free range chickens because they often tastes delicious than caged chickens. You should also get skinless chicken because bad cholesterols and calories in chickens are concentrated on their skin.
When buying organic foods, it is better to buy them locally. Not only will you help your community's economy, you will also save energy. This is the additional bonus you get from making healthy food choices.
Make Wise Grocery Product Choices
First of all, you should make sure that you opt for low sodium prepackaged foods. If you are too busy and you have to resort to buying frozen dinners and canned foods, make sure that you get packages with the lowest sodium count. Making these simple healthy food choices will ensure that you will avoid various illnesses like hypertension or cardiac problems.
If you are one of those people who would like to avoid dairy products, you can opt for food alternatives like broccoli. This vegetable is packed with calcium, so you would still be getting the nutrient despite the absence of milk or cheese in your diet.
When buying breads and cereals, you should opt for whole grain foods. Also, make sure that you always read the labels and get products that are low in fat or zero in fat. You can still give in to your sweet cravings without necessarily placing yourself at risk of developing diabetes.
Eating healthy involves making healthy food choices. You need to make sure that every food that gets into your grocery basket is healthy for you and your family.
Learning Culinary Skills from Television Cooking Shows
If you love watching television cooking shows, then you probably are obsessed with food and cooking. Chances are you probably gravitate toward every cooking show in the television. Every dessert makes your mouth water. You may not be a huge fan of seafood but you appreciate the art of preparing delicious seafood dishes.
The Attraction of Cooking Shows
Television cooking shows, however, do not just offer entertainment. There are several benefits to watching cooking shows. Although, cookbooks are great, nothing beats watching a real live person teaching you how to cook a particular dish. It is more exciting to see the actual process of preparing a recipe starting from preparing the ingredients to actually serving the dish on a platter.
Since it is highly unlikely for regular folks to get celebrity chefs to teach them in person how to cook, the best they can do is to turn on the television. You probably share the same sentiment. You probably have to make do with watching professional chefs in your TV.
People generally watch television cooking shows to learn new dishes that they can eat on a regular basis. Nowadays, people prefer to watch these shows than to open their cookbooks. In fact, many cookbooks are probably gathering dusts on people's shelves.
Good television cooking shows have the ability of making you feel like you are actually in a real kitchen where you can actually smell the simmering stew and taste the delicious dessert. Even if people never have the opportunity to pursue a culinary education, they will certainly learn a lot from watching these cooking shows.
In truth, people can actually become accomplished cooks from merely watching these shows regularly. It is easier to learn when you can actually see the cooking process. Reading cookbooks and following the procedures can be a bit complicated. It is far easier to follow a procedure when you can actually see someone doing it.
Learning from Television Cooking Shows
Many people enjoy cooking while watching the show's host preparing and cooking the same dish. This is why many prefer to watch shows that offer home cook meal recipes. Gourmet cooking shows are harder to follow because people don't often have half the ingredients that they would need for a particular dish. People need to relate to cooking shows. It would be hard for them to do this if they haven't even heard of the ingredients.
Regular viewers of television cooking shows discover that by watching their favorite culinary programs and by practicing what they learn from these shows, they effectively improve their cooking skills. Basically, they develop basic knowledge and appreciation of all kinds of food ingredients. They learn what spices complement a particular dish. They develop the knack of turning regular dishes into amazingly delicious meals.
The best thing about this is that people get this knowledge for free! They can even share what they have learned with friends and relatives. It is always fun to call friends over to check out your latest food creations or experiments.
What You Learn from Television Cooking Shows
You will certainly learn a lot of things from TV cooking shows. If you love to grill foods, you will learn the secrets to grilling your meat and vegetables properly. You will likely learn more from these shows than from your cookbook. For instance, you would likely learn that it is always advisable to boil your ribs and chicken before you actually grill them. By boiling the meat, you are assured that the meat is thoroughly cooked. You will also probably learn the difference between gas-grilled and charcoal-grilled foods.
Another secret that you would learn is the art of grilling vegetables without burning them! Sunday dinners with your family will be more appealing if you are serving delicious foods.
There are television cooking shows that offer the opportunity to learn how to cook foreign dishes or gourmet meals. Unless you want to pursue a culinary career, you don't have to enroll in formal culinary school just to learn how to create gourmet meals. You can pick up a few recipes and tricks just by watching the television. You can definitely learn a few Italian, Chinese, Japanese and French dishes just by watching different television cooking shows.
You can make wonderful dishes. All you need to do is to check out some of the best culinary programs in your television.
Mix Passion and Profession With Top Culinary Courses
If you have a job that you are passionate about which pays the bills at the same time, then you are one of the lucky who managed to turn something that they love into an actual profession. Now, if you have a passion for food, the natural order of things would be for you to get an education in the culinary arts.
So what exactly are the cooking courses that you need to take if you want to get a culinary degree or a culinary diploma? How can you take your pick from the many culinary art schools in the state?
Selecting the Top Culinary School to Jump Start Your Career in the Food Business.
First, let us take a look at how you can select the top culinary arts school that will give your career in the food industry a head start. Take a look at the following hints:
1. Make sure that the culinary school has a great reputation.
Do your inquiry and learn where the best restaurateurs and chefs in the top local restaurants in your area earned their degree. A great culinary school would have a strong following among alumni chefs and for this, the best reference usually comes from word of mouth.
2. Choose a culinary arts school whose students have earned many regional, national and international awards.
The best way to evaluate it just how effective culinary schools are in teaching their students is to learn if they often take part - and win - in cooking competitions.
3. Search for culinary schools with a deal of successful and famous alumni.
You can actually plan your career after the professional chefs who have already made it in the industry by learning which culinary art school they went to - and take things from there.
Choosing the Top Culinary Arts & Cooking Courses to enter In
Second, how will you know which cooking courses to enter in after you have chosen the culinary arts school where you will enter? Basically, you should decide whether you need a culinary degree or a culinary diploma.
Remember that as long as the culinary arts school that you attended has a good reputation, it doesn't usually matter whether it's a degree or a diploma that you earned. More often than not, the additional subjects on earning a culinary degree are the same ones that you would have taken if you attended some college.
All in all, selecting the best culinary arts school in your area and measuring your career goals when selecting the cooking courses to enter in the things that you need to fulfill it so that you can jump start your career in the food industry.
The Green Kitchen - private or commercial kitchens
Nowadays, there is the need to conserve energy and natural resources. Environmentalists from all over the globe are urging people to be more aware of the environment and the damages that we are inflicting on earth. Their efforts are bearing fruit as more and more people are becoming aware of the plight of our environment and are taking the necessary steps not only in conserving non-renewable energy but also in helping preserve our natural resources. The efforts in being "green" can also be seen in kitchens, may they be private or commercial kitchens.
If you are interested in having a "green Kitchen," then here are some simple and very easy tips that you can do.
Save Water
It has been said time and time again that we should save water, and doing this is not that difficult a thing to do as all you have to do is to turn the water supply off when you are not using it. If you are washing the dishes; gathering the dinnerware, utensils, glassware, etc.; storing the kitchen items away; or even chatting with your friends, be sure that the water supply is turned off so as not to waste water. Sadly, there are a lot of people who do not save water when they are washing the dishes. Instead of turning the water supply off when they are washing the dishes, they leave it running the whole time. If you know someone who does this, tell them of the importance of water conservation.
Recycle
Another way to have a "green kitchen" is to know what recycling is. For this reason, it is important that you segregate your garbage properly into wet and dry garbage.
The wet garbage is the organic garbage such as leftover vegetables and fruits. These are basically anything that came from plants and animals and are biodegradable. You should store them in an appropriate container and mark the container with a sign saying "wet garbage" so the garbage collector will know what its contents are and send it to the appropriate place in their disposal plant.
On the other hand, the dry garbage are papers and cardboard boxes, glasses and bottles, rubbers and plastics and metals, etc. You should also segregate them accordingly such as papers with papers and plastics with plastics for easy and proper disposal when the garbage collector comes. These items will be recycled by the recycling plants into materials.
Purchase Kitchen Items Wisely
Instead of making use of plastic wraps when storing food products inside your refrigerator or freezer, why not purchase items that will last? You can make use of glass food containers instead. The same can also be done when it comes to choosing and purchasing cookware as well as kitchen utensils. Instead of purchasing Teflon or other non-stick surface cookware which has a shorter lifespan, why not make use of cast iron cookware or even stainless steel ones? As for kitchen utensils and appliances, do not choose cheap ones. Go for the kitchen utensils and appliances that have better quality. They may be more expensive, but they will not break easily, thus, saving you some money and allowing you to help the environment at the same time. Remember, cheap kitchen utensils and appliances will break and rot easily.
Lastly, you should take care of your kitchen appliances properly. This involves following the instruction manual of the manufacturer before using them and using them appropriately. This also involves turning them of when not in use and unplugging them from the wall socket. This should also involve storing the properly.
Plan, Plan, Plan
Like they say, waste not, want not. To save some money, be sure to plan your menus in advance and list down all the ingredients you will be needing for the whole week. This way, you will not waste precious ingredients and money, and you will also not waste precious time and effort. With just one trip to the grocery store, you can save on fuel.
Another way that you can save some money when you do your grocery shopping is to buy in bulk.
Reality Show Top Chef's Tom Colicchio
Many people automatically associate Chef Tom Colicchio with Top Chef, a hit reality show where he is one of the leading judges. But there is more to Chef Colicchio than just Top Chef alone.
Chef Colicchio was born on the 15th of August 1962 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Growing up, he has always been surrounded by the aroma of cooking food, what with his Italian mother's as well as grandmother's passion for food and cooking. In fact, he had so loved helping around in the kitchen that his father suggested that he pursue a career in the culinary world.
He began teaching himself the French style of cooking and immersed himself in culinary books like La Technique as well as La Methode written by the legendary chef, Chef Jacques Pepin. At a very young age, he was already impressing people with his culinary abilities that, at the age of 17 years old, he landed a job in his hometown's Evelyn's Seafood Restaurant.
After his stint at Evelyn's Seafood Restaurant, he then went on to try his culinary skills in New York, which is the food capital of the country. In the city, he found work at some of the famous restaurants such as The Quilted Giraffe as well as Rakel. He also found a job at the Gotham Bar & Grill and Mondrian.
It was when he was working at Mondrian as its executive chef that his culinary style caught the attention of the Food & Wine Magazine. The prestigious magazine named him as one of the country's top ten "Best New Chefs." Aside from this prestigious title, he was also awarded three stars by The New York Times.
It was in the mid 1990s that Chef Colicchio and Danny Meyer, his partner, thought of launching their own restaurant. They launched their own restaurant in the Gramercy Park area of Manhattan and called in Gramercy Tavern. Two years after first opening Gramercy Tavern to the public, in 1996, The New York Times' Ruth Reichl gave the restaurant three stars and called Chef Colicchio as a confident chef who is not afraid of blending bold flavors to create unusual balance of flavors. Aside from this, in 2000, Chef Colicchio was also awarded by the James Beard Foundation as the Best Chef in New York.
His achievement not enough, Chef Colicchio then launched Craft a year after his James Beard Foundation Award. Likewise, his new venture received three stars from The New York Times' William Grimes and Best New Restaurant from the James Beard Foundation in 2002. Chef Colicchio also received a Chef of the Year award from Bon Appetit.
The success of Craft prompted him to launch a sandwich shop chain named Craftbar (located in New York City) as well as Crafsteak (located in Las Vegas). Chef Colicchio also launched a sandwich shop chain, the Wichcraft. Right now, there are 14 such sandwich shops in New York City as well as in Las Vegas and San Francisco. His Crafsteak and Craft also branched out, and they can now be found not only in New York in Las Vegas but also in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. He has also launched Colicchio & Sons in New York, another three-star restaurant by The New York Times. It was also during this year, 2010, that he received an Outstanding Chef award from the James Beard Foundation for his contributions to the culinary world.
These are not the only things that keep Chef Colicchio busy though. He is also working as a consultant at numerous restaurants as well as private clubs, and he is also writing cookbooks. Right now, he has published three cookbooks - Think Like a Chef, Craft of Cooking, and Wichcraft. He has also written Top Chef the Cookbook. His first book won an award from the James Beard Foundation in 2001, The James Beard Kitchen Aid Cookbook Award.
Chef Colicchio became one of the leading judges of Top Chef when it was first aired in 2006. The reality show was an instant success that it also received awards and praises as well as an Emmy award for himself in 2010.
How to Operate a Successful Restaurant: What you need to know
Most restaurants fail within the first few years, mostly because their owners did not think the business through before opening their doors. If you want to operate a successful restaurant, it is important that you make plans and execute them according to plentiful research on your market, location and service.
Select your location carefully. You'll want to place your restaurant in a highly populated area, with easy approach from nearby streets. It is also a good idea to choose an area with profitable neighbouring businesses, which will help you to get traffic through your doors.
Take wait staff with exceptional references and at least two years of experience. Your servers and hosts will make or break your restaurant, so make sure they have first-class customer services skills, and don't forget to train them thoroughly before they are allowed on the floor.
Advertise your restaurant in the local paper and on the Internet. Lots of people enjoy trying new places to eat every week, so make sure the residents of the close area know you exist, and what type of food you serve.
Brand name your restaurant immediately. The culture of a business is absolutely important to its success. Is your establishment more suited to the after-work crowd, a large family, or first dates? What are your signature dishes, and how do they represent your overall standard atmosphere? This is one of the most effective ways to operate a successful restaurant.
Address customer complaints as soon as they arise. Negative publicity travels fast, you don't want to give people any reason to tell their friends how much they hated your restaurant. For just such an occasion, print up certificates for free "We Were Wrong" meals.
Invite customer feedback by leaving comment cards on the tables, or simply by asking about their experience as they walk through the door. This is a great way to judge how different views of your restaurant are received, and to include customers in making your restaurant successful.
Evaluate your menu periodically. Determine which dishes are popular, and which are rarely ordered, so you can get eliminate the dishes that don't perform to make way for new recipes. Changes to your menu should only be undertaken every six months or so, but constantly measure the performance.
Reward your waiters and waitresses for great customer service. A happy staff will serve happy customers, which makes your restaurant successful. You might even inspire a bit of competition for Employee of the Month.
Role of the Chef in the Culinary Arts Profession
As you probably already know, being a chef can be hard work, but it can also be very rewarding. You will definitely get pleasure from knowing that people enjoy eating the food that you are cooking. You might even be able to introduce some of your own recipes and ideas in your role, and manage your own team in the kitchen.
Chef Jobs are not only for those who want to work in a top restaurant, or hotel. If you enjoy cooking at home, eating out, and know what makes up good food and good service, why not see if you could make a career out of it?
If you are a professional chef already, then maybe you are considering changing jobs, or moving into a different type of chef character. Maybe you currently work in the kitchen of a small hotel, or in a elegant restaurant, and want to work in the kitchen of a busy, lively city centre bar, or vice versa.
When most people think about career in culinary arts, they often bring up the image of someone serving food in big restaurants with a big chef’s cap on the head. Well, chef is by far the most common and most popular profession in the culinary arts field. Many of those who accept up culinary arts studies wanted to become a professional chef and it is so lucky for them that more than a hundred of the culinary arts schools in the world these days are offering chef courses for those who want the profession.
Chef as culinary arts profession has been around for a number of years. Thousands of people have already acquired the title and many of them are now serving the restaurants, hotels, resorts, or their own homes. However, opposite to what many people think, chef as culinary arts profession is not easy to get. In fact, the process of becoming a successful chef can be demanding and consuming. In the first place, you need to start at the bottom, spending most of your time and effort working graveyard. You will work for weekdays and even holidays in high pressure kitchens, leaving you tired at the end of the day.
There is more to beginning chef as culinary arts profession than what is noted above. The chefs are most likely to start out as a preparation cook and pass their time peeling potatoes and other ingredients, chopping tomatoes, or shelling boxes of peas rather than actually cooking. If you have succeeded in testing your capabilities and skills, you will be promoted and start treating the duties and responsibilities of a garde manager or line cook. After you have proven yourself in that specific area, further responsibilities are waiting for you to handle in the next levels. It is then clear that chef as culinary arts profession is not an easy effort to take. Although prestige is attached to the name, responsibilities and tension are out there waiting for you to take part in. Indeed, dedication, commitment, talent and continuity are keys for success in the culinary arts field.
If you make it to the highest levels of the culinary world, many job possibilities are out there for you to take, however. It is possible that you’ll be promoted to the sous-chef position or subordinate to the executive chef. And, if you are lucky enough, you may find yourself one day holding the executive chef position in your company. But again, it is important to keep in mind though that along with the reputable name you are bearing comes more responsibilities.
The chef as culinary arts profession is now opted by many not for the responsibilities and levels of tension came with it, but more for the profits that chef as culinary arts profession can give. Maybe one of the biggest profits that the profession can provide is the large net profit. According to many researches, chefs earn more than the average of $15,000 per year. The executive chef, for example, can earn between $48,000 and $80,000 per year, while the sous-chef between $30,000 and $45,000 per year. This range can of course be a great start for making your life comfortable. So in spite of all the challenges came with chef as culinary arts profession, more and more people are still following it.
A Quick Look at Stewarding Goals in a Restaurant
A restaurant kitchen will never be successful if it does not have a stewarding department. After all, the stewards are considered as the backbone of the restaurant industry as they carry the burden of ensuring that everything is spic and span inside and outside the restaurant kitchen. Without them, the reputation of the restaurant will suffer, and it will not matter if you have a very good chef whipping up great dishes if the health and safety of the diners are not assured.
So, what are the common goals of the stewarding department, especially since the stewards are considered as a very integral part of the restaurant industry?
One, because restaurants deal with people and diners, one of the most important goals then of the stewarding department is to provide the utmost importance to customer care and satisfaction. After all, the customers are going to be the bread and butter of the restaurant, and without them, the restaurant will not survive. For this reason, the stewards should always be respectful to the diners. They should never argue with the customers, and if an argument arises, the kitchen steward is urged to inform the chief steward who will handle the situation himself. The management holds regular meetings and trainings geared towards giving 100% customer care and satisfaction, and the stewarding department is always encouraged to attend these events to meet the goal.
Two, it is also the stewarding department's goal to ensure that the quality of the food is preserved at all times. Now, this can only be ensured if the stewarding department is very strict when it comes to cleaning the whole kitchen, inside and out. It cannot be denied that a dirty kitchen can contaminate fresh food products, and if you serve contaminated food to your diners, then it can lead to health problems which, in turn, can lead to legal problems. For this reason, the stewards have to be very meticulous in maintaining the cleanliness of all the areas in the kitchen as well as the front of the restaurant so as to avoid contaminating the food products with anything that can harm people.
Three, another common goal of the Stewarding Department is to help promote a professional atmosphere in the whole restaurant. It will not do the restaurant any good if there is tension and fighting in the restaurant. If there are fights and tension between the staff, then the work flow of the kitchen will be affected, thus, affecting the whole restaurant as well. For this reason, the staff is encouraged to be respectful to each other, too. If a kitchen steward has any problems with his coworkers, he is recommended to bring the issue to the chief steward who can act as a mediator between them.
These are just some of the common yet very important goals of the stewarding department, and to achieve this means to help make the restaurant a success. However, this will be made possible if all work together in achieving the goals.
The Popularity of Red Wine with Women
Category- FnB Buzz/ Food and Wine
Drinking was forever dominated by men. It's kind of a double up standard where it was absolutely all right for men to drink while the women stay at home and tend to the house. Well, that was then and this is now. I'm not ordering that the double up standard has disappeared totally, however, women drinking is much more socially accepted now in modern society.
The truth is, it's still a man's world when it comes to drinking alcoholic beverages. In the United Kingdom, Germany and France, the disparity in genders are so far aside when it comes to drinking. Germany leads with the greatest gender gap with 61% of German women drinking alcohol, equated to some 80% of German men.
This number is not so badly equated to recent decades. Just try and search for "Wine" and "Women" on Google and you will come up with 437,000,000 search results. I believe that the fame of wine with women are for two reasons. One, is certainly the empowerment of women today. Two, is for health causes that red wine benefits women.
Health benefits of red wine for women
1. Health of the heart - Red wine prevents badly cholesterol while helping the numbers of good cholesterol in the body.
2. It battles blood clots - Fibrinogen is something that wine prevents in the body. This protein when prevented will cut down blood clots in the body.
3. Healthier and longest life - Red wine is said to contain resveratrol which is researched to growth life expectancy and an total addition in the quality of life.
4. Lowers blood pressure - Red wine is known to lower blood pressure and fight hypertension.
The flip side
Though drink red wine can help women in a lot of ways, moderation is all the same a rule of thumb. There is a flip out side, a caveat if you will, from drinking a lot of red wine. Unluckily, there are studies that linked cancer and drinking of red wine. Really, just drinking alcoholic beverages generally is linked to an growth rate in cancer.
Aside from this, the empty calories in Red Wine can effort obesity. The American Heart Association recommends one or two glasses a day for men and one drink a day for women.
If you're actually looking for a healthy alternative to red wine, then almost doctors would advise that you try exercise and adding up fruits and vegetables in your diet.
What Should You Consider When Choosing an Italian Restaurant?
What comes to mind when you hear of the word haute cuisine? There are actually two things that come to mind - French restaurant and Italian restaurant. If you wish to have a wonderful time, however, you should opt for the latter. Italian dishes are comforting. Of course, you can't just pick out any restaurant. If you live in a city where there are more than five restaurants to go to, you have to consider several things when choosing a dining establishment.
Authentic Italian is the Best!
There is no doubt about it. If you want to have the best dinner, you have to make sure that you end up in an Italian restaurant that offers authentic cuisine. If you are in the culinary business - especially if you are a chef yourself - you would know genuine cuisine. But there are people who may love food but may not be that knowledgeable. In this case, you can gauge the authenticity of the food by the authenticity of the restaurant itself. Hopefully, you would be able to figure out the difference.
Know What You Want!
There are many reasons why you would choose to dine at an Italian restaurant. You should also take into consideration the amount of money you can spare on your meal. Do not embarrass yourself by complaining about the price. This is the reason why it is advisable that you read a restaurant guide before you decide to dine at any establishment. You should know what to expect and how much you need to prepare. You can then make your choice accordingly. You can look at a restaurant's menu online before you even make the reservation. You can check out the prices and decide what to get in advance. This way, you will come prepared. You won't have to bleed your wallet dry.
If you are going out with someone, you should consider his or her preferences. This is where it can be a bit tricky. There are some people who would prefer to order their own food. If you are footing the bill and trying to impress your companion, you may have to prepare an amount of money just enough to pay for whatever he or she would order. Hopefully, your companion wouldn't bankrupt you with his or her order.
These are just some of the things that you need to consider when choosing an Italian restaurant. A good choice can create a memorable dining experience.
How to Look for the Best Mexican Restaurants
Just like everything else in the culinary world, Mexican restaurants have new offerings. They are branching out. They are offering new flavors, creations and tastes. It goes with the territory of being in a steep competition. There restaurants need to offer something new in order to make their mark. Unlike before where they offer dozens of bean dishes, these restaurants have something more to offer these days. Aside from the standard tamales, burritos and enchiladas, you will also find other innovative and even unusual dishes.
The Modern Mexican Restaurants
You will find chicken that are baked in banana leaves. You will be served hearty beef stews in some restaurants. Indeed, these things just show that people are more open to new tastes. And with the presence of numerous Mexican restaurants, there is a need for these restaurant owners and chefs to offer something different in order to attract more customers. You don't have to go to Mexico in order to experience the best dishes that the country has to offer. But how do you look for the best Mexican restaurant in your area?
Finding Your Restaurant
The first thing that you need to do is to look for a listing of Mexican restaurants in your area. You can check out the yellow pages or your telephone directory. If you are on a trip, you can check out the place's tourism office. You can buy a restaurant guide. You can go online and search for restaurants near you. There are so many ways to go about it.
Once you have a list, you can then call them to make some inquiry regarding their prices and food offerings. You can then decide where to go once you have compared the various restaurants. Aside from calling, you can also read reviews about these restaurants. The easiest way to get hold of reviews is to go online. Chances are you will find good reviews that will help you decide where to go. Often, reviews are written by locals, restaurant critics and travelers. You can rest assure that you will be reading authentic and honest reviews. If you are not comfortable with just reading reviews, you can ask for recommendations from friends or relatives. This is really the best way to go about choosing your restaurant.
Nowadays, Mexican restaurants have a lot to offer, but you still have to choose the best restaurant in your area in order to have the full Mexican dining experience.
Cuisine Focus - Indian Cuisine - An Interesting Mix of Herbs, Spices, Culture, and Religion
When we think of the Indian cuisine, we usually think of aromatic dishes peppered with herbs and spices, and that thought is usually right. The Indian cuisine is definitely known for its strong taste and strong aroma because of the variety of herbs and spices that they use on their dishes.
The Indian cuisine also varies from one region to another. This is because there have been a lot of factors that helped shape the evolution and history of the Indian cuisine, depending upon the region as stated above.
The Indian techniques and methods of cooking can be traced back to about 5,000 years ago. It has been shaped by the land as well as the produce that comes from a specific region; thus, there are varying regional Indian cuisines. Aside from this, their religion has also greatly influenced their cooking. Another factor that significantly influenced the Indian cuisine is the traders as well as the travelers that pass through the region. They leave behind new cooking methods as well as new dishes and new ingredients that the locals incorporate into their cooking. The rulers who ruled also influenced Indian cuisine. But what is most fascinating is that the identity of the original Indian cuisine never got lost. In fact, it has retained its uniqueness, and all those influences only enhanced the cuisine and made it richer.
The normal diet consists of meat, usually game meat, and they also make use of fruits and vegetables. The use of spices had long been used in Indian cuisine, and this can be traced back to about 3,000 BCE. When religions like Buddhism and Hinduism grew in India, vegetarianism became prevalent and flourished. In fact, the prohibition of eating beef became the longstanding characteristic of Hinduism, and this practice is still going on even to this present day.
Come the Middle Ages,tea and spices were introduced to India by the travelers and traders. Much later, the Indian cuisine was again influenced by the invaders and conquerors coming from Central Asia as well as the Afghan region. It was also during this time that seasonings became a part of the Indian cuisine, particularly the use of saffron. By the 18th century, when the British came to India to rule the land, a marriage between the two cuisines and two cultures happened, and it has been coined as the Anglo-Indian cuisine. It was not surprising then to see traditional British cuisine like roast beef having an Indian influence by making use of local Indian spices like red chilies as well as curry. Raj traditions also emerged, one of which is the high-tea tradition.
If there is one thing that can be said about the Indian cuisine is that, even if a lot of international cuisines have greatly influenced the traditional recipes and methods of Indian cooking, it has always retained its authenticity and originality. Furthermore, it has retained its culture and history, particularly when it comes to avoiding the use of pork or beef in their dishes due to religious reasons.
As stated above, there are a variety of regional Indian cuisines that helped shape what it is right now. These regions are the Awadhi, Mughlai, Bengali, Rajasthani, Konkani, Udupi, Malabari, Punjabi, Hyderabadi, Sindhi, Marwari, Chettinadu, Dogri, Kashmiri, and Marathi. These regional Indian cuisines differ in ingredients used as well as methods used in cooking their dishes, and each regional Indian cuisine will be discussed in short details in the succeeding articles.
Ingredients Utilized in Indian Cuisine
* The following list is, by no means, exhaustive. It is only intended as a reference source.
Pulses and Legumes: Bengal gram, black gram, green gram, lentil, split gram, soyabean.
Condiments and Spices: Asafetida, cardamom, chili, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, mace, nutmeg, oregano, pepper, tamarind, turmeric, walnut.
Nuts and Oilseeds: Almond, cashew nut, gingelly, coconut, groundnut, linseed, mustard, pistachio, safflower, sunflower.
Cereals and Grains: Millet, barley, buckwheat, milo, maize, ragi, rice, semolina, wheat, wheat flour.
Vegetables: Onion, garlic, spinach, peas, tomato, chickpeas, potatoes.
Meats: Chicken, mutton, lamb.
Seafood: Prawns, shrimps, lobsters, and a variety of seawater fishes.
Classical Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients:
* 2 tbsp vegetable oil
* 1 tbsp butter
* 400g onions, chopped
* 600g chopped tomatoes
* 1kg chicken breast, skin removed and cut into 2.5-4cm cubes
* 4 tbsp Patak's Tikka Masala Paste
* 2 tbsp thick plain yoghurt
* salt, to taste
* 150ml cream
* large pinch dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
* 3 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
* juice of ½ lemon
* pinch of sugar
Procedure:
1. In a bowl mix together 2 tbsp Patak's Tikka Masala Paste and the yoghurt. Add the chicken, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight if you have time.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy based pan over a low heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté for about 10 minutes until light golden brown.
3. Add the remaining 2 tbsp Patak's Tikka Masala Paste and cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle in some water if the sauce begins to stick.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and butter. Cover and leave to cook over a low heat for about 25-30 minutes, stirring at regular intervals until the butter separates from the gravy.
5. Remove the chicken from the marinade and add to the sauce. Continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
6. Add salt and sugar to taste and stir in the cream.
7. Finally, add the dried fenugreek leaves and squeeze in the lemon juice. Sprinkle with the chopped coriander and serve hot with Patak's Naan Bread
Classic Chicken Korma
Ingredients:
* 450g chicken breast, diced
* 100g onions, sliced
* 1 tsp cracked black pepper
* 1 tbsp flaked almonds
* 25ml double cream
* 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
* 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
* 1 tomato, chopped
* 2 tbsp vegetable oil
* 1/2 tsp root ginger, finely chopped
* salt to taste
* 3 tbsp Patak's Korma Paste
Procedure:
1. Heat the oil in a pan and saute the sliced onions. Add the fennel seeds and fry for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the black pepper and the chicken and continue to cook for a further 3 minutes then add the Patak's Korma Paste and tomato.
3. Cook for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, sprinkle with water if the mixture begins to stick to the pan.
4. Stir in the ginger, half the coriander leaves, flaked almonds and cream. Cook for a further 3 - 4 minutes and serve hot, garnished with the remaining coriander.
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